Alex Walsh Entered In 500 FR, Gretchen Walsh Entered In 100 FL/BK At Tennessee Invite

2022 TENNESSEE INVITATIONAL

• November 17-19, 2022
• Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center, Knoxville, Tenn.
• SCY (25 yards)
• Start Times: Prelims – 10 am / Finals – 6 pm (ET)
• Psych Sheets
• Live Stream (ESPN)
• Thursday Prelims Heat Sheets
• Dual Meet Scoring (9-4-3-2-1)

The psych sheets have been posted for the 2022 Tennessee Invitational, and some intriguing lineup choices have been made for three of the most versatile swimmers in the NCAA: Alex Walsh, Gretchen Walsh, and Kate Douglass. All three swimmers are entered in their maximum of four individual scoring events, and will all be taking on doubles on day two of the meet.

Alex Walsh is entered in the 500 free, 100 fly, 100 breast, and 200 breast. She is notably opting not to swim the 200 IM or 400 IM, which are arguably her best two events. The decision to swim the 500 free is an interesting one, given that she has only swam the event once (according to the USA Swimming Database): when she went 5:16.39 at a meet in 2014 (however, she is listed with an entry time of 4:48.00). However, given her speed in the 200 free and her endurance to swim an elite 400 IM, we could be in for a surprisingly fast time from her in the 500.

The younger Walsh, Gretchen Walsh, will stick with her short-distance events. She is entered in the 50 free, 100 free, 100 fly, and 100 back, with the 100 back and 100 fly falling on the same day. This meet might help her decide which events to pick at NCAAs, as she is the second fastest-performer of all time in the 100 back, but recently swam the fastest unsuited time ever (50.53) in the 100 fly this season. Walsh comes into midseasons as the #1 swimmer in the 50 free (21.16), 100 free (47.11), and 100 fly, and one of the 17 undefeated Division I NCAA swimmers from top 25 programs.

Douglass is entered in her NCAAs lineup of the 50 free, 100 fly, and 200 breast, and is also in the 100 breast. At the UVA-Texas meet, Douglass was well off her season best in the 100 free and was out-touched by Lydia Jacoby and Ella Nelson in the 200 breast, so it will be interesting to see if she can bounce back at invites.

Other notable entries include Jordan Crooks entered in the 100 back in addition to his typical 50 free/100 free/100 fly lineup. He swam the 100 back at last season’s Tennessee Invite as well, going a best time of 47.25. Tim Connery, who is making his mid-season debut for Virginia, is entered in five events (50 free, 200 IM, 100 fly, 200 free, 100 free), meaning he will have to scratch one event if he wants to score in all of his races.

Matt Brownstead is entered in the 50 free, 100 fly, 100 back, and 100 free, opting not to swim the 200 free—an event that he raced over the 100 back at NCAAs last year.

Several of the Tennessee women are missing from this psych sheet, such as Jasmine Rumley, Regan Rathwell, Kristen Stege, Claire Nguyen and Julia Mrozinski. Another swimming not on the psychs is Virginia freshman Claire Tuggle. SwimSwam has been informed that she is out of the meet due for health-related reasons.