Leon Marchand Is Scheduled to Race at the Westmont Pro Swim Series

2023 Pro Swim Series – Westmont

Last year, the inaugural edition of the USA Swimming Pro Swim Series hosted in Westmont, Illinois, had some big names but relatively-small fields. This year, the FMC Aquatic Center will get the full force of the Pro Swim Series, with both stars and depth of large fields descending on the suburbs of Chicago as most of the country turns their focus from short course racing to long course racing.

That includes many of the big winners from the series’ first stop in Fort Lauderdale, like Michael AndrewChase KaliszRegan Smith, and Katie Ledecky.

They’ll be joined by some of the best collegiate swimmers in the country, who are rolling off March’s NCAA Championship meet into their long course season.

Perhaps most exciting of those names is Leon Marchand, the Frenchman who trains at Arizona State.

After obliterating NCAA Records two weeks ago in the 200 IM, 400 IM, and 200 breaststroke, he will begin his quest for the long course titles, and maybe records, this summer in Fukuoka at the World Championships. He is also entered to race the 200 fly in Westmont.

He is the defending World Champion in the 200 IM and 400 IM, and the second-best man in history in the latter race. There remains open questions about whether he’ll add a third individual event at the World Championships. In a vacuum, he certainly has the talent and versatility to medal in more than two races. The challenge is that the 200 fly final overlaps with the 200 IM semi-final, and the 200 breast semi-final overlaps with the 200 IM final.

His entries this week, though, seem to indicate that he’s at least toying with the decision. With the Westmont schedule, he doesn’t get to try either double specifically: the 400 IM is on day 2, the 200 fly and 200 breast are on day 3, and the 200 IM is on day 4.

Among the swimmers he’ll race in those events include Carson Foster, who didn’t offer much challenge at NCAAs but was the silver medalist in both IMs at last year’s World Championships; and Chase Kalisz, the defending Olympic Champion in the 400 IM and the double IM World Champion in 2017.

He’ll also face Nic Fink, the top seed in the 200 breaststroke, and many of the top Americans in the 200 fly, including Gabriel JettLeonardo de Deus, Zach Harting, and Nic Albiero.

The meet also will feature big sprint battles on both the women’s and men’s side of the racing.

Abbey WeitzeilSimone ManuelErika BrownGabi AlbieroNatalie Hinds, and Olivia Smoliga highlight the women’s race. They’ll show off against some rising talent like breakout Louisville swimmer Christiana Regenauer, who dropped half-a-second in yards this season; Lily Christianson, the Indiana high school state champion in the 50 free and one of the few non-Carmel winners at that meet; and Chelsea Piers 15-year-old Annam Olasewere, who is seeded at 25.44, which makes her one of the fastest American 15-year-olds ever in that event.

In the men’s races, Michael Andrew leads the field, and will race, among others, Ryan Held and Bjorn Seeliger.

There are also two surprising entries on the sheet: University of Virginia junior Matt King and American-Canadian-Italian-Canadian Olympic medalist Santo Condorelli. Both are registered with Texas Ford Aquatics, meaning training in the relatively-new pro group under sprint guru Coley Stickels.

King hasn’t raced since the US Open in December, with Virginia coaches citing a “family matter” for his absence in the spring semester. Condorelli is currently under suspension by World Aquatics for a Whereabouts failure under the World Anti-Doping Association’s anti-doping rules.

Update: Santo Condorelli is no longer suspended by World Aquatics.

Beyond that, most of the usual suspects will be in attendance. That includes Lilly KingAnnie Lazor, German Anna Elendt, and Lydia Jacoby in the women’s breaststrokes; Ryan MurphyHunter Armstrong, and Shaine Casas in the men’s backstrokes; and Bobby FinkeCharlie Clarke, and Kieran Smith in the men’s middle-distance and distance freestyles.

Katie Ledecky is racing, but will sit out the 1500 free, like she did in Ft. Lauderdale, in spite of breaking the US Open Record in the equivalent 1650 yard free earlier this year.

The most noticeable changes from the Fort Lauderdale meet is that the elite junior squad from the Sandpipers of Nevada won’t be there, meaning no Katie Grimes, Bella Sims, Mackenzie Hodges, Claire Weinstein, or Ilya Kharun. They will instead race at the Fran Crippen Swim Meet of Champions next weekend, which in part is because that meet will have relays.

Kharun is also part of the absence of Canadians at the meet: they’re rolling off their World Championship Trials meet last week in Toronto. That means, among others, no Summer McIntosh, who won three races in Ft. Lauderdale.

The field will also be absent the NCAA women’s champions from Virginia, which includes the biggest international threats Kate Douglass, Alex Walsh, and Gretchen Walsh.

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CRoySR
1 year ago

No love for 16yo Thomas Heilman?

Chris
Reply to  CRoySR
1 year ago

he will earn it. He can’t be mentioned in the same sentence as Marchand just yet.

Troyy
1 year ago

Wha’s Condorelli doing entering this meet if he’s suspended?

Meathead
1 year ago

Leon shaves his head IHSA style he breaks WR 2 IM

Dan
Reply to  Meathead
1 year ago

Illinois people are so goofy. Since when is shaving your head “ihsa style”. Do you think this is something unique to ihsa?

PFA
Reply to  Dan
1 year ago

It’s been a tradition in Illinois for a long time I personally loved it when we shaved for confrence/sectionals/state it was a team bonding experience for all of us and there have been many state records set with guys that shaved their heads.

Dan
Reply to  PFA
1 year ago

That’s like saying it’s an Illinois tradition to taper for big meets.

Meathead
Reply to  Dan
1 year ago

Dan- Leon has never shaved his head. The meet is in illinois. The state meet is currently held at the same pool as the TYR meet. Finally, The IHSA Men’s State Meet, at Evanston, is the most intense swim meet ever swum.

Last edited 1 year ago by Meathead
Lap Counter
1 year ago

What is up with all the asterisks?

Eric Angle
Reply to  Lap Counter
1 year ago

And the $s.

Goated Mcintosh
Reply to  Lap Counter
1 year ago

College Athletes + Foreigners + Pros who are affiliated with their college.

Last edited 1 year ago by Goated Mcintosh
ClubCoach
Reply to  Goated Mcintosh
1 year ago

I don’t think all those 13-17 year-olds are associated with colleges, are pros, or are all foreign athletes

Craig
Reply to  Lap Counter
1 year ago

and the 52’s?

Alex Wilson
1 year ago

Sun Devil Swim and Dive club members, which now, since the NCAA season is over, includes both college and pro swimmers are well represented and entered for 50 different swims. The 400 IM swim should be exciting with 3 Sun Devils with top times entered: Leon Marchand 4:04.28, Chase Kalisz 4:07.47, Hubert Kos 4:13.50. All three train at ASU under coach Bob Bowman, and all three, along with Carson Foster, were in the 400 IM finals of the World Championships in Budapest last year.

snailSpace
Reply to  Alex Wilson
1 year ago

Kos was in the 200IM final in Budapest last year, he wasn’t entered in the 400IM (or did not make the final, I can’t remember).

Alex Wilson
Reply to  snailSpace
1 year ago

My error. I double checked and he came in 12th in the 400 IM.

snailSpace
Reply to  Alex Wilson
1 year ago

Even more curious to see that he’s not entered in the 200IM at this meet (in which he is the wjr holder), but is entered in the 100 back, which is an off event for him.

Dsvott
Reply to  snailSpace
1 year ago

He was third in the NCAA 200 back but only in the consol of the 200 IM.

snailSpace
Reply to  Dsvott
1 year ago

I’ve seen it written in a swimswam article somewhere that a LCM 200IM translates better to a SCY 400 IM than to a SCY 200 IM. He also featured in the 200IM final at worlds last year. SCY is not LCM.

Yozhik
1 year ago

The only event that Katie Ledecky swims consistently at PSS is 400IM.
I hope to see 4:34 in a week.

Weinstein-Smith-Ledecky-Sims
1 year ago

In terms of up and comers, Leah Hayes may be the most compelling name on the women’s side:

100 FR
200 FR
200 IM
400 IM

jeff
Reply to  Weinstein-Smith-Ledecky-Sims
1 year ago

I’m not sure that I’d call her up and coming given that she’s an individual world bronze medalist and a former WJR holder but it is always exciting to see how age groupers continue to develop after already seeing success on the world stage

Swim goat
1 year ago

Jack Harvey of Bermuda headlining the 200 back

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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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