2020 NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Wednesday, March 18 – Saturday, March 21, 2020
- Ramsey Center, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
- Prelims 10 AM / Finals 6 PM (U.S. Eastern Time)
- Defending champs: Stanford (3x) – results
- Championship Central
- Live stream:
- Prelims (free): Thursday / Friday / Saturday
- Finals (ESPN3)
- Psych Sheets
- Live results
Tennessee senior Erika Brown is sticking to her NCAA event lineup from last year, taking the 100 fly on day 3 rather than the 200 free, where she has the nation’s #1 time this season.
Brown will swim the 50 free, 100 fly, and 100 free at NCAAs later this month. The Volunteer was second at 2019 NCAAs in the 50 free (21.23), 4th in the 100 fly (50.38), and 5th in the 100 free (46.99). So far this season, she ranks #2 in the 50 free (21.03), #1 in the 100 free (45.83), and #2 in the 100 fly (49.38), but also ranks #1 nationally in the 200 free (1:41.66). The 100 fly and 200 free are back-to-back on Friday of NCAAs, which forces a choice for Brown with her post-season lineup.
The move is a great one for fans, as it leaves the 100 fly as easily the most loaded field in NCAA history. Only five women have ever broken 50 seconds in that race, and three of them are in this field – co-U.S. Open record-holder and World champ Maggie MacNeil (49.26), co-U.S. Open record-holder and defending NCAA champ Louise Hansson (49.26) and American record-holder Brown (49.38). On top of that, star freshman Kate Douglass (50.30 at mid-season) is also in the mix.
Brown should also get a 200 free swim at NCAAs on Tennessee’s 800 free relay. She split 1:41.08 from a relay start at SECs, but has been as fast as 1:41.66 from a flat start.
You can see our story on the pre-selection psych sheets here.
Why does she choose to miss her probable gold medal event and select to earn a bronze instead?
Cause she doesn’t like to dodge the competition. If you want to be the best, you gotta beat the best. Her future is in these events in SCM and LCM.
Her LCM 200m free seems better than her 100m fly.
Dang—I feel like the 200 free would’ve been an “easy” win for her. I don’t think anyone is touching McNeil in the 100 fly but rooting for Erika and looking forward to a great race!
I’m rooting for her, too–great person and Vol teammate. Interesting decision if she’d have had a better chance to win the 200 free–but then the 100 fly has always been a core event for her, and it shows confidence.
Not sure I’d have made that choice. Obviously better all time in 100 fly, but she was the favourite in my mind in 200 free with no Comerford Ledecky Manuel Haughey 1:40 type this year