2024 NCAP ELITE QUALIFIER
- May 31- June 2, 2024
- LCM (50 meters)
- Jeff Rouse Swim and Sport Center, Stafford, VA
- Full Psych Sheets
- Meet Preview
- Day 1 Prelims Recap
- Day 1 Finals Recap
- Day 2 Prelims Recap
- Day 2 Finals Recap
- Day 3 Prelims Recap
Gretchen Walsh was 0.04 seconds faster than her time in prelims as she swam a 53.80 in the 100 freestyle to win the event in finals.
Walsh currently sits as the #4 American this season in the event as her season best stands at a 53.17 from last month’s Pro Series- San Antonio. Her personal best is a 53.14 that she swam to finish 3rd at 2023 US Summer Nationals, going on to qualify for the 2023 Worlds roster.
Finishing behind Walsh tonight was Maxine Parker who swam a 55.74, faster than her prelims swim of a 55.84. Parker swam a 56.14 in finals at the meet a year ago before going on to swim a personal best of a 53.51 at US Summer Nationals.
Also winning on the women’s side was Claire Curzan who touched first in the 200 backstroke in a 2:09.50. Curzan currently sits as the #2 swimmer in the US this season in the event as she swam a 2:05.77 in the event at the 2024 World Championships. Also highlighting the 200 backstroke was 16 year old Virginia Hinds who just missed the Olympic Trials cut of a 2:13.69 this morning. Tonight, she swam to a best time of a 2:13.14 to pick up her first Trials cut.
Highlighting the men’s side of the meet was Virginia commit David King who swam to another best time in the 200 backstroke. King came into the season with a best time of a 2:02.07, off of the Trials cut that stands at a 2:01.69. At the end of April, he earned the Trials cut swimming to a 2:01.16. Then, just two weeks ago, he swam to another best time in the event with a 2:01.11. Now, he has his best time down to a 2:00.09.
Also winning an event on the men’s side was Connor Boyle who swam to a 50.86 in the 100 freestyle. His best time stands at a 49.22 in the event which is below the Trials cut of a 49.99. His best time is from July 2022 though, which is prior to when qualification began.
Matt Styczen won the men’s 200 IM in a 2:04.97, just over two seconds off of his best time of a 2:02.84 that he swam at the end of last summer. His best time is under the Trials cut that stands at a 2:03.49. The final win on the men’s side came in the mixed 1500 freestyle as Wilson Tuttle swam to a 15:57.28, about six seconds off his best time.
I was told that Gretchen was gonna go 52 last night.
A reminder that most commenters on this site are overly optimistic with their time predictions.
Not me.
I haven’t bought into the hype of bird bath splashing.
Wait for trials and the game itself before judging. American swimmers are methodical in their preparation towards big meets, peaking at the right moment unlike some Aussies who can’t swim when it matters. McEvoy and Chalmers come to mind.
You went from “Gretchen is going 52” to “she could have been faster but she just didn’t want to” to taking random swipes at Australia in less than a day. That’s impressive.
And your example of Australians not performing is Kyle Chalmers, one of the most successful 100 freestylers in history! Lol. Try harder to troll man.
Chalmers is like the worst possible example because his fastest 100 free of the year is always in the major championship final.
Does ‘peaking at the right moment’ mean ‘leading off the free relay with a 54 and finishing 8th in 100 fly with a 57.5 at World Championships’?
This isn’t Simone Manuel circa 2017/2019 before Greg Meehan burned her out.
Gretchen Walsh doesn’t have that history to fall back on.
She just went an unrested 53.1 a couple of weeks ago yet everyone’s so quick to immediately write her off.
And at the same time, multiple people were saying she was going to go 52, so there’s that.
The knives are out 😂
BUT WHAT DOES THIS 53.8 MEAN FOR LEBRON’S LEGACY
So much for the hype.
She knew going into the race that she had at least a two sec advantage. She could go much much faster against stiffer competition.
This time is misleading.
Don’t think her main objective was to win here. It was to gauge where she’s at.
If you are two sec faster than your closest competitor, you typically don’t swim like you’re gunning for a WR. That’s actually good sportsmanship.
I wish someone had seen the race to give a better perspective.
Ok to the people who criticised me for calling Swimdad a troll: you admit you’re wrong now right?
“Gretchen was slow because it’s bad sportsmanship to swim fast” is something that no adult human with a functioning brain would ever say with sincerity
Watch out! Gretchen Walsh may get “pushed” out of the top four at the 2024 Olympic Team Trials.
You’re grasping at straws.
From a domestic standpoint, it’s been Katie Ledecky versus the clock in the 400 FR, 800 FR, 1500 FR since the 2013 World Aquatics Championships.
Can we finally acknowledge the fact that Gretchen’s marquee event is the 100 fly and not the 100 free?
B-b-but how do we reconcile people expectations here that Gretchen Walsh will break AR and go under 52 this summer?
At the age of 21, Gretchen Walsh has done nothing on the international stage. Gretchen Walsh has yet to even win a medal in the W 50 FR, W 100 FR, W 100 FL (events contested at the Summer Olympics) at the World Aquatics Championships.
The definition of hype is Missy Franklin winning 6 gold medals at the 2013 World Aquatics Championships and that’s before the introduction of the mixed 4 x 100 meter relay events.
Can we stop the hype? Where are the American Records? Where are the U.S. Open Records?
American Records
100 FL – Huske, Torri
50 FR – Douglass, Kate
100 FR – Manuel, Simone
U.S. Open Records
100 FL – Huske, Torri
50 FR – Weitzeil, Abbey
100 FR – Manuel, Simone
It’s LCM not SCY.
i think her 100 fly at NCAAs really solidified that, like 44.83 is great but 47.42 is truly on a different level. It’s a little unfortunate that the 100 free is so much weaker than the other 100 strokes on the women’s side in the US.
Out of the elite sprinters born in 2000 or later, Douglass is the only one I can think of whose best 100 is in the freestyle, and yet she’s not even a freestyle specialist. If you look at the 1996 – 1999 period, there are more: Manuel, Weitzeil, Comerford just off the top of my head
At this point, I want the relay to be Huske, Manuel, Weitzeil, and Douglass.
I think that’s the best line up.
Gretchen Walsh is too risky.
Remember what happened in Fukuoka with Walsh leading 4×100 free?
Huske hasn’t been the most reliable relay swimmer either
Shes proven she can have a good 100 fly indiv and 100 free split on the same day though (Budapest). Gretchen hasn’t.
Fukuoka was a different story.
Torri is a great relay swimmer. She had a slip on a start. As someone who is also not perfect I can relate. Let’s remember it is an American Team!
She is not a great relay swimmer lol. Her fly splits are always considerably slower than individual
Only in fly. She’s split freestyler faster than her PB a bunch of times
Gretchen Walsh did not swim in the heats of the W 4 x 100 FR-R. A freakin’ rookie in her first major international competition gets a free pass to the final. Carol Capitani royally screwed up.
It’s Erika Brown deja vu.
This! Let Gretchen focus on the 100 fly instead of having the 100 free for the relay to deal with at the same time so we don’t have another Fukuoka situation where she’s gassed from the 100 fly. Theyre both on the second day.
It’s so strange to declare Gretchen was gassed from swimming 100 fly.
Don’t people always claim that NCAA swimmers always have the toughest schedule and do double and triple just fine?
Here’s swimmers who who did the same schedule as Gretchen on the first day in Fukuoka:
Emma McKeon, Maggie Macneil, Zhang Yufei, Briana Throssel, Louise Hansson
They were fine. Top swimmers also did the same schedule in Budapest and Tokyo and Rio. They were fine.
Why is it when it comes to G Walsh, there’s so many excuses?
I wasn’t giving an excuse. In fact, I was saying that since it was a problem, we don’t need to give an excuse and remove her from the situation that was difficult for her.
You place Gretchen Walsh in the heats of the W 4 x 100 FR-R to determine whether she can hack a double in the morning session. It’s freakin’ common sense.
I agree. Let her swim heats and if she’s not clearly in the top 4 after that then why risk it
You can want whatever you want but I don’t really see how this 53.8 tells us much one way or the other. Assuming she’s not really rested yet, it’s neither very good nor very bad. Douglass definitely seems to be a step ahead of her and has always been dependable. Weitzeil has been consistently good but not great for a while now. Huske has had her bad swims before but seems to be on an upswing lately. Manuel is probably the biggest wild card out of the group. Wouldn’t be shocking to see her as either the fastest of the five or the slowest.
Trials cut for Eli Martin in 200 breast!
Abolish bathtub swimming please.
#yexit
NCAA swimming is an incredible experience for the athletes and it pays for College! Being on a team builds life skills in so many ways.
The reference was to the size of the pool.
How many NCAA Division I swimming programs incorporate 50 meter pools?
Okay but could we at least make it SCM?
And change 90% of the pools in the country?
Siphon money from the infrastructure bill.