Four Storylines (& Several Bonuses) To Follow At The 2024 Pro Swim Series – Knoxville

2024 Pro Swim Series – Knoxville

• January 10-13, 2024
• Knoxville, Tennessee
• LCM (50 meters)
• Start Times
  • Wednesday Distance: 5pm (EST)
  • All Prelims: 9am (EST)
  • Thurs-Sat Finals: 6pm (EST)
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheets

The first stop of the 2024 Pro Swim Series will kick off this Wednesday in Knoxville, and a good chunk of the top swimmers in the United States are entered to compete. With the psych sheets being released over the weekend, let’s take a look at some of the many interesting storylines to follow:

Olympic and World Champions Slated To Battle In The Women’s 100 Fly

One of the most stacked events of the meet is the women’s 100 fly, where we will see the 2021 Olympic champion Maggie MacNeil and 2022 world champion Torri Huske highlight the field. MacNeil is the second fastest performer in the history of the event, with her 55.59 winning time from Tokyo earning her that status. Huske is the fourth fastest performer in history with her 55.64 winning time from the 2022 World Championships. At the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka, MacNeil grabbed the silver medal in the event while Huske secured bronze.

Joining them in the event will be Claire Curzan (56.20), who is the third fastest performer in American history. Kate Douglass (56.43), who is the sixth fastest American ever, also appears on the psych sheets. As if those names didn’t make the event stacked enough, the unofficial NCAA record holder (SCY) and fourth fastest American in history (LCM), Gretchen Walsh (56.34), will also feature.

With the exception of MacNeil, this field could look nearly identical to the Olympic Trials final come June. Last summer, Huske and Walsh were the U.S. representatives in the event at the World Championships, where they placed 3rd and 8th, respectively. It will be interesting to see where each of them stands in the event, with a little over five months from the true test in Indianapolis.

Will the McIntosh/Douglass/Walsh 200 IM Battle Finally Take Place?

The historic 200 IM battle that could have been at the U.S. Open last month never occurred, as Summer McIntosh opted to focus on the 400 freestyle on day one of the meet instead of contesting the medley event. A similar situation unfolded at the World Championships in Fukuoka, where McIntosh opted to focus on the 400 free instead of 200 IM. However, at the year-opening Pro Swim Series stop in Knoxville, McIntosh, Kate Douglass, and Alex Walsh are all entered in the event once again.

If they all hold their entries, this race will be a showdown between the three fastest 200 IMers since 2019. McIntosh clocked the fastest time of 2023 at the Canadian Trials (2:06.89), but Douglass won the world title in Fukuoka with a time of 2:07.17 (although she was marginally quicker at the U.S. Trials – 2:07.09). McIntosh, the two-time defending world champion in both the 200 fly and 400 IM, is set to take on just three events in Knoxville: the 200 fly, 200 free, and 200 IM.

Douglass is slated to swim six events: the 50/100 free, 100/200 breast, 100 fly, and 200 IM. Of those, her only top seeded entry is the 100 freestyle – where she is seeded with her best time of 52.57. Douglass is included on the U.S. Roster for the 2024 Doha World Championships, which will take place next month, where she will swim a similar event line-up of the 50/100 free, 200 breast, 50 fly, and 200 IM.

Walsh, the 2022 World Champion and 2023 silver medalist, is set to contest five events in Knoxville. In addition to the 200 IM, she is entered in the 100/200 breast, 100 fly, and 100 free.

On the final day of the meet, Douglass is not only entered in the 200 IM, but also the 200 breast and 50 free. Given the 200 IM occurs between those two events, it’s likely Douglass scratches the 200 IM in favor of the 200 breast/50 free double – but there’s still a chance she could go all-in for the 200 IM battle on the final day of the meet instead.

Cal Crew Set For LCM Check-In After Altitude Training Camp

The Cal Bears will be out in full force this week, headlined by 2023 U.S. World Championship team members Ryan Murphy, Jack Alexy, Dare Rose, Hunter Armstrong, Destin Lasco, and Abbey Weitzeil.

Murphy, Armstrong, and Weitzeil featured at the U.S. Open last month, but this will be the first time we get to see the NCAA swimmers in the long course pool this season. This Cal group was a major contributor to the medal table for Team USA in Fukuoka, so it will be interesting to see where they all currently stand in their events with Olympic Trials five months away. This Cal group is coming off a recent stint at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, so each of their training groups will almost certainly be in different spots in terms of preparation for Olympic Trials.

Murphy is set to compete in both backstroke events in addition to the 100 free, while fellow backstroker Armstrong will join him in the 100 back and 100 free, but will swim the 50 free as well.

Weitzeil, who posted the fastest times of her career in the 50 and 100 freestyles last summer at the World Trials in Indianapolis, will feature in those two events in addition to the 200 free.

The big breakthrough swimmer for Team USA last summer, Jack Alexy, is set to join Weitzeil in each of those three freestyle distances on the men’s side in Knoxville.

Katie Ledecky vs. Lilly King…in the 400 IM?

Katie Ledecky highlights the field in every freestyle event (with the exception of the 50 free), but is also entered to compete in the 400 IM. Joining her in the 400 IM will be the world record holder in the 100 breast, Lilly King, who entered the 100/200 breaststrokes in addition to that race.

King typically focuses on the breaststroke events at these Pro Series meets, but swam the 200-yard IM at championship meets through the entirety of her NCAA career at Indiana. After King joked that she could “beat everybody” in the 400 IM last March, Ledecky notably challenged her to swim it at a Pro Series meet – you can read more about that here.

King ultimately wasn’t eligible to race it at the Pro Series last year, as she didn’t have a recent qualifying time. She did however clock a time of 4:47.57 in the event last June at a local meet, and owns a best time of 4:46.49 in the event from 2016. While Ledecky’s best time is over 10 seconds faster, it’s still a fun storyline to follow throughout the weekend if both opt to swim the event.

Some Bonus Storylines:

• Two of the best junior swimmers in the world, Thomas Heilman and Maximus Williamson, will take on a loaded schedule in Knoxville. They each are entered to swim six events, with Heilman targeting the 50/100/200 free, 100/200 fly, and 200 IM. Williamson is entered in his signature 200 IM, in addition to the 50/100/200 free, 400 IM, and 100 breast. Both swimmers shattered multiple National Age Group (NAG) records in the SCY pool last month, so both are still clearly on the upward trend heading into Trials.
• Texas standouts Carson Foster, Shaine Casas, and Luke Hobson are also entered to swim in the meet. Foster is slated to compete in both IMs in addition to the 100/200 free races, while Hobson will swim the 100/200/400 freestyle events. Casas opted to skip out on his signature 200 IM, but is entered in the 100/200 back as well as the 100 free and 100 fly.
• The men’s 100 breaststroke will feature seven swimmers with sub-1:00 entry times, led by Nic Fink (58.36). The American record holder, Michael Andrew, is seeded second (58.51 entry time, 58.14 best time) with Noah Nichols (59.40), Jake Foster (59.64), Cody Miller (59.85), Mitch Mason (59.87), and Charlie Swanson (59.89) all in close pursuit. The final of this event in Knoxville could very well mirror the final of Olympic Trials come June.
• Canadian swimmers Penny Oleksiak and Taylor Ruck are set to compete in their first big meet under their new coaches. Oleksiak recently moved to train under Jeff Julian at Mission Viejo, while Ruck joined the ASU pro group. Oleksiak is set to compete in the 50/100/200 freestyle events, while Ruck will join her in all three of those in addition to the 100/200 back.