2023 U.S. World Trials Preview: Can Huske Fly By the Competiton in the 50?

2023 U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

• June 27 – July 1, 2023
• Indianapolis, IN
• Indiana University Natatorium
• LCM (50m)
• Meet Central
• SwimSwam Preview Index

WOMEN’S 50 BUTTERFLY — BY THE NUMBERS:

• World Record – Sarah Sjoestroem (SWE), 24.43 (2014)
• American Record – Torri Huske, 25.38 (2022)
• U.S. Open Record — Rikako Ikee (JPN), 25.46 (2017)
• 2022 U.S. International Team Trials Champion- Claire Curzan,  25.49
• World Aquatics ‘A’ Cut- 26.32

Note: Selection to non-Olympic events (50s of stroke) is the fifth and last priority for team selection. Only the top finisher in each of these events will be added to the team (if there is space). The second spot at Worlds will be given to a swimmer already on the team who qualified in the corresponding 100 event, provided they have an A-cut in the 50.

The Past

Claire Curzan (photo: Jack Spitser)

Entering the 2022 World Trials, the conversation about the 50 fly seemed to be relatively straightforward; would the youth that swam into the forefront at Olympic Trials stay on top or would the experience of Kelsi Dahlia push back and emerge victorious?

A year earlier, Dahlia, after failing to make the Tokyo Olympic team, went on to break the World Record in the SCM 100 fly at the ISL Finale and seemed in good shape to sprint her way to Budapest. However, often as not, youth prevailed, and the 2021 Olympians Claire Curzan and Torri Huske placed 1st and 2nd in the 50 and 100 fly, leaving Dahlia out of Worlds in what would ultimately be her final meet.

At Worlds, Curzan finished 5th overall (25.43) with Huske one place behind (25.45). On the way to the finals, Huske set a personal best and new American Record of 25.38, scratching out Dahlia’s 24.48.

The Present

Outside of Dahlia, who has since retired and moved on to coaching, and the 5th place finisher Sarah Thompson, the entire A-final returns to the psych sheets this year. Leading the way are last year’s entrants Huske and Curzan. This year the Cardinal swimmers have declared their intentions to take a redshirt year in preparation for the 2024 Olympics. Both are entered with their 50 times from last year and half a second clear of the rest of the field. Of the two, Curzan has the fastest time this season, swimming 25.88 at the Mission Viejo PSS, ranking her as the fastest American this season and 11th fastest in the world. Touching second behind her at that meet was Huske in 26.08, a time that also dips into the world’s top 25 at  #23.

Gretchen Walsh (photo: Jack Spitser)

Splitting the pair in the world rankings is last year’s 4th-place finisher, Gretchen Walsh. Known more as a free and back sprinter, the UVA Cavalier enters the meet with a season-best of 25.97 set at the beginning of this month. To note, this time equals her personal best set in last year’s final.

Also returning to the 50 this year finishing in 6th, 7th, and 8th in last year’s A-final are Natalie Hinds, Gabi Albiero, and Beata Nelson  Hinds, who placed first amongst the three, enters with her 26.07 from last year’s prelims, which is less than half a second off her season best of 26.56, set in the prelims at the Westmont PSS. She ultimately finished in 6th behind the champion Nelson, whose 26.30 marks a personal best and .23 faster than her 8th place finish last year.

Albiero finished 4th in the final in Westmont touching in a 26.57, but set a personal best of 26.46 in the prelims. Despite being the 7th place finisher last year(26.51), she is only the 9th seed this year due to the addition of two swimmers who did not swim it last year: Abbey Weitzeil and Kate Douglass.

Abbey Weitzeil (photo: Jack Spitser)

While both are known for other disciplines on the international stage, they have the sprinting bona fides to seriously contest for a spot at the

top of this final. Weitzeil, amongst the best of American sprinters, has not really branched out of the freestyle at selection meets. Her last recorded 100 long course fly is from 2019 and before this year she had not touched the 50 since 2019, until this year that is. She swam the 50 at every Pro Swim Series Meet this year, going from 26.50 in Knoxville to 26.27 to 26.26 to finally a new personal best of 26.15 in Mission Viejo.

Douglass, on the other hand, has only swum the 100 fly in long course this season. After posting a new NCAA record in the yards version (48.46), she swam a 57.19 in May, splitting 26.95 along the way. Her 100 time slots her into the 50 as the 6th seed and the fastest entered with a 100 time.

The Future

Behind the group of top contenders are a pack of younger swimmers who, much like Curzan and Huske in 2021, are looking to break through into the international team conversation.  Lucy Bell enters as the 13th seed with a 100 time of 58.69 and holds a personal best of 27.32 from last year’s C-final. Bailey Hartman touched behind Bell in that final (27.49) but enters with her Jr. Pan Pacs bronze medal-winning time of 58.71. The UVA commit has been as fast as 27.52 this season, so is in good shape to contest with the top swimmers.

Katherine Zenick (photo: Jack Spitser)

Entering the 50 fly as just the 27th seed (100 fly time 59.74), Katherine “Kit Kat” Zenick may seem like too much of an outsider if it weren’t for her blistering 26.41 in season time, a time that ties her for 6th (with Olivia Bray) among Americans this season. The difference between Bray and Zenick is that Bray’s season-best 100 time of 58.22 is just off her personal best of 58.07 from the Olympic Trials, while Zenick’s personal and season-best is more than a second slower (59.74). However, Zenick is more of a sprinter holding a personal best in the 50m free of 25.55 compared to Bray’s 26.02, so we may give the edge to Zenick.

That being said, despite her sprinting prowess, Zenick may also face more of an uphill battle than her other competitors named in this article. Unless there are multiple scratches above her in the psych sheet she will have to swim outside of the circle-seeded heats. Only the last three heats, each with eight swimmers, will be circle seeded.

The Double Trouble

Among the top tier of American swimmers, especially on the women’s side, versatility is very evident. Being able to swim multiple strokes and distances opens up numerous event possibilities and therefore qualifying opportunities for many of the women. The downside of this is the potential for doubling or tripling up on events. While the meet is scheduled to avoid this, i.e. not having the 50 and 100 free on the same day, the range and versatility of this women’s field makes it nigh on impossible to avoid.

Kelly Pash (photo: Jack Spitser)

Half of the top 10 entrants in this field have a Day 2 double and not just any old double but are within the top 20 in each event. In addition to being the top seed in the 50, Huske is also the 16th seed in the 200 free. Curzan is the 5th seed in the 200 back and Douglass is the 2nd seed in the 200 Breast. Texas’s Kelly Pash, the #8 seed in the 50 fly, is also the 20th seed in the 200 free and her college teammate Olivia Bray is the 10th seed in the 50 fly and 17th in 200 back.

To note, Pash did not swim at last year’s Trials and Bray did not enter the 50. Of the remaining three, Curzan and Huske picked the 50: Curzan DNS-ed the 200 back in favor of the 50 and Huske scratched out of the 200 free finals after placing 10th in the morning. Meanwhile, Douglass chose the 200 breast, where she ultimately placed 2nd and qualified for the 2022 World’s team.

Past history shows us that Douglass most likely will not enter this event, but questions remain regarding whether Curzan will actually contest this event. After winning this event and scratching the 200 back at last year’s Trials Curzan has seemed to focus more on the backstroke events.

At the 2022 SC Worlds, Curzan filled in for the ill Rhyan White in the 200 back, in fact, she scratched out of the 100 fly finals in favor of the 200 back finals, where she finished 2nd. At NCAAs, she won her first title in the 200 back by over a second, while placing just 4th in the 100 fly. Looking at the seeding, she is the #2 seed in this event and the #5 in the 200 back, but there is only one roster spot available in the 50, so do not be surprised to see Curzan out of this event.

SwimSwam’s Top 8:

Dark Horse: Charlotte Crush – One of the youngest entrants in the meet, Crush is lurking as the 19th seed. Despite being below Lucy Bell and Bailey Hartman in the psych sheet, Crush beat both of them last year in the 50, touching in 26.98, good for 12th overall. She has already been faster than that time this year posting a new personal best of 26.85 at the PSS-Knoxville, a time that ranks her 12th among Americans this year. She has been on a roll this season already: “crushing” 13-14 NAG records across both backstroke distances and  she sits second behind only Curzan in the 100 fly 13-14 rankings.