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5 swimmers out of Indiana have made 2024 Olympic team so far, including Carmel siblings

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5 swimmers out of Indiana have made 2024 Olympic team so far, including Carmel siblings

David Woods
 |  Special for IndyStar

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INDIANAPOLIS – Finally, finally, the Carmel girls swim program has a U.S. Olympian.

The Greyhounds have won a record 38 straight state titles, a national record for all sports and all states. But this is a first.

Alex Shackell tentatively made the team Monday on night 3 of the Olympic Trials at Lucas Oil Stadium, finishing sixth in the 200-meter freestyle.

Roster won’t be official until Sunday, but top six customarily are chosen from the 100 and 200 freestyles for relays.

Alex, 17, would join brother Aaron, 19, on the team. Aaron won Saturday’s 400 freestyle. The siblings’ father, Nick Shackell, made British Olympic teams in 1996 and 2000.

More: Olympic medal eluded father, but Carmel swimming siblings can get on Paris podium

‘Queen of Indiana swimming.’ Lilly King wins 100 breaststroke, earns another Olympics spot

Another Carmel swimmer, Drew Kibler, became a two-time Olympian by finishing third in the men’s 200 freestyle. The University of Texas graduate trained in Carmel last year and became a mentor to Alex Shackell.

“She works so hard, and is so dedicated and wants it so bad. Same for Aaron,” Kibler said. “I could not be happier for both of them. The excitement of seeing them after the races was really cool.”

Alex qualified for last year’s World Championships and won a silver medal as U.S. anchor in the 4×200 freestyle relay.

Already, five swimmers out of Indiana have made this Olympic team: the Shackell siblings, Kibler, Lilly King, Blake Pieroni. That ties the record from 2021. Olympians then were King, Kibler, Pieroni, Jake Mitchell and Michael Brinegar.

“We love swimming here,” King told NBC’s Elizabeth Beisel after winning Monday’s 100 breaststroke final. “This is what we do. We’re a swimming state. And we’re really, really proud of that. I’m glad I get to represent us.”

Most native Hoosiers on an Olympic team previously was four, in 1976: Dan Harrigan, South Bend; Jennifer Hooker, Bloomington; Matt Vogel, Fort Wayne; Camille Wright, New Albany. They combined to win two gold medals, a silver and a bronze in Montreal.

Katie Ledecky won the women’s 200 freestyle in 1:55.22, adding that to the 400 freestyle she won Saturday night. Indiana University’s Anna Peplowski was fifth in 1:57.04, just .01 ahead of Shackell.

“She put her head down way early,” Carmel coach Chris Plumb said. “She battled and held her breath to get her hand on the wall.”

She out-touched Simone Manuel, a five-time Olympic medalist and 100 freestyle champion in 2016. Manuel was seventh in 1:57.13.

Plumb said Alex Shackell has been focused on the 200 butterfly, in which she is seeded fourth. She twice lowered her best time in heats and semifinals of the 100 butterfly before scratching out of the final. Heats and semis of the 200 fly are Wednesday and the final Thursday night.

“All signs say that she’s ready to go,” Plumb said.

Alex Shackell became Carmel’s third Olympian of these trials.

Kibler was the second, securing a spot by finishing third in the 200 freestyle, as he did at the 2021 trials.

Luke Hobson,, a bronze medalist was February’s World Championships in Doha, was first in 1:44.89. Chris Guiliano was second in 1:45.38, becoming Notre Dame’s first male swimmer to make a U.S. Olympic team.

Kibler’s time was 1:45.60.

Pieroni, of Chesterton and IU, came out of retirement to make a third Olympic team by placing sixth in 1:46.09 — his fastest time since 2018. Mitchell was seventh in 1:46.48, missing out on Paris after winning a relay gold medal at the 2023 worlds.

Aaron Shackell, who made the final in a swim-off Sunday night, was eighth in 1:47.37.

Kibler has made U.S. teams for each of the past four global meets: 2021 and 2024 Olympics, 2022 and 2023 World Championships. He left Austin, Texas, after college for Carmel, then relocated to train under coach Bob Bowman at Arizona State. Bowman recently left to be coach at Texas, and Kibler returned to Austin.

“I have had a certain level of consistency, and especially changing up the training a lot and trying new places,” he said. “But again, every year, I’m not so sure, like, what the future holds for my swimming. I get to take it year by year and try my best just to stay present and enjoy the journey, as cliché as that can sound. That makes it easier to work really hard every day and not get tired of it.”

Also at Austin is Zionsville’s Will Modglin, coming off his freshman year at Texas. Modglin, who was 42nd in the 100 backstroke at the 2021 trials and seeded 12th here, finished sixth in 53.69. (Aaron Shackell heads to Texas, too.)

“For me, this really was my first performance at one of these big meets where I’m able to jump out,” said Modglin, a two-time national high school swimmer of the year. “For me, that’s reassuring.”

The state soon could add a sixth Olympian.

More: How Noblesville swimmer went from outside top 1,000 teens to trials contender

In prelims of the 800 freestyle, Luke Whitlock had the top time, 7:51.22. Bobby Finke, the 2021 Olympic champion, was next at 7:51.71.

Whitlock, a Noblesville 18-year-old who represents Fishers Area Swimming Tigers, also had the fastest prelim in the 400 freestyle. He finished fifth in the final. Whitlock was fifth in the 800 freestyle at last year’s World Junior Championshiips.

The final is Tuesday night.

Brinegar was 12th in ;relims in 8:00.15 and did not make the cut to eight.

 Contact IndyStar correspondent David Woods at dwoods1411@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.

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