2016 LONGHORN ELITE INVITE
- June 3rd-5th, 2016
- Austin, Texas (University of Texas Jamail Swim Center)
- Prelims start at 9:30 AM, Finals start at 6:30 PM, except Sunday, 5:30 PM (U.S. Central Time)
- Psych Sheets
- Meet Central
- Timeline
- Live Results (when available)
5 Events To Watch
Men’s 100 Free
In the hunt for the men’s 4×100 free relay spots on the U.S. Olympic team, there are the sprint freestylers and there are the versatile stars who are talented enough to fight for a relay spot in an event that isn’t their primary focus. While most of the former category are competing elsewhere this week (Nathan Adrian and Anthony Ervin are in Santa Clara, Caeleb Dressel in Tennessee and Josh Schneider in Indianapolis), the bulk of the latter group will be in Austin. That starts, as this sport so often does, with Michael Phelps, who could boost the American relay and add to his 18 career Olympic gold medals. Then there’s Texas Longhorn Jack Conger, a swimmer whose biggest challenge is also his biggest strength: Conger is so versatile that choosing a broad but manageable Olympic Trials event lineup might be the difference between an Olympic berth and a bunch of narrow misses. Also keep an eye on Olympic backstroke champ Matt Grevers, who is sneaky good in sprint freestyle.
Women’s 400 Free
Outside of Katie Ledecky, a number of Olympic contenders are in Austin in the women’s 400 free. Cierra Runge took the year off of college swimming, and her swims in Austin should give us a better idea of where she’s at on her way into Trials. Her training partner Allison Schmitt seems to be gearing more towards the 200 at this point in her career, but has the range to be a dynamic multi-distance threat. Danish swimmer Lotte Friis is the field’s veteran threat, and 18-year-old Sierra Schmidt is one of the youngest U.S. Olympic contenders in the event. Add in Korean star Easop Lee and you’ve got a packed heat. The twist? All 5 – despite not all sharing a training group or even a home city – compete under the same North Baltimore Aquatic Club banner for the time being.
Men’s 100 breast & 200 breast
Longhorn training partners Will Licon and Andrew Wilson are major Olympic contenders in both breaststroke events, which are wide open for the American men. They’ll do battle in both distances – Licon seems a better fit for the 200 (after shattering the American record in short course yards this spring), while Wilson is the better sprinter (after winning the U.S. National title last summer in San Antonio).
Women’s 200 free
The women’s 200 free features the 2012 Olympic champ (Allison Schmitt) along with the 2013 World Champ (Missy Franklin), but both have plenty to prove. Since 2013, they’ve been replaced by Katie Ledecky as the top American, but all three swimmers have Olympic gold medal potential. Franklin in particular will be under much scrutiny this weekend after the last few seasons, while reasonably successful, haven’t lived up to her astronomical 2012 and 2013 production in the minds of many fans. But a fast Franklin/Schmitt race in Austin would send a message to the world that the U.S. 4×200 free relay is an unstoppable juggernaut heading into Rio.
Men’s 100 fly & 200 fly
As is tradition, any race featuring Michael Phelps will be among the meet’s most newsworthy points. But what makes these butterfly races special is the Texas duo of Joseph Schooling and Jack Conger, who have battled it out for NCAA titles the past two seasons. Schooling was Singapore’s first-ever World Champs medalist last summer, taking bronze in Phelps’ absence in Kazan. How Conger swims in both the 100 and 200 butterfly races here might shed some light on his projected Olympic Trials lineup, which at this point could include any combination of sprint freestyle, mid-distance freestyle, backstroke and butterfly races. Phelps will tangle with both Longhorns in the 100, and Schooling and Conger will duel in the 200.
Happy to see Grevers testing his 100 free capacities again . He needs to be on that Us 400 free relay .
I wonder more and more if MP and his coach don’t have an idea in mind about the 200 free.
Could he swim that event in individual instead of the 200 fly? It would be a huge surprise but if he feels great….
I add that he has seen the state of that event. Nobody has impressed since Agnel in 2012 and you can win the gold in 1.44.50. He has 2 monster rivals in the 200 fly and that’s a grueling event for “old” swimmers. But that’s his baby event.
Maybe….
Or not…..
He will test his feeling at trials at least in the first round and either he will stop to just swim… Read more »
Watch for Cam McEvoy in the 200 free!!!
Other races to watch:
1500 Free Clark Smith
400 FR Smith, McBroom, Haas, Roberts, & Grieshop
https://longhornaquatics.utexas.edu/wp-content/uploads/elite-invite-psych-sheet.pdf
FYI Bowman has stated that Michael Phelps will taper for trials, “have full preparation”
http://olympics.si.com/olympics/2016/05/31/olympics-rio-2016-michael-phelps-swimming
I found this quote about a broken 200 free/fly set recently in Colorado very telling:
“[Dwyer] and I were pretty much racing each other,” Phelps says. “And I’ve only done that workout faster, once in my life, and that was in 2008 going into ’09, in a full-body Lazr suit [which are now banned from professional competition]. For me to be at the times I was at in that workout, I was very, very pleased.”
The man is ready!
In this video, Bowman clearly said that his swimmers are already tapering.
http://swimswam.com/bob-bowman-takes-over-live-on-michael-phelps-facebook-video/
Inevitably, we will get one or two armchair expert who will come here and claim that Phelps and Co. shouldn’t taper for the trials and should focus on Rio. The armchair expert obviously knows what’s best for Phelps better than Bowman himself.
The goal is to be faster in Rio than at trials? I think you will agree with me, no?
The biggest meet is Rio, not trials? I think you will agree with me, no?
For swimmers who have no margin at all to qualify, I can understand they do everything they can to qualify. Most of them will disappoint in Rio one month later but at least they will be happy to have qualified. We will call some of them “tourists”.
But for swimmers who don’t have much competition to qualify and target gold medals in Rio, for example like Katie Ledecky but also like Nathan Adrian in the 100 free, Michael Phelps in the 100 fly/200… Read more »
Mr Phelps doen’ t need to be fully tapered in order to hit a 51:00 in 100m buttefly and ”possibly” it will be enough for him to qualify. The problem lies in the word possibly. Can he take the risk? I don’ think so. In order to be 100% sure that he ‘ll qualify he will have to target a time around 50:50 and that requires an almost full taper.
No matter how great you are as a swimmer and how great you believe is the gap that seperates you with the rest you can’ t toy with the us trials.
The only athlete that I can think of that doesn’ t need a full taper for the… Read more »
one of the very few swimswam readers who defended him
By the way, I don’t know if we must believe 100% of the words coaches or swimmers say during the preparation. It can be bluff sometimes. 😆
Oh Bobo,
You haven’t responded to my question in this article:
http://swimswam.com/aussie-doping-authority-slashes-budget-by-20-ahead-of-rio/
Since the budget of French Anti Doping Agency is almost non existent now, do you think Manadou, Stravius and co. are being tested by AFDL?
People downvoting this, why??
Of course Bowman isn’t going to say that Phelps isn’t rested going into Trials. That isn’t good for the sport, and may give his competitors an idea he’ll be off his A game. Does that mean he’ll be 100% tapered? Hell no.
There’s 5 weeks from Omaha to Rio, and Phelps is looking to win multiple golds yet again. I think he has to keep the training up a bit to do that. He could still make the American team in the 100/200 Fly, 200 IM at 85% I say, but he’ll need a little more for the 100/200 frees.
I wonder whom should I trust more when it comes to the best interests of Phelps:
Bob Bowman or Bobo Gigi
Hmmm tough choices.. Both has two “B”s in their name.. Both are experts in swimming… Both would claim they know Phelps very well..
Hmmm…
Bobo sweetie,
Did you know that Coughlin admitted she swam too much and didn’t rest enough before the 2012 trials?
Bobo, you’re a smart guy and I enjoy your knowledge and passion. But on this I don’t really agree. Many swimmers at London went close to or well exceeded their times from Omaha (and not just the dominant athletes with large margins of error either). So many came within less than a tenth of their time from Omaha or improved it. Cullen Jones, Kukors, Grevers, Thoman, Leverenz, Clary, Dwyer, etc. Swimmers that needed to taper in Omaha in order to contest for spots in their best events. For every Donahue, Sutton, or Bootsma there was a Hersey, Berens, or Vanderkaay. Not even Ledecky was considered a sure thing going into trials.
And as I’ve mentioned before, they have another additional… Read more »
Here’s a suggestion: if you don’t like hearing from Bono, don’t go out if your way to provoke him. He may be thin-skinned and I have definitely seen him flip out on people who disagree, but this passive aggressive baiting just drives me nuts. I can stop coming to SwimSwam for months – literally – and without fail I cone back to middle school level posturing and negativity.
And Bobo, clearly people want your reaction. Don’t feed the beast.
Well said. VERY well said, Lazy Observer.
I’m glad to see that MP will have a full taper. Full credit to Bob Bowman, who knows more about his charge than all of us put together. Can you imagine a flat MP going into trials and missing a spot in one of his favoured events? That would be a huge anti-climax to a great career. A full OT taper won’t make any difference to his 100 fly or 200IM in Rio. It might shave a tenth or two off his potential in the 200fly.
Nick Magana is an all-star swimmer and a future Olympian. His powerful stroke and raw speed will leave his competition in his wake
I predict that he goes 49.3 in the 100 free. Just last week he dropped a 50.2 in practice. This kid is an up-and-coming superstar! Viva Peru!!!
Let’s not forget the late great Chunky Rague. He will be in the mix with Nick for Olympics
Agreed, this guy has speed and length. Not someone you want to mess with in or out of the pool.
Nick is my favorite swimmer! Good luck Nick!
Too bad we can’t watch them
Hopefully they have it in the longhorn network. Channel 407 on dish
I was able to confirm that they are airing the races on the longhorn networks SD channel 407 Friday-Sunday. Looks like they’ll cover prelims and finals.