Final, cut psych sheets have not yet been released for the 2019 Women’s NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships, but there have already been some significant shifts in entries.
In a new version of the pre-selection sheets released later in the day on Tuesday, we noticed three changes:
- Rhyan White’s LCM entry time in the 200 back was changed (she’s still going to the meet as the 24th seed in the 100 back). While short course meters entries from bona fied meets are allowed for NCAAs, long course meters aren’t.
- Texas A&M scratched Katie Portz from the selections. She was seeded 28th in the 200 free. By scratching her now, that pulls in Arina Openysheva, the 39th seed in the 200 free, rather than New Mexico’s Adriana Palomino, who projected to be the first alternate based on the original lists. If scratches happen after the cut lists are released, then athletes are pulled from the alternates list regardless of event. Update: Portz was an All-American as part of the 400 and 800 free relays last season, but A&M has named their relay-only swimmers, and Portz isn’t among them.
- Stanford has scratched Kim Williams from their entries, though she wasn’t seeded to make the meet anyway. The Cardinal had 18 swimmers in the qualifying zone, and will probably qualify divers, but Williams won’t relieve the pressure on that decision.
Maybe there is more to that story.
What would the circumstances be for Portz to scratch her individual events but still go to the meet as a relay-only swimmer?
Yeah I didn’t understand this either!
Not sure how Palomino would have been considered as an alternate with 1:46.93? Within the pre-selection rankings she was seated 89th. Samantha Shelton (1:45.15) and Zarena Brown (1:45.20) were seated 39th and 40th.
Her alternate spot is a result of her mile. If Portz had scratched after the scratch lists were released, then they would not have pulled the next 200 freestyler, they’d pull the next-best swimmer from the 38 line who wasn’t already invited. By our math, that’s Palomino in the mile.
That stinks for Palomino.
Yeah how’s that supposed to work?