2016 U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM TRIALS
- Sunday June 26th-Sunday July 3rd, 2016
- Century Link Center – Omaha, Nebraska
- Friday-Sunday – Prelims – 9:00 am EDT Finals – 6 pm EDT
- SwimSwam Preview Links & Schedule
- NBC Televison Coverage Schedule
- Psych Sheets
As with did with the men, we took a look at the top 3 seeds of each event heading into the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials to how they compared to what the U.S. had to offer at this same meet in 2012. Several key names are still in the mix for Olympic berths, while a few fresh stars are looking to make the most of their extraordinary opportunity.
Of the 13 individual women’s events, just 4 saw their top seed times fare slightly slower in 2016 compared to 2012. Both of the women’s breaststroke events saw former world record holder Rebecca Soni at the top of the pack in 2012, while this year the sprint is led by Katie Meili and the longer event owned at the moment by Micah Lawrence. While Soni’s entry times were 1:04.91 and 2:20.69 in the 100m and 200m breaststroke events, respectively, Meili’s seed time is 1:05.64, with Lawrence listed with 2:22.04.
The 200m backstroke is also slower this time around, at least as far as entry times go. The same top seed from 2012 is still number one for Omaha this year, as world record holder Missy Franklin looks to earn a chance to defend her 2012 Olympic gold. However, in 2012 her seed time sat at 2:05.10, where she’s carrying a 2:06.34 into 2016’s meet.
The women’s 100m butterfly is in the same boat, as Dana Vollmer entered 2012 with a time of 56.47 in the event compared to this year’s 56.94. Vollmer took time off after her son was born, so the fact she has a slightly slower seed time is more a product of how long she’s been back in the water.
As with the men, there are 3 women’s events where the 3rd seed from the 2016 psych sheets is faster than the top seed was back in 2012. In the women’s 400m freestyle, Chloe Sutton‘s 4:05.19 was the quickest time headed into Omaha, whereas the top three this year are all well beneath that mark. Katie Ledecky scored the top seed in 3:58.37, with Leah Smith and Cierra Runge behind in marks of 4:03.33 and 4:04.55, respectively.
The sprint freestyle events saw their landscape change in much the same way, with Madison Kennedy, Simone Manuel and Ivy Martin all seeded in 50m freestyle times faster than Jessica Hardy’s top seed of 24.63 in 2012. In the 100m freestyle race, Manuel, Franklin and Vollmer all carry swifter seed times than 2012’s top swimmer headed into the meet, Franklin with a time of 53.63.
Below is the complete comparison of the top 3 seeds from 2012 psych sheets versus the 2016 psych sheets for the women’s events.
| 2012 Top Seed | 2012 2nd Seed | 2012 3rd Seed | EVENT | 2016 Top Seed | 2016 2nd Seed | 2016 3rd Seed |
| Beisel, 4:31.78 | Leverenz, 4:35.60 | Hoff, 4:37.51 | 400 IM | DiRado, 4:31.71 | Beisel, 4:31.99 | Leverenz, 4:35.46 |
| Sutton, 4:05.19 | Schmitt, 4:05.40 | Hoff, 4:05.50 | 400 Free | Ledecky, 3:58.37 | Smith, 4:03.33 | Runge, 4:04.55 |
| Soni, 1:04.91 | Hardy, 1:05.90 | Chandler, 1:07.17 | 100 Breast | Meili, 1:05.64 | King, 1:05.73 | Hannis, 1:06.16 |
| Schmitt, 1:55.04 | Franklin, 1:55.06 | Vollmer, 1:56.47 | 200 Free | Ledecky, 1:54.43 | Franklin, 1:55.49 | Schmitt, 1:56.23 |
| Coughlin, 59.12 | Franklin, 59.18 | Bootsma, 59.65 | 100 Back | Coughlin, 59.05 | Franklin, 59.38 | Smoliga, 59.41 |
| Adams, 2:06.76 | Hersey, 2:06.89 | Crippen, 2:06.93 | 200 Fly | Adams, 2:06.33 | McLaughlin, 2:06.95 | DiRado, 2:07.42 |
| Franklin, 53.63 | Coughlin, 53.67 | Vollmer/Schmitt, 53.94 | 100 Free | Manuel, 53.25 | Franklin, 53.43 | Vollmer, 53.59 |
| Soni, 2:20.69 | Beard, 2:24.30 | Lawrence, 2:24.62 | 200 Breast | Lawrence, 2:22.04 | Sogar, 2:23.54 | Meili, 2:23.69 |
| Franklin, 2:05.10 | Pelton, 2:07.48 | Beisel, 2:07.82 | 200 Back | Franklin, 2:06.34 | DiRado, 2:08.19 | Beisel, 2:08.33 |
| Kukors, 2:09.12 | Leverenz, 2:09.39 | Pelton, 2:10.02 | 200 IM | DiRado, 2:08.99 | Margalis, 2:10.20 | Leverenz, 2:10.35 |
| Hardy, 24.63 | Weir, 24.70 | Joyce, 24.86 | 50 Free | Kennedy, 24.45 | Manuel, 24.47 | Martin, 24.62 |
| Vollmer, 56.47 | Magnuson, 57.32 | Coughlin/Donahue, 58.05 | 100 Fly | Vollmer, 56.94 | Worrell, 57.24 | Stewart, 57.82 |
| Ziegler, 8:21.59 | Sutton, 8:24.05 | Ledecky, 8:25.85 | 800 Free | Ledecky, 8:06.68 | Mann, 8:21.77 | Runge, 8:24.69 |
Ledecky’s time was so far behind the top two seeds at the 2012 trials (and we all know what happened there.) Awesome.
I think Katie was seeded at 8:25 in 2012
The times (with the exception of Ledecky) are similar across the board. As a question are we approaching the limits of human performance?
The top times across the world say otherwise.