The 2015 Austin Pro Swim Series, formerly Austin Grand Prix, kicks off his weekend with plenty to draw local swim fans to their monitors, Thursday-Saturday night.
A cast of high school standouts, including Katie Ledecky, Andrew Seliskar, James Murphy, Morgan Hill, James Jones, Cassidy Bayer, Rory Lewis, Carsten Vissering, and many more (174 entries total) will represent Nation’s Capital and Machine Aquatics this weekend. They’ll compete alongside more than 40 national team members and a sea of college swimmers, with Olympic Trials cuts on the line in the first major long-course meet of the new year.
Here is all the information to follow along during the weekend:
Date/Location
• January 15-17 (Thursday-Saturday)
• University of Texas’s Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center in Austin
Links
• Psych sheet
• Meet announcement
• Estimated preliminary timeline
• Live streaming
• Real time results (will update when available)
Schedule
• ’A’ flight preliminary heats begin daily at 10 a.m. Eastern
• ’B’ flight will begin after the conclusion of the ‘A’ heats (see estimated timeline above)
• Finals 7 p.m. Eastern
5 story lines to follow
1. ♫ The stars at night are big and bright, deep in the heart of Texas! ♫
Nathan Adrian competes at the 2014 Santa Clara Grand Prix. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
After a lackluster U.S. winter nationals, swimming’s brightest stars return to the national stage in Austin this weekend. (Everything really is bigger in Texas, isn’t it?) Nine U.S. gold medalists will be competing, according to a release by USA Swimming, as well as Hungary’s “Iron Lady” Katinka Hosszu, fresh off a four-gold, four-world record performance at FINA’s short-course meters world championships in early December. The American Olympians on the list are:
• Katie Ledecky (Nation’s Capital): 100 freestyle, 200 freestyle, 400 freestyle, 800 freestyle, 100 backstroke, 200 individual medley, 400 individual medley,
• Ryan Lochte (SwimMAC Carolina, N.C.): 100 fly, 100 freestyle, 200 freestyle, 400 individual medley
• Nathan Adrian (California Aquatic): 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle
• Tyler Clary (SwimMac Carolina, N.C.): 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke, 200 individual medley, 400 individual medley, 100 fly, 200 fly, 400 freestyle
• Conor Dwyer (Trojan Swim Club, Calif.): 100 freestyle, 200 freestyle, 400 freestyle, 100 backstroke, 100 breast, 200 IM
• Elizabeth Beisel (Gator Swim Club, Fla.): 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke, 200 individual medley, 400 individual medley, 200 butterfly, 200 breaststroke, 200 freestyle, 400 freestyle, 800 freestyle
• Matt Grevers (Tuscon Ford Dealers Aquatics, Ariz.): 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle
• Matt McLean (Carolina Aquatic Club, S.C.): 100 freestyle, 200 freestyle, 400 freestyle
• Allison Schmitt (North Baltimore Aquatic Club): 100 freestyle, 200 freestyle, 400 freestyle, 800 freestyle
A few other marquee names to watch for, including Hosszu — her nickname becomes clear when you see her slated events:
• Katinka Hosszu (Hungary): 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 200 freestyle, 400 freestyle, 800 freestyle, 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke, 100 breaststroke, 200 breaststroke, 100 butterfly, 200 butterfly, 200 IM, 400 IM
• Jack Conger (University of Texas): 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke, 100 butterfly
• Ryan Murphy (University of California): 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 100 butterfly, 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke
• Megan Romano (New York Athletic Club): 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 200 freestyle, 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke
• Hillary Caldwell (Pacific Sea Wolves, Canada): 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke
• Andrew Seliskar (Nation’s Capital): 50 freestyle, 200 freestyle, 400 freestyle, 100 breaststroke, 200 breaststroke, 100 butterfly, 200 butterfly, 200 IM, 400 IM
• Andrew Gemmell (Nation’s Capital): 200 freestyle, 400 freestyle, 1,500 freestyle, 200 butterfly, 400 IM
This may be the best field USA Swimming is able to gather for awhile, with college and age group championships in March and the final four series events being hosted on the East and West Coast, rather than in a conveniently central city like Austin.
2. “Iron Lady” vs. Iron Teenager
Left: Katinka Hosszu at FINA short-course worlds in December. (Clive Rose/Getty Images) Right: Katie Ledecky at the 2013 FINA world championships. (Michael Dalder/Reuters)
Ledecky and Hosszu overlap in seven events — all seven events in which the teenage sensation is entered.
The pair of female athletes of the year — Ledecky claimed honors in the U.S. and France, while Hosszu drew FINA’s recognition — could to meet in six of those events’ finals: 100 freestyle (Hosszu: 1st; Ledecky: 7th), 200 freestyle (Ledecky: 1st; Hosszu: 2nd); 200 IM (Hosszu: 1st; Ledecky: 9th), 400 freestyle (Ledecky: 1st; Hosszu: 2nd), 400 IM (Hosszu: 1st; Ledecky: 7th); 800 freestyle (Ledecky: 1st; Hosszu: 6th). That is, if Hosszu chooses those seven events. She has entered every event but is limited to competing in seven.
Few of the possible head-to-head battles are likely to be competitive between the two: Hosszu is the heavy favorite in the sprint freestyle and IM events; Ledecky should sweep the distance freestyle events.
However, the 200 freestyle could be just right for swim fans, with only a 1.14 seconds separating the duo of world record holders. Expect a similar race to the one fought between Ledecky and Missy Franklin at U.S. nationals, with sustained speed from Hosszu and a late charge from Ledecky — NBC announcer Rowdy Gaines is probably already giddy about the prospect.
Also, this race provides probably the best sleeper pick of any with Olympic champion Allison Schmitt seeded third.
3. Long time no swim
Washington, D.C. area swimming will be well represented in Austin, with Machine Aquatics and Nation’s Capital Swim Club taking large contingents, who will swim their usual slate of events. But two entries stick out and should excite swims fans: Seliskar in the 400 freestyle and Ledecky in the 100 backstroke.
Seliskar has had success in the 500-yard freestyle in recent years, popping off a 4:18.97 in 2013 and a pair of sub-4:25 swims since. Seliskar has never swam the 400-meter distance at a major national meet before, not surprising considering his typically grueling schedules of stroke 200s and both individual medley events.
“I can never decide what I want to swim when the entries are due, so I just enter everything,” Seliskar said of his decision to enter the 400 freestyle, an event he last swam in July at a local championship meet when he posted his lifetime best of 3:57.53. “I may do it, just to see what I can go. All the IM guys do the 400 free it seems like.”
Seliskar is certainly an “IM guy,” as was Olympic medley champion Tom Dolan, who set the American record and was a three-time NCAA champion in the 500 freestyle while at Michigan, and Michael Phelps, who still holds the 17-18 national age group record in the event at 4:12.33. Seliskar’s coach, John Flanagan, predicts a fairly lofty time if the California recruit chooses to swim it — good enough to land Seliskar in an ‘A’ final, that is. Currently, eighth place is seeded at 3:50.28, if that gives us any indication.
For Ledecky, the owner of three freestyle world records enters the weekend’s competition seeded 42nd overall in the 100 backstroke, her only event in which she is not ranked in the top 10.
“I had to check my best time the other day. It’s from age 12,” Ledecky said laughing. “I think with the new backstroke ledge [installed this week] a best time is guaranteed there.”
Yes, a personal best is likely … because of the “starting blocks.”
4. Ryan Lochte to swim first 400 individual medley since knee injury
Ryan Lochte swims the men's 200 individual medley final at the 2014 FINA short-course world championships in December. (Marwan Naamani/Getty Images)
Lochte, 30, battled a lingering knee injury last season after a fan jumped into his arms causing a tear in his medial collateral ligament in November 2013. That limited the three-time Olympian for much of 2013-14, including preventing the reigning Olympic champion from swimming the 400 IM last season. In fact, USA Swimming’s database shows he hasn’t swum the event since the June 1, 2013 at the Santa Clara Grand Prix. He won that race in 4:11.36 ahead of North Baltimore’s Chase Kalisz (4:11.85) and former Florida teammate Conor Dwyer (4:15.39).
Friday’s final, if he qualifies, won’t be any easier. Tyler Clary enters as the top seed with a 4:09.03, followed by South African Olympian Sebastien Rousseau (4:11.11). Lochte is third with his winning time from Santa Clara. Seliskar, who has performed well in this event in past Grand Prixs, is also lurking in sixth (4:16.05).
5. Revisiting a rivalry
California's Ryan Murphy holds up his award after winning the men's 200-yard backstroke at NCAAs. Jack Conger finished eighth. (Michael Thomas/AP)
Entering the 2013-14 season, with Michael Phelps still happily enjoying retirement, the hottest names among U.S. male swimmers were top-ranked recruits Conger and Murphy. Conger, the three-time All-Met Swimmer of the Year out of Good Counsel, headed to Texas and into the care of legendary coach, Eddie Reese; Murphy to California, swimming hub in recent years.
At the end of the collegiate season, Murphy’s decision looked wisest as the freshman won NCAA titles and earned a national team roster spot for the 2014 Pan Pacific Championships and 2015 FINA World Championships. After nationals, while Murphy was competing in Australia, Conger contemplated a change but inevitably returned to Austin.
Cue Rocky II’s “Redemption.”
Conger has roared back in 2014-15 with a collection of top-20 marks, the nation’s third fastest 200 backstroke time — Murphy owns the top time in the country, a half second ahead of Conger — and the second fastest 100 butterfly. Murphy and Conger are also separated by a second in the 100 backstroke, based solely on collegiate swims.
This weekend, in Conger’s home pool, could be an opportunity to revisit what many expected to be the next Lochte vs. Phelps-esque rivalry, assuming both college sophomores swim their registered events.