2019 World Champs silver medalist Gabby Deloof confirmed on Friday that she’s relocating to San Diego and joining Team Elite.
The club, headed by coach David Marsh, is also home to sisters Ali Deloof and Catie Deloof. Gabby Deloof has been training with Club Wolverine, the program based out of the University of Michigan, since she finished her NCAA career in the spring of 2018. All four Deloof sisters swam (or swim) at Michigan; the aforementioned three, as well as the youngest, Jackie Deloof, who is a current senior in Ann Arbor.
The three Deloof sisters who have graduated (Ali, Catie, and Gabby) were all announced as members of the New York Breakers in the newly minted International Swimming League (ISL). Ali joined Team Elite last fall, while Catie moved following her graduation from Michigan this spring. The three of them will now be training in San Diego while representing the Breakers in ISL competition.
Gabby Deloof has gone from a strong NCAA sprinter to one of the best 200 freestylers in the country in a matter of a couple seasons. She was more or less a non-factor at the 2016 Olympic Trials, finishing 33rd in the 100 back (1:02.04) and 40th in the 200 free (2:01.63). One summer later, following her junior season with Michigan, she jumped to higher finishes at the 2017 U.S. Nationals: 10th in the 200 free (1:58.58), 12th in the 100 free (55.17), and 22nd in the 100 back (1:01.85). Last summer, at the 2018 U.S. Nationals, she truly broke out with a third-place finish in the 200 free (1:56.55) and a ninth-place finish in the 100 free (54.53), qualifying her for the 2018 Pan Pac Championships and the 2019 World Championships.
This past summer at the 2019 Worlds, she swam on the prelims relay of the 4×200 free relay with Team USA which went on to win a silver medal. She also shaved down her lifetime best in the 100 free to a 54.41 at the 2019 World University Games, where she won gold in the 100 free and 200 free and dropped a 53.87 anchor leg on Team USA’s 4×100 free relay (she also propelled the 4×200 free relay and 4×100 medley relay to gold medals at that meet).
Deloof’s move follows that of recent Stanford graduate and two-time Worlds roster member Abrahm Devine. The IMer confirmed his move to San Diego and Team Elite with SwimSwam in late August. The club boasts names such as Olympians Kathleen Baker, Lia Neal, Jacob Pebley, Ryosuke Irie, along with many other international and domestic standouts.
despite all the negativity and hatred against Team Elite from very important anonymous commenters here on swimswam , World Class swimmers keep joining them. Whatever they will win in Tokyo will be an illusion and shall be erased with a Sharpie.
I really don’t think swimmers should be criticized for the decisions they make. They control their own fate and have a right to do what they think is right for their career. If it doesn’t pay off for them, they have to live with their choices.
So, by that logic, Sun Yang shouldn’t be criticized?
doping and changing teams are two distinct categories of decision making
He didn’t cite categories. He cited ‘decision-making’…..
So….Brock Turner shoudn’t be criticized????
I think it’s pretty clear that the poster meant that athletes shouldn’t be criticized for the way they choose to train or who they decide to train with. The poster did not mean that we shouldn’t criticize athletes for taking PED’s or for sexual assault. Let’s use some common sense before clicking that post comment button.
Because of the nature of the thread I think it is pretty clear that “the man” is talking about career decisions not illegal acts.
raping a woman and changing teams are two distinct categories of decision making
We aren’t saying she is a bad person because of the move, just saying that it is a silly move to make. She is allowed to make it and we are allowed to have opinions about it – its not out of line criticism
Tell that to the UCSD kids Marsh recruited.
And that’s the last we’ve heard of the DeLoof sisters…
I had a swimmer once that told me that we do way more negative commenting that positive commenting. We owe our athletes to show positive comments. David and his program have produced some great swimmers and will continue to do so. Best of luck to this newest team member of Team Elite.
Maybe they shouldn’t read the comments section if it upsets them? Critiques come with the territory of being an elite athlete.
Especially an elite pro athlete. Think Antonio Brown got any negative comments the past week?
Ever been to reddit?
“We” don’t owe “our” athlete anything. And FFS, the ones we’re mainly commenting on are professionals. Apparently, total snowflake professionals if they get upset over a comments section.
The swimswam comment section has turned into the playa hater’s ball
I know this is only loosely on topic, but the SwimSwam commenters seem to have general hate for the following coaches/swimmers:
David Marsh
Ray Looze,
Greg Meehan
Teri Mckeever
Cody Miller
Bob Bowman
the entire Busch family
Anyone else I am missing? Any time one of those people is mentioned there are droves of negative comments. I just wonder why these people in particular are always hated on.
I haven’t seen too much Meehan or Bowman hate, but definitely would add Shane Tusup and Sun Yang.
you must be new, Bowman has received tons of hate on here, people accuse Meehan of ruining Ledecky
Tusup and Yang worked very hard for it, none of the above people threatened to kill another coach or yelled at an age group swim meet at another coach: F U coach Pass from across the pool. Tusup is a unique individual. https://staging.swimswam.com/shane-tusup-verbal-altercation-officials-youth-meet/
REILLY.
you forgot mr usrpt
If we’re gonna add MA then we probably have to add Schooling and Horton, who I think have gotten more hate than him.
Schooling is a meme. It’s not hate. He owns that one.
I would say it is only the commentators lack of confidence or professionalism that motivates them to post negative comments. All of those you listed and the others included in the post are people that we can all learn from.
Professionalism? Uh, it’s a comment board. Pretty sure no one is a professional commenter here. Once again, the assumption that somehow this is supposed to be the only pro (which is what we’re talking about in this thread) sports website where commenters are just supposed to give pats on the back and participation trophies. TOM BRADY SUCKS! Take THAT for lack of confidence and professionalism.
How does swim fans critiquing some of the most successful and influential figures in the sport indicate a “lack of confidence or professionalism.” This is an internet comments section lol
Boo frickin hoo. It’s a comment board. Get a spine Spire.
The sport of elite competitive swimming revolves around the top coaches. For that reason, they are going to get a lot of scrutiny. And comments on a swimming news website like this.
Marsh will do everything he can to get his swimmers on the Olympic team. And so will all the other top coaches.
Out of the many contenders, only about 50 swimmers will get to live out their Olympic Dreams in Tokyo.
Meehan gets some criticism with Ledecky, but overall I don’t see “hate” for him on this sight. McKeever hate has died down since It became clear she wasn’t responsible for “ruining” Missy.
when did that become clear?
Jo Schooling.
Backstroke Wedge
Best of luck!
This 5sec jump in two seasons from 2:01 to 1:56 gave a real hope that American 4×200 relay would get a so needed fresh blood capable of 1:55 split.
Well this season showed that expectations were too optimistic. Yes, Gabby still keeps the spot on this relay being #6 this season with 1:57.62 but there are 11(!) swimmers behind her in a distance less than 1 sec who are eager to be an Olympian.