2019 U.S. National Championships: Day 3 Prelims Preview

2019 U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

• July 31 – August 4, 2019
• Prelims 9:00 AM/Finals 5:00 PM (U.S. Pacific Standard Time)
• Avery Aquatics Center (Stanford, CA)
• LCM (50 Meter Pool)
• Meet Site
• Psych Sheet
• Pre-scratch timeline
• TV & Livestream Schedule
• Omega Results

Friday morning prelims heat sheets.

Day 3 prelims of the 2019 U.S. National Championships will be the briefest session yet, including only two events: the 400 IM and the 100 butterfly.

Day 3 Morning Races:

• Women’s 400 IM – Prelims
• Men’s 400 IM – Prelims
• Women’s 100 Fly – Prelims
• Men’s 100 Fly – Prelims

This morning will feature a mere 44 heats: 10 in the women’s 400 IM, 9 in the men’s 400 IM, 14 in the women’s 100 butterfly, and 11 in the men’s 100 butterfly.

Day 3  Prelims Storylines to Watch:

• American Record holder and 2012 Olympic Champion in the 100 butterfly Dana Vollmer will swim the 100 butterfly today in what she has said will be the final race of her career. Vollmer won the bronze medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in the 100 butterfly just about a year after giving birth. Since Rio she has had another child but made a return to racing. Vollmer has been as fast as 59.27 in the 100 fly this year at the Knoxville stop of the Pro Swim Series.
• After a spectacular 200 freestyle and huge personal best yesterday, Kieran Smith is back for an encore in the men’s 400 IM. Smith will race alongside Jake Foster, Carson Foster, and Mark Szaranek in heat eight.
• World University Games silver medalist Sean Grieshop also races the 400 IM today. Grieshop is the World Junior Record holder in this event, a mantle he can likely keep for at least a few more weeks until World Junior Championships in Budapest begin.
• Ryan Lochte, the 2nd-fastest performer all-time in the men’s 400 IM, has scratched the race. Lochte hasn’t put much focus on this race since the 2016 Olympic Trials when he placed 3rd, but did post a 1:57.88 in a time trial of the 200 IM on the first day of the meet. Lochte, however, failed to advance to the finals of the 200 freestyle yesterday. Today he will race only the men’s 100 butterfly.
• Emma Weyant, who produced the 4th-fastest time of the night in the women’s 200 freestyle last night swimming in the ‘B’ final with a 1:58.36, a huge improvement from her previous lifetime best, will race the 400 IM this morning, racing in heat 10.
• Also in the women’s 400 IM is Scotland’s Hannah Miley, World Championship team member Ally McHugh, and last night’s 200 breaststroke champion Madisyn Cox.
• The men’s 100 fly will feature heavyweights Jack Conger and Luca Urlando, though perhaps the most interesting swimmer to watch in this event will be Ryan Held, who on Wednesday produced new U.S. Open and Championship Records in the 100 freestyle, cutting his lifetime best down to a 47.39, which would have been good enough to win bronze at the World Championships. Held boasts a yards time of 44.79 in the 100 fly, and if he’s able to go 51-mid or faster today, he might seriously consider adding this event to his 2020 Olympic Trials lineup.
• Maxime Rooney, who has produced huge lifetime bests in the 100 and 200 freestyles this week, will swim the 100 butterfly. Rooney focused more on butterfly than any previous season during the 2018-2019 NCAA season and took his yards time down to a 44.99.
• The 100 butterfly will not feature World Record holder and 2017/2019 National/World Championships title holder Caeleb Dressel, who has scratched.
• Kelsi Dahlia is entered in the 100 butterfly, but is one of a handful of swimmers that also swam at the World Championships in South Korea. If she swims today, she should be a lock for a spot in the ‘A’ final, if the toll of travel and time abroad doesn’t affect her too much.
• Regan Smith, Lilly Nordmann, and Dakota Luther, the gold, silver, and bronze medalists, respectively, at this National Championships in the 200 fly will also take on the women’s 100 butterfly today. Smith pulled off the win the 200 fly Wednesday, and recently set the World Record in the 100 and 200 backstrokes, but has never had quite enough speed to make the ‘A’ final at the National Championships in the 100 butterfly. Perhaps she can accomplish that for the first time today.