When the pre-selection psych sheets for the 2015 Women’s NCAA Championship were released on Tuesday morning, Liz Pelton showed entries in the 200 IM, 200 backstroke, and 100 backstroke.
The entry in the 100 backstroke shouldn’t be a surprise, except that it is. Pelton’s 51.31 ranks her 3rd in the NCAA this season, behind only Virginia’s Courtney Bartholomew (50.01) and her Cal teammate Rachel Bootsma (50.84), but she has never swum this race at NCAA Championships.
Pelton’s NCAA Schedules, by Season:
Freshman:
- Day 1 – 200 free relay, 200 IM
- Day 2 – 400 medley relay, 200 free, 800 free relay
- Day 3 – 200 backstroke, 400 free relay
Sophomore:
- Day 1 – 200 IM
- Day 2 – 200 free, 800 free relay
- Day 3 – 200 back
Junior (excluding relays):
- Day 1 – 200 IM
- Day 2 – 100 back
- Day 3 – 200 back
The race that she’s dropping to make room for that 100 back is the 200 free, where she was very successful for a 2nd-place finish as a freshman before dropping all the way to 12th as a sophomore. While swimming the 100 back will significantly reduce her rest before the 800 free relay (the 100 back is the last individual swimming event of the session), she will still have the 3-meter diving final to recover.
Further, with Cal having the best 800 yard free relay in history this season, having every swimmer in absolute peak condition for that event won’t be as vital to earning an event title.
As for Pelton’s teammate Bootsma, she will hold pat with the same 100 fly/100 back double on day 2, plus 200 fly on day 3, schedule that she’s had now for all three years of her NCAA career.
