The DC Trident and Iron have each made several major additions to their rosters for the 2021 ISL season.
Although the rosters were initially announced after the end of the free agency period, the updated team rosters on the ISL website feature several swimmers who previously went unannounced.
The Trident’s biggest addition was Australian star Madeline Groves, who will be entering the league officially for the time in 2021. Groves was originally set to compete for the Aqua Centurions during the 2020 ISL season, but had to withdraw due to pandemic-related travel orders in Australia.
Groves primarily specializes in the sprint butterfly events, where she could potentially be one of the league’s top performers. At the 2016 Olympic Games, she claimed a silver medal in the 200 butterfly, but did not compete at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after accusing the Australian Swimming Federation of abusing its athletes. Although Groves faced doping controversy after missing several tests in 2017, her case was eventually dismissed, which is why she is still eligible to compete despite the league’s strict anti-doping policies.
DC Trident Additions:
- Andrew Loy (USA)
- Mohamed Hassan (Egypt)
- Klaudia Nazieblo (USA)
- Maddie Groves (Australia)
- Rachel Nicol (Canada)
Full DC Trident Roster:
| Swimmer | Home Country | Stroke(s) |
| Andreas Vazaios | Greece | IM |
| Zsuzsanna Jakabos | Hungary | Freestyle/IM |
| Zane Grothe | USA | Freestyle |
| Andrew Loy | USA | Freestyle/IM |
| Anna Hopkin | Great Britain | Freestyle |
| Felipe Silva | Brazil | Breaststroke |
| Isabella Hindley | Great Britain | Freestyle |
| Mark Nikolaev | Russia | Backstroke/IM |
| Mohamed Hassan | Egypt |
Freestyle/Backstroke
|
| Tommy Cope | USA | Breaststroke |
| Velimir Stjepanovic | Serbia | Freestyle |
| Alexandra DeLoof | USA | Freestyle |
| Zach Apple | USA | Freestyle |
| Madison Kennedy | USA | Freestyle |
| Bailey Andison | Canada | IM |
| Jacob Pebley | USA | Backstroke |
| Serhii Shevtsov | Ukraine | Freestyle |
| Zach Harting | USA | Butterfly |
| Ting Wen Quah | Singapore | Freestyle, IM |
| Linnea Mack | USA |
Freestyle/Backstroke
|
| Aleksandr Shchegolev | Russia | Freestyle |
| Annika Bruhn | Germany | Freestyle |
| Brianna Throssell | Australia | Freestyle |
| Camden Murphy | USA |
Butterfly/Freestyle
|
| Cody Miller | USA | Breaststroke |
| Farida Osman | Egypt | Butterfly |
| Jay Litherland | USA | IM |
| Joanna Evans | Bahamas | Freestyle |
| Klaudia Nazieblo | Poland | Butterfly |
| Leah Neale | Australia | Freestyle |
| Madeline Groves | Australia |
Butterfly/Freestyle
|
| Maria Temnikova | Russia | Breaststroke |
| Rachel Nicol | Canada | Breaststroke |
| Ryan Hoffer | USA |
Freestyle/Butterfly
|
| Tatiana Belonogoff | Russia | Breaststroke |
| Tristan Hollard | Australia | Backstroke |
Iron also added three additional swimmers to their roster, including Candian Olympic finalist Kierra Smith, who previously represented the LA Current in both 2019 and 2020. Smith was a short course star at the University of Minnesota from 2012-2015, winning an NCAA title in the 200 breaststroke in 2015. Smith translated her success into the long course pool, finishing 7th in the 200 breaststroke at the 2016 Olympic Games. At the recent 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, Smith placed 24th overall in the 100 breaststroke and did not qualify to swim the 200 breaststroke.
Iron Additions:
- Kierra Smith (Canada)
- Casey Fanz (USA)
- Lukas Maertens (Germany)
Full Iron Roster:
| Swimmer | Home Country | Stroke(s) |
| Ranomi Kromowidjojo | Netherlands |
Freestyle/Butterfly
|
| Katinka Hosszu | Hungary | IM/Backstroke |
| Alexandra Touretski | Switzerland | Freestyle |
| Emilie Beckmann | Denmark | Butterfly |
| Guilherme Basseto | Brazil | Backstroke |
| Huseyin Emre Sakci | Turkey | Breaststroke |
| Ida Hulkko | Finland | Breaststroke |
| Leonardo Coelho Santos | Brazil | IM |
| Luiz Melo | Brazil | Freestyle |
| Marco Orsi | Italy | Freestyle/IM |
| Matt Richards | Great Britain | Freestyle |
| Maxim Lobanovszkij | Hungary | Freestyle |
| Melanie Henique | France |
Butterfly/Freestyle
|
| Mikhail Vekovishchev | Russia | Freestyle |
| Nicholas Santos | Brazil |
Freestyle/Butterfly
|
| Thom de Boer | Netherlands | Freestyle |
| Veronika Andrushenko | Russia | Freestyle |
| Robert Glinta | Romania | Backstroke |
| Erik Persson | Sweden | Breaststroke |
| David zoltan Verraszto | Hungary | IM |
| Kierra Smith | Canada | Breaststroke |
| Maria Ugolkova | Switzerland | IM |
| Africa Zamorano Sanz | Spanish | IM/Backstroke |
| Alys Thomas | Great Britain | Butterfly |
| Andrej Barna | Serbia | Freestyle |
| Barbora Seemanova | Czech Republic | Freestyle |
| Bernhard Reitshammer | Austria | IM/Breaststroke |
| Casey Fanz | USA | Freestyle |
| Costanza Cocconcelli | Italy | Freestyle/IM |
| Danielle Hill | Ireland | Backstroke |
| Ingeborg Vassbakk Loyning | Norway | Backstroke |
| Jenna Strauch | Australian | Breaststroke |
| Kirill Strelnikov | Russia | Breaststroke |
| Kristof Milak | Hungary | Butterfly |
| Lorenzo Mora | Italy | Backstroke |
| Silvia Scalia | Italy | Backstoke |
Note: It was originally reported that German freestyler Lukas Martens was on Team Iron’s roster. This was incorrectly listed on the ISL website, and has been amended in this article.
Medical gaslight in the ISL incoming
What is the planned format for this season? Still Covid isolation? or having meets at various locations with full fan attendance permitted?
It will be in one location for the regular season, then playoffs are expected to move.
Not much else about details – I think they’re waiting to see what local regulations are. Right now they’re planning to have fans, but have acknowledged that this could change.
I suspect the bubble won’t be *as* tight as Budapest? But that’s just a guess.
What’s the max number of athletes per team? I thought it was 36, but Iron and Toronto currently have 37.