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Yeager, Varozza Among Texas Roster Cap Casualties On NCAA Psych Sheets

2020 NCAA DIVISION I MEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

  • Wednesday, March 25 – Saturday, March 28, 2020
  • IU Natatorium, Indianapolis, IN
  • Prelims
  • Defending champs: Cal (1x) – results
  • Championship Central
  • Live Stream
  • Pre-selection Psych Sheets
  • Live results

Two-time NCAA qualifier Chris Yeager is one of six Texas swimmers who likely would have made the NCAA invite line, but who are not entered in the meet, likely due to roster limits.

Though each team can enter as many swimmers as it wants on the pre-selection psych sheets that dropped this morning, each team can only bring 18 athletes to the NCAA Championships, with divers counting for half a roster spot each. In our early projections, we had 24 Texas swimmers potentially in line for NCAA invites, and with the team likely to bring four or more divers, many of those swimmers were in jeopardy of being cut.

Texas only entered 18 swimmers on the pre-selection sheets, appearing to narrow down their roster early, with two or more cuts still likely to come with 3 Texas divers already qualified with two days of Zone competition yet to go.

Here are the Texas swimmers entered on the psych sheets:

Roster Spot Swimmer Event Ranks
1 Krueger, Daniel 1, 15, 40
2 Rooney, Maxime 1, 6, 17
3 Katz, Austin 2, 7, 21
4 Kibler, Drew 2, 6, 11
5 Pomajevich, Sam 3, 12, 24
6 Willenbring, Matt 3, 61, 78
7 Harty, Ryan 4, 9, 10
8 Vines, Braden 5, 8, 9
9 Jiang, Alvin 5, 8, 41
10 Corbeau, Caspar 7, 8
11 Foster, Jake 9, 16, 20
12 Collins, Jack 9, 39
13 Staka, Chris 11, 53
14 Artmann, Josh 12, 27, 81
15 Zettle, Alex 15, 32
16 Park, Jason 18, 21
17 Larson, Johnthomas 19, 44, 61
18 Scheinfeld, Charlie 21, 46

On the bubble: Texas will definitely bring its top two divers, who both made multiple NCAA A finals last season. It’s very likely they’ll bring two more, who each have decent chances to finish top 8 and strong chances to score. That puts Park, Johnthomas Larson and Scheinfeld on the hot seat, as all three are seeded outside of scoring range. Scheinfeld is the lowest seed, but also has the best chance to be valuable on relays, so it might be Park and Larson in trouble.

Here are the swimmers we projected in scoring range who are not entered, along with where their season-bests would have ranked on the pre-selection sheets. The top 29 in each event qualified for the meet, with two 30th-ranked swimmers also qualifying:

Year Name Projected Ranks
JR Yeager, Chris 14th (1650 free)
JR Varozza, Preston 20th (100 back)
FR Larson, Peter 21st (200 free) 46th (500 free)
SO Koustik, Andrew 24th (200 fly) 26th (400 IM)
JR Neri, Parker 24th (1650 free) 37th (500 free)
FR Harder, Ethan 24th (200 back) 38th (200 fly)

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wolfensf
4 years ago

So how do all these swimmers afford it? i.e. academic scholarships instead of athletic? Do the in-state recruits attend for close to free?

Back2Back
Reply to  wolfensf
4 years ago

Afford college? Not sure I understand your question, but family savings, grants of all types, academic scholarships, student loans, athletic scholarships (fulll, partial). If you are a Texas resident, a tremendous in-state savings over out-of-state, but certainly not close to free. What is a growing challenge is the growth of Austin and cost of living (though Texas has no income tax). NO shortage of Californian’s moving here from the left coast I trust you’ve heard…

PsychoDad
4 years ago

I had an honor of spending an hour and 40 minutes with Eddie last week during our son’s recruiting visit. I made sure I asked him all questions I ever wanted to ask him. What a crash course on life and swimming! I now understand why these people that will be left home, no matter how sad for them, never leave Texas. You are a part of something much bigger than NCAAs.

Coach
Reply to  PsychoDad
4 years ago

And to be honest, some of the kids left home may never have been as fast as they currently are by choosing to attend a different school.

Back2Back
Reply to  PsychoDad
4 years ago

In a culture where so many kids earn “participation trophies” in sports growing up, I trust swimmers choosing to swim for The University of Texas Longhorns accept both the honor and challenge of just being on the team with a CHANCE of being good enough to be a national qualifier. THEN they have to trust their coaches to select those qualified who have the best chance of scoring the most to help the team win. Indeed a microcasm of what makes USSwimming a world leader in this sport as reflected every 4 years at the Olympics.

What they learn about themselves being in the team environment that Eddie creates is invaluable in life as you say… They become resilient and… Read more »

Snarky
Reply to  Back2Back
4 years ago

Participation trophy? And you equate that to being left at home? Okay then. Lol

TexasD
Reply to  PsychoDad
4 years ago

I am someone who was left home after qualifying to swim at NCAA’s for Texas. This was many, many moons ago. It was my freshman year, and Eddie had to decide between me and a sophomore who had been left home the previous year. We had both qualified in one event, and I knew my odds of scoring were pretty slim. I felt bad Eddie had to decide who went and who stayed, so I privately told Eddie I was willing to give up my spot. He asked if I would tell the team after practice, and I said I would. All of the guys were great about it. It had a bit of a “bonding” effect on us all,… Read more »

Horns up
Reply to  TexasD
4 years ago

Texasd, thank you for that. You’re a lucky guy. I would imagine that experience made the next three years even more special. Not cheesy at all! I’d be proud as hell if I were you! Hook ‘em!

fluidg
4 years ago

A Texas tradition since the early 80’s. Everyone knows this going in. Like being the reserve driver for Mercedes F1.

Kdswim
4 years ago

I don’t think Yeager has been in a meet since Minn. invite back in yearly December.

Bailey
4 years ago

Having to leave a possible 8 swimmers at home is incredible

Snarky
Reply to  Bailey
4 years ago

Incredibly sad for those guys.

NONA
Reply to  Snarky
4 years ago

That’s the deal when you go to Texas. Similar to a lot of swimmers that choose the school where they may miss the conference scoring roster vs a different team where they’d be a bigger piece of the success.

Back2Back
Reply to  Snarky
4 years ago

And an incredibly happy moment for the potential 4 Longhorn divers in the ‘other pool’ (of the 5 who qualified for NCAA’s) that their participation at NCAA’s might just be the determining factor this year! As a swimmer, I would happily give up my NCAA swims to another swimmer or diver if I knew I was helping the team take #15 in 2020!

Douchem
Reply to  Bailey
4 years ago

What an incredible problem to have? Please add a little MORE stress to the coaches lives. Wow.

About Jared Anderson

Jared Anderson

Jared Anderson swam for nearly twenty years. Then, Jared Anderson stopped swimming and started writing about swimming. He's not sick of swimming yet. Swimming might be sick of him, though. Jared was a YMCA and high school swimmer in northern Minnesota, and spent his college years swimming breaststroke and occasionally pretending …

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