The defending co-champions, Kristian Gkolomeev and Brad Tandy are both back to defend their title in the 50 freestyle, although they will each look to win the splash and dash title outright this season.
With only four swimmers under the 18 second barrier this season, the race is shaping up to be a close contest for second. Gkolomeev swam an 18.64, the fifth fastest 50 time in history, at the SEC Championships in February, and he holds the top spot on the psych sheet heading into the meet by a full quarter of a second.
Florida’s superstar freshman Caeleb Dressel was next to Gkolomeev for that blistering 50 freestyle, but could not keep Gkolomeev’s pace. Dressel enters as the two seed with his 18.89 from the prelims of the 50 at SEC Championships. He added just .04 to his seed in finals. The freshman squashed the concern about his training in Florida’s high yardage program with his SEC performance, and could be even faster at NCAA’s.
Tandy, the other champion from a season ago, enters as the three seed with an 18.95, identical to the time he and Gkolomeev tied with in Austin last season. The Arizona standout has ground to make up on the top two seeds, but being one of the defending champions does not hurt his chances.
Simonas Bilis broke the 19 second barrier at the Men’s ACC Championships, bringing home the gold in the 50, 100, and 200 freestyles for NC State. Bilis did not make the A final in 2014, taking ninth with a 19.21 in the B final, but is the fourth and last swimmer in the field under 19 seconds. He will enter Iowa City with an 18.98, and is a swimmer to watch, already having a breakout season.
A second Wolf Pack swimmer, David Williams, joins Bilis on the top eight. The Wolf Pack have the top seeded 200 free relay, so it comes as no surprise there would be two swimmers in the top eight nationally. Williams also swam in the B final a season ago, posting a 19.57, but this season he has been as fast as 19.12. It took a 19.11 to make the A final a season ago.
UNLV’s Dillon Virva is another top eight swimmer this year who swam the B final a season ago. Virva has already posted a 19.17, a personal best from the junior who took 13th a season ago. Virva beat out Louisville graduate Joao De Lucca, as well as Williams and eighth seeded Andrew Kosic of Georgia Tech.
Michigan also has a star freshman in the top eight. Paul Powers broke the Michigan School record in the 50 at the Big Ten Championships in Iowa City with a 19.21, and has the added advantage of having raced in a championship meet at the NCAA pool this season.
Kosic tied with Williams for 15th at the 2014 championships, but already this season the senior from West Chester, Pennsylvania, has broken his Georgia Tech record with a 19.23. Kosic was Georgia Tech’s first point scorer since 2010 in the 50 last season, and has the chance to finish even higher this year.
Seeded outside the top eight are several swimmers who could make this a very interesting event. Seth Stubblefield of Cal was 18.9 in this event last season, and split an 18.63 anchoring the Cal 200 freestyle relay at the Pac-12 Championships this season. Don’t count out the Longhorns either, John Murray and Matt Ellis both A finaled for Texas a season ago, and could be in mix again this season.
Top 8 picks with seed times
- Kristian Gkolomeev 18.64
- Caeleb Dressel 18.89
- Simonas Bilis 18.98
- Brad Tandy 18.95
- David Williams 19.12
- Paul Powers 19.21
- Dillon Virva 19.17
- Andrew Kosic 19.23
Dark Horse: Bruno Ortiz, Michigan. It’s strange to write Ortiz in as a dark horse in anything, but Ortiz is seeded just 23rd on the psych sheet with a 19.48. The senior lit up the pool at the Big Ten Championships, anchoring the Michigan 200 free relay with an 18.61. He also anchored the 400 medley and freestyle relays with a pair of sub-42 100’s. If Ortiz is on like he was at the Big Ten Championships, he could very easily move up to the top 8.
One name for you all and I’ll let you in on a hint. It’s the only name you need to know
Bradley Edwards Tandy III has only been defeated once in the 50 freestyle while his time in the states. It was by former NCAA champion Matt Targett in Miami at his first ever college meet (part of the Austriallian national team raced in the dual meet un-offically). Since that race Tandy is yet to loose a timed final or finals of the 50 yard freestyle at any meet. He is the most explosive 50 freestyler we have ever seen to 15 meters and come Thursday night expect for the Arizona senior to end his college career undefeated in… Read more »
I expect great things from Gkolomeev, not only at the NCAA championships, but on the international stage. He is a natural. He was raw before going to the States in my opinion, but now his skills have been honed and he’s got all the weapons to succeed. I recently learnt his father was a pretty good Bulgarian 100 freestyler.
Cal and Texas will definitely make the A final
Also, Stubblefield from Cal was 18.97 last year and took 5th. So of the 5 guys returning from the A final last year, you think that only the two co-champs will make it back.
Texas will put either Murray or Ellis in the A final. They were 19.07 and 19.11 last year.
Dressel with the win in 18.62
i will go with Dressel too ) he surely did a good job so far with the Gators – let’s see how it pays off .
It will take faster than a 18.62 to win. Gkolomeev with an 18.5-low
John Murray is going to A final!
I think Kristian is a definite win. After that id say it is pretty safe to say that Dressel locks down second place after being on a drop taper for SEC. and i think the defending champ Brad will be 3rd based on his constancy. And your forgetting about Texas’ Matt Ellis who is usually a dark horse and goes much faster when he tapers. He did make the Pan Pac team in the summer in the 100fly and made the A final last year in the 50 free. But i do not think Simonas Bilis who just squeaked under 19 by .02 will get third he was fully tapered for ACC based on him going all best times.
No one is ever a definite win, especially in the 50 freestyle
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