2023 U.S. World Trials Preview: Is the 50 Breast Crown Lying Uneasy on King’s Head?

2023 U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

• June 27 – July 1, 2023
• Indianapolis, IN
• Indiana University Natatorium
• LCM (50m)
• Meet Central
• SwimSwam Preview Index

WOMEN’S 50 BREASTSTROKE— BY THE NUMBERS:

• World Record – Benedetta Pilato (ITA), 29.30 (2021)
• American Record – Lilly King, 29.40 (2017)
• U.S. Open Record — Lilly King (USA), 29.62 (2018)
• 2022 U.S. International Team Trials Champion- Lilly King,  29.76
• World Aquatics ‘A’ Cut- 31.02

Note: Selection to non-Olympic events (50s of stroke) is the fifth and last priority for team selection. Only the top finisher in each of these events will be added to the team (if there is space). The second spot at Worlds will be given to a swimmer already on the team who qualified in the corresponding 100 event, provided they have an A-cut in the 50.

Last Year

Entering the 2022 World Trials, the storylines in the 50 breast mirrored those of the 100. Would it be Lilly King, the stalwart veteran and world record holder in the 100 breast (1:04.13) or the surprise 2021 Olympic champion in the 100 breast (1:04.95), Lydia Jacoby? Also in contention trying to break up that top two was the 2022 NCAA champion in the 100-yard breast, Kaitlyn Dobler.

Annie Lazor courtesy Chris Pose

Emerging victorious was King, whose time of 29.76 was the only swim sub 30 seconds. As with all of the 50s of stroke, only one can emerge victorious; Dobler’s runner-up finish (30.34) was for naught, as was Jacoby’s 3rd place (30.35). Neither had qualified in the 100 breast to be able to stake a claim to the second available spot either. A spot that fell to Annie Lazor, who did not contest the 50 breast at Trials but was awarded the spot due to the 50 split in her runner-up finish 100 breast being under the ‘A’ cut standard.

At Worlds in Budapest, the American women did not find great success in this event. Lazor finished 13th (30.89) and King finished 7th (30.40) in the final, over half a second behind the time she swam to win Trials.

The Contenders

Since then, King has been improving her times. Individually, she collected a medal of each color at the 2022 SCM Worlds, nabbing the bronze in the 50 (29.11). In the long course version of the 50, she holds a season-best of 30.04 that she set at the Fort Lauderdale PSS, a time that ranks her as #4 in the world this season. In Westmont, she swam a 30.44, which was a little off, but rebounded in Mission Viejo touching in a 30.09.

Moving in the other direction, however, is Lazor who, while also being named to the SCM World’s team, finished in 23rd place in the 50 breast (30.69). In long course, it is a similar story; just two 50 times with the fastest being 31.49, ranking her 8th among Americans. Lazor may have her sights set elsewhere, however, as she was recently named to the University of Florida coaching staff.

Lydia Jacoby (photo: Jack Spitser)

Last year’s runner-up, Dobler, ended up finishing 4th in 100 at NCAAs, a disappointment after winning the year before. In the 50 she has a season-best of 30.88 from the Mission Viejo PSS, finishing behind only King’s 30.09. Coming into trials last year her season’s best was 30.76, so it would appear she could be on track for another runner-up finish if it weren’t for Jacoby.

Breaking Dobler’s 17-18 NAG record in the 100-yard breast along the way to earning the 2023 NCAA title (57.03), Jacoby has been on a tear in this distance. After failing to make the team last year, she swam a personal best of 30.20 in France. This season in Westmont she swam a 30.29, then traveled to Europe for the Mare Nostrum where she posted up a 30.08, a new personal best and a time that ranks her as #6 in the world.

The Potential Usurpers

Rachel Bernhardt (photo: Mike Lewis)

Outside of these four only one other swimmer has a season-best under the ‘A’ cut, UNC’s Skyler Smith. At NCAAs this year, she swam a personal best of 58.94, good for 12th, and in Mission Viejo recorded a new PB in the LCM version of 1:09.24. After finishing 13th in the 50 breast (31.92) last year, she has since swum a 30.87 and 30.89 at meets this year.

Also in contention is 27-year-old Rachel Bernhardt, who after having swum at Drexel is now working as an occupational therapist and posting personal bests in the 50 and 100 breast. The 50 time of 31.09 is just off the ‘A’ cut and the 5th fastest time swum by an American. Lucy Thomas, the 7th seed, has a season’s best of just 32.82 but that is from a 100 split and has entered the 50 using a speedy 100 time of 1:07.63.

Miranda Tucker (photo: Jack Spitser)

Olivia Anderson, the former Texas Longhorn, and Miranda Tucker, the former Michigan Wolverine, are former competitors in the NCAA and will be looking to compete for one of the lanes in the A-final. They enter as the 8th and 9th seeds, respectively, (using 100 times), but only have season bests of 32.26 and 31.29. Of the two, Tucker finds herself in the better position as her time this year is faster than her best 50 time of 2022 (31.69).

She may be the 11th seed and behind a group of more experienced meters swimmers, but Emma Weber showed off some sprint capabilities placing 8th in the 100 (58.90) at her first NCAAs a few months ago. Last year at Trials in this event, she swam a then personal best of 31.60. That personal best now stands at 31.15, from a meet just three weeks ago.

SwimSwam’s Top 8:

Dark Horse: Zoe Skirboll –  While she is only the 25th seed and quite far away from the top echelon of 100 breaststrokers, rising UVA sophomore Zoe Skirboll has already swum 1:09.83 in the 100, which is less than a second off her personal best of 1:09.29, set at the 2o22 Summer Nationals. Last year, her old personal best in the 50 stood at 32.35 and, since then, she has dropped it to 31.55, a time that ranks 9th among Americans this season.