2024 NCAP Elite Qualifier
- May 31- June 2, 2024
- LCM (50 meters)
- Jeff Rouse Swim and Sport Center, Stafford, VA
- Full Psych Sheets
Just over two weeks out from Olympic Trials, swimmers from the Virginia and Washington DC area will have a chance to tune-up for Trials as well as a last-chance for cuts.
Expected to be in attendance at the meet include swimmers from the University of Virginia (including Kate Douglass and Claire Curzan), Erin Gemmell, and Thomas Heilman.
Alex Walsh is entered in her three events that she has announced she will compete in later in June at US Trials. Walsh is the #2 seed in the 100 breast (behind teammate Emma Weber), #4 seed in the 200 breast, and #2 seed (behind Douglass) in the 200 IM.
Gretchen Walsh is entered as the top seed in the 100 butterfly, 50 freestyle, and 100 freestyle. The #2 seed in the 100 butterfly behind Walsh is Curzan who will also take on the 100 and 200 backstroke events.
After qualifying to represent the US as a relay swimmer for the 2023 World Championships last summer, Maxine Parker is entered as the #2 seed behind Gretchen Walsh in the 50 and 100 freestyles.
Kate Douglass is the top seed in both of her events, the 200 IM and 200 breaststroke. Douglass had a packed lineup at the 2024 World Championships this past February as she also swam the 50 and 100 freestyles then, including setting an American Record in the 50 free.
South African Olympian Aimee Canny is also listed on the psych sheets this weekend. Canny is the #2 seed in the 200 freestyle, only behind Erin Gemmell, the #3 seed in the 100 freestyle and 200 IM, as well as the #17 seed in the 100 breaststroke.
Gemmell, who competes collegiately for Texas but swam for NCAP during her club swimming career, is also entered in the 100 breaststroke as she is the #16 seed.
Highlighting the men’s side of the meet is Thomas Heilman who represented the US last summer at 2023 Worlds in the 100 and 200 butterfly. Here Heilman is entered in four events. He is the top seed in the 100 and 200 butterfly, along with the 200 freestyle (an entry error has him as the #2 seed). He also is the #5 seed in the 50 freestyle.
Jack Aikins of Virginia took an Olympic Redshirt this past collegiate season and represented the US last fall at the Pan Am Games, winning gold in the 200 back. Aikins just missed making the US Worlds team last summer as he was 3rd in the 200 back. Aikins is not entered in the 200 backstroke this weekend as his only entry is as the top seed in the 100 back.
Virginia’s Noah Nichols also represented the US at the Pan Am Games last fall after finishing 3rd in the 100 breast at US Summer Nationals. Nichols is the top seed in the 100 and 200 breaststrokes.
I would be interested to know what brand Douglas has here, he never makes other categories like these in tyr pro swim. I would love to see it one day at an event like 100 back or 400 im.
4:36 in 400 im?? 1:00 in back??
Alex must really hate the 400IM LCM… her path to Olympic qualification is so much better there than certainly the 100 breast and probably the 200 breast as well.
The issue with the W 100 BR is the number of female swimmers with faster personal best times than Alex Walsh:
King
Jacoby
Dobler
Weber
I’m really curious to see where she’s at in the 100 breast. It seems the odd one out in her Trials line up, but she must have picked it for a reason.
The 100 BR is 300 meters less than the 400 IM and 100 meters less than the 200 FR.
Exactly. It’s risk free. But it also wouldn’t be shocking if she dropped a lot in both breaststrokes. She was a lot faster at ncaas than she had been previously.
The risk is Alex Walsh has not qualified in any events prior to the 200 IM. Unless Lilly King botches her taper, I don’t envision Alex Walsh beating Lilly King in the 100 BR or the 200 BR. As for the 200 IM, Torri Huske has yet to declare her intentions.
feels like UVA is gonna be fast at this meet…
so so so so excited to see Alex vs Kate in 200 IM
It’s the Alex Walsh breaststroke extravaganza!
Personally, I’m curious if Emma Weber can further improve in the 100 meter breaststroke.
Heilman might be the greatest American taper male swimmer besides Destin Lasco
Luke Hobson.
Baeleb Dressel is a different animal on taper
Erin to Bruce:
“Dad, I’m coming home to be mentored by a real coach.”
Could someone explain the hate to me please? I really don’t get it
Name the female athletes from University of Texas women’s swimming program that have competed at the World Aquatics Championships let alone the Summer Olympics during Carol Capitani’s reign?
Leah Smith and Lydia Jacoby last summer. Not to mention Captiani was the women’s head coach of the worlds team last year
Leah Smith was an Olympic Bronze Medalist as a junior while attending University of Virginia.
Lydia Jacoby was an Olympic Gold Medalist as a junior while attending Seward High School.
So Carol is now taking credit for other coach’s development?
Both were much faster before they came to Texas, though.
I’m not a Capitani fan, but I think she maybe deserves a pass on this one. Yes, Sandpiper swimmers swim outrageously fast as teens, but (apparently) at a cost to their future development. When we start seeing the vast majority of Sandpiper swimmers – particularly females – swimming faster after age 19-20, then maybe we can start judging college coaches who fail to help them go faster.
Enough with the excuses.
Mariah Denigan, Indiana University
https://iuhoosiers.com/sports/womens-swimming-and-diving/roster/mariah-denigan/18362
End of discussion.
Open water swimmers are Olympians, too.
I agree. Bella has been off her best times too but is that Nesty’s fault? The sandpiper lifestyle is unsustainable and Sullivan chose to make room in her life for other things. She’s pretty much maxed out in terms of achievement (silver medal to Ledecky) so I understand her motivation to re-prioritize her life.
Leah Smith was also much slower before going to Texas. According to the trolls here on SS she was done…until she went to Austin and got faster again.
Any college coach who recruits fast hs female swimmers has a tough hill to climb. You can just put guys in the weight room and be successful 80% of the time. The girls are already fully grown, fast and frequently successful on the world level. Whipping boy was Teri, then Greg, now Carol. It comes with the territory
Leah Smith did not compete for USA Swimming at the 2013 World Aquatics Championships prior to attending the University of Virginia.
Lilly King did not compete for USA Swimming at the 2014 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships or the 2015 World Aquatics Championships prior to attending the Indiana University.
Kate Douglass and Alex Walsh did not compete for USA Swimming at the 2018 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships or the 2019 World Aquatics Championships prior to attending the University of Virginia.
Phoebe Bacon did not compete for USA Swimming at the 2018 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships or the 2019 World Aquatics Championships prior to attending the University of Wisconsin.
Rhyan White did not compete for USA Swimming at the 2018 Pan… Read more »
Alex Walsh competed at the 2018 Jr Pan Pacs and the 2019 Pan Am Games before attending UVA.
Mickey Mouse competitions.
Also 2017 world jrs along with Kate Douglas and Ella nelson
So, your argument is the strength and conditioning coach at colleges should be getting recognition?
More importantly, I can guarantee you those coaches are selling the girls they are recruiting how they are the best fit for them to continue to grow. They should be held accountable for development, as that is the pitch. No coach is going out there and telling kids, “give me your best effort and you’ll stay the same or get slower.”
Relay names clearly has some sort of grudge against Texas…and a need to be a nasty troll whenever possible. As if trolling teenagers will make them swim faster.
Nah, he actually has a decent point here. If only he didn’t write like a very early beta version of AI.
I do agree the Texas girls should be performing better than they are, particularly in LC where they’ve yet to have someone breakout on the international stage, but not sure it’s far to lump Leah Smith in there. She’s well past her prime and was when she got there and she was coming off of not qualifying for Tokyo, so it’s not like she was turning out peak performances before Carol.
Texas girls are consistently pretty hit and miss with their tapers and I would have thought that one among them would have had a breakout by now. Even Elendt kind of stalled. But yeah, it’s almost impossible to read anything relay names guy writes, not only because his writing… Read more »