The Mid-American Conference hasn’t submitted their results from the first two nights of their 2015 Championships to be entered into the USA Swimming database as of yet, but they are the only conference to not do so.
Besides any last-chance meets (the American Short Course Championships in Austin, a Meet in Ann Arbor, and a Sunday “hang around day” in Federal Way are the big ones left), the MAC Championships and the Pac-12 Championships will be the two primary data points remaining for determining the 2015 NCAA Championship field.
On night 2 of the MAC Championships, Missouri State junior Uvis Kalnis won the 200 IM in a 1:44.03 Meet Record. His teammate, senior Paul Le, took 2nd in 1:44.33.
That swim, with Pac-12 accounted for, puts him 22nd in the country – which in all likelihood is a lock for NCAA qualifying (we’ll call it “unless something historic happens at last chance meets).
Le is the more interesting case. His 1:44.33 would rank him 30th in the NCAA. Last season, all but two swimmers on the 30th-ranked line were invited to NCAA’s, with the expectation being that somewhere between 29-31 will be taken most years.
That puts Le right on the bubble, though if Caeleb Dressel sticks to the 50 free instead of the 200 IM as his day one event (which we find to be very, very likely) at NCAA’s, then that would move Le to 29th on the “selection lists” and in very good shape.
Le’s best event, the 200 backstroke, is yet to come. To really feel comfortable in that race, he’ll need to go better than 1:41.6 – it’s an event that has seen unprecedented depth nation-wide this season, so the qualifying there has gotten steep.
From night 1 of the Pac-12 the following swimmers are also on the bubble:
- Cal’s Will Hamilton (1:44.21 in the 200 IM – 27th)
- Utah’s Nick Soedel (19.50 in the 50 free – t-27th)
- USC’s Dylan Carter (19.52 in the 50 free – t-31st), although he’s most likely qualified based on his other events.
Did they increase the number of swimmers invited? I remember the cut line being somewhere in the 19-22 range a few years ago.
Of course the NCAA has improved so much that the invite times are still faster even though the places have increased.
Swammer – they changed the process so that people that qualify in only relays are only allowed to swim relays and not their individual B cuts.
I can’t remember if that is what actually changed the cap or not though.
Think you might have meant Fabio Gimondi instead of Dylan Carter. Carter should already be in based on either the 100 fly or 200 free.
Am I correct in stating that Gimondi is also out of attempts at the 50 free? He has already swum the 50 three times at the meet (prelims and finals of the individual event, and leading off the 200 free relay) and If memory serves, you can only use three swims in any one competition. I believe Gimondi swam a qualifying time that wasn’t allowed in ’13 because he exceeded the number of allowable swims in one meet.
Not true….
You are allowed a prelim, final and time trial per EVENT. The 50 and 200 free relay are different events, so he has a time trial left in the 50 if needed.
He didn’t qualify in 2013 because he went to two last chance meets (Federal Way AND Georgia Tech). By rule, the first last chance meet swim counts so the GA Tech meet where he actually went a time to make the meet was negated.
Also worth mentioning, Dan Wallace probably won’t swim the 200 IM after his Last Chance meet pefformance of 1:44.1
Another good one that makes Le’s situation even better.