DSHS Alum Slaton to compete at US Olympic swim trials

DSHS’s first NCAA D1 All-American in swimming is about to claim another first. Micah Slaton, a 2016 DSHS graduate, has qualified to compete in his second US Olympic Swim Trials. Referred to by many as the “fastest swim meet in the world,” the 2021 version of the US Olympic Swim Trials will be held in Omaha, Nebraska, June 4-7 and June 13-20.

Slaton’s first trip to “the show” was in 2016, the month after graduating from DSHS. He had just completed his high school career by winning both Gold and Silver medals at the Texas 5A High School Swimming Championships. Earlier this month, Slaton reminisced about his 2016 trials performance.: “Only 3% of the competitive swimmers in the U.S. even qualify for the OT’s, as they’re referred to. I experienced what Michael Phelps said about the pressure at the OT’s and comparing it to teams who appear in the Super Bowl for the first time. It was intense.” While Slaton set a new personal best in the 100 butterfly and ended up in the top five in both the 100 and 200 meter butterfly for those competitors under 18, it was short of the kind of performance needed to make the U.S. team. Only the top two finishers in each event are selected to the Olympic team.

Slaton’s 2016 Trials performance did set the bar for his college career. For the next four years, Slaton was a scholarship athlete at the University of Missouri. At the end of his first swim season at Mizzou, Slaton was selected to the SEC All-Freshman team. Slaton’s times continued to improve. In his Sophomore, Junior, and Senior seasons, he qualified for the NCAA Championships and he was named an NCAA All American his senior year. Then Covid hit. The week after Slaton collected the Silver in the 200 butterfly at the SEC Championships, the NCAA cancelled the remainder of the season, including the NCAA Championships. It was a bittersweet ending to a successful college career.

Along with the cancellation of the remainder of the 2020 collegiate season, the 2020 Olympics were postponed for a year. Having already qualified to compete in the 2020 OT’s and needing an additional semester to graduate, he continued to train with his Mizzou teammates and finish his studies, waiting for one last opportunity to compete on a national, and hopefully, an international level. That opportunity is now just around the corner.