Psych sheets are out for next weekend’s USA Swimming Grand Prix stop in Mesa, Arizona: the series’ first stop in the desert in 15 years.
Full psych sheets available here.
Being so close to the west coast and the training hotbeds in California, this meet is turning out stars in force.
We did a rundown of all of the Olympians who would be entered here, but the lineup is maybe even more impressive than that list might have indicated.
Add to those Olympians names on the women’s side like Liz Pelton, Liv Jensen, Laura Sogar, and Erika Erndl.
On the men’s side, among the Americans who will supplement that rundown of Olympians includes 2008 Olympians Garrett Weber-Gale, Mark Gangloff, and Mike Alexandrov.
Among the top international swimmers at the meet will be Hungarian Katinka Hosszu, a former USC Trojan who was one of the best NCAA swimmers in history. She’s been doing a lot of overseas racing since finishing her college eligibility, but will now be back closer to home.
For the first time this season, the top college swimmers will be in attendance for this meet, which brings the total to about swimmers entered. With new rules, including allowing athletes to swim as many events is they’d like if they qualify for one, event entries have stabilized and for this meet sit between 30 and 60 per event. There’s a great mixture of those ultra-elite athletes listed above, and some of the up-and-coming young stars like Scottsdale Aquatic Club 14-year old Ryan Hoffer and Germantown Academy (PA) 15-year old Sierra Schmdit.
There’s still probably some fine-tuning to be done with the entry procedures, but we’re now getting very close to the balance that everyone hoped for from these meets when USA Swimming announced the rules changes for this season.
And don’t forget, this meet will include the new increased payout structures to the tune of $500 for event winners, $300 for runners-up, and $100 for third-place finishers.
The meet begins next Thursday, April 11th, and runs through Saturday, April 13th.
I wish I had some airline miles to burn, this would be fun to attend. With everyone in different stages of training it will be interesting to see the times. Might find some guys that missed the taper or have held from NCAA’s get some good races in events they couldn’t swim there. 100 free will be fun on both mens and womens. Mens 200 Back will be good as well, love to see Ryan Murphy swim against Lochte,Grevers,Clary. I think we have that event sewn up for a few years to come with that bunch.
This meet is going to be fun for people in Arizona to see. Hope they continue to keep this level of elite swimming… Read more »
It is supposed to be on NBC Universal a few of the days. But I say they get the real NBC to show some of these meets!
Still no Rebecca Soni! We haven’t seen her since London yet. Does she come back in Charlotte or in Santa Clara? Does she swim this year?
Hate to say it, but I think this she is done….at least for this year and maybe for good.
Thank you for your horrible predictions but I don’t want predictions but rather some news.
She’s done. Get over it.
She is still in the testing pool…so I would not be so sure of that prediction.
That’s funny, I think and say the same thing every time I read one of your prediction posts? 😉
She has, from seems like to be on record, that she is taking this year off from competing. I would assume she takes this year to think about it, next year to train some more, maybe do a few meets before deciding on the two year commitment to Rio.
I laugh when I read you, coacherik, because it seems you are obsessed with me. And about my predictions, you are very dishonest. My last big time prediction was about Elizabeth Pelton and I was right for her 1.47. Be more nice and more useful and tell me how you post your smileys instead. It doesn’t work for me on swimswam! I’m irritated!
Many big names! All with not the same state of preparation but still interesting. Clearly a preview of American world championships trials in many races.
This looks awesome. I am so stoked this meet has come back to Arizona. Three nights of great racing! Can’t wait.
Erika Erndl was never an olympian, was she?
Nope!
top 10 events to watch (* = top 5/most olympic star power):
w100 free– franklin, coughlin, vollmer, hardy
*m100 free–adrian, ervin, gravers, weber-gale, berens, lochte
w200 breast — larson, leverenz, sogar
w400 free — ledecky, sutton, beisel, ziegler
*w200 free — franklin, ledecky, beisel, smith, chenault
w200 back–franklin, beisel, pelton
*m200 back– lochte, clary, gravers, murphy, vyatchanin
*w100 back — franklin, bootsma, smoliga, pelton, beisel, tran
w200 IM — leverenz, pelton, hosszu, franklin, bispo
*w800 free — ledecky, ziegler, sutton, pinto, beisel
m1500 free — latourette, kleuh, mcbroom, heron, norman
Men 100 free and mens 200 bk and Womens 100 bk and womens 200 free …. Wow
Can´t find news..
But 400 medley lost other guy.. Pereira won´t swim it anymore and will start swimming 100 fly and 100 free..
Now only Cseh is still swimming it of the guys who got into all finals of the last years..
Who’s this Gravers you speak of?…….
darn autocorrect… grevers 😉
Looks like a very competitive meet. There should be many quick races. Hopefully this is an indication that the Grand Prix Circuit will regain it’s size an competition level like it was before the Olympics.
Quite a few CAL Bear connections – past, current and future swimmers of that program are represented in a number of events…Women’s 100 Free should be fun to watch, with number of our top girls minus the Georgia swimmers, competing in this event.