2023 U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
- June 27 – July 1, 2023
- Indianapolis, IN
- Indiana University Natatorium
- LCM (50m)
- Meet Central
- Psych Sheet (updated version, 6/26)
- Live Results
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- How To Watch
- Day 1 Prelims Live Recap
- Day 1 Finals Live Recap
“Bathtub pool swimmers”? Not anymore, because three out of the six potential World Championship qualifiers in the women’s 4×100 free relay are from the University of Virginia.
In the ‘A’ final of the women’s 100 free at the 2023 Phillips 66 National Championships, former Virginia swimmer Kate Douglass (52.57) and current Virginia swimmers Gretchen Walsh (53.11) and Maxine Parker (53.51) finished first, third and sixth respectively. Douglass and Walsh have locked up World Championship spots, while Parker will likely qualify as well.
Douglass’s time makes her the second-fastest American woman of all time, only behind Simone Manuel‘s 52.04 American record. In just one day, she has dropped nearly a second in a half from her best time of 53.99 from April 2022.
All-Time Top U.S. Performers, Women’s 100 Meter Freestyle:
- Simone Manuel — 52.04 (2019)
- Kate Douglass — 52.57 (2023)
- Mallory Comerford — 52.59 (2017)
- Torri Huske (2022)/Abbey Weitzeil (2023) — 52.92
Now, Douglass is ranked four overall in the world for 2023, and the ninth-fastest performer of all-time in the women’s 100 free.
All-Time Top Performers, Women’s 100 Meter Freestyle:
- Sarah Sjostrom, Sweden — 51.71 (2017)
- Emma McKeon, Australia — 51.96 (2021)
- Cate Campbell, Australia — 52.03 (2018)
- Simone Manuel, United States — 52.04 (2019)
- Britta Steffen, Germany — 52.07 (2009)
- Bronte Campbell, Australia (2018)/Siobhan Haughey, Hong Kong (2021) — 52.27
- None
- Mollie O’Callaghan, Australia — 52.48 (2023)
- Kate Douglass, United Stated — 52.57 (2023)
2022-2023 LCM Women 100 Free
O'Callaghan
52.08
| 2 | Sarah Sjostrom | SWE | 52.24 | 07/23 |
| 3 | Shayna Jack | AUS | 52.28 | 07/23 |
| 4 | Siobhan Haughey | HGK | 52.49 | 07/28 |
| 5 | Emma McKeon | AUS | 52.52 | 06/17 |
It wasn’t just Douglass that set a huge milestone though, as her training partner Walsh qualified for her first-ever senior international team.
Walsh first broke out onto the international scene as a 16-year-old when she swam a time of 53.74 in 2019 but failed to get close to that time at the 2021 U.S. Olympic trials or the 2022 U.S. World Championship team—missing the ‘A’ final by a significant margin at both meets. However, on Tuesday night, she beat her 2019 best time first by swimming 53.64 in prelims, and then going 53.11 in finals.
Last but not least, Parker also saw a big breakthrough. Coming into 2023, her best time in the 100 free was 54.97 which was set 2022 U.S. Nationals. She then improved that time to a 54.21 at the Atlanta Classic this May, and then clocked a 53.51 personal best and a likely World Championship berth a month later.
Comparative Splits:
| Kate Douglass, 2023 U.S. Trials | Kate Douglass, 2022 U.S. Trials | |
| 50m | 25.35 | 26.04 |
| 100m | 27.22 | 27.95 |
| Total | 52.57 | 53.99 |
| Gretchen Walsh, 2023 U.S. Trials | Gretchen Walsh, 2019 World Juniors | |
| 50m | 25.19 | 25.57 |
| 100m | 27.75 | 28.17 |
| Total | 53.14 | 53.74 |
| Maxine Parker, 2023 U.S. Trials | Maxine Parker, 2023 Atlanta Classic | |
| 50m | 25.81 | 26.14 |
| 100m | 27.70 | 28.07 |
| Total | 53.51 | 54.21 |
Now, the Virginia women are no longer dominating American sprint freestyle in yards, but also in the long course pool.
that last 10 meters of Kate’s swim was unbelievable. She pulled ahead of the rest by half body length from the flags to the wall.
How much is Desorbo paying swimswam for this coverage?
Not enough.
I wonder if now Kate will drop 200 IM from her schedule considering her relay demands just got a lot higher. H
Depends on if she makes the 100 fly, last person to do the 200 IM, 100fly, and 4×100 at worlds was alicia Coutts and she got 2nd on all 3
You would want Douglass as fresh as she can be if you want to beat the Aussie in the 4×100
Douglass obviously had it so I spent the final 10 meters rooting for Gretchen. It was agonizingly tight but Weitzeil always looked a few centimeters ahead. I was hoping Gretchen’s long reach would flip the outcome. But she’s never as emphatic as ideal with the final punch to the wall. Long and loping. Last year .01 away and this time .03.
Simplify your fractions, SwimSwam! 🙂
Me starting to think Abbey might be maxed out. Didn’t look too happy afterwards.
Weitzeil looked stunned. But that’s what star talent like Douglass is supposed to do, destroy all the stepping stone races and conventional wisdom into battered irrelevance.
Speaking of battered, I envision all the Australian commenters with mini bathtubs attached to their heads, banging them against the wall every time Kate Douglass flicks aside their pathetic appraisals.
The American you’re replying to actually called Douglass a bathtub swimmer not so long ago but I guess Australians are living rent free in your empty skull.
Bout to say pretty sure Breezeway was talking some smack about Douglass’s LCM skills a few months ago.
Scary US depth building for Paris
The race for the W 50 FR should be thrilling:
Douglass
Smoliga
Walsh
Weitzeil