From Mustang swimmer to Olympian: How Cal Poly grad secured a spot on Paris triathlon team

A former Cal Poly swimmer is headed for the world’s biggest athletic stage, representing the United States at the 2024 Paris Olympics this month.

Taylor Spivey, a 2014 Cal Poly grad and triathlete who was a five-year member of the Mustang swimming and diving team , learned on June 5 that she was selected to compete in her first Olympics by USA Triathlon.

The 33-year-old was named to the team based on her triathlon performance over the last two years.

“I grew up watching and admiring the Olympics and always felt that it was so out of reach for me,” Spivey told The Tribune in an email. “To qualify for the Olympics in Paris is surreal and a dream come true.”

Spivey will compete in the individual triathlon event — a 1500-meter swim, 40-kilometer bike ride and 10-kilometer run. The swim will take place in the Seine River, before athletes bike and run along the Champs Elysées .

In the same email, Spivey said if she performs well in the individual event, she will also be selected for Team U.S.A.’s mixed-team relay, a team of two men and two women who complete a shorter triathlon that takes about 20 minutes.

Spivey said USA Triathlon based its selection off athletes’ racing history and medal potential.

Though she suffered from a stress reaction — a psychological response that can send your body into fight-or-flight mode — the athlete has finished in second, third and fourth places at international competitions over the past year.

Spivey has also been on the World Championship, medal-winning mixed team relays twice. She is currently ranked fourth in the world heading into the Olympics .

How Cal Poly became a launching pad for Spivey’s Olympic debut

Spivey said her experience training as a collegiate swimmer and studying architecture at Cal Poly wasn’t easy.

“I was the only collegiate athlete in what was known as ‘Architorture’ who completed the five-year program,” said Spivey. “I woke up before 5 a.m. to get in a bigger block of swimming with the distance team, before I spent the rest of the day in the architecture studio.”

Spivey said she had to adapt her schedule to get training hours in, planning her day accordingly.

“Like doing swimming and architecture, triathlon is a full-time job,” Spivey said. “It’s very different than single-sport training.”

For the triathlete, most days consist of training in all three sports: swimming, biking and running. Spivey said the sport requires “time management, diligence and the ability to grind.”

In a USA Triathlon virtual press conference, Spivey said she first got into triathlon training while studying abroad in Florence, Italy, during her college years.

“I’ve been competing in triathlon ever since,” Spivey said during the conference.

Spivey is already in southern France training in Font Romeau . In mid-July, she will continue training at sea level at a U.S. base camp in Vichy, France, until the Olympics begin.

“I’m looking forward to pouring my heart into this race, along the historical course, with so many of my friends and family coming out to watch and cheer,” Spivey said.

The men’s individual triathlon will take place on July 30 while the women’s event will happen the following day.

The mixed relay will take place on Aug. 5. All triathlon events will be aired on NBC and USA Network . The events will also stream on Peacock and NBC Olympics platforms.

Last month, another Cal Poly swimmer, Drew Huston, competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 100-meter and 200-meter backstroke in Indianapolis. Though Huston did not qualify for the Olympic team, he swam a personal best in the 100-meter event.

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