OMAHA, Neb. – Cierra Runge is officially Rio bound.

An incoming transfer that will be a redshirt sophomore for the Wisconsin swimming team this fall, Runge received official word from U.S. Swimming on Saturday that she had earned a spot on its team for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

After she finished fifth overall in the 200-meter freestyle final earlier in the week at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Omaha, Nebraska, Runge likely ensured herself a spot in Rio as an alternate for Team USA's 800-meter freestyle relay team. She finally received the official confirmation of her spot Saturday evening.

"To finally make it is unbelievable," Runge said earlier in the week. "I don't know whether I should laugh or cry. It's been a dream of mine since I was 4 years old. It's a dream come true. I'm so happy."

Runge becomes the first Wisconsin female swimmer to qualify for the Olympics since Carly Piper swam for the USA and claimed a gold medal in 2004.

"We're very proud and excited for Cierra," Wisconsin head coach Whitney Hite said earlier in the week. "We're really excited for her to be a Badger next fall. Adding someone like Cierra to our program next year is something that we hope will help take us to that next level. Certainly, she has the ability to have a huge impact on our team. We feel that she'll also have the opportunity to get better here in Madison."

Also in action Saturday night in Omaha was Ivy Martin, who qualified for and competed in the semifinals of the women's 50-meter freestyle. Martin was unable to advance to Sunday's final, however, finishing sixth in her heat and 10th overall with a time of 25.22 seconds. The top eight earned a spot in the final.

Earlier in the day Saturday morning, Martin finished with the seventh-fastest time during preliminaries of the 50 freestyle with a time of 25.05 seconds.

In addition to Martin, there were four other Badgers who competed in prelims of the women's 50-meter freestyle. A senior next season at Wisconsin, Chase Kinney had an impressive showing and finished 18th overall at 25.58 seconds, making her the second alternate for the semifinal. Marissa Berg, a junior for UW next season, clocked in at 25.98 seconds, while redshirt sophomore Abby Jagdfeld finished in 26.43 seconds and incoming freshman Beata Nelson swam a time of 26.75.