2019 WOMEN’S DIVISION I NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Wednesday, March 20th – Saturday, March 23rd
- Lee & Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center — Austin, Texas
- Prelims 9 a.m./Finals 5 p.m. (Central Time)
- Championship Central
- Psych Sheet
- Live Results
- Full livestream schedule
Cal’s Abbey Weitzeil set the 50 free American record three years ago during her redshirt year but hadn’t been able to match that time in her past three NCAA seasons. She saw the NCAA record go to Stanford’s Simone Manuel in 2017 (21.17) and Tennessee’s Erika Brown last month (21.15), all the while leaving her 21.12 American record untouched – until Thursday night in Austin.
Weitzeil reset both the NCAA, American, and US Open marks by a wide margin in her third NCAA Championships. She was out 10.08 to the foot, then 10.94 coming home, to touch first in 21.02. Brown took second place in 21.23 and Louisville’s Mallory Comerford third in 21.49.
Just before this swim, Weitzeil was 20.49 on Cal’s record-setting 200 free relay – the N0. 2 split in history behind Manuel’s 20.45. Fittingly, Manuel was in the house to watch Weitzeil’s swims.
Weitzeil, Manuel, and Brown now combine to own nine of the top-10 fastest performances in history.
Top 10 Performers of All Time: Women’s SCY 50 Free
| Place | Swimmer | Time |
| 1 | Abbey Weitzeil | 21.02 |
| 2 | Erika Brown | 21.15 |
| 3 | Simone Manuel | 21.17 |
| 4 | Olivia Smoliga | 21.21 |
| 5 | Lara Jackson | 21.27 |
| 6 | Liz Li | 21.28 |
| 7 | Farida Osman | 21.32 |
| 8 | Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace | 21.34 |
| 9 | Natalie Coughlin | 21.48 (T-9) |
| 10 | Caroline Baldwin | 21.48 (T-9) |
| 10 | Liv Jensen | 21.48 (T-9) |
Top 10 Performances of All Time: Women’s SCY 50 Free
| Place | Swimmer | Time |
| 1 | Abbey Weitzeil | 21.02 |
| 2 | Abbey Weitzeil | 21.12 |
| 3 | Erika Brown | 21.15 |
| 4 | Abbey Weitzeil | 21.16 |
| 5 | Simone Manuel | 21.17 |
| 6 | Simone Manuel | 21.18 |
| 7 | Simone Manuel | 21.20 |
| 8 | Olivia Smoliga | 21.21 |
| 9 | Erika Brown | 21.23 |
| 10 | Abbey Weitzeil | 21.24 |
Abby doing the “Brrrrappp” stretch. She is the Queen of speed swimming – “The Fastest Woman Afloat!”
Wonderful! So happy for Abby!
I am so proud of Abbey.
Come on…you musta laughed a little?
No matter what else happens at this championships I will consider it successful because of this amazing comeback race of Abbey Weitzeil. If she is same fast in LCM then American will have the fastest ever 4×100 relay with Comerford, Manuel, Weitzeil (listed alphabetically) that no Sisters can beat at world championships.
yep , thats very probable …..
Who’s the fourth swimmer to be?
Maybe Gretchen Walsh in 2020. Possibly Geer
Or Brown
Geer was 53.4 last summer. But Schmidt and Lea Neal also likely to get a shot in prelims
Ledecky.
Should it was the spring of 2016 then I would have no doubts that her ambition would place her in this relay and 15:20 swimmer would deliver under 53sec split. But now she is too mature for this nonsense. She is a professional now. A real one.
She was 52.6 relay split at the 2016 Olympics
Jusssst a heads up that the Canadians may have something so say about that… Quietly and politely of course 😁. Taylor Ruck is on way to shining this weekend and is already a 52 long course, Penny is rounding back into form this past year, Kayla Sanchez is 53 from last summer and 51 short course this year, and now Maggie McNeil showing Sprint free skills at this meet on top of her 100 fly. There isn’t the 5th-6th-7th depth necessarily but the top 4 or 5 are going to put the 4*1 right in the mix… Add to that their all under 20 so there’s that to consider the next 3-5 yrs….
I’d remind you that Australia have a third sub 53 swimmer (McKeon) in their ranks. Throw in Shayna Jack and the revitalised Madi Wilson, already into the 53s LC this year, and you have a match for the US. C1/C2/McKeon/*fourth Aussie* show up ready to go, I still make them top dog, purely because C1 is an untouchable animal on a relay anchor.
Agreed. The US will have a very tough time with the Aussies. Simone, Commerford, Margo, and maybe Abbey or Neal do not match up against them on paper.
Nevertheless, she persisted.
Amen.
always persist to make dreams come true …..
Incredible amazing phenomenal bombastic holy cow, what a swim. Makes a 45 something 100 not out of the question, her best time in that is back from 2014. This is the year it goes down!
Wow! So close to under 21! Amazing for our sport!