Olympic Update: Otto '15 and Mills '11 Qualify for Semifinals

After posting impressive times in the 200-meter butterfly this morning, two Harvard athletes, Kate Mills ’11 and Courtney Otto ’15, advanced to the semifinals, which will be held tonight at the US Olympic Trials in Omaha, Neb.

Otto, who was born in 1993, won her heat in a time of 2:12.22, just 3.44 seconds behind top qualifier Kim Vandenberg, born a whole decade earlier in 1983. Mills raced in the same heat as Vandenberg, heat number 12, finishing in 2:11.68. 10 of the 16 semifinalists came from either heat 12 or heat 14, including the top four qualifiers.

Otto, who qualified 11th and will be swimming in semifinal number two this evening, has had an impressive showing at the trials this week. On Tuesday, she finished 28th in the 400-meter individual medley, and on Wednesday, she finished 22nd in the 200 Individual Medley.

Mills will be racing in lane six in the first semifinal. Both races can be watched live on NBC sports or online at NBC Live Extra at 8 PM ET tonight.