W. NCAA 800 Free Relay Roundup: Cal Swaps Out Weitzeil for Vredeveld

2017 WOMEN’S NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Wednesday, March 15 – Saturday, March 18
• IUPUI Natatorium – Indianapolis, IN
• Prelims 10AM/Finals 6PM (Eastern Time)
• Defending Champion: Georgia (results)
• Championship Central
• Psych Sheet
• Live stream: Wednesday/Thursday Prelims & Finals, Friday/Saturday Prelims / Friday/Saturday finals on ESPN3
• Live Results

The 2017 Women’s NCAA Championships in Indianapolis, Indiana kicked off tonight with the timed finals of the 800 free relay. There are a few noteworthy things that come up when we look at the lineups used by some of the teams in this event.

As expected, Stanford took the early scoring lead with a record-breaking performance. Simone Manuel (1:41.41), Lia Neal (1:42.15), Ella Eastin (1:41.89), and Katie Ledecky (1:40.46) did not dissapoint, earning 40 points for the Cardinal with their 6:45.91.

What’s important to note here, however, is that Stanford opted to use Manuel on this relay, meaning she won’t be able to compete on at least 1 of the 4 remaining relays. Fellow sprint standout Neal will also be unavailable for one of the remaining relays. It’s interesting that they used this strategy considering their clear dominance with or without Manuel in the 800 free relay, while Manuel could’ve been the big difference maker in another race.

This puts their potential relay sweep in jeopardy, as Cal was already within hundredths of the Cardinal in both the 200 free relay and 200 medley relay at Pac-12s, and is within striking distance in the 400 medley relay.

Speaking of the Bears, there’s another interesting point of discussion when we look at the Bears’ lineup. While Abbey Weitzeil was a part of Cal’s 800 free relay at Pac-12s, they opted to swap her out for Kristen Vredeveld this time around. This could be because she’s more valuable on the other relays, but it’s also noteworthy because of her health issues following the 200 free at Pac-12s last month.

At the end of the 200 free final at Pac-12s, Weitzeil showed fatigue at the end of the race, splitting 29.00 over her last 50 yards – slower than anybody else in any of the 3 finals. After exiting the pool, she laid down on deck and had to be assisted away from the blocks. Weitzeil was then absent for the 100 free and 400 free relay on Saturday.

Full 800 Free Relay Lineups (Splits Included):

1. Stanford– Simone Manuel (1:41.41), Lia Neal (1:42.15), Ella Eastin (1:41.87), Katie Ledecky (1:40.56)
2. Cal– Kathleen Baker (1:42.66), Kristen Vredeveld (1:43.97), Amy Bilquist (1:42.08), Katie McLaughlin (1:42.71)
3. Michigan– Gabby Deloof (1:43.27), Rose Bi (1:433.97), Siobhan Haughey (1:41.81), G Ryan (1:44.58)
4. Texas– Madisyn Cox (1:43.53), Joanna Evans (1:43.99), Claire Adams (1:44.45), Tasija Karosas (1:42.86)
5. Virginia– Leah Smith (1:42.46), Kaitlyn Jones (1:43.66), Jen Marrkand (1:43.40), Morgan Hill (1:46.45)
6. Kentucky– Ali Galyer (1:45.03), Asia Seidt (1:44.29), Danielle Galyer (1:44.87), Geena Freriks (1:43.32)
7. Georgia– Meaghan Raab (1:44.12), Veronica Burchill (1:44.19), Kylie Stewart (1:45.18), Meryn McCann (1:44.69)
8. Louisville– Abbie Houck (1:45.35), Mallory Comerford (1:40.21), Sophie Cattermole (1:46.41), Alex Sellers (1:46.44)
9. Texas A&M– Sarah Gibson (1:43.85), Sydney Pickrem (1:45.59), Karling Hemstreet (1:45.47), Claire Rasmus (1:43.71)
10. Wisconsin– Abby Jadgfeld (1:44.91), Jess Unicomb (1:45.35), Emmy Sehmann (1:45.60), Cierra Runge (1:43.32)
11. USC: Louise Hansson (1:42.48), Tatum Wade (1:44.86), Stanzi Moseley (1:46.83), Kirsten Vose (1:45.30)
12. Indiana: Kennedy Goss (1:43.37), Gia Dalesandro (1:44.51), Delaney Barnard (1:45.65), Maria Heitmann (1:46.38)
13. Arizona: Hannah Cox (1:43.53), Cameron McHugh (1:44.77), Kirsten Jacobsen (1:44.82), Emma McCarthy (1:47.14)
14. Minnesota: Danielle Nack (1:44.39), Chantal Nack (1:45.75), Tevyn Waddell (1:45.50), Zoe Avestruz (1:45.09)
15. Missouri: Erin Metzger-Seymour (1:45.60), Sharli Brady (1:44.72), Kira Zubar (1:44.98), Rachel Hayden (1:45.72)
16. Virginia Tech: Jessica Hespeler (1:43.79), Reka Gyorgy (1:45.68), Fiona Donnelly (1:46.99), Klaudia Nazieblo (1:46.64)
17. Auburn: Erin Falconer (1:45.74), Aly Tetzloff (1:45.54), Zoe Thatcher (1:45.64), Jessica Merritt (1:47.37)
18. UCLA: Linnea Mack (1:46.79), Kenisha Liu (1:47.39), Katie Grover (1:43.90), Madison White (1:46.51)
19. NC State: Rachel Muller (1:45.75), Alexia Zevnik (1:43.55), Courtney Caldwell (1:46.78), Elise Haan (1:48.57)
20. Tennessee: Meghan Small (1:45.14), Erika Brown (1:45.03), Colleen Callahan (1:47.57), Micah Bohon (1:46.99)
21. Florida: Kelsey Dambacher (1:46.26), Kelly Fertel (1:46.97), Sherridon Dressel (1:48.10), Amelia Maughan (1:45.52)
22. Ohio State: Lindsey Clary (1:46.29), Meg Bailey (1:47.05), Kathrin Demler (1:45.68), Maria Coy (1:48.06)
23. Boise State: Emma Chard, Brittany Aoyama, Cody Evans, Felicity Cann (live timing malfunction on splits)
24. UNC: Caty Hulsey (1:47.58), Sarah Koucheki (1:47.16), Zhada Fields (1:47.29), Macey Arnold (1:47.02)