Olympians, National Teamers Scratch on Day Before Knoxville PSS

2019 PRO SWIM SERIES – KNOXVILLE

• January 9-12, 2018
• Knoxville, TN
• Live results
• Psych Sheets (Updated 1/8/2019)
• Ticket information
• Event Schedule

When the original psych sheets for the 2019 Pro Swim Series opener in Knoxville were released, it appeared as though the series had ‘weathered the storm’ of changing venues to smaller cities with smaller airports and fewer direct flights.

While the meets still include a number of stars and superstars (including the 2018 Swammy Award winner for Female Athlete of the Year Katie Ledecky), it took a blow in terms of depth with a number of big name swimmers, including Olympic Champions, dropping the meet in a new version of the psych sheets released on Tuesday.

Day-Before Psych Sheet Scratches:

• Hali Flickinger is still entered in the meet, but has dropped the 800 free on the first day of the meet, where she was originally the 6th seed (with no Katie Ledecky scheduled to race). Athens, Georgia, where she trains, is only a 4-hour drive from Knoxville.
• Zane Grothe was scheduled to be the top seed in the 200, 400, 800, and 1500 freestyles, but has scratched all of his races at the meet.
• Kevin Litherland, one of the Litherland triplets, has scratched his 3 entries in the 200, 400, and 1500 freestyles. He was the 3rd seed in the 1500, meaning that along with Grothe, 2 of the top 3 seeds have scratched. There are only 16 swimmers (exactly 2 heats) entered in the men’s 1500 now.
• Olympic medalist breaststroker Cody Miller has scratched the meet. Miller has been dealing with some injury issues since the end of last season, though he did race at the KMSC Pro-Am in mid-December. His latest podcast didn’t mention a scratch, but he is no longer entered in the newest psych sheets.
• 4-time Olympic gold medalist Matt Grevers was originally scheduled to swim the 50 back, 100 back, and 50 free, but is no longer listed on the newest psych sheets. Grevers raced at Short Course Worlds in December, where he won 2 relay golds and a relay silver, but otherwise hasn’t raced since Pan Pacs.
• Hannah Moore, who at last check was training with the TAC Titans while finishing her undergraduate degree at NC State, was originally entered in 5 events, but has scratched them all. Her highest entry was 3rd in the 800 free. Knoxville is about a 5-and-a-half hour drive from Raleigh, with no direct flights.
• Other high seeds that are scratching:
  • Kimani Gregory, 17, of Racer X Aquatics, was the 12th seed in the men’s 50 fly.
  • Katie Mack, 17, of NCAP, was the 13th seed in the women’s 200 back
  • Tim Connery, 16, of SwimMAC, was the 12th seed in the men’s 100 back
  • Sean Conway, 18, of NCAP, was the 10th seed in the men’s 200 IM.