The heat sheets are out for the first day of the 2014 U.S. National Championships that begin on Wednesday morning, and so far on the first day, everybody is feeling good. Focusing on the top 24 seeds in each event, which are the swimmers in the circle-seeded heats, there was only two scratches in 6 individual events.
See the 100 free/200 fly heat sheets here.
See the distance heat sheets here.
The first scratch was Michael Klueh, who dropped the 100 free as the 23rd seed. That’s not a big surprise, as this race is outside of Klueh’s wheelhouse – his focus will be the freestyles 200 meters and longer to earn a spot on the Pan Pacs team.
In the men’s 1500 free, Sam Lewis from Texas scratched; he was the 22nd seed.
The 3rd withdrawal is that Elizabeth Beisel has dropped the 800 free, though she’s still swimming in the 200 fly. Neither event is her real primary, which are the backstroke and IM races, but both are events in which she’s improved drastically over the last year.
Emily Brunemmann has also dropped the women’s 800 free, she would have been the 15th seed.
There is still a possibility of more empty lanes in the morning, but with the first day events being the 200 fly and the 100 free, there’s not a ton of overlap naturally. Generally speaking, the swimmers who are entered in the 200 fly aren’t, the swimmers contending for spots in the 100 free. The distance races may in rare cases have a slight overlap, but even then not much at this level (more so in the NCAA).
Among the few swimmers who are doing the double are Mission Viejo’s Katie McLaughlin, and the Terrapins Swim Team’s Justin Lynch.
Beisel has been swimming more 200 flys to strengthen the opening 100 of her 400 iM. I still want to see her swim a fully tapered 800. Maybe she will at Pan Pacs with less events on her roster.
BIggest questions for me this week.
1. Is MP still able to swim 4 individual events in the same week with much success?
2. Is MP still able to swim a 200-meter race with much success?
We’ll see but I have my little ideas. In my opinion if he’s a full time sprinter now, then it’s all for the 100 free and especially the 100 fly. Chad le Clos will peak in 2016. If MP wants to beat him, he has to work his speed and only his speed in the next 2 years. And he will be ready to swim under 50 seconds for an amazing 4th olympic gold medal in a row in the same event.… Read more »
10. Runge? Mann?
Very good pertinent questions BOBO . I have had mine too concerning a few swimmers . Can Katie Hoff get into the top places in the 200 IM ?
Is Dressel ready for a very decent & fast 100 free ? a fast 50 free ? oh yessss he has a very fast free inside of him . he will surprise …….
Is Simone Manuel the new sprint Queen Usa was waiting for a long time ? i think so …. i read her intervieuw and she is ready .
Can Dwyer pop a 1.44 high this week ? I think so too ….
Can Adrian deliver a 47 high ? I beleive so too
I think you are not serious at all with this question:
4. Is Missy still the backstroke queen?
She has yet to put up a time even close to what she was going in season last year and after a collegiate season where she barely swam backstroke I think it is fair to say their is a little trepidation about whether or not she is still a mile ahead of the rest of the world in the backstrokes.
I always find it funny how we look at Olympians and it’s like wow! They’re swimming 4 individual events! As an age grouper how ever and even even later you’re going to a three day meet and swimming six events prelim final and it’s just wow. Like I think age groupers have it harder than olympians hahaha. I mean if Phelps can’t swim four events over a five day meet I will be dissapointed. Just at SMOC in June my younger sister swam the 2/4IM 2Back 2Breast 4/2Free and did prelim and final in all of them so if Phelps can’t survive four events I shall be laughing.
100 free will be the one to see. Dressel wants to mark his name, adrian show some good time for the australians, phelps wants to qualify and feigen want to prove his silver was not a one in a lifetime swim
I doubt Dressel will be competitive in the 100 free this week. Lack of endurance after his long break.
I would think that he will do well and better in the 50 free. May just spring a surprise.
Men’s 100 free , heat 9 : Adrian , Dressel , Phelps , Stubblefield . That is a wild heat ! Same goes for heat 8 and 10 .
I love to hear that Lochte feels confident with his knee and he will be in the 100 free this morning .
Lochte will be very strong this week.
I just watched the heat sheet and i saw a Kaitlyn Dressel in heat 10 of the womens 100 free ; could she be the sister of Caeleb ?
100 free today is owesome and exciting ; have to wait till 6 PM european time to watch the streaming …. let’s get ready guys
She’s the sister.
great news ! a sprint family like the Campbell family .
There is an even younger sister named Sherridon(?) that I believe already has been a 23 scy 50 free and I’m pretty sure she’s 16 at the oldest
For those who prefer reading rather than watching videos, here are the transcripts from the press conferences.
Katie Ledecky/Bruce Gemmell
http://www.usaswimming.org/_Rainbow/Documents/3f438c9e-636a-42df-b6c8-1e782b316bb1/K%20%20Ledecky%20B%20%20Gemmell%20Presser%20-%208%205%2014.pdf
Missy Franklin
http://www.usaswimming.org/_Rainbow/Documents/a681d4c2-c0b8-4a81-ae79-a6c79d0202d7/M%20%20Franklin%20-%208%205%2014.pdf
Michael Phelps/Bob Bowman
http://www.usaswimming.org/_Rainbow/Documents/7584f0c3-df4a-4d40-83a6-d3d9e9242d96/M%20%20Phelps%20and%20B%20%20Bowman%20-%208%205%2014.pdf
Conor Dwyer/Bob Bowman
http://www.usaswimming.org/_Rainbow/Documents/66ce4bb9-4e66-4a9c-9992-090b01f2a8c2/C%20%20Dwyer%20and%20B%20%20Bowman%20-%2008%2005%2014%20(2).pdf
Allison Schmitt/Bob Bowman
http://www.usaswimming.org/_Rainbow/Documents/23ed6a1b-4b01-4938-a11c-b47a9894c731/A%20%20Schmitt%20-%208%205%2014.pdf
Nathan Adrian
http://www.usaswimming.org/_Rainbow/Documents/a9c0425f-0435-4e8d-9b38-4f7508396f2a/N%20%20Adrian%20-%208%205%2014.pdf
Ryan Lochte
http://www.usaswimming.org/_Rainbow/Documents/abbc7271-7baa-492c-8271-fde5621be120/R%20%20Lochte%20-%208%205%2014.pdf
Jessica Hardy
http://www.usaswimming.org/_Rainbow/Documents/17b0515d-42b4-4ac7-aade-721ef02b7402/J%20%20Hardy%20-%208%205%2014.pdf
Elizabeth Beisel, please don’t waste your energy in the 200 fly. It’s useless. You will need all your gas for the next days.
Same for Katie McLaughlin, Why swimming the 100 free, even if it’s after the 200 fly. You need the maximum of energy tonight in final! It’s useless!
I will never understand why so many swimmers waste their energy to swim events in which they have no chance to shine. 🙄
Sorry. You can give me all the good reasons you want but it seems to me absolutely stupid. It’s a championship here, not an in-season meet! The goal is to qualify!
Sometimes it’s nice to get in the pool and race before your big event. Feel the crowd, dissipate some of the nerves that have been building up for months… For me, my first race of a big meet could be unpredictable, but I was usually fine after that. Sometimes a little expended energy is preferable to a ball of nerves before the big one.