USA Swimming has sent out psych sheets for the 2014 Winter National Championships that begin on Wednesday, December 3rd in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Many American stars will be across the pond for the Short Course World Championships, but there will be plenty at Winter Nationals, including Nathan Adrian who once again enters the 50, 100, and 200 freestyles in Greensboro.
He swam that same lineup in Minneapolis with good success – including a second-place finish in Minneapolis in 1:34.87.
Also swimming in Greensboro will be Olympic champ and World Record holder Katie Ledecky. She has 6 entries throughout the week, starting with an American Record watch in the 500 free on Thursday, and continuing on through the 200 IM, 400 IM, 200 free, 1650 free, and 100 free (in that order).
Other Olympians in the field:
- Connor Jaeger (200/500/1650 free, 400 IM)
- Micah Lawrence (100/200 breast)
- Andrew Gemmell (500/1650 free, 400 IM)
- Cullen Jones (50/100 free, 100 fly).
Jones is the only of three of swimmers initially named to go to Short Course Worlds in Doha at the same time who scratched that meet, but will still swim at Winter Nationals instead. Katie Hoff swam at the Minneapolis Grand Prix, but won’t swim Winter Nationals, and Thoman isn’t on the psych sheets either.
A full preview will be out early next week. The entire meet will be live-streamed on usaswiming.org, with a tape delay aired on NBC on Sunday.
Michigan freshman Aaron Whitaker seems to be absent from the psych sheet. Any word on an possible injury?
Will there be 2 live streams during prelims to show both sides of the pool?
I think Ledecky could go under 15 min in the 1650 if she made the 1500/1650 her major focus. But obviously she is not going to make that distance her major focus.
Why would Katie do IM? I never saw her do those except freestyle.
Oswald – she actually swims butterfly and IM races fairly frequently in non-championship meets. Winter Nationals is a championship meet, but not as important in short course as it is in long course.
Bobo mentioned the teenagers and youngest and oldest athletes above, but I’m still pretty amazed that the youngest (or at least one of the three in the tie for the youngest) and the oldest athletes both swim for the same team. Erika Braun (42) and Ashley McCauley (13) both swim for the Marlins of Raleigh. Just a cool little fact!
The men’s 1650 looks a bit brisk…..
I love the Rhi Jeffrey comeback, by the way!:) She did great at Minnesota GP maybe she’s trying for Rio? Relay spot, maybe??
I know they are a bit far-fetched but I wouldn’t put it past any of those 3 to do something special.
I was the first in the summer of 2011 to say that Katie would be a superstar.
And she became a superstar.
But sub 15 minutes? 😯
No sorry, I can’t believe it.
It would be inhuman.
Miss Ledecky is a phenom but she’s human.
A man will walk on Mars before a girl swims so fast.
Sub 15.10 would already be huge.
1650 free record. Yes.
1000 free record on split. Yes.
500 free record. Yes.
200 free record. Yes if she drops the 400 IM.
I don’t think she has enough front speed to match Missy’s record, I may be wrong but that’s just my opinion..
I have to disagree with the sub-15 thought Bobo… After a 15:28 lcm this summer, it isn’t unreasonable to assume she could have a ~30sec difference between lcm and scy. Especially given the fact that Katie has fantastic turns. I’m certain there are men who have a similar discrepancy between long and short pools. While I’m not saying I see it happening now, I don’t think that prospect of Ms. Ledecky breaking 15min is as farfetched as it seems.
Amazing times we live in when we are having the conversation of a female breaking 15 min…
That’s why I proposed the sub-15min. Ledecky is other-worldly. And based on her LCM times, she is The one who can do it. Compare her LCM times to men who have broken 15 – it’s very much in the question