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:
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)
wpDiscuz
At first glance, it looks like the head coaches don’t have any swimmers on the WUG team? That seems weird. But it looks like an excellent USA team….go USA!
Head coaches were announced in March, so they wouldn’t have known who would or wouldn’t make the team at that point.
Men’s team looks a little stronger than the women’s. Men’s freestyle looks really good.
agree! but didn’t want to write that…
Are swimmers free to enter additional events now that they are the team? Like Eastin in the 400IM
It would be great for Eastin.
Not unless another American withdraws. The two U.S. entries are currently filled by Brooke Forde and Ally McHugh
Since there is an open spot in the 200 IM, who would swim it? Brooke Forde made the A final, but Katie Drabot’s winning time from the B Final was faster overall. Would Forde get priority because she was in the A final or would it be at the coaches discretion?
That’s a great question. Based on my understanding of the selection procedure document, it’ll be finish order that trumps time in filling a vacant event. So Forde would get first crack at the open 200 IM spot. It would only pass to Drabot if Forde declines to swim another event.
Lizzy needs to give up her spot. It’s only just.
Nothing against Ransford but he has the 800 yet didn’t swim the 800. Not really understanding why the 800/1500 have different qualifying standards. They are Olympic events.
Speed Racer – in this case, it probably has to do with the maximum roster size limits. World University Games only allows 22 pool swimmers, and both the men’s and women’s teams were up against their roster cap for most of qualifying. Taking the top 1 or 2 finishers in the men’s 800 would bump out potential relay swimmers in the 100 and 200 frees, which get the priority in most selection procedures.
Will the other spots on the freestyle relays just be filled by people already on the team?
That’s correct
Justin Ress was 49.1 so he’s a good bet for the 400 free relay as well.
When will the world juniors roster come out?
Ask and you shall receive!
https://swimswam.com/andrew-smith-head-team-usas-2017-junior-worlds-roster/
Becca Mann and David Heron are both doubling Worlds/WUGS
From what I heard Krause didn’t get invited to go to WUGs even though her 200 fly time is 30th in the world
Go Blue – that’s not really how it works. Because of the Ted Stevens Amateur Sports Act, if she was entitled to the spot based on the published selection criteria, they would have had to have given it to her. Subjectively making choices for a team like this would be a big, big deal.
Unfortunately it is what happened though.
Go Blue – I just dug through results and selection procedures and looked into this. By my count, Krause is the first swimmer out based on the process. Her world rank of #31 (as of July 1) is actually tied with Katie McLaughlin’s 100 fly (also #31 world rank at the time) for the 20th and final spot on the WUGs roster.
McLaughlin earns the final spot based on a tiebreaker, which compares each of their times to the standing world record. That’s a bad break for Krause, who had to compare to Liu Zige’s 200 fly world record that is widely considered the most unbreakable super-suited record in history.
What is Katrina Konapka’s world ranking? I believe higher than 31.
As of July 1, Konopka was ranked #44 in the 50 free. She was originally left off the team, but when Lia Neal (presumably) declined, Konopka moved from the 2nd eligible 50 freestyler to the 1st. That bumped her up a priority level (from Priority #3 to Priority #2). The new 2nd 50 freestyler is Caroline Baldwin, who wouldn’t have made it in that event alone, but was already on the roster under priority #1 from the 100 free.
Thanks for the clarification. Can you provide a similar explanation for Katie Drabot in the 200? Wondering if her ranking in the 400 is being used.
Sure. Drabot was originally the 3rd eligible swimmer in the 200, which made her the lowest priority (Priority #4) to make the team. But when Lia Neal dropped off the roster, she moved up to the 2nd qualifier, which in the relay events makes her Priority #1 with no world ranks analysis needed.
For reference, if this helps illuminate the priorities a little better:
The women’s team got most of the way through Priority #3 before hitting its cap. The men’s team got all the way through Priority #4.