MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – Two-time Paralympic champion Morgan Stickney (Cary, North Carolina) continued to chase her Paris Paralympic dreams on the second night of the 2024 U.S. Paralympic Team Trials - Swimming by smashing a world record in her signature 400-meter freestyle S7.

“The energy on deck is very different than in Tokyo,” Stickney said. “It's more energetic and fantastic having the crowd here cheering us on. My training is very different from what I was doing leading up to Tokyo, being in the hospital nine days out of the month. I wasn’t expecting to come in and break the world record, it was super unexpected.”

The Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center showcased a day of 400-meter races with two-time Paralympic medalist Anastasia Pagonis (Long Island, New York) bringing home gold in her first event at Trials. The event is one of the first since Pagonis has returned to the pool after taking some time off from swimming due to injury. Pagonis swam the 400-meter freestyle S11 with a time of 5:12.08 with teammate McClain Hermes (Dacula, Georgia) not far behind with a time of 5:18.53.

2020 Paralympian and hometown hero Summer Schmit (St. Paul, Minnesota) shined in front of her hometown crowd at her second Paralympic Trials grabbing gold in the 400, freestyle S8.

“I am super excited for the rest of the week,” said Schmit. “I have the 200 [individual medley] tomorrow, and I’m now down two races. It has been really nice having one race a day since it’s been a hard couple months of training for me. It’s great to be able to see all my hard work come to fruition.”

Aiming to make her sixth Paralympic team, there was no stopping 29-time Paralympic medalist Jessica Long (Baltimore, Maryland) who shined in the 100-meter freestyle S8 finals.

“I’m feeling so grateful for my husband and my family being here,” said Long. “I am definitely going through the motions of how do I continuously look for that spark to push me forward. I love swimming and I’ve been a part of it for so long, so it is important to remind myself of the mental toughness that I have always had. For me this Trials is just the stepping stone to the big show, the Paralympic Games in Paris this summer.”

First-time Paralympic trials qualifier and mother of three, Christie Raleigh Crossley (Toms River, New Jersey) grabbed gold against a stacked field in the women’s 100-meter freestyle S9. Raleigh Crossley explained she’s using the pressures of her first Paralympic Trials to fuel her Paralympic dreams.

“It is pretty crazy being a solo parent with three children here at trials,” said Raleigh Crossley. “It’s been a bit difficult getting my kids ready before racing and ensuring I am prepared for my races, but great having them here with me. The Paralympic Movement is a second chance to fulfill my childhood dreams of going to the Olympics, but more than that is the opportunity to do that in a more impactful and meaningful way.”

The final day of competition resumes June 29 at 9 a.m. CT with the final day of preliminary heats before the finals at 5 p.m. CT. All sessions will be streamed live on NBC’s Peacock with the streaming schedule found here with competition results found here.

Follow U.S. Paralympic Swimming on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for updates and results throughout the competition, which runs through Saturday, June 29. The Paralympic team naming ceremony is set for Sunday, June 30 at 9:30 a.m. CDT at U.S. Bank Stadium.

For media and photo inquiries, please contact Kristen.Gowdy@usopc.org.

Gold Medalists – Day 2

Piper Sadowski (Women's 200-meter Freestyle S14)

Trevor Lukacsko (Men’s 200-meter Freestyle S14)

Connor Gioffreda (Men’s 400-meter Freestyle S6)

Morgan Stickney (Women’s 400-meter Freestyle S7)

Evan Austin (Men’s 400-meter Freestyle S7)

Jessica Long (Women's 400-meter Freestyle S8)

Noah Jaffe (Men’s 400-Meter Freestyle S8)

Summer Schmit (Women’s 400-meter Freestyle S9)

Carson Bruner (Men’s 400-meter Freestyle S9)

Alexandra Truwit (Women’s 400-Freestyle S10)

Anastasia Pagonis (Women’s 400-meter Freestyle S11)

Olivia Chambers (Women’s 400-meter Freestyle S13)

Leanne Smith (Women’s 50-meter Backstroke S3)

Victoria Beelner (Women’s 50-meter Backstroke S5)

Abbas Karimi (Men’s 50-meter Backstroke S5)

Zack Shattuck (Men's 100-meter Freestyle S6)

Leanne Smith (Women’s 100-meter Freestyle S3)

Morgan Stickney (Women’s 100-meter Freestyle S7)

Noah Jaffe (Men’s 100 Meter Freestyle S8)

Christie Raleigh-Crossley (Women’s 100-meter Freestyle S9

Gabi Farinas (Women’s 100-meter Freestyle S10)

Yaseen El-Demerdash (Men’s 100-meter Freestyle S10)

Anastasia Pagonis (Women’s 100-meter Freestyle S11)

Stickney Smashes World Record on Second Day of Team Trials in Minneapolis

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