Former McAllen High and current Texas A&M junior swimmer Shaine Casas advanced to the second round, the semifinals, in the 100-meter backstroke at the U.S. Olympics Swimming Time Trials Monday morning in Omaha, Nebraska.
Casas tied for third overall with a time of 53.08 seconds, equaling the time of three-time Olympic gold medalist Ryan Murphy.
Leading the quarterfinals was Bryce Medford with a time of 52.99, followed by Justin areas at 53.07.
The semifinals are slated to be shown on TV at approximately 7 p.m. CST on NBC.
Casas and Murphy are projected BT many swimming experts to capture the top two spots in both the 100- and 200-meter backstrokes and advance to the 2021 Tokyo Summer games.
“I don’t care if I win or not,” Casas said about the time trials last week. “I just want to be in the top two.I have to finish in the top two.