Scott Tolman will get another shot at qualifying for the U.S. Olympic swim team, while Andie Shelton got the most out of her final opportunity to play volleyball collegiately at a high level.
The two decorated former standouts from Manteca-area schools have racked up more accolades in the last month.
Tolman, a 2016 Sierra graduate who is now a junior at Cal Baptist, made the cut for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in two events — the 100- and 200-meter breaststrokes. He earned his spot during the 2018 United States Winter National Championships at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in North Carolina on Dec. 1.
Tolman coasted to a time of 2 minutes, 15.58 seconds for eighth place in the 200 breast “A” Final. He also took 16th in the 100 breast in 1:03.28. Qualifying times are 1:03.29 and 2:17.89 for the 100 and 200 breast, respectively.
It was in the 200 breast that Tolman claimed the 2018 NCAA Division II individual title last spring and while setting a new CBU program record (1:54.26).
He previously qualified for the Olympic Trials in 2016, doing so on the last possible meet at a qualifying event at Fresno State. Tolman finished third in his heat and 49th out of 98 overall competitors in the 200 breast (2:18.66) at CenturyLink Center in Nebraska. Top-two placers make the U.S. team and will compete in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Tolman is Sierra High’s first-ever CIF State Championships qualifier, the 2016-17 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year and a multi-event All-American.
As for Shelton, the 2014 Ripon Christian grad took the road less travelled from one coast to the next. With one year left of eligibility, she moved from Pacific to Duke University (Durham, N.C.) as a graduate transfer over the summer and made an immediate impact at the prestigious Atlantic Coast Conference school.
Shelton was twice named ACC Player of the Week and made the All-ACC first team. Last week, she was selected to the America Volleyball Coaches Association Division I All-America honorable mention and All-East Coast Region teams.
The 5-foot-9 setter/outside hitter led the nation with six triple-doubles and led Duke with 574 assists and 31 aces to go with 214 kills, 211 digs and 79 blocks. She’s the first graduate transfer in program history and first Blue Devil to record a triple-double since 2006. Duke finished 10-8 in the ACC and 16-12 overall, advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the 20th time.
At Pacific, Shelton was named to the West Coast Conference All-Freshman Team in 2014 and red-shirted as a sophomore. She made All-WCC honorable mention in her redshirt-junior season and ended her stint at the Stockton campus by earning a bachelor’s in sports medicine last May.
In high school, she led Ripon Christian to two Sac-Joaquin Section championships, was a finalist for the 2010 PrepVolleyball.com National High School Freshman of the Year award and 2013 Under Armour Girls high School All-American.