2022 NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
- March 16-19, 2022
- McAuley Aquatic Center, Georgia Tech, Atlanta, Georgia (Eastern Daylight Time)
- Prelims 10AM /Finals 6PM
- Short Course Yards (25 yards)
- Championship Central
- Official Psych Sheets
- Live Results
- Live Video (ESPN3): Swimming / Diving
- Thursday morning heat sheets
Reported by Anne Lepesant.
WOMEN 500 YARD FREESTYLE – PRELIMS
- NCAA Record: 4:24.06 – Katie Ledecky, Stanford (2017)
- Meet Record: 4:24.06 – Katie Ledecky, Stanford (2017)
- American Record: 4:24.06 – Katie Ledecky, Stanford (2017)
- US Open Record: 4:24.06 – Katie Ledecky, Stanford (2017)
- Pool Record: 4:30.81 – Leah Smith, Virginia (2016)
- 2021 Champion: Paige Madden, Virginia – 4:33.61
Finals qualifiers:
- Lia Thomas, 5Y, Penn – 4:33.82
- Erica Sullivan, FR, Texas – 4:36.79
- Emma Weyant, FR, Virginia – 4:37.25
- Paige McKenna, FR, Wisconsin – 4:37.36
- Evie Pfeifer, 5Y, Texas – 4:37.39
- Brooke Forde, 5Y, Stanford – 4:38.19
- Morgan Tankersley, SR, Stanford – 4:38.65
- Kensey McMahon, SR, Alabama – 4:38.76
- Tylor Mathieu, JR, Florida – 4:39.07
- Julia Mrozinski, FR, Tennessee – 4:39.60
- Madelyn Donohoe, JR, Virginia – 4:39.61
- Dune Coetzee, FR, Georgia – 4:40.24
- Abigail McCulloh, FR, Georgia – 4:40.58
- (tie) Lola Mull, SO, Northwestern / Erica Laning, 5Y, ASU – 4:40.70
- –
- Emma Nordin, 5Y, ASU – 4:40.78
Penn’s Lia Thomas won the final heat in a dominant 4:33.82. Swimming next to her in lane 5, Stanford’s Brooke Forde stayed within half a body length through the first 200 yards. From the 250 mark onward, Thomas began to increase her lead, outsplitting Forde by about .5 per 50. Thomas came to the wall 4.3 seconds ahead of Forde, who finished second in 4:38.19. Alabama’s Kensey McMahon was third in 4:38.76.
Should not have been allowed to compete.
This column in today’s Washington Post provides food for thought…
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/03/17/lia-thomas-ncaa-swimming-championships/
Perhaps we need to focus more on the supposed “purpose and value” of college athletics instead of just who wins? Brooke Forde was fine with competing with her and had a very thoughtful perspective on the situation.
For most of my life, I was told by coaches over and over again that swimming is about times, racing the clock, being your best.
Then a trans woman had success, and suddenly, it’s all about winning.
If it’s truly only about bettering their times, then why can’t Thomas race against men? Or alone?
Yes she is competing within the rules (for now), however her smirking and laughing after races shows she has no regard or respect for her competitors, or the sport. She and the NCAA law makers have placed the sport into disrepute. I’ve said before on this forum, you can change physiology to an extent (ie androgen levels), however nothing will take away the bigger heart, lungs and physical features, which all provide a distinct advantage. I’m not just taking about shoulders and wingspan either – image if Ian Thorpe decided to become a transgender swimmer, no amount of hormones would reduce his size 17 feet. Would you want those flippers competing against women?? It was hard enough against men. Let’s… Read more »
This might be the dumbest Lia Thomas comment ever. Swimming after your race is a character flaw? Making an uncomfortable face when people shout at you is a character flaw?
Talk about cognitive dissonance. You decided you were going to make her a villain before she did anything.
it’s easy to hide behind the veil of transphobia when social acceptance and inclusion are mutually exclusive to competitive sports. Unfortunately for those confused about the two paradigms, this wont end well for transgender athletes, logic and fairness in sport will prevail. And for the record, I have spent the last 20 years fighting for transgender inclusion in healthcare, as part of my jobs.
Lia should be racing as EXHIBITION as she has a clear advantage over the other female swimmers.
……..
3 seconds in a 500 at elite level is alot I’d argue.
the person yelling “cheater” is complete trash.
Bro no way your saying this when Brooke Forde has a 4.31 pb and many women r capable of beating Lia. This was a relatively slow a final heat it just seems as if ur a casual and just partake in the Lia hate for following the rules and not the NCAA hate