SWIMMING Preview: Ryan Lochte and Madisyn Cox have something to prove at Nationals, but so does Caeleb Dressel?

By
Rich Perelman
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Say this for swimmers: they love to swim. So for many members of the U.S. team at the FINA World Championships, coming back from two-plus weeks in Korea, they’re not headed home, but to the USA Swimming World Championships a the Avery Aquatic Center at Stanford that begin on Wednesday.

Check out the workloads for these stars:

● Caeleb Dressel ~ 50-100-200 m Free, 100 m Breast, 100 m Fly, 200 m Medley
● Ryan Lochte ~ 200 m Free, 100 m Back, 100 m Fly, 200-400 m Medley
● Luca Urlando ~ 200-400 m Free, 100-200 m Fly, 200 m Medley
● Jack Conger ~ 50-100-200 m Free, 100-200 m Fly
● Tom Shields ~ 200 m Fly
● Zane Grothe ~ 100-200-400-800-1,500 m Free
● Abrahm DeVine ~ 200 m Free, 100 m Fly, 200 m Medley

● Mallory Comerford ~ 50-100-200 m Free, 100 m Fly
● Abbey Weitzeil ~ 100 m Free
● Kelsi Dahlia ~ 50-100 m Free, 100 m Fly
● Allison Schmitt ~ 100-200-400 m Free
● Olivia Smoliga ~ 50-100 m Free, 100 m Back
● Dana Vollmer ~ 100 m Fly
● Hali Flickinger ~ 200 m Free, 100-200 m Back, 200 m Fly, 400 m Medley
● Katie Drabot ~ 100-200-400 m Free, 100-200 m Fly, 200 m Medley
● Regan Smith ~ 200 m Free, 100-200 m Back, 100-200 m Fly
● Ella Eastin ~ 200 m Fly, 200-400 m Medley
● Ally McHugh ~ 800-1,500 m Free, 200-400 m Medley
● Haley Anderson ~ 400-800-1,500 m Free, 200 m Fly, 400 m Medley
● Ashley Twichell ~ 400-800-1,500 m Free
● Madisyn Cox ~ 200 m Free, 200 m Back, 100 m Breast, 200-400 m Medley

There are lots of storylines here, such as:

● The return of Lochte, now 34, to see if he can swim with the youngsters and realistically think about a shot at the Olympic Trials next year. He’s won 12 Olympic medals and 29 Worlds medals in the 200 m Free, 200 m Back and 200-400 m Medleys. The U.S. could use some help in the 200 m Free.

● Dressel knows the U.S. needs help on the 200 m Free also, and he’s entered in it for the Nationals. He’s said in the past he wants to swim this in order to make the 4×200 m Free relay team, and at Tokyo, he won’t be swimming the 50 m Fly, which is not on the program.

● Cox has something to prove, as she was held out of the 2018 Nationals – that picked the 2019 Worlds team – by a drug suspension, which she appealed and was commuted to time served. She’s entered in five events and is going to be a contender for the Tokyo team.

● Hard-luck Eastin has somehow lost out on a spot on the U.S. team in the Medleys, at which she was NCAA champ while at Stanford. Is she ready to step up now?

● Vollmer announced her retirement at the end of the meet. Now 31, she won seven Olympic medals, including five golds, from 2004-12. Five were on relays and she was the 100 m Fly gold medalist in London in 2012.

There are winners of more than two dozen Worlds medals in this meet, including new Backstroke superstar Regan Smith, who won the 200 m Back in Korea and set a world record in the semis, then set another world record on the lead-off of the women’s 4×100 m Medley.

Fellow 17-year-old Urlando didn’t make the 2019 Worlds team at the 2018 Nationals, but his 1:53.84 in the 200 m Fly at the Tyr Pro Swim Series in June ranks no. 3 on the world list for 2019! That time would have won him the silver medal in Gwangju.

The Nationals will also select the U.S. team for the FINA World Junior Championships, taking place in Budapest from 20-25 August. The men must be between 15-18 years old as of 31 December of this year, and the women must be 14-17, so both Smith and Urlando could go if they qualify and want a trip to Europe!

NBC’s networks have coverage from Stanford, with live broadcasts:

● 31 July: 8 p.m. Eastern time on NBCSN
● 1 August: 8 p.m. Eastern time on NBCSN
● 2 August: 8 p.m. Eastern time on NBCSN
● 3 August: 8 p.m. Eastern time in NBC’s Olympic Channel
● 4 August: 8 p.m. Eastern time on NBC’s Olympic Channel

There is also a live stream with natural sound (no announcers) at www.usaswimming.org.

Look for live timing results here.

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