SwimSwam Pulse is a recurring feature tracking and analyzing the results of our periodic A3 Performance Polls. You can cast your vote in our newest poll on the SwimSwam homepage, about halfway down the page on the right side, or you can find the poll embedded at the bottom of this post.
Our most recent poll asked SwimSwam readers to predict the top American man in the 200 free by the end of this summer:
RESULTS
Question: Who will be the top American M200 freestyler by the end of the summer?
- Townley Haas – 56.7%
- Caeleb Dressel – 18.4%
- Blake Pieroni – 15.7%
- Jack Conger – 5.0%
- Other – 4.2%
More than half of voters predicted Townley Haas to remain the fastest American in the 200 meter free this season, though a whopping 18% voted in favor of Caeleb Dressel.
Haas was the silver medalist at last summer’s World Championships, and was also the fastest American last season by 1.3 seconds. He’s the heavy favorite to repeat after setting the American record in short course this NCAA season and becoming the second man ever to break 1:30 in the event.
Dressel is riding a wave of invulnerability, and nearly a fifth of voters rolled with that, voting for Dressel to lead the nation in the 200 free after he was just 7th nationwide last season. Dressel has shown his versatility in short course with huge 200 IM and 100 breast swims, though he didn’t get a chance to really go after a short course 200 free as many speculated he could have swum a 1:29.
Interestingly, Dressel got 3% more of the vote than the man who actually did crack 1:30 – Blake Pieroni. The former American record-holder was the second American last season in long course and coming off a huge college season in which he beat Haas to the 1:29s by a couple days, though Haas ultimately went faster and won the individual event.
The versatile Jack Conger is the current national leader at 1:46.96, but only got 5% of the votes. There’s a chance Conger doesn’t even swim the event at Nationals, hoping to earn a Pan Pacs or Worlds relay swim by virtue of his fast in-season swim. If he does swim it, he’s got to get by Haas and Pieroni, but currently leads all Americans by three tenths of a second.
About 4% opted for the “other” category, no doubt all of them thinking of comment section meme Dean Farris. (And maybe a handful of them considering last summer’s third American Zane Grothe or veteran Conor Dwyer).
Below, vote in our new A3 Performance Poll, which asks voters which event they are most excited for two years out from the Tokyo Olympics:
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The A3 Performance Poll is courtesy of A3 Performance, a SwimSwam partner
Hello
I think Haas will win.
I don’t think Dressel will beat Peironi.
Conger will get a relay spot, swim or no swim.
Dressel is a stud. But Haas is also a stud, in the 200. Haas wins it.
This poll is invalid without Dean Farris’ name on it.
Lets see this week how that 200 free gets into action ……
What do they mean by “comment section meme” Dean Farris? The only other name I know Dean Farris by is God.
Dressel proves over and over (and over) again that he should not be doubted. Honestly I’m surprised he received this *low* of a vote count. If, at any given national championship meet in good health, he swims any of the following events I will instantly pick him as my favorite to win:
50/100/200 FR
50/100 FL
50/100BR
200 IM
How’d that turn out for you in the 200 free last year?
I would recommend looking into something called verb tenses. I never said I picked him as my favorite for the 200FR last year (and as a side note, I didn’t). I said I WILL pick him as my favorite to win the aforementioned events.
Thank you for clarifying that the future tense does not connote the past.
It was a joke, I understand grammar. Obviously you’ve spelt favourite wrong, but it’s not your fault that you don’t live in the country which invented the language 😉
You think he’ll beat kalisz in the 200 IM?
He opted to scratch finals last year at Nats after qualifying 3rd in prelims. Who knows what he could have done last summer, particularly in Budapest where he clearly peaked. He’s busy so he’ll never swim everything.
KeithM-If you’re referring to Dressel and the 200 free, he actually swam finals and finished 6th, in 1:47.51.
Thanks Robert, must’ve been thinking of another meet when he swam heats and scratched finals in the 200. Still, it’s hard to see him not being at least at 1:46 last summer given his peaking from Indy to Budapest.
That’s because I’m stupid and didn’t realize Dressel was swimming it.