Olivia Bray Posts 10th-Ranked Time Nationally After Returning from Foot Surgery | SwimSwam

By Braden Keith on SwimSwam

University of Texas 5th year swimmer Olivia Bray returned to racing last week against the University of Georgia, where she won the 100 back in 51.52 and finished 2nd in the 100 fly in 51.38.

That marked a successful performance in her first meet since June’s U.S. Olympic Trials after being out of the water for six weeks following foot surgery.

Bray underwent surgery in June, the week after Trials, to repair a Lisfranc sprain that she suffered over two years ago. A Lisfranc sprain* is a sprain impacting the ligaments of the middle of the foot.

The injury gets its name from French surgeon and gynecologist Jacques Lisfranc de St. Martin who served in Napoleon’s army. He began noticing the injury in French cavalrymen after the War of the Sixth Coalition from 1812-1814.

Bray tells SwimSwam that the surgery included having four screws put in her foot. After the operation, she was out of the water for a while, including six-weeks without putting any weight on the foot, and no kicking or pushing off the wall allowed until late October. She still has not been able to do doubles, but hopes to begin doubles and kicking sets after the holiday break.

Bray has 20 career First Team All-America honors from the CSCAA and four Honorable Mention All-America awards, marking 24 out of a possible 28 scoring finishes at the NCAA Championships in her career.

She is a 21-time Big 12 champion, was the 2020-2021 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, and has three NCAA top three individual finishes: 2nd in the 200 fly as a freshman in 2021, 3rd in the 500 free as a junior in 2023, and 3rd in the 100 fly as a senior in 2024.

Her best finish at the Olympic Trials in June was 11th place in the 100 fly semi-finals.

With just one meet under her belt in her 5th-and-final season of eligibility this year, she now ranks 21st nationally in the 100 back and 10th nationally in the 100 fly, which should easily qualify her for the NCAA Championships in March.

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