Sandpipers, Bob Bowman’s Crew are Entered in Speedo Grand Challenge This Weekend

2024 NOVA Speedo Grand Challenge

• May 24-26, 2024
• William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center Pool, Irvine, California
• Long Course Meters (50 meters)
• Results on Meet Mobile
• Psych Sheets

While much of the country made their final race preparations last week (including at a meet at this same pool in Irvine), a handful have waited until this weekend to get those tuneups in at the Speedo Grand Challenge in Irvine, California

At the end of the meet, most of the country’s major training groups (with the notable exception of the Virginia women, who race at an NCAP meet next weekend) will have had their last big meet and will begin their preparations and tapers for the Trials in Indianapolis that start in three weeks.

The two headlining groups are Bob Bowman‘s semi-nomadic training group that is transitioning from Arizona State to the University of Texas by way of altitude training in Colorado Springs; and one of the top club programs in the country at the Sandpipers of Nevada.

Bowman’s group, all of whom are now representing Longhorn Aquatics in Austin, where Bowman will be coaching in future seasons, includes American contenders Regan Smith, Chase Kalisz, Jay Litherland, Simone Manuel, and Lindsay Looney. This is the clearest picture we’ve had yet of which post-grads have followed Bowman and which stayed with new Arizona State head coach Herbie Behm in Tempe (a list that includes Ryan Held).

From the Sandpipers of Nevada, the group includes already-qualified open water swimmer Katie Grimes, 2022 World Champion Claire Weinstein, recently-announced World Junior Open Water Championships team member Luke Ellis, and several other members of their deep 18 & under talent pool. Josh Brown, who is back training with the Sandpipers on an Olympic redshirt year away from Notre Dame, is also at the meet.

Some of the biggest races of the meet will include the 200 free, where a deep field includes names like Weinstein, Paige Madden, Manuel, Grimes, Smith, Macky Hodges, Justina Kozan, Looney, and National Age Group Record breaker Claire Tuggle.

Smith is also scheduled for big head-to-head matchups with Grimes in the 200 IM, though the former has been known to scratch that race in the past, and with Looney in the 100 fly. She is also entered in the 100 back individually for four ascribed races, but none in the 200 back or 200 fly where she’s expected to contend for medals in Paris this summer.

There will be several big matchups among Bowman’s men, but the two highlights will be in the 200 IM. Chase Kalisz, defending World Champion Leon Marchand, and Hungarian Hubert Kos will all race alongside names like Trenton Julian from the Mission Viejo Nadadores and Jay Litherland.

None of those swimmers are racing the 400 IM, as there seems to be a trend among the Longhorn group that they are focused on their shorter distances, generally, at this meet.

While Kos is already qualified for Hungary’s Olympic Team, Kalisz and Marchand will both race their Trials meets in June.

There will also be a big showdown in the women’s 400 free between Weinstein, Madden, and Grimes, and the men’s 400 free with David Johnston, Marwan El Kamash, Drew Kibler, and Michael Brinegar all entered.

Other Notable Names

• 46-year-old Gabrielle Rose, a two-time Olympian (once for Brazil, once for the US) who is qualified to race at the 2024 US Olympic Trials, is entered in the 100 breast, 200 breast, and 200 free.
• 2012 Olympic gold medalist Breeja Larson, who has been training since January, is entered in the 100 breast, 200 breast, and 50 free.
• 2020(1) Olympic gold medalist Michael Andrew is the top seed in the 100 breast after racing well in this same pool last week. He’ll face Marchand in that event, and is also entered in the 50 free. He swam the 100 fly last week, but is going with just a two-event schedule this week.