Former UGA swimmers Allison Schmitt, Melanie Margalis heading to Rio Olympics

Two more swimmers with Georgia ties will represent the U.S. Olympic Team in Rio de Janeiro.

Former UGA swimmers Allison Schmitt and Melanie Margalis qualified for the Summer Olympics Wednesday evening at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Omaha, Nebraska.

Schmitt finished fourth in the 200-meter freestyle in a time of 1 minute 56.72 seconds, which qualified her for a relay spot. This will be Schmitt's third trip to the Olympics. At the 2012 London Olympics, Schmitt won gold medals in the 200 freestyle and 4x200-meter freestyle relay. She still holds the American record in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:53.61.

“I love to race,” Schmitt said in a statement prior to start of the U.S. Olympic Trials. “I like to have fun and I'm more of a laid-back athlete than a lot of other athletes. But I love to race and I think that competitive edge helps me every time I dive in the water.”

Schmitt's college career at Georgia ended in 2013.

Margalis, whose time at Georgia concluded in 2014, clinched an Olympic berth with a second-place shooting in the 200-meter individual medley with a time of 2:10.11. Margalis may also earn a relay spot on the 4x200 freestyle team with Schmitt.

Schmitt and Margalis are joining Georgia swimmers Chase Kalisz, Jay Litherland and Olivia Smoliga on the U.S. Olympic Team. Four other UGA swimmers will also be competing at the Olympics, including Canadians Brittany MacLean, Chantal Van Landeghem and Javier Acevedo, and Finland’s Matias Koski.

Gunnar Bentz, who finished fourth in the 400-meter individual relay and fourth in the 200-meter butterfly and fifth in the 200-meter freestyle, is awaiting official word on whether he's earned a relay spot on the U.S. Olympic Team.

This story was originally published June 30, 2016 at 8:42 AM with the headline "Former UGA swimmers Allison Schmitt, Melanie Margalis heading to Rio Olympics."