2024 WOMEN’S NCAA SWIMMING AND DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
- March 20-23, 2024
- Gabrielsen Natatorium, Athens, Georgia
- Short Course Yards (25 yards)
- Pre-Scratch Psych Sheets
Texas swimmers Kelly Pash and Olivia Bray have both switched their NCAA lineup from a year ago. Pash will swim the 200 IM, 100 fly, and 200 fly while Bray will swim the 100 fly, 100 back, and 200 fly.
Pash, a fifth year, had a different lineup the last three years with the Longhorns at NCAAs. Pash has competed in the 200 IM, 200 free, and 200 fly notably making the ‘A’ final in all three events at 2021 and 2022 NCAAs. Last year, Pash was 3rd in the 200 fly, 10th in the 200 IM, and 11th in the free.
This year, Pash will swim the 100 fly on the third day of the meet instead of the 200 free. Pash is the #3 seed in the 100 fly behind Virginia’s Gretchen Walsh and Texas teammate Emma Sticklen. Pash did not swim the 100 fly at Big-12s so her seed time is from midseason.
Pash is the #4 seed in the 200 IM and the #2 seed in the 200 fly (only behind teammate Sticklen). If Pash had opted to swim the 200 free over 100 fly, she would have been the #9 seed.
Olivia Bray has also switched her NCAA lineup. The senior swam the 100 fly, 100 back, and 200 fly her freshman and sophomore seasons before switching to the 500 free, 100 back, and 200 back for her junior year. Now, she will return to her old lineup with the 100 fly, 100 back, and 200 fly.
Last year’s lineup allowed for Bray to compete one individual event of the three days. This year’s lineup for Bray includes the 100 fly and 100 back on the same day.
Bray is the t-4th seed in the 100 fly, right behind teammates Sticklen and Pash, the #16 seed in the 100 back, and #4 seed in the 100 fly. Bray notably finished 3rd in the 500 freestyle at NCAAs a year ago, but she has not raced the event since. Bray’s time of a 4:37.02 in the event would have been the #8 seed if she had replicated the time sometime this season.
Bray has been seen in a boot on her social media. I think in an interview she said she has some sort of foot fracture but was pushing through the pain for her teammates and NCAAs. Maybe she is trying to limit stress on foot and has avoided the 500 for that reason?
Has anyone interviewed Olivia about the 500? I’ve never seen a stroke swimmer suddenly become a 500 freestyler for 2 months and then give it up.
Anyway the 500 could be really tough this year, and I hope it feels good to be back to swimming butterfly after a break!
How about for 1 day? Alex Walsh dropped a 4:38 500 free at Tennessee Invitational in 2022 and then hasn’t touched it again
That’s Caeleb Dressel-type energy. Nothing tops his 2IM/1Br at SECs.
That’s because she was the best in the World in the 2 IM not too long ago.
Phelps threw down an awesome 400 free at some point. Debatable whether he can be considered a stroke specialist though
If you hold the world record in the same stroke at an adjacent distance, it cannot be considered that large of a jump.
I think his best was around 3:47. It’s possible he could have been better but I don’t think he ever actually swam a time that was considered ‘awesome.’
And I don’t want to hear about ‘if he trained for it.’ He was a middle distance swimmer who trained a lot of freestyle. Phelps trained for everything but was just better at certain events.