“Both moved up off their seeds and they both had a really good meet,” Gianiodis said. “It will prove to be a very beneficial experience for both of them.”

Puskaric finished 38th out 81 competitors in the 100-meter breaststroke and 27th out of 65 in the 200-meter breaststroke, while Poteete finished tied for 63rd out of 106 in the 100-meter butterfly.

The Qwest Center featured an average audience of 10,000. Puskaric said swimming in front of such a large crowd was a valuable experience.

“It was unbelievable how big the venue was,” he said. “When you stepped onto the pool deck it was a little bit overwhelming. But it was such a big meet that all of our other competitions are going to seem so much smaller.”

Puskaric broke his personal record times in both events at the trials, exceeding many people’s expectations along the way. He was seeded 59th in the 100-meter and 56th in the 200-meter in the pre-trial rankings.

“I think I did pretty well especially because I really don’t have a lot of experience,” the Mokena, Ill. native said. “I’ve been training really hard this summer and I’ve learned so much over the past three months.”

Puskaric said he was very pleased with his result in the 100-meter breaststroke, but felt he underachieved in the 200-meter breaststroke.

“In the 100, I tried to start out really fast and hold on at the end,” he said.

“But in the 200, I tried to start out slower and more controlled, but I would have liked to get going faster at the end.”

Competing at the trials gave Puskaric the opportunity to pick the minds of some of the best swimmers in the country. He said he’ll use the advice he gained at MSU this fall.

“I watched what all the top guys do during warm-ups and I was able to listen to some of the other coaches and hear some valuable things,” he said. “It all added up, and I’m going to use all the things that I learned in the future.”

Poteete, who walked onto the MSU swim team his freshman year, also set a new personal record at the trials.

“I was really happy that I broke 55 seconds and it’s always nice to shoot for a new number,” he said. “During the race I tried to control my speed and then bring it home at the end.”

When Poteete returns for his final season at MSU, he’ll have his eye on breaking the school record in the 100-meter butterfly, which he missed by four hundredths of a second last spring.

“I hope the team improves and gets better for next season,” he said. “The trials were a great confidence builder and I hope to get to the Big Ten finals and the NCAA finals.”

Gianiodis expects both swimmers to compete with a new sense of confidence next season.

“Both guys met and exceeded my expectations,” he said. “They both were so confident in their abilities and I know they met expectations in themselves.

“It was one of the best weeks I’ve ever had in coaching, and they are two of the best kids I’ve ever coached.”