Though there was still some uncertainty through the weekend as to whether Virginia superstar Lauren Perdue would swim at NCAA’s next week after battling a back injury, she was officially scratched from the meet earlier today.
Her loss, though not unexpected, costs the Cavaliers at least 40 points individually, and more in relays. That, at least, is on an apples-to-oranges comparison, as often in these situations other athletes will step up into the spotlight and outperform.
That also opens a big opportunity in the 200 free for the likes of Karlee Bispo (Texas), Sara Isakovic (Cal), Megan Romano (Georgia), and a group of other swimmers, as the top three from last year’s meet are all not swimming this year.
The beneficiary of the latest scratch is UNLV, who has now earned an invite from sophomore Rachel Dixon in the 50 free, where she has a season-best of 22.49. She will also swim the 100 back and 100 free at the meet.
The added bonus for the Runnin’ Rebels is that now have two swimmers, as freshman Katelyne Herrington was previously the only swimmer entered. Taking a teammate should significantly enhance the experience for both swimmers in their first NCAA Championship meet.