With the summer wrapping up soon, the USA National Team will be named after the conclusion of all four selection meets. Two meets have finished– Worlds Trials (US Nationals) and the World Championships. The next meet is the US Open, which begins tomorrow, while the fourth and final opportunity to make the National Team is the World University Games.
This means that there are just two chances left for a swimmer to make the National Team. Simplified, the team consists of the top 6 finishers in every Olympic event from combined results of the four selection meets. National Team members gain access to USA Swimming financial stipends, athlete health insurance and a number of other USA Swimming perks. A broader and more detailed explanation of National Team benefits can be seen here.
Below is the selection criteria, verbatim, from USA Swimming:
- The top six athletes in Olympic Events from the combined results of the 2017 Phillips 66 USA Swimming National Championships (World Championship and World University Games Trials), 2017 FINA World Championships, 2017 World University Games, and the 2017 USA Swimming U.S. Open.
- Times from Prelims, Semi-Finals and Finals (A, B and C) only will be used.
- Relay lead offs, time trials, swim-offs and intermediate splits will not be included.
NATIONAL TEAM TRACKER
Below are the swimmers who have swum times fast enough to be selected to the 2017-18 National Team, if the team were to be chosen today. Remember that relay lead-offs and time trials DO NOT COUNT, which is why times for some events (like 100 free and 100 back) aren’t the fastest times that a swimmer has gone at a selection meet.
We’ll be keeping these lists updated as we get through the US Open and then WUGs.
WOMEN
| Rank | 200 FLY | 100 FREE | 800 FREE |
| 1 | Hali Flickinger 2:07.60 | Simone Manuel 52.27 | Katie Ledecky 8:11.50 |
| 2 | Dakota Luther 2:08.71 | Mallory Comerford 52.77 | Leah Smith 8:17.22 |
| 3 | Sarah Gibson 2:08.75 | Lia Neal 53.59 | Hannah Moore 8:27.58 |
| 4 | Ella Eastin 2:09.24 | Kelsi Worrell 53.87 | Cierra Runge 8:32.16 |
| 5 | Vanessa Krause 2:09.54 | Olivia Smoliga 54.31 | Joy Field 8:33.95 |
| 6 | Jen Marrkand 2:09.58 | Katie Ledecky 54.35 | Kaersten Meitz 8:34.30 |
| RANK | 400 FREE | 200 BREAST | 200 BACK |
| 1 | Katie Ledecky 3:58.34 | Bethany Galat 2:21.77 | Kathleen Baker 2:06.38 |
| 2 | Leah Smith 4:01.54 | Lilly King 2:21.83 | Regan Smith 2:07.19 |
| 3 | Sierra Schmidt 4:07.92 | Miranda Tucker 2:25.82 | Asia Seidt 2:08.99 |
| 4 | Kaersten Meitz 4:08.38 | Kayla Brumbaum 2:25.87 | Bridgette Alexander 2:09.44 |
| 5 | Cierra Runge 4:08.43 | Vanessa Pearl 2:25.97 | Lisa Bratton 2:09.85 |
| 6 | Hannah Moore 4:09.35 | Katie Meili 2:26.09 | Hali Flickinger 2:10.21 |
| RANK | 400 IM | 100 BUTTERFLY | |
| 1 | Leah Smith 4:33.86 | Kelsi Worrell 56.37 | |
| 2 | Elizabeth Beisel 4:36.18 | Sarah Gibson 57.96 | |
| 3 | Brooke Forde 4:39.19 | Mallory Comerford 57.97 | |
| 4 | Ally McHugh 4:40.25 | Hellen Moffitt 58.24 | |
| 5 | Madisyn Cox 4:40.39 | Amanda Kendall 58.32 | |
| 6 | Ella Eastin 4:40.56 | Katie McLaughlin 58.49 | |
| RANK | 200 FREE | 100 BREAST | 100 BACK |
| 1 | Katie Ledecky 1:54.69 | Lilly King 1:04.13 | Kathleen Baker 58.57 |
| 2 | Leah Smith 1:56.06 | Katie Meili 1:05.03 | Olivia Smoliga 58.77 |
| 3 | Melanie Margalis 1:56.58 | Bethany Galat 1:06.72 | Regan Smith 59.70 |
| 4 | Mallory Comerford 1:56.95 | Molly Hannis 1:07.11 | Hannah Stevens 59.74 |
| 5 | Simone Manuel 1:57.11 | Breeja Larson 1:07.43 | Ali Deloof 59.77 |
| 6 | Cierra Runge 1:57.71 | Miranda Tucker 1:07.62 | Elise Haan 1:00.02 |
| RANK | 1500 FREE | 200 IM | 50 FREE |
| 1 | Katie Ledecky 15:31.82 | Melanie Margalis 2:08.70 | Simone Manuel 23.97 |
| 2 | Leah Smith 16:01.02 | Madisyn Cox 2:09.69 | Abbey Weitzeil 24.74 |
| 3 | Hannah Moore 16:08.68 | Ella Eastin 2:10.89 | Lia Neal 24.77 |
| 4 | Ashley Twichell 16:10.63 | Alex Walsh 2:12.36 | Kelsi Worrell 24.79 |
| 5 | Ally McHugh 16:16.20 | Bethany Galat 2:12.66 | Olivia Smoliga 24.84 |
| 6 | Sierra Schmidt 16:19.59 | Katie Drabot 2:12.82 | Mallory Comerford 24.88 |
MEN
| RANK | 200 FLY | 100 FREE | 1500 FREE |
| 1 | Jack Conger 1:54.47 | Caeleb Dressel 47.17 | True Sweetser 14:59.73 |
| 2 | Pace Clark 1:54.58 | Nathan Adrian 47.85 | Robert Finke 15:01.31 |
| 3 | Chase Kalisz 1:54.79 | Zach Apple 48.14 | PJ Ransford 15:01.82 |
| 4 | Gunnar Bentz 1:55.51 | Townley Haas 48.20 | Andrew Abruzzo 15:07.97 |
| 5 | Justin Wright 1:56.11 | Michael Chadwick 48.48 | Michael Brinegar 15:10.66 |
| 6 | Zach Harting 1:56.65 | Blake Pieroni 48.49 | Kevin Litherland 15:10.93 |
| RANK | 400 FREE | 200 BREAST | 200 BACK |
| 1 | Zane Grothe 3:44.43 | Kevin Cordes 2:07.41 | Ryan Murphy 1:54.21 |
| 2 | Clark Smith 3:45.91 | Nic Fink 2:08.56 | Jacob Pebley 1:54.78 |
| 3 | Townley Haas 3:46.41 | Andrew Wilson 2:08.64 | Sean Lehane 1:57.07 |
| 4 | Grant Shoults 3:48.73 | Josh Prenot 2:08.72 | Robert Owen 1:57.17 |
| 5 | Kevin Litherland 3:50.24 | Will Licon 2:09.29 | Austin Katz 1:57.60 |
| 6 | Jay Litherland 3:50.36 | Jonathan Tybur 2:10.94 | Bryce Mefford 1:58.63 |
| RANK | 400 IM | 100 BUTTERFLY | |
| 1 | Chase Kalisz 4:05.90 | Caeleb Dressel 49.86 | |
| 2 | Jay Litherland 4:09.21 | Tim Phillips 51.30 | |
| 3 | Gunnar Bentz 4:11.66 | Jack Conger 51.33 | |
| 4 | Jonathan Roberts 4:15.50 | Tom Shields 51.55 | |
| 5 | Sean Grieshop 4:17.49 | Justin Lynch 52.20 | |
| 6 | Sam McHugh 4:18.66 | Maxime Rooney 52.28 | |
| RANK | 200 FREE | 100 BREAST | 100 BACK |
| 1 | Townley Haas 1:45.03 | Kevin Cordes 58.64 | Matt Grevers 52.48 |
| 2 | Blake Pieroni 1:46.30 | Cody Miller 59.08 | Ryan Murphy 52.59 |
| 3 | Zane Grothe 1:46.39 | Nic Fink 59.40 | Justin Ress 53.37 |
| 4 | Clark Smith 1:47.10 | Andrew Wilson 59.65 | Jacob Pebley 53.72 |
| 5 | Conor Dwyer 1:47.25 | Will Licon 1:00.34 | Sean Lehane 54.21 |
| 6 | Caeleb Dressel 1:47.45 | Jacob Montague 1:00.39 | Taylor Dale 54.33 |
| RANK | 800 FREE | 200 IM | 50 FREE |
| 1 | Clark Smith 7:50.43 | Chase Kalisz 1:55.56 | Caeleb Dressel 21.15 |
| 2 | Zane Grothe 7:50.97 | Abrahm Devine 1:56.79 | Nathan Adrian 21.83 |
| 3 | True Sweetser 7:55.29 | Josh Prenot 1:57.14 | Cullen Jones 21.89 |
| 4 | Andrew Abruzzo 7:57.67 | Gunnar Bentz 1:58.31 | Zach Apple 22.00 |
| 5 | Grant Shoults 7:57.84 | Jay Litherland 1:58.46 | Michael Andrew 22.03 |
| 6 | Robert Finke 7:59.31 | Will Licon 1:58.54 | Anthony Ervin 22.09 |
We have some movement already with this morning’s prelims. Cassidy Bayer has just moved into 4th place in the 200 fly (2.09.21).
Abrahm Devine went a 4:17.5 at the Santa Clara Grand Prix. After making the worlds team and going 1:56 in the 2IM you’d think the people who write these articles would pay more attention to him
Times from the Santa Clara Grand Prix do not qualify a swimmer for the USA Swimming National Team.
Yeah, well, you’d think someone calling themselves “TeamUSA” would pay more attention to the team selection criteria, but here we are.
Might explain Lochte’s choice of events this meet. Depending on his training, his best shot might be the 100 back. I could see him doing a 54 low in the 100 back probably more than a 1:58 in the 200 IM if rumors of his training are true. 46.57 and 1:44 at Master’s nationals at the end of April in the SCY version of those events.
Blake Pieroni 48.40
Relay leadoffs, like this one Blake dropped in prelims of WCs, do not count, per the all caps statement in the article. [insert clap emoji between each word]
Makes you wonder with all these people pulling out relay leadoffs, how many actually read the article
Matt Grevers 52.28 and Ryan Murphy 52.34 in the 100 Back, relay leadoffs
All great swims but none make this list because they don’t count towards selection.
And as below, Mallory C 100 free 52.59
Please see comments above. Relays lead offs don’t count for selection procedures.
Leah Smith 200 Free 1:55.95
Relay lead-off, so it can’t be counted
Michael Andrew and Maxine Rooney just hanging on here
Maxine has a good shot at going under 1:47.75 in the 2 free though,so if he falls off in the fly he still has a chance.