This weekend, while USA Swimming will direct most attention toward the Santa Clara Grand Prix in California, there will be another (and arguably bigger) meet going on down in the Lone Star State – the Longhorn Aquatics Elite Invite.
The lineup at this meet will start with some of the best in the state – including the full contingent of Longhorns, collegiate and pro, like Jimmy Feigen and Brendan Hansen; the Texas A&M Aggies and their National Teamer Cammile Adams (with Breeja Larson likely joining her this summer); and some of the best high school swimmers in the country, including Stanford-bound seniors Julia Anderson from Fort Worth and Gray Umbach from Houston.
Added to that will be a group of the best swimmers from around the country, including a huge chunk of the potential Olympic Team. That includes the great Missy Franklin, the great Michael Phelps, and the great Allison Schmitt. Entire teams are coming to this meet from the Georgia-affiliated Athens Bulldogs Swim Club; Bob Bowman’s North Baltimore Aquatic Club; plus Michigan and Club Wolverine. In addition to Franklin, there will be a huge group coming in from Colorado including Clark Smith, Cal-bound senior Kelly Naze from the Denver Hilltoppers, and Bonnie Brandon who is headed to Arizona in the fall.
Not only will this meet match Santa Clara in talent, but it will also match with TV coverage. Texas’ dedicated sports network the Longhorn Network will air 9.5 hours of coverage from the weekend in Austin with an all-star crew of Aaron Peirsol and John Naber calling the meet (eliciting dreams of a cross-generational battle between the two greatest male backstrokers of all time). Of course, there’s only two television providers that carry the Network, but if you use Verizon or Grande Communications for your television provisions, you’re in luck!
The overall tone of this meet will be one of vastly reduced schedules. Most swimmers will come down from the ridiculous event schedules they’ve had earlier in the season, and focus on their trials races (it appears that’s true other than Allison Schmitt, who still has a big schedule that includes the 200 fly).
Why did so many swimmers choose to come to Austin? Probably in part because it’s an indoor facility, for starters. For many swimmers on the East Coast, it cuts way back on travel time and time zone adjustments, which is important at this time of the season. But the biggest factor probably has to do with the much smaller field. The Grand Prix meets have blown up to such huge entry levels that prelims sessions can be chaotic. At this Elite Invite, because teams had to be invited, most events have between 20 and 50 entries, depending on the race; that’s compared to the Grand Prixs that had as many as 100 entries in certain events.
Psych Sheets Here.
Live Results here (page will be updated after meet starts).
Here’s 6 things to notice from Austin:
1. Michael Phelps’ Final Tuneup – Don’t look now, but Michael Phelps has himself signed up for 6 individual events at his final pre-Trials meet, and it’s the same 6 he swam at the 2008 Trials: the 100/200 fly; the 100/200 free; and the 200/400 IM. Note that last race. The 400 IM. It’s not something that we haven’t been saying for weeks, but we’ll let you figure out what that means headed toward Omaha.
2. Hersey v. Adams 200 Fly – We don’t get to see Longhorn Aquatics’ Kathleen Hersey and Texas A&M’s Cammile Adams square-off very often, despite them training only an hour-and-a-half apart. But the two could be the two best 200 butterfliers in the country. They’re certainly the two fastest since the rubber suits went away in 2009. Adams wasn’t all-that-fast at the Texas Senior Circuit meet two weeks ago, but she swims well in Austin. This is where she stepped up in January and swam a 2:06 – the best time by an American this year (no Hersey at that meet).
3. The Sprints – The 100 free should be a great test for Michael Phelps; he won’t be concerned about an individual swim at the Olympics in the event, but he’ll still be trying to swim something well-under a 48 in London on a relay leadoff to get the Americans back in the gold medal hunt. He’ll be pushed byby two other possible relay teammates Garrett Weber-Gale and Jimmy Feigen, both in their home-pool, as well as Club Wolverine’s Bobby Savulich, Dax Hill, and Club Wolverine/Trinidadian sprinter George Bovell. Expect Bovell to swim a good time in this meet as well, as he seems to have been feeling good since returning from injury earlier this year.
4. Women’s 100 Breaststroke – This continues a storyline that was left unfished after the Senior Circuit Meet, where Texas’ Laura Sogar teased us with a very fast 200 breast, but then went home after one day. Now that she’s already home, we’ll get to see her and Breeja Larson show off in this 100 (Larson’s better event) for a possible sub-1:09 battle in the final. Also in this race will be Cal’s breaststroker-of-the-future Kelly Naze and Missouri’s Rachel Ripley, who is better in long course than short.
5. Caleb Weir Tries Out New Home – Former National Junior College star Caleb Weir will race in his future home-pool in Austin, as he will be transferring to Texas next year after two seasons at Indian River State College. Weir was the Junior College National runner-up in both the 50 and 100 freestyles with swims of 19.84/44.05, and that’s a sprinter that the Longhorns will make good use of next year after the graduation of Jimmy Feigen. Following in the footsteps of his olders sister, and National Team member, Amanda Weir, Caleb will swim only the 50 and 100 freestyles at this meet.
6. Missy Franklin vs. Allison Schmitt in 200 Free – With Missy taking a big step off of the Grand Prix series this season, this is another head-to-head race that we haven’t seen much this season. But this will be the race-to-watch of the women’s meet at this year’s Olympic Trials. Both swimmers have been fairly consistent this season – but Schmitt has been consistently faster. She’ll have a tougher schedule of the two, but I think she’s gotta be a slight favorite here at least. Franklin’s got an interesting schedule, swimming the 100, 200, and 400 frees and the 200 backstroke, but no 100 back. Is this a clue to a possible event schedule in Omaha without that 100 back? It would certainly help avoid a quick-turnaround two races after the 200 free semi.
The Us nees to reshape that 400 free relay if they want to beat the dutch ….i Will wish that MC Keever ( women’s Us coach in London ) will take the good decisions to create a brand new fresh fast relay .
Don has put an interesting point : where is Dave walters ? the Us 100 free record holder . Is he in shape ? same for Grevers : we know GREVERS is great on 100 back and can be fast on 100 free . many mysteries are still out there about a few swimmers .
The american women’s 4X100 free relay looks better and can play with Netherlands if you put 4 very solid and fresh swimmers at the start. You have now Missy Franklin, Dana Vollmer, Megan Romano, Natalie Coughlin, Lia Neal, Allison Schmitt, Amanda Weir and Jessica Hardy for the relay. The field on the women’s side is much deeper than the field on the men’s side.
Where is Dave Walters? He was great with his magic suit, now he’s only a good swimmer.
@ BOBOGIGI : U seem to put Muffat like unbeatable but i feel that’s not the case . With Franklin and Schmitt on 200 free , it”s gonna take a great time to win that gold . Pellegrini showed some weakness last w-e at the european championships …so little doubt about her . We all saw Missy 1.55.06 leading the Us 800 relay and it was a increasing speed split that jawed the whole planet . I beleive the 200 is a way better race for Missy to add to the 200 back and 3 relays . She will probably brake the 200 back WR and the 800 Us relay will probably also break the WR with such an outstanding… Read more »
Yes I put Camille Muffat as the big favorite in the 200 free and in the 400 free. It’s not because I’m french but it’s because she is another swimmer since last year. She has a big easy speed, is very powerful and is now very confident. And unlike her american opponents she hasn’t two olympic games to prepare in one month. The only question about her is how she will react with all the pressure because it will be the first time she will be the swimmer to beat at the start of the races. Now perhaps it will be Allison Schmitt who will be the swimmer to beat after the trials if she swims very fast times. These… Read more »
Jimmy 48.6 at finals. I’d say he’s looking pretty darn good
They must’ve lit the water on fire in Austin…this finals session is FAST
anyone knows where to watch this meet online???? plz helpppp……..
If i were a country i am willing to pay millions of $$$$ just to have Phelps on our team & swim the 400IM/200Im or the 200 fly for us. so luv this guy.
Yea ,there are several that have been keeping a low profile. Dave Walters hasn’t been swimming much and where has chip Peterson been?
Why hasnt allison schmitt ever swam the 200 fly at georgia?? Shes excellent and they need one badly!
Missy will be unstoPpable in omaha and london in any event she chooses. You cant say she doesnt have speed when she goes a 53.6 in the 100 free and 59.1 in the 100 back after her focus meet AND after a long flight home. She could easily beat both times and medal in london in both if she chooses so.
The 200 free will by far be the best race. Missy didnt have a ton of competition pushing her on the lead off leg in china and allison schmitt is looking better than she ever has. Throw in dana, katie… Read more »
I have never said Missy hasn’t the speed. She’s by far the best sprinter in USA now. She could easily swim under 53 seconds in the 100 free and win the gold medal at the olympic games if she was focused only on that event. The problem is she isn’t focused on that event. She could make a final and perhaps a podium but to beat Ranomi Kronomidjojo, Sarah Sjöström, Francesca Halsall or Jeanette Ottesen you must have a specific training and you must be fresh. Yes she could win a medal in every event she swims but I talk about gold medals. And for me her 5 best chances to win a gold medal are the 100 back, the… Read more »
bobo i generally agree w/you on missy.
even with all her talent & potential, gold will not be easy for her if she takes on too many events in london.
i’m thinking particularly in the 100 fr where there’s such strong competition from ranomi & sarah and you can’t count out fran or britta either. also in the 200 fr with the likes of camille, sarah & federica, not to mention allison, kylie etc.
just feel that the dutch gals are a bit too powerful in the 4×100 fr relay, with ranomi being almost a sec faster than she was last year, marleen bout half a sec quicker, etc etc.
missy will of course be great, as… Read more »
Agree with you. I think Ranomi Kronomidjojo will be very tough to beat in the 100 free like Camille Muffat in the 200 free.
You have Lia Neal for the fourth spot in the 4X100 free relay. I think she’s able to swim around 53.50 this summer. She has a big potential and she’s also good in the 200 free so she will not struggle in the last part of her leg like Jessica Hardy can do it. The question for me is more about Natalie Coughlin at the start of the relay. Is she able to swim 53.50 this summer? If not, USA swim for the second place in this relay.
I heard through the grapevine that Julia Smit had decided to gang up her suit and persue other options besides swimming.
Any chance videos from this meet will turn up? Would very much like to see Missy, Alison and Michael in their final tune up before trials.
Unfortunately, we probably won’t be able to post race videos, but the Longhorn Network may put some online. We’ll let you know if they do.
Does anyone else have an inkling that Phelps is going for 8 golds again? It seems like his Trials schedule will be the same as in 2008 – 200/400 IM, 100/200 Fly, 200 Free. Although he will have tougher competition this time from Lochte, Phelps still has a very legitimate shot at winning all of those individual events in London. The US is the hands-down favorite to win the 800 Free Relay and a likely favorite in the 400 Medley Relay. The 400 Free Relay is going to be tougher (the Aussies are probably the favorites for now..), but that gold medal is not out of reach if Phelps/Adrian/Berens/Feigen/Ervin/Weber-Gale swim fast at Trials.
Phelps will need a lot of… Read more »
I agree. If Phelps swims the 400 IM, he is going for 8 gold medals again. Phelps doesn’t swim for second place…
I think he will only swim it if he’s confident he can get back to his personal bests. If he thinks he can go 4:05 high at trials I think he will swim it at trials. I have mixed feelings, I would like to see him swim a 400IM tapered again now that he’s been training but then I remember the look of pure exhaustion on his face after the 200IM in Beijing, and then not so much. I would probably rather see him swim his best in his other events if dropping the 400IM will help that.