Cal sophomore Missy Franklin, swimming in her 2nd and final NCAA Championship meet, will have a very different schedule at the 2015 NCAA Championships as compared to last season, according to the pre-selection psych sheets that were released on Tuesday morning.
Specifically, Franklin is entered to race the 200 IM, 200 free, and 200 backstroke in three weeks in Greensboro, as compared to the 500 free, 200 free, and 100 free schedule that she swam last season.
When Franklin’s schedule first came out last year, there was a lot of criticism that Franklin was held out of any backstroke races at NCAA’s, despite those being the events where she has made herself famous internationally. This year, however, Franklin switched up her focus at Pac-12’s, and stuck with those three events for NCAA’s that fall more inside her wheelhouse.
The only repeat is the 200 free, where Franklin is the defending champion and NCAA/American/U.S. Open Record holder (1:40.31). The 200 backstroke is an event where she’s the World Record holder in both long course meters and until December was the World Record holder in short course meters as well, though in yards that honors belongs to her teammate Liz Pelton. Both swimmers will try for that title at NCAA’s this year.
The 200 IM is a little bit of a curveball, but in the leadup to the start of Franklin’s career at Cal, there were strong signals that this was an event that she and coach Teri McKeever had an eye on, and Franklin was at one point the National High School Record holder.
Overall, Franklin should be more in her comfort zone with this year’s schedule, which could make for a smoother NCAA Championship meet and a better team momentum if they hope to challenge for the team title.
SORRY DEE. It should have said I hope all eyes are on Missy and Simone. Why? Because Simone beat Missy in their last dual meet in the 200 free and Missy got revenge at Pac 12s. Eyes on because It’s going to be a great race at NC2AS.
200 IM/200 free/200 back
YES!
That’s exactly what I wanted!
Too happy! 🙂
I hope all eyes are on Missy at NC2AS when Simone Manuel beats Missy in the 200 free. I predict that Simone will win the 50/100/200 free and 4× 100 free relay. I love Missy but I’m excited to watch Simone Manuel!!!!.
If you love Missy why do you hope “all eyes are on her” when she ‘looses to Simone Manuel’? Looking at a few of your comments you come off looking like a bitter fan-boy/girl…
Really not necessary on these boards.
Other notables:
Celina Li – 2 IM, 4 IM, 2 Fly. No breast – good idea in my opinion.
Michalak – IMs and 2 Fly. No breast
Bonnie Brandon – 500, 200, 1650. No 200 Bk!
Gastaldello – 50, 100 fly, 100 free. No surprise, but she might have done 1 bk.
Flickinger – 500, 4 IM, 2 Fly. No 200 Back or IM. Probably a good idea, but it will be tough to final in the 500
Janet Hu – 50 free, both Flys. No 2 IM or 100 back (individually).
Denninghoff is in for Texas, after sitting out Big 12s.
Kylie Stewart – 100 fly, 100 bk, 200 bk. Same line-up… Read more »
I don’t think the Stewart’s are sisters… one is from San Diego (NCA?) And the other Atlanta (Dynamo?)… unless you are being silly on purpose in which case I’m sorry for being a nitpicker 🙂
Ah, you may be right…
I assumed because their names were so similar, as are their talents.
Meanwhile, I expect Ty Stewart will also swim well at NCAAs.
Lets be honest. Missy wants to win period. She is not swimming the 100 free because she would probably get third (Simone, Lia, Missy).She has a better chance of winning 200 im than the 100 free. Simone Manuel almost beat her in the 200 free. There is no way in the world she would go up against Simone in the 100 free. I would pick Simone to win vs Missy in SCY every time. Cal is weak in 100 free. Missy should be swimming it in my opinion.
I see that the Missy pre-Rio media carpet bombing campaign has already begun.
Watch for it …as far as the TV coverage for this meet will go, there will be Missy, and then there will be 280 other women filling lanes. But this is a double-edged sword with the potential for blow-back if she does not deliver. Therefore, the careful choice of events is a prudent course of action.
Of course she wants to win, because she would most likely get more team points if she won the 2IM, even if it pushed Pelton down a notch, or got 2nd, than the possibility of even worse than 2nd in the 100Free. I think she only got 3rd in the 100 last year behind Geer and Neal, now Neal’s back and now she’s also got Manuel, Hinds, and Martin to contend with.
I think Missy is entered to swim the 200 back, not the 100 (Cal has Bootsma, Pelton, and Klaren seeded top 8).
Tooony…..
Her third event (second paragraph) should read 200 Back, right?
Can’t wait to see that IM!
Yea I’m scratching my head over this one. Like they already have Pelton and Bootsma in the 1 back, so it’s not like they need her in the 100 back for depth reasons. Why double up when you don’t need too? For that matter she’s arguably better at the 2 back.
The 100 back is a typo. She is in the 200 back.