Freshmen Upgrades to High 200 Medley Relays

2022 NCAA Division I Girls’s Swimming And Diving Championships

File Watch:

• NCAA File – Virginia, 2022 – 1:31.81 (Gretchen Walsh, Alexis Wenger, Lexi Cuomo, Kate Douglass)
• NCAA Championship File – Stanford, 2018 – 1:33.11 (Ally Howe, Kim Williams, Janet Hu, Simone Manuel)
• American File – Virginia, 2022 – 1:31.81 (Gretchen Walsh, Alexis Wenger, Lexi Cuomo, Kate Douglass)
• U.S. Open File Virginia, 2022 – 1:31.81 (Gretchen Walsh, Alexis Wenger, Lexi Cuomo, Kate Douglass)
• Defending Champion – NC State – 1:33.18 (Katharine Berkoff, Sophie Hansson, Sirena Rowe, Kylee Alons)

I’ll begin with the boldest prediction on this preview: a complete lot of data will go down on this 200 medley relay.

Final season, Virginia swam below Stanford’s previous NCAA File within the occasion on the ACC Championships, however then added greater than a second at NCAAs – the place they have been beat by NC State, who nearly cleared that previous Stanford report as effectively.

Each groups graduated just one leg of their respective relays. For NC State, that was senior Sirena Rowe, who cut up 22.73 on the butterfly leg – the third-fastest cut up of the sector on that leg.

Virginia, in the meantime, graduated Caroline Gmelich, their backstroker, whose 24.13 ranked simply eighth within the subject.

Each groups did a reasonably good job of filling these spots. For NC State, sophomore Abby Arens slid into the breaststroke leg at ACCs and cut up 23.00. That’s a little bit slower than Rowe cut up at NCAAs final 12 months, however the teams last time of 1:33.25 was nearly the identical because of enhancements from the bookends Katherine Berkoff and Kylee Alons.

As for Virginia, they obtained lots quicker from final season. That was pushed by the addition of freshman Gretchen Walsh, whose 22.82 cut up on the backstroke leg at ACCs in February was .88 seconds higher than Gmelich’s cut up from the previous American File time ultimately 12 months’s ACC Championships that makes her the primary girl below 23 seconds in that occasion.

Their different three legs, Alexis Wenger, Lexi Cuomo, and Kate Douglass, all obtained a lot quicker, and the outcome was an absolute annihilation of the US Open/NCAA Information by 1.12 seconds. In a 200 medley relay, that’s a lifetime.

Splits Comparisons:

On paper, the apparent decide is Virginia. NC State might need the 2nd-best 200 medley relay in historical past, nevertheless it’s nonetheless not clear the place they’re going to search out one other 1.4 seconds from ACCs to catch the Cavaliers.

However, Virginia was additionally the decide final 12 months, and NC State confirmed up on this relay whereas the Cavaliers faltered.

A New Wrinkle for 2022

The rationale we might be assured in regards to the report falling is that this: for the primary time in 2022, the 200 medley relay will transfer to the primary day of the NCAA Championship meet, previous the 800 free relay. Whereas most convention championship meets already use this schedule, the ACC doesn’t. They solely swim the 800 free relay on day 1.

When the 800 was moved to day 1 a couple of years again, the instances lurched ahead (that’s after we began to see loads of 1:29s within the males’s 200 free on relay leadoff legs, for instance).

Having this race first can have a couple of outcomes. For one, it will increase my confidence in a record-setting swim, as a result of everybody shall be recent.

Two, if that report comes, it can mild up the meet for the remainder of the weekend and create an environment each for athletes and followers that might result in extra nice swims.

And three, I feel that offers Virginia extra confidence of their capacity to win this 12 months. When the race isn’t in a deep session, there are fewer variables like doubles (or triples), emotional impacts of prior swims within the session, or awards ceremonies.

I are inclined to assume that fewer variables advantages the favorites.

Virginia is the decide right here, however they’ll want to point out up able to race – in contrast to final season.

Better of the Relaxation

If it feels just like the dialog for the championship is centered on simply two groups, that’s as a result of it’s. We will’t completely depend out groups like Ohio State and Alabama, each of which swam 1:33s at their convention championship meets.

Final 12 months, each groups peaked at their convention meets and added time for the NCAA Championships. Whereas each groups are quicker this 12 months than they have been final 12 months, that sample doesn’t deliver a lot encouragement that they will get to the 1:32 that it’ll take to win this relay.

The Buckeyes graduated just one swimmer from their 200 medley relay final season, their anchor Taylor Petrak, and freshman Teresa Ivan has been a pleasing shock in filling in that spot. Ivan got here out of highschool with a 22.4 flat-start finest within the 50 free, which she improved to 22.2 on the Huge Ten Championships. Her 200 medley relay cut up of 21.63, although, was far-and-away higher than her flat-start swims, thanks partly to a decent .12 takeoff time.

She’s holding serve on the anchor, whereas the remainder of the relay is simply merely quicker. The largest distinction is Hannah Bach, who continues to be one of many breakout swimmers of her era on the collegiate degree. She cut up 25.51 at Huge Tens on the 200 medley relay, as in comparison with 26.5 at NCAAs final 12 months. That’s solely .15 seconds in need of Lilly King’s best-ever medley relay cut up.

I don’t assume Ohio State head coach Invoice Dorenkott might have hoped for Bach to be in Lilly King territory even in his wildest goals.

Persevering with pattern, Alabama additionally solely graduated one swimmer from final season, breaststroker Kaila Wong, however once more: they’ve discovered a more-than-able freshman alternative within the type of Avery Wiseman. Wiseman’s 26.35 cut up at SECs is 1.01 seconds higher than Wong was at NCAAs final 12 months.

Ohio State enters the meet with a three-tenths higher seed than Alabama, and Alabama had the larger add from convention to nationwide meets final 12 months.

Don’t Rely Out

There are a couple of relays hanging round that must be on this dialog for third place, no less than, as effectively: Texas, Stanford, Tennessee, Michigan, and Cal. Texas swam 1:34.04 at Huge 12s. That will have positioned them 2nd ultimately 12 months’s NCAA Championship meet. They solely misplaced one leg from that relay, Grace Cooper to medical retirement, and her classmate Emma Sticklen crammed in at Huge 12s with a 21.60 – quicker than Cooper was final 12 months.

They profit as a lot as anyone from the transfer to day 1, as a result of Olivia Bray does the 100 fly/100 again double. Final 12 months, she cut up 23.16, which was slower than all however 1 of the highest 10 relays at NCAAs. At Huge 12s this 12 months, by comparability, she cut up 22.45 on a day 1 relay with out the triple.

Stanford has a prime 3 caliber 200 medley relay on their roster. Sadly, they’re not fairly deep sufficient on the prime finish to make use of it, and with out an elite degree breaststroker, it is sensible for them to slough this one. At Pac 12s, they solely used Regan Smith amongst their stars, and I anticipate them to do the identical at NCAAs (it’s most likely the sensible transfer points-wise, anyway).

Michigan has Maggie MacNeil, who’s the newly-minted World File holder within the 50 again in brief course. Whereas she’s additionally the Olympic gold medalist within the 100 fly, Michigan makes use of her on the backstroke leg of this 200 medley relay.

Michigan has a a lot better relay than they did final season the place they have been simply sixteenth at NCAAs. Freshmen Letitia Sim (26.75 breaststroke) and Lindsay Flynn (21.40 freestyle) have been a mixed 2.57 second improve over the respective Wolverine legs at NCAAs final 12 months (each of whom are nonetheless on the roster, by the best way).

Whereas everybody appears down on Cal, we have now to keep in mind that they have been 4th ultimately 12 months’s NCAA Championship meet, and none of these legs graduated. They have been solely a 1:36.0 at Pac-12s, however Teri McKeever is aware of how you can taper as any coach within the NCAA, and Izzy Ivey is one other swimmer who needed to take care of the triple final 12 months however gained’t this 12 months. Cal’s relay has 1:33-high potential.

After which there’s all the time the wildcard that’s Tennessee. They enter the meet because the sixth seed with a 1:34.63 from SECs. Final 12 months, after Kentucky gained the SEC crew title, the Volunteers swam effectively at NCAAs. Whereas their 200 medley positioned simply eighth (tie), they did go a season-best time at that meet. Solely NC State, Cal, and Indiana might boast the identical amongst NCAA racing groups.

However this 12 months, they felt flat-out for the SEC Championships, so I’m not banking on them dropping time once more. That doesn’t imply they’ll have an enormous add, however I don’t assume we will depend on one other drop.

Darkhorse Choose:

UNC was simply 4th on the ACC Championships in 1:35.58, however we will’t lose them behind the Virginia-NC State juggernaut on the prime. They’ve swapped in a single freshman leg to their relay, Greer Pattison, who changed Grace Countie. Countie moved to the top of the relay on the freestyle leg to interchange Heidi Lowe (who continues to be on their roster). Do not forget that UNC went into championship season with a little bit chaos final 12 months, lacking about half of their roster at ACCs due to COVID-19 protocols. They nonetheless managed to carry serve on this relay heading into NCAAs.

Whereas we will’t actually use final 12 months’s instances as an excessive amount of of a information, they’ve already been quicker this 12 months than they have been final 12 months after they tied for eighth at NCAAs. They’re solely the thirteenth seed, however don’t depend them out of a prime 8 end once more.

High 8 Picks:

Darkhorse: UNC