100 breast winner Lilly Kinghas the fastest time going into this final, but Micah Lawrence has historically been America’s best 200 breaststroker over the last few years. Molly Hannis and Bethany Galat went lifetime bests in semifinals, and 200 IM runner-up Melanie Margalis won the 200 SCM race at the Duel in the Pool last weekend with a monster back-half. Annie Lazor represented Team USA at the 2015 Pan Ams, making this a very crowded field– only Lawrence has been to the Olympics, though.
MEN’S 200 BACK
Cal boys Ryan Murphyand Jacob Pebley will clash with defending Olympic champion in this event Tyler Clary of SwimMAC. This is Clary and Pebley’s final chance to make the team. It doesn’t look like anyone else is capable of staying with these three.
MEN’S 200 IM
Like in the men’s 200 back, there isn’t going to be anyone close to the top– Michael Phelpsand Ryan Lochte will race against each other for the last time on American soil at a meet of this caliber, and it will be a big one. Phelps and Lochte surely have much more to drop after cruising through prelims and semifinals– the main difference is that Lochte won’t have to swim the 100 fly minutes later after the women’s 100 free final, while Phelps must make it through to the final if he wishes to defend his 2012 Olympic gold in the 100 fly.
WOMEN’S 100 FREE
Abbey Weitzeil and Simone Manuel, soon-to-be Bay Area rivals in the NCAA, are the front-runners tonight. They aren’t a lock, as experienced veterans Dana Vollmer and Amanda Weir are right behind them. We’ll get to see Katie Ledecky in one of the shortest races of her life, as she tries to make the 4×100 free relay and attempt to earn as many as five medals at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
SEMIFINALS
MEN’S 50 FREE
Anthony Ervin is here and he’s fast, and Caeleb Dressel looked great this morning. Nathan Adrian was 21.96 this AM after absolutely cruising into the finish– look for him to be significantly faster. Cullen Jones was also under 22 this morning, while 17-year-old Michael Andrew gets closer and closer to the 22 second barrier after a lifetime best of 22.27 this morning. Dressel and Andrew scratched the 100 fly semis to focus on this race.
WOMEN’S 200 BACK
Missy Franklin was the top seed after this morning, right ahead of Maya Dirado, who’s been on fire all meet. Franklin’s sub-2:10 this morning was a positive sign after the rocky meet she’s been having, as was Elizabeth Beisel‘s 2:10-low this morning after she broke her pinky and tore a ligament in a warmup collision earlier this week. Kentucky’s Danielle Galyer and Bridgette Alexander sit right behind the top three, as well as 16-year-old Eva Merrell.
MEN’S 100 FLY
Phelps will have the 200 IM final before this, with only the women’s 100 free final in between. He only needs to make the top 8, and it helps him that Ryan Lochte and Caeleb Dressel scratched this race. Bad news for Phelpsy: Matthew Josa, Tim Phillips, Seth Stubblefield, Tom Shields, and Jack Conger were all faster than him and under 52 seconds this morning. If the 200 IM takes a lot out of him, he could have more trouble than expected getting into the final.
Expecting a barn burner from MP and Lochte on that 200 IM and then expect Phelps to follow that up with a 51.0 in the semi’s of the 100 fly. Enough to get a center lane in the finals. If you remember in London, his fly after the IM was actually faster than the finals, so hoping that double is kind to him again.
Karl Ortegon studied sociology at Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT, graduating in May of 2018. He began swimming on a club team in first grade and swam four years for Wesleyan.
Expecting a barn burner from MP and Lochte on that 200 IM and then expect Phelps to follow that up with a 51.0 in the semi’s of the 100 fly. Enough to get a center lane in the finals. If you remember in London, his fly after the IM was actually faster than the finals, so hoping that double is kind to him again.
He’s a different swimmer than four years ago, but I have a hard time doubting his ability to get it done.
yea. MP needs to be conservative in that 200 IM. He will need to be fast in the fly.