The DC Trident will be without Katie Ledecky at this weekend’s U.S. Derby meet at the University of Maryland, but have added Remedy Rule and Claire Rasmus to their roster for what will likely be the team’s final meet of the 2019 International Swimming League season.
Ledecky grew up in Bethesda, about 10 miles from the University of Maryland, but currently lives and trains on the west coast at Stanford University. She swam in the team’s opening meet in Indianapolis, but with the Trident unlikely to qualify for the Las Vegas final, that meet will likely be her only appearance in the inaugural season of the league. The team says she had a pre-planned training block to prepare her for next summer’s Olympic Games.
The team’s new additions both attended college in the state of Texas. Rule, who went to the University of Texas, is a native of Crozet, Virginia, which is only about a 3 hour drive from the University of Maryland. She’s a versatile swimmer who is better in short course than long course and can range from the 50 through 200 freestyles, and also race the 50, 100, and 200 meter butterflies. She’s good enough in the backstroke and IM races, plus the 400 free, to work in a pinch there as well.
Rule was a 7-time CSCAA All-American while at Texas. This will be her first meet of the 2019-2020 season.
Rasmus, meanwhile, attended Texas A&M University, where she was a team captain and won 11 All-America honors there. That includes a 6th-place finish in the 200 free as a junior in 2018. She’s the better middle-distance freestyler of the 2 (1:57.92 in the 200, 4:13.57 in the 400), and is the likely replacement for Ledecky in those events. She should also be a relay contributor with a long course best of 55.0 in the 100 free.
The Trident will also be without Annika Bruhn, who will miss the meet because of the German National Championships, and Australian Brianna Throssell.
The Trident currently rank 3rd in the American standings for the season behind the Cali Condors and LA Current, but ahead of the New York Breakers. It would take a near-miracle scenario for them to advance to December’s final in Las Vegas.
| USA ISL TEAM STANDINGS | |||
| Rank | Team | Season Points | Total Meet Points |
| 1 | Cali Condors | 6 | 947.5 |
| 2 | LA Current | 5 | 865 |
| 3 | DC Trident | 4 | 662.5 |
| 4 | NY Breakers | 2 | 571 |
DC Trident Roster for Maryland Stop of 2019 ISL Season:
Kevin Cordes
Abrahm DeVine
Ian Finnerty
Zane Grothe
Zach Harting
Robert Howard
Jay Litherland
Cody Miller
Giles Smith
Velimir Stjepanovic
Jérémy Stravius
Andreas Vazaios
Anika Apostalon
Emma Barksdale
Lisa Bratton
Natalie Coughlin
Bethany Galat
Sarah Gibson
Siobhán Haughey
Madison Kennedy
Simona Kubová
Leah Neale
Leiston Pickett
Quah Ting Wen
Remedy Rule
How does one get tickets to this meet? I live about one half hour away from UM. I would like to go even if KL isn’t swimming; I see that Natalie C is on the list and she is one of my favorite swimmers!
Tickets appear to be sold out on the web.
If she was going to show up to only 1 meet why not make it the one in her hometown where she knows kids will have bought tickets just to see her?
As adult (are you?) you have obligations to explain children from D.C. area what GATOR said about “hundreds” kids. Why don’t you care about kids in Indianapolis. Have you ever been there. If you were then you cannot forget the eyes of those kids wandering the streets in despair of not having the only pleasure in their lives to see Katie Ledecky.
I’m on the other side of you guys. What motivation does Ledecky even have to compete in this thing when it seems like certain groups of swimmers just stacked onto one team to guarantee they get a nice little payday.
Ledecky doesn’t need this.
” you guys” are those who strongly believe that Katie Ledecky owes them, but not that they owe her. You have to pay for the pleasure accordingly and then only demand something. You want swimming to be a professional business then treat professionals as people who have all rights to run their own business the way they see it to be most profitable.
Everyone complaining about London Roar aren’t quite acknowledging that the Aussie swimmers are just performing really really well on this team . Feel free to disagree which I know you will 😂.
what about the hundreds of kids who planned to go to this meet to see her swim? Not supporting your fans isn’t a good look and certainly not helping the sport. Other money-grubbing sports turned businesses are losing fans because greed and me-first attitude.
Your count is incorrect. Why do you think it is just hundreds kids but not thousands or just two only of yours? Are you also disappointed of losing money on tickets? Start counting again and pay more attention to what you are doing this time.
KL abandons a losing team…how brave!
Wow, didn’t expect Titmus’ WR to survive the year after Ledecky’s performance in Indy but it looks like it will. Oof at losing Throssell as well, who’s been a good points-earner. I think DC Trident is going to get stomped on at their home meet.
KATIE LEDECKY IS THE BRYCE HARPER OF THE ISL MY COLUMN
Hard to blame KL when she’s making the same salary as everyone else on the team?
DC Trident appears to be tanking. Do they know that doesn’t work in the ISL (yet).