2021 ISCA International Senior Cup
- Tuesday March 23 – Saturday March 27, 2021
- North Shore Aquatic Complex, St. Petersburg, FL
- Short Course Yards (prelims)/Long Course Meters (finals)
- Schedule
- Tuesday: timed finals 4:00pm
- Wednesday – Saturday: 8:00am prelims/5:00pm finals
- Psych Sheet
The International Swim Coaches Association’s (ISCA) International Senior Cup is attracting some top swimmers as they host their International Senior Cup next week in St. Petersburg, Florida. With the Tokyo Olympics slated to begin in four months, long course racing becomes more important as swimmers prepare for the various selection meets.
For those swimmers who train as part of a university post-grad group, their coaches are focused more on the NCAA meets at this time of the year. The Senior Cup may be a solid substitute for the training these swimmers might typically do at the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
The meet will feature short course yards racing in prelims with long course meters for finals.
Men
The men’s meet at the Senior Cup is especially deep as it features a number of swimmers with Olympic experience.
12-time Olympic medalist and world record holder Ryan Lochte leads the field as he seeks to represent the USA in his fifth Olympic games. Lochte has a full slate of events ahead of him as entered a total of nine events: 200 IM, 100 back, 200 back, 50 free, 400 IM, 100 butterfly, 200 free, 100 free, and 200 breast. It’s unlikely that he’ll swim all of those races, as Lochte (and all Gregg Troy-trained swimmers) are notorious for over-entering and then scratching way back.
Lochte’s Gator Swim Club teammate, Caeleb Dressel is matching Lochte’s event lineup with nine entries of his own: 200 IM, 50 fly, 50 breast, 50 free, 400 IM, 100 fly, 200 free, 100 free, and 200 fly. Like Lochte, we don’t know if he’ll actually swim all of those races, but if he goes after the 400 IM, that will receive the most curious attention in the results, as it’s a race that the versatile Dressel doesn’t swim all that often.
Dressel, a 2-time Olympic gold medalist, currently holds 8 World Records (including relays). That’s more than any other swimmer.
The men’s 100 butterfly will be the race to watch as it will feature world record holder Dressel, Lochte, 2016 Rio Olympic gold medalist Joseph Schooling, top seed Jack Conger, Matthew Josa, and Matej Dusa.
Conger, who recently moved to join Schooling at Virginia Tech, has entered five events and is the top seed in the 50 free, 100 fly, 200 free, and the 200 fly.
Schooling is looking to defend his title in the 100 fly in Tokyo, will be swimming the 50 & 100 free and the 50 fly in addition to the aforementioned 100 fly. Schooling reunited with coach Sergio Lopez in 2020 and is training with him as a post-grad at Virginia Tech. Lopez coached Schooling throughout high school at The Bolles School.
Queens University (D2) of Charlotte will be represented at the meet. Josa swam at Queens from 2013-2015 before transferring to Cal. He is looking to qualify for his first Olympics in the butterfly and will be swimming the 50 free as well. Matej Dusa, a Slovakia swimmer and freshman at Queens, is competing this week at the NCAA Division II meet in Birmingham, Alabama. Dusa is swimming the 50 free in addition to the butterfly.
Women
The women’s side of the meet lacks the name recognition of the men but as a bit more international flair to hit.
Egyptian Olympian and Cal alumna Farida Osman is looking to qualify for her second Olympic games as she will be swimming the 50 fly, 50 free, 100 fly, and 100 free.
Sherridon Dressel falls one event short of her brother Caeleb as she is entered in eight events. She is seeded in the top-4 in seven events and is the top seed in the 100 & 200 backstroke, and the 100 butterfly.
A pair of Hungarian swimmers will be swimming following the NCAA Women’s Division I Swimming & Diving Championships. Reka Gyorgy, a senior at Virginia Tech is the top seed in the 400 IM and will be swimming the 200 IM, 200 back, and 200 free as well. Flora Molnar, a senior at Alabama, is the top seed in both the 50 and 100 freestyle. Molnar is also entered in the 50 and 100 butterfly events.
Harvard University will be represented as Mikaela Dahlke and Marcella Ruppert-Gomez will be competing. Dahlke, a 2020 Harvard grad who missed NCAA’s last year due to its cancelation, is seeded in the top three of the 100 fly, 100 free, and 200 free. Ruppert-Gomez, a junior for the Crimson, is the second seed in the 800 free and the top seed in the 1500 free.
Zhada Fields, an alumna of UNC is seeded in the top four of the 50 free, 200 free, and 100 free
The meet will also feature mixed relays as both the 400 medley and 400 free relays will be raced in this format.
I hope they stream this somewhere
Yes. The meet is going to be on a lifestream. https://swimisca.org/save-the-date/international-senior-cup-2021/
Also, see the whole list of teams at
https://swimisca.org/save-the-date/international-senior-cup-2021/attending-senior-cup-2021/
Rumor has it that schooling is shaved and tapered so he can beat dressel
He would still lose tapered.
Troy is probably working him really hard though
nah schooling is going to beat him the next day in practice
In all seriousness, Schooling has looked like he’s in probably his best physical shape ever.
Can someone explain the logic of quals being SCY & finals LCM please? Interesting. Thanks
When I was in high school a lot of swimmers would want to get years a time for college, but also try and get trials cuts. This would allow them to get times in one taper and not have to time trial.
for high school athletes. This isn’t a pro meet it is mostly for age groupers, and some high schoolers need SCY times for recruitment and LCM times to go for trials cuts or because most LCM meets were cancelled last summer
All eyes on this meet. Will be a fun one to watch. Would love to see them swim an exhibition relay!
Did Conger move to train at Virginia Tech?
Have heard rumors and seems to be true given all the other VT swimmers entered.
Yes, and he was asked to leave UVA as well.
Conger is at VT training with Sergio now
Never mind all these events
50yrd and 50m fly kick underwater race.
Dressel v Lochte v Schooling v Conger.
The North Shore pool is about 4 ft deep on both ends . . . not sure how much kicking will be happening
wat u got against the UF pool
dressel takes this hands down, if everyone’s in their prime i think lochte gives him a run for his money
For a straight 50 underwater, think Dressel wins handily.
Part of what made Lochte (and MP too) so awesome is that they could demolish a monster underwater at the end of a 200, when they’re supposed to be oxygen deprived and hurting.