USC’s Haley Anderson makes Olympic team

USC senior All-American Haley Anderson earned a spot on the USA Olympic swim team, finishing in first place at the FINA Olympic marathon swim qualifier in Setubal, Portugal.

Going for gold · Senior Haley Anderson will compete for the United States in the 2012 Olympics in London this summer. - Photo courtesy of Sports Information

Anderson, one of two Americans in the race, just beat out Hungary’s Eva Rlsztov by 1.4 seconds for the win (1:44:30.6). Anderson needed to beat Ashley Twichell, the other American in the race, and finish in the top 10 overall to qualify for the Olympics. Twichell finished fourth with a time of 1:44:37.7.

Anderson, who won her first NCAA title in March, is a three-time conference champion. She holds USC records in the 1,000-yard freestyle, 1,650-yard freestyle, and 800-yard freestyle relay, along with a USC pool record in the 500-yard freestyle.

Anderson’s next event is the U.S. swimming indoor trials in Omaha, Neb., on June 25, where she hopes to strengthen her Olympic schedule.