2024 U.S. Open: 5 Storylines to Follow

2024 U.S. Open

• December 4th -7th , 2023
• Greensboro, N.C.
• SCY (25 yards)
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheets

With the release of the psych sheets this past weekend, we now know the full size and extent of the 2024 U.S. Open. Despite its relatively small size, that does not mean that there are not plenty of interesting storylines to follow/exciting races to watch. In no particular order, here are just a few of them,

1. Youth Showdown in the Men’s Mile

While not typically one of the must-see events on everyone’s radar at meets, the men’s distance events have come a long way recently in the excitement factor; see Bobby Finke‘s World Record as the latest example, but I have been a fan of it for a while (a few months) as evidenced by this shameless Twitter plug (I don’t tweet much, so please feel no compulsion to follow)

Some may find 6 heats of the mile too many, but it’s an entertaining session because A) seeing the reaction of the families who have waited this long to see their athlete swim is great and B) Missy Franklin & Katie Hoff are sitting next to me working so..#SwimTrials24 #Swimswam

— Mark Wild (@Mark_Wild13) June 22, 2024

And this one…

It may look and seem like an empty stadium but the cheering and applause for the duel between Lance Norris and Josh Brown in the 4th heat of the 1500 shows that the 1500 isn’t boring.

— Mark Wild (@Mark_Wild13) June 22, 2024

Two of those swimmers from the prelims of the 1500 at the Olympic Trials will duel it out as the top seeds in the men’s 1650 and both could be dueling for the next four years as each are just seniors in high school.

The top seed, Sean Green, is entered in just the mile with a seed time of 14:57.71, less than two seconds ahead of Max Carlsen, who also finds himself entered under the 15:00 minute barrier with a seed time of 14:59.44. The pair, SwimSwam’s 7th and 11th ranked recruits in the class of 2025, each swam multiple personal bests at the Olympic Trials.

Green made the final of the 800 free, placing 8th overall in a time of 7:59.01 after swimming a new PB of 7:56.47 in the prelims. In the 1500, he placed 29th overall in a time of 15:38.10, which was 14 places behind Carlsen, whose 15:24.00 was not only a PB but also good for 15th overall. In addition to the 1650, Carlsen, who swims for the the Las Vegas Swim Club, is entered in the 500 free (#3), 200 free (#23), 100 backstroke (#41), and 100 free (#45)

Green, a Georgia commit, and Carlsen, an NC State commit, will both be not only racing for the win but also be looking to swim faster than or equal to 14:54.92, a time that equals what it took to make the 2024 DI NCAAs in this event.

2. US Olympians Make Return to Yards

2024 Olympic Silver Medalist Drew Kibler makes his return to yards and a return to the competition pool for the first time since Paris. Entered in four events, Kibler will tackle the 50, 100, 200 and 500 freestyles. All of Kibler’s entries are in long course meters as the former Texas Longhorn has not officially raced (excluding some exhibition swims at ASU home meets) in yards since the 2022 NCAAs. At that meet, Kibler placed 6th in the 50 free (18.87), 6th in the 100 free (41.33), and 1st in the 200 free (1:30.91).

Also returning to the yards pool is Tokyo Olympian Rhyan White. White, who placed 4th in both the 100 and 200 back in 2021, is entered in the 100 back (#1), 100 (fly), 200 fly (#2), 200 IM (#5) and the 200 back (#23). White’s entry in the 200 back is like all of Kibler’s times from a long course entry, as White has not recorded a result in the 200-yard back since she finished 11th at the 2023 NCAAs. Her other times come from her recent appearance at the NC TAC Big Southern Classic in early November, where she competed with her post-grad Wolfpack Elite team.

3. NCAA 5th Years Doubling up on Mid-Seasons

Texas A&M Aggie and 5th year Chloe Stepanek as well as West Viriginia 5th year Danny Berlitz will look to improve upon their already successful mid-season invites as the pair find themselves atop the list in multiple events.

Stepanek, who finished 5th in the 200 free at the 2024 NCAAs, is coming off of an impressive performance at the Art Adamson Invitational, where she took 1st in both the 100 free and 200 free. Her results from those events, 48.40 and 1:45.01, would have seeded 3rd and 4th overall in each of the events, meaning that Stepanek finds herself in some tight races. In the 200 freestyle, Stepanek will likely tussle with Ekaterina Nikonova and Georgia Nel, as well as the youngster Kennedi Dobson.

Stepanek should be familiar with Nikonova, who swam three years with SEC rival Florida, before transferring to Northwestern. Nel, a South Africa native,  is entered with a 1:45.06 from her lead-off leg of UNC’s 800 free relay from last winter’s NCAA, and was more recently 1:46.18 at the Gamecock Invitational.

Berlitz, who turned missing the 2024 NCAAs into a finals appearance at the 2024 Olympic Trials, will look to continue that success in Greensboro. Berlitz, who recently took top honors in the 200 IM (1:45.90) and 400 IM (3:48.39) at the West Virginia Invitational, finds himself atop the field in both events. In the shorter IM, Berlitz will have to tackle a trio of Penn-State swimmers, as Alex Karahalis leads his teammates with his entry time of 1:44.60, a little less than a second behind Berlitz’s entry time of 1:43.94.

In the 400 IM, Berlitz’s 3:43.02 entry time has him a little further ahead of his nearest competition, which comes in the form of Penn State’s Sean Honey. Honey recently just swam his best time of 3:45.98 at the Ohio State Invitational, where he placed 6th overall.

4. Hunting for NCAA ‘A’ and ‘B’ cut times

The U.S. Open is one of just four approved extra-collegiate qualifying meets, meaning that NCAA athletes can use times from this meet to try to qualify for the season-ending championships.

While a majority of swimmers likely will perform their best at their conference championship meet, it is not unheard of swimmers peaking at mid-season and several swimmers are entered with times hovering around the cut lines from last season.

SMU’s Mira Szimcsak, who was a member of Washington State last season, will look to improve upon her recent PB of 4:10.49 in the 400 IM. A time that makes her the top seed but would make her the last invited entry in the event at last year’s NCAA. Her SMU teammate Rachel Anderson, also swam a personal best at the SMU Invitational and ranks as the #2 seed with her time of 4:10.77, a swim which would put her just on the outside of the invited list as 4:10.74 was the final entrant.

UNC’s Skyler Smith, who was the 15th invited entrant into the 100 breast last year, with a time of 58.81, has already blown past that time as her victory at the Gamecock Invitational in the 100 Breast of 58.26 would have been the 9th fastest last season, and currently is just a quarter of second away from the A cut time of 58.01. In the 200 breaststroke, Smith is also the top seed with her entry time of 2:10.84, but like in the 100, she has pulled off a new personal best, breaking the 2:10 barrier with a new mark of 2:09.46. In looking at last year’s NCAA psych sheet, Smith was 47ths on the outside looking in, but her new best time would have been 33rd overall and good for a second individual race.

5. Post-Grads Staying in Yards

Former Georgia star Bradley Dunham and former Cal Bear Rachel Klinker, among others, will look to build upon their success at the last NCAAs and carry it over into their post-NCAA swimming careers.

Dunham, who not only posted the fastest split on Georgia’s 5th place 800 free relay (1:31.28), set a school record in the 200 back, posting a result of 1:37.58 en route to a 6th place finish in the final, where he recorded a time of 1:38.43. Now as a member of SwimAtlanta, Dunham sits atop the entry lists in the 200 freestyle as well as in both backstroke.

Klinker, who took advantage of the opportunities presented by the 2024 World Aquatics, came home from Doha with a 4th place finish in the 200m fly and a new personal best of 2:07.70, which she quickly parlayed into a PAC-12 individual title and a third-place finish in the 200 fly at NCAAs (1:51.62). Klinker, who made the semi-finals at the Olympic Trials but hasn’t raced since then, is the top seed in the 200 fly and will contest the 500 free with the likes of Dobson and Stepanek. She’ll also try to go toe-to-toe with White in the 100 fly, as the pair are the only swimmers who have entered at times sub-52.00. Her last event is the 200 free where her entry time of 1:46.05 makes her the 6th seed.