SwimSwam Pulse is a recurring feature tracking and analyzing the results of our periodic A3 Performance Polls. You can cast your vote in our newest poll on the SwimSwam homepage, about halfway down the page on the right side, or you can find the poll embedded at the bottom of this post.
Our most recent poll asked SwimSwam readers what Andrew Seliskar should swim on day 3 of the 2019 NCAA meet:
RESULTS
Question: What should Andrew Seliskar swim on day 3 of NCAAs?
- 200 free – 55.8%
- 400 IM – 35.9%
- 100 breast – 4.4%
- 100 fly – 3.9%
More than half of voters in our latest poll say Cal senior Andrew Seliskar should ditch the 400 IM in favor of the 200 free at NCAAs this spring.
That comes on the heels of a massive mid-season invite swim of 1:30.86 in the 200 free that ranks #3 all-time, behind only two swims from last year’s NCAA Championships. Texas’s Townley Haas (1:29.50) is the American record-holder, and the now-graduated Blake Pieroni (1:29.63) sits second. Still, Seliskar returns the 3rd-fastest 400 IM time from last year’s NCAA season, behind only defending champ Abrahm DeVine (3:35.29) and Cal teammate Mike Thomas (3:37.75).
His lifetime-best in the 400 IM (3:36.18 from 2017) is much closer to DeVine, relatively speaking, than his 200 free best is to Haas, making it a bit surprising that a majority of fans thought he should make the jump into the 200 free. Then again, perhaps some numbers were skewed by Texas fans thinking (and hoping) a Seliskar move to the 200 free would weaken Cal’s chances of beating Texas. Probably the best explanation of these poll results, though, comes in an exchange in our comments section last week:
Swammer: 200 IM is the right choice I think, but 55% of people think he should give up the 400IM for the 200free 🤨. He’s shown a lot of improvement in the 200free but I don’t think that means he should give up in the 400IM which he has finaled in every year since swimming for cal. Only rival in that would be Devine but I think Seliskar could give the 400IM record a good knock down.
PVDH: You’re selling him short on the 200y free. 1:30.8 is serious. Number 3 all time. Hes quickly becoming a world class freestyler. 48 and 1:45 in lcm this summer.
Plus you can’t blame us for wanting Seli vs Haas in the 200.
It’s that last line that nails it. Whether it’s best for Seliskar or Cal, you can’t blame fans for wanting to see a showdown between the two best swimmers on the two best teams in the country (excepting maybe Indiana or NC State).
The other major shakeup (in news that broke pretty late in our polling period) is the news that Hugo Gonzalez (owner of the second-best 400 IM time in the NCAA last season at 3:35.76) hopes to swim in the NCAA this season after leaving Auburn, then reneging on plans to join Virginia Tech. Gonzalez listed Cal as his top school in an interview with Spanish media this week, and his presence could spur Cal to make a bold move adding Seliskar to the 200 free mix while keeping the 400 IM locked down.
Below, vote in our new A3 Performance Poll, which asks voters whether Hugo Gonzalez will indeed compete in the NCAA this season:
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The A3 Performance Poll is courtesy of A3 Performance, a SwimSwam partner
Think I will leave that decision to Dave Durden
You know you’ve made it in life when your comment ends up in a swimswam article.
The disrespect…
Dean Farris will be in the 200 final as well.
*Haas Vs Seli Vs Farris
100 back though….
As a Cal fan, I voted for 200 free because I thought Cal needed to find points in that more than in 400 IM, where Greishop and Thomas are returning – does the math bear that out? No pun intended.