Three former area prep swimmers competed in the NCAA Division-I Men’s Championships just a couple weeks ago, but now they are turning their attention to something even bigger: the U.S. Olympic Trials.
Lukas Miller (a graduate of Legacy High), Harrison Lierz (Broomfield), and Tanner Filion (Monarch) may all have competed against each other in high school, but they also competed for the same club team. Years after leaving the area, they continue to face off at their respective colleges – and remain good friends.
Miller, now a senior at North Carolina State, he has proved himself as a 10-time All-American and nine-time Atlantic Coast Conference champion — all of which he earned across three years. This past October, he competed in the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, where he earned a gold in the 100-meter butterfly.
“Being able to make the Pan American Games was such an honor,” Miller said. “Being able to wear the red, white, and blue was incredible. Going there to represent Team USA and then winning some medals was really special. It meant a lot to me. It was a good crowning moment in my career.”
At the NCAA Championships, Miller earned bronze in the same event, along with a ninth-place finish in the 100 freestyle. While he was there, he got to catch up with the boys he had grown up swimming with.
“Having them there was awesome,” Miller said. “The NCAAs is one of the most elite meets in the world … so being there with my friends who I grew up with was a really good feeling.”
Lierz now competes at Tennessee, where he is in his last year. He earned his first All-American distinction with his performance in the 400 medley relay at the NCAA Championships. He competed in the 100 and 200 backstroke at this year’s NCAA Championships, competing directly against Filion.
Filion’s career began a bit later than his counterparts, having come into competitive swimming during his time at Monarch, but he still managed a successful show throughout college — both in his undergrad at Whitman College and now as a master’s student at Notre Dame. He was a CSCAA All-American three times at Whitman and earned First Team All-American honors during his time at Notre Dame.
“I was never even close to Luke and Harrison’s times in high school, but then Harrison and I ended up swimming next to each other in the last race of my college career, which was just such a cool experience,” Filion said.
Now all three men are headed to Indianapolis from June 15-23 to compete for a spot on the U.S. team at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Miller has qualifying times in the 100 butterfly and 100 freestyle, while Lierz and Filion will directly face each other once again in their qualifying events, the 100 and 200 backstroke.
When asked about his chances at the Trials, Miller said, “If you have a lane, you have a shot.”
