Beata, Brown, Burchill, and Stewart Announce Signing with Cali Condors

Members of the Cali Condors, one of 10 teams in the International Swimming League, have begun announcing their signings on Instagram.

While the league itself has been radio-silent for months as to plans or timing of announcements, several teams have piece-mealed out portions of their rosters through various social media platforms.

Coleman StewartVeronica Burchill, Beata Nelson, and Erika Brown have all announced their intent to race for the Condors in the 2020 ISL season. The group has a lot in common, notably that all 3 swimmers are first-year pros, with Burchill having completed her career at Georgia, Stewart at NC State, and Brown at Tennessee.

That group includes 3 of the top 4 swimmers on SwimSwam’s “seniors ready to make the jump to the ISL” list published in March of this year.

All 4 missed what was scheduled to be the last collegiate meets of their careers, the 2020 NCAA Championships, after those events were canceled due to the burgeoning global coronavirus pandemic.

All 4 have shown much more success in short course than long course so far in their careers, which matches the short course preference of the ISL format. Stewart and Brown, especially, though, have demonstrated substantial improvements in the long course events that put them in the conversation for next year’s US Olympic Team.

The group all have potential to perform well in the ‘skins’ races, where swimmers have to swim 3 rounds of a 50 meter event of a given stroke, with huge bonuses going to the winner. Last season, the Condors had the ultimate skins swimmer, Caeleb Dressel, on their roster as well. As compared to other races, the ‘skins’ events disproportionately tip the balance of a meet, so grabbing swimmers that can perform in those races can dramatically change a team’s outlook.

Details, including most of the teams’ rosters, have been thin for season 2 of the ISL. Swimmers were told last week that Budapest, not Australia, is the likely host for the league’s ‘regular season,’ with either Tokyo or Budapest expected to host the championship finale.

The Condors finished 3rd at the 2019 ISL finale in Las Vegas.

Final 2019 ISL Championship Standings:

  • Energy Standard – 453.5
  • London Roar – 444
  • Cali Condors – 415.5
  • LA Current – 318

Coleman Stewart

Stewart led the NCAA last season in the 100 yard back, and also ranked 2nd in the 200 yard back and 4th in the 100 yard fly.

While Stewart doesn’t have any official experience in a 25 meter pool, the official distance of the ISL,

Lifetime Bests:

LCM SCY
50 free 23.56 19.88
100 free 49.15 42.34
200 free 1:50.96 1:34.46
50 back 25.67 20.65
100 back 53.85 43.98
200 back 1:58.30 1:37.71
100 fly 52.11 44.46

Erika Brown

Brown, who wasn’t highly recruited out of high school, blossomed into one of the fastest sprinters in NCAA history while at Tennessee. As a senior, she led the NCAA in the 100 free and 200 free, while ranking 2nd in the country in the 50 free and 100 fly.

In the 50 free, 100 free, and 100 fly, she stands as one of the fastest-ever swimmers in yards in those events. Her ability to swim the 200 better than most with her 50 speed makes her a strong candidate for success in the ‘skins’ events, where swimmers have to swim 3 rounds of a 50 of a given stroke, with huge point bonuses going to the winners.

Brown does have some experience in short course meters internationally – she was on the American team at the 2018 World Short Course Championships, where she swam on the winning 200, 400, and 800 free relays, plus the 200 medley relay. She was on the finals relays for the 200 and 800, and swam prelims-only in the 400 free and 200 medley relays.

Lifetime Bests:

LCM SCY
50 free 24.57 21.03
100 free 53.42 45.83
200 free 1:57.68 1:41.66
50 back 28.81
100 back 1:00.64 50.88
100 fly 58.79 49.38

Beata Nelson

SwimSwam’s 2019 Female NCAA Swimmer of the Year winner Beata Nelson is perhaps more slanted toward short course than any other swimmer in this group. Using some of the best underwaters in the world, Nelson won NCAA titles in 2019 in the 100 back, 200 back, and 200 IM. She broke NCAA Records in both backstrokes and swam the 2nd-best time in the 200 IM, earning the SwimSwam Swammy Award for Female College Swimmer of the Year.

Best Times in Yards:

LCM SCY
50 free 26.19 21.93
100 free 55.84 48.53
200 free 2:04.59 1:45.15
50 back 28.64 23.97
100 back 1:00.92 49.18
200 back 2:09.92 1:47.24
100 fly 58.75 50.65
200 IM 2:13.37 1:50.75

Veronica Burchill

Burchill’s credentials don’t quite rise to the level of the others on this list, but her versatility as a filler could pay off in the grueling ISL format. That’s especially true in the freestyles, where she can both contribute in a very meaningful way to the free relays, and also can slide into the 200 or 400 free if necessary – events that are sometimes hurt by the league’s lack of true distance events.

Burchill had her breakthrough season in 2018, when she swam lifetime-best after lifetime-best, including dipping to a 54.47 in the 100 long course freestyle.

LCM SCY
50 free 25.45 22.00
100 free 54.47 47.30
200 free 1:59.60 1:42.33
400m/500y free 4:17.49 4:46.53
100 fly 58.59 51.35

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tswim
3 years ago

Pretty pumped to see what Beata Nelson can do. Maybe she won’t ever be a long course megastar but she can definitely rock the ISL. I know USA swimming uses somewhat uses short course worlds as a test run for the semi-final format at bigger meets, but it leaves a few short course stars at home. Will be cool to see what she can do here!

Aquajosh
Reply to  Braden Keith
3 years ago

**Cindy Tran has entered the chat**

Smith-King-Dahlia-Manuel
3 years ago

Personal Best Times
Women’s 100 meter freestyle
Manuel, Simone – 52.04
Comerford, Mallory – 52.59
Weitzeil, Abbey – 53.18
Brown, Erika – 53.42
Walsh, Gretchen – 53.74

Schmitt (53.80), Neal, Dahlia (53.87), Geer are not the answer to the women’s 100 meter freestyle.

Ol' Longhorn
3 years ago

Some serious underwaters in that group.

Swammer
Reply to  Ol' Longhorn
3 years ago

Some of the dirtiest undies some may say

Gesundheit
Reply to  Swammer
3 years ago

NICE

VFL
3 years ago

Congrats to all! Meghan Small signed with Cali today as well! I can’t imagine Abbey swimming anywhere else.

PROFAN
3 years ago

When and where is ISL happening?

Swammer
Reply to  PROFAN
3 years ago

If I had to guess I would say December, January, or February and most likely Budapest.

Smith-King-Dahlia-Manuel
3 years ago

Dear Erika,

Please train for the women’s 200 meter freestyle. Please train for the women’s 200 meter freestyle.

VFL
Reply to  Smith-King-Dahlia-Manuel
3 years ago

Why? I’m sure I’m missing a reference, but her best shot for Tokyo is definitely 100 and 50. Could see her sneaking on the 4 x 200 but she has a shot at an individual spot in the 100.

Smith-King-Dahlia-Manuel
Reply to  VFL
3 years ago

Simone Manuel swam the women’s 200 meter freestyle, the women’s 100 meter freestyle, the women’s 50 meter freestyle at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. A precedence has already been set.

The more competitive the women’s 200 meter freestyle, the better chance of selecting six swimmers on the U.S. National Team that will break the world record in the final of the women’s 4 x 200 meter freestyle relay. Four of the six will compete in the heats of the women’s 4 x 200 meter freestyle relay for two spots in the final of the women’s 4 x 200 meter freeatyle relay.

VFL
Reply to  Smith-King-Dahlia-Manuel
3 years ago

I imagine Erika will swim all three and maybe 100 fly, but I’d still say her biggest focus this year will be on the sprint frees. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to see her on the 4X2.

Smith-King-Dahlia-Manuel
Reply to  VFL
3 years ago

I don’t know if Melanie Margalis can repeat a split of 1:55.81 (25 Jul 2019) in the women’s 4 x 200 meter freestyle relay practically two years later. A contingency plan needs to be put in place:

Brown?
Comerford?
Madden?

Schmitt (1:59.37) was abysmal, DeLoof (1:58.35) was awful, Smith (1:57.49) was weak in the heats of the women’s 4 x 200 meter freestyle relay at the 2019 FINA World Aquatics Championships. Melanie Margalis (1:56.37) was the only one of the foursome to show up.

Swammer
3 years ago

Huge gets. All versatile swimmers and the big key that was revealed last year by energy standard was strength in sprint depth and this group definitely adds to the condors sprint depth.

Taa
Reply to  Swammer
3 years ago

Did they get Weitzell though?

Regan stan
3 years ago

We need a draft. Scrap all the teams and start over so the events are somewhat close.

About Braden Keith

Braden Keith

Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and a co-founder/co-owner of SwimSwam.com. He first got his feet wet by building The Swimmers' Circle beginning in January 2010, and now comes to SwimSwam to use that experience and help build a new leader in the sport of swimming. Aside from his life on the InterWet, …

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