2023 NCAA Division I Women’s Championship: 16 Swimmers Scratch Day 3 Prelims

2023 NCAA WOMEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• March 15-18, 2023
• Allan Jones Aquatic Center–Knoxville, Tennessee
• SCY (25 yards)
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results
• Live Stream
• SwimSwam Preview Index
• Pick ’em Contest
• Day 1 Finals Live Recap
• Day 2 Finals Live Recap

Day 3 Event Lineup:

• 400 IM
• 100 fly
• 200 free
• 100 breast
• 100 back

Georgia Tech freshman Deniz Ertan, ranked 23rd in the 400 IM this season, was the highest-seeded swimmer to scratch Friday morning’s prelims at the 2023 NCAA Championships, according to recently released heat sheets.

Ertan, who joined the Yellow Jackets’ program from Turkey last fall, added six seconds in the 500 free (4:44.04) on Thursday morning.

No. 36 seed Mariah Denigan of Indiana (4:11.25) also scratched the 400 IM along with 43rd seed Luciana Thomas of Arkansas, 44th seed Denise Phelan of Kentucky, 48th seed Anna Kalandadze of Penn State, 51st seed Chase Travis of Virginia Tech, and 52nd seed Camille Deboer of Florida. Phelan appears to be skipping the 400 IM to focus on the 100 breast later in the session, where she’s seeded 28th with a 59.46.

There were five scratches in the 100 fly, four of whom appear to be focusing on the 100 back instead. Kentucky senior Caitlin Brooks will swim the 100 back, where she’s seed 19th with a 51.90, instead of the 100 fly, where she’s seeded 40th. Alabama freshman Emily Jones, Kentucky freshman Lydia Hanlon, San Diego State junior Alex Roberts, and Arkansas freshman Betsy Wizard are also following in her footsteps, although Wizard will turn her attention to the 200 free instead of the 100 back.

The highest seed to scratch the 200 free was 44th seed Kalia Antoniou of Alabama, who was entered with a time of 1:45.60. Antoniou did not swim the 200 free individually last year at the meet. Antoniou’s entry time came while leading off Alabama’s 800 free relay at the SEC Championships, as she also did not swim the event individually at that meet. Antoniou finished 11th in the 50 free on day 2 and is the ninth seed in the 100 freestyle on Saturday.

Another 200 free scratch is the 57th seed Grace Frericks of Kentucky, who was entered with a 1:46.63. Frericks is also entered in the 100 back on day 3, where she is the 46th seed at a time of 52.80. The Kentucky freshman swam the 200 free at SECs, clocking her entry time of 1:46.63 for 24th.

Paige McKenna of Wisconsin, the 63rd seed (1:46.79) has also scratched the 200 free. The defending NCAA champion in the mile, she is expected to swim that event Saturday night as the top seed in lane four. McKenna competed in the 500 free on day 2.

There are no scratches to report in the 100 breast.

In the 100 back, No. 28 seed Andrea Sansores De La Fuente is absent from the latest heat sheets. The Arkansas fifth year looks to be focusing on 100 fly, where she’s seeded 23rd. Sansores swam the 100 back at this meet last year, swimming a 52.78 to finish 39th. She did not swim the 100 fly at this meet a year ago.