US Releases WUGs Roster; Only 2 Swimmers To Double With Worlds

USA Swimming has announced its 44-swimmer squad for the 2017 World University Games, with only two of the eligible pool swimming World Champs team members electing to take part in both meets.

Selection procedures for this summer’s international meets allowed a small window for swimmers to compete at both Worlds and World University Games – swimmers who made the World Champs team in only relay events or non-Olympic events would be allowed to swim individual events at World University Games just over a month later. (You can read up on the full selection procedures here).

Of the pool events, there were 6 swimmers in that boat after the conclusion of U.S. Nationals, but only 2 will swim both meets, per the rosters released by USA Swimming today. Both are the Worlds representatives in the 50 backstrokes: Justin Ress and Hannah Stevens. Here’s a quick rundown:

Dual Worlds/WUGs eligible qualifiers:

• Lia Neal: Worlds only
• Cierra Runge: Worlds only
• Zach Apple: Worlds only
• Michael Chadwick: Worlds only
• Hannah Stevens: both
• Justin Ress: both

In open water, Becca Mann and David Heron will both swim Worlds and WUGs, but will compete in different events at both. Mann will swim the 25K and Heron the 5K at Worlds, then both will swim the Olympic-distance 10K at World University Games.

We projected the likely qualifiers for WUGs (also known as the Universiade) right after the meet wrapped up. Only three names from that projection don’t appear on USA Swimming’s roster:

Absent From Our Projected World University Games roster:

• Gunnar Bentz
• Vanessa Krause

With World University Games taking place very late this year (August 20-26), it’s possible that some swimmers couldn’t attend the meet without missing classes at early-starting universities, or that swimmers or coaches didn’t want to set back their college seasons by training right up until the start of NCAA season. There’s no word yet on why Bentz isn’t included on the roster. The rising Georgia senior would have been the nation’s top entrant in the 200 fly, 200 IM and 400 IM.

Update: The situation with Krause is more interesting. As of July 1, she was projected as the 20th and final pool swimmer on the roster. But as the Worlds swimmers dropped off the roster, things shuffled and ultimately left Krause 21st in the priority line with a roster cap of 20. (Actually, Krause was tied with Katie McLaughlin for 20th, but the tiebreaker compared each swimmer’s time to the standing world record, and McLaughlin had the edge with her 100 fly compared to Krause’s 200).

Tennessee’s Joey Reilman was also in the mix in the men’s 200 backstroke, but that spot went to Austin Katz. Katz was the only swimmer to qualify for World University Games and the Junior World Championships, and it appears he’s set to attend WUGs and skip Junior Worlds.

New Names From Projected Roster:

To fill in for those 6 absent names are 6 new ones:

• Caroline Baldwin
• Katie Drabot
• Katrina Konopka
• Grant Sanders
• Dillon Virva
• Sean Grieshop

Baldwin, Drabot and Konopka all qualified under USA Swimming’s selection procedures originally, but were left off the projected team because the roster max of 20 was hit. Sanders gets bumped into Bentz’s 200 IM spot, Grieshop to Bentz’s 400 IM spot and Virva take one of the 50 free spots vacated by Apple and Chadwick.

The other vacant 50 free and 100 free slots go to Ryan Held, who was originally set to only swim the 4×100 free relay. Maxime Rooney takes over the other vacant 100 free spot and Zach Harting the 200 fly entry. For the women, Kaersten Meitz gets Runge’s 800 free spot and Katie McLaughlin will get to swim her signature 200 fly, taking Krause’s spot.

You can view the full World University Games roster here.

Women (22):

• Bridgette Alexander – 200 back
• Caroline Baldwin – 50 free, 100 free, 4×100 free relay
• Kayla Brumbaum – 200 breast
• Veronica Burchill – 100 free, 4×100 free relay, 4×100 medley relay
• Katy Campbell – 10K open water
• Andee Cottrell – 50 breast, 100 breast, 4×100 medley relay
• Ali DeLoof – 50 back, 100 back
• Katie Drabot – 200 free, 4×200 free relay
• Ella Eastin – 200 fly, 200 IM
• Brooke Forde – 200 IM, 400 IM
• Katrina Konopka – 50 free
• Becca Mann – 10K open water
• Kaersten Meitz – 400 free, 800 free
• Katie McLaughlin – 50 fly, 100 fly, 200 fly
• Ally McHugh – 400 IM
• Hellen Moffitt – 50 fly, 100 fly, 4×100 medley relay
• Hannah Moore – 800 free, 1500 free
• Claire Rasmus – 200 free, 4×200 free relay
• Sierra Schmidt – 400 free, 1500 free
• Asia Seidt – 200 back
• Hannah Stevens – 50 back, 100 back, 4×100 medley relay
• Miranda Tucker – 200 breast, 100 breast, 50 breast

Men (22):

• Taylor Abbott – 10K open water
• Mitch D’Arrigo – 200 free, 400 free, 4×200 free relay
• Taylor Dale – 50 back, 100 back
• Sean Grieshop – 400 IM
• Zach Harting – 50 fly, 100 fly, 200 fly
• Ryan Held – 50 free, 100 free, 4×100 free relay
• David Heron – 10K open water
• Austin Katz – 200 back
• Will Licon – 200 breast, 200 IM
• Kevin Litherland – 1500 free
• Justin Lynch – 50 fly, 100 fly, 4×100 medley relay
• Jacob Montague – 50 breast, 100 breast
• Robert Owen – 200 back
• PJ Ransford – 800 free, 1500 free
• Justin Ress – 50 back, 100 back, 4×100 medley relay
• Jonathan Roberts – 400 IM
• Maxime Rooney – 100 free, 200 free, 4×200 free relay, 4×100 free relay
• Grant Sanders – 200 IM
• Grant Shoults – 4×200 free relay, 400 free, 800 free
• Dillon Virva – 50 free
• Andrew Wilson – 50 breast, 100 breast, 4×100 medley relay, 200 breast
• Justin Wright – 200 fly

Coaching Staff

USA Swimming also named its coaching staff. Head coaches were announced in advance (covered here in March), but assistants were finalized after U.S. Nationals.

Men’s team:

• Head coach Whitney Hite (Wisconsin)
• Braden Holloway (NC State)
• Jeff Poppell (Florida)
• Brian Smith (Georgia)

Women’s Team:

• Head coach Carol Capitani (Texas)
• Rick Bishop (Michigan)
• Tracy Duchac (Stanford)
• Duncan Sherrard (North Carolina)