Douglass and MacNeil Meet for the Last Time at 100 Fly

2023 Girls’s NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships

• 15-18 March 2023
• Allan Jones Aquatic Heart, Knoxville, Tennessee
• SCY (25 yards)
• Dwell Outcomes
• Pre-Scratch Psych Pages
• meet Central

From July 2019 to March 2022, Maggie MacNeil He had by no means misplaced 100 flights in a championship recreation. The defending champion on the occasion was the lengthy course world champion, brief course world champion, Olympic champion, NCAA champion, and NCAA document holder – almost each award related to the ladies’s 100 flight was tied to her title.

That was till the 2022 NCAA Championship. Within the first 75 yards of the 100 flights, it regarded like MacNeil was going to defend his title from the earlier 12 months. However in the previous couple of seconds, Kate Douglass And tori huske they each beat MacNeil, Douglass received and broke the American document (49.04), MacNeil completed third (49.18).

MacNeil and Douglass go manner again. They first met on the 2021 NCAA Championships, the place the present’s star was MacNeil. Douglass completed second in each the 100 free and 100 extremes, regardless of beating MacNeil by 0.04 seconds within the 50 frees. In these 100 flying races, MacNeil beat Douglass by greater than a physique size and have become the primary feminine underneath 49 within the occasion with a time of 48.89. This efficiency was an enormous purpose why MacNeil received the SwimSwam and the CSCAA’s 2021 finest school feminine swimmer award.

A 12 months later, issues rotated. MacNeil had a “closed” NCAA in 2022, ending third in 50 freestyles and 100 runs, and utterly lacking the ‘A’ closing in 100 freestyles (nevertheless, he damage his elbow from slipping on the deck on the NCAAs. Whether or not or not his races are over is unclear. not), Douglass blew up, successful 50 freestyles, 100 flights, and 200 breasts, setting American data in all three races.

Kate Douglass ({Photograph}: Jack Spitser)

Now the 12 months is 2023 and the stakes are larger than ever. MacNeil transferred from Michigan to LSU in his fifth 12 months and is swimming once more identical to he did in 2021. He improved all his occasions in comparison with final season and has simply began breaking the brief course meter 100 flight document by half a second. Nevertheless, Douglass won’t go. He already has three American record-setting particular person swimmers underneath his belt this season, certainly one of which was within the ACCs when MacNeil beat the NCAA and US Open document by 0.05 seconds to 48.84. MacNeil completed 48.99 within the SECs an hour later, and though his swim was the third-fastest of all time, the ache of not with the ability to reclaim his document turned starkly apparent when the SEC’s announcer mistakenly named MacNeil’s swim the quickest of the season. . This occurred once more a day later, when Douglass sped up a 48.25 100 fly break up within the ACCs and MacNeil break up 48.76 within the SECs, as a result of if it hadn’t been for Douglass’ swim an hour earlier, MacNeil’s break up would have made it into historical past. It could be the quickest.

When Douglass stated it could be their final NCAA ever, a Caeleb Dressel A efficiency just like the final 12 months to shut his profession. In the meantime, MacNeil has made it clear that he desires to finish his NCAA profession on his personal phrases. After a foul season final 12 months, this time he is out for revenge and has one final likelihood to show himself at this 12 months’s NCAA conference. Whereas Douglass could seem unstoppable proper now, MacNeil will be the just one who can cease her momentum – in truth, MacNeil is the one girl to beat Douglass in an NCAA Championship match. Nevertheless, Douglass isn’t the identical swimmer MacNeil beat in 2021, and it’ll take all the pieces MacNeil has to beat him this time.

At present, Douglass is 3-2 towards MacNeil in particular person NCAA Championship races. If MacNeil beats Douglass of their closing showdown collectively in these 100 flying races, he’ll be capable to get even with him.

Record of Douglass-MacNeil NCAA Matches

Kate Douglass and so forth. Maggie MacNeilBetter of 100 Fly seasons over time

For now, we selected MacNeil over Douglass because the “secure” alternative. He went 48.99 this 12 months with virtually zero competitors behind him, and December’s world document clearly exhibits he has extra within the tank (for reference, 54.04 converts to 48.69 yards on the SCM). Nevertheless, on this career-defining 100-fly match between the one two girls underneath 49 ever and two NCAA legends who swam of their final school reunion, each girls might come out on high and swim into the historical past books.

Stanford Duo

Claire Curzan And tori huske
Courtesy of Fabio Cetti

If there are two swimmers who might doubtlessly break Douglass and MacNeil’s stance as 1-2 sideburns, it is the Stanford duo. tori huske And Claire Curzan.

Huske is the reigning long-course world champion and beat MacNeil on the NCAA’s 0.01 seconds final 12 months, turning into the third-fastest participant ever to attain 49.17. He presently sits third within the occasion this 12 months as effectively, with hours of 49.25 and 49.27 hours within the mid-season and Pac-12s, respectively. And whereas his present occasions appear a great distance off from Douglass and MacNeil’s 48s, it is essential to notice that he fell in all occasions final 12 months, from the Pac-12s to the NCAAs. If he makes the identical 0.26-second drop he created from conferences to the NCAAs on the 100 fly final 12 months, he’ll be within the 48.9 vary, which we expect will put him in a very good place to take third and maybe third. enter the primary two.

Then there’s Curzan, who will likely be swimming because the entrance half of the 100 fly/100 again double this race. He briefly held the American document when he set his finest time of 49.24 in 2022, a benchmark that made him our fourth decide. Regardless of Curzan’s season-best 49.93 mid-season, we imagine he’ll be nearer to his quickest time within the NCAAs, which ought to put sufficient distance between him and the fifth-fastest swimmer within the subject. Traditionally, the quickest have struggled to swim in conical occasions (for instance, 2021 and 2022 set a number of of their long-season bests in in-season occasions relatively than the Olympics or World Championships), but it surely’s a brand new coaching atmosphere at Stanford that swimmers do not. The truth that he actually gave his all within the season might make him extra able to go down within the championship season.

Curzan’s youth issue can be to his benefit – at 17, he was sooner than another swimmer on the court docket at his age. So regardless that his first 12 months of school continues to be undeveloped on life’s finest, he has the most important window of hope.

Different 49’s And These Who Knocked On The Door

Emma Sticklen (photograph: Jack Spitser)

Though solely 11 girls in historical past have been underneath 50 seconds within the 100 fly, we’re getting to some extent the place 49-point straight begin swimmers are included within the “better of the remainder” part of a preview article as a result of this occasion simply stacks up a lot. However that does not imply they should not be on the high, that they need to be ignored.

A swimmer who noticed an enormous splash this 12 months Emma SticklenFinal 12 months, he completed the race in fourth place with a time of fifty.29. This 12 months made that point even higher. couple He turned the eighth quickest participant of all time with a rating of 49.79 towards NC State. Texan girls have been on a freight practice all season, and names like Sticklen have had huge hits at a number of occasions. Whereas it could appear unrealistic for him to beat the highest 4 on this ultra-competitive race, it is a very doubtless state of affairs given his progress over the 12 months.

One other staff that has given the NCAAs quite a lot of momentum is Louisville. Gabi Albiero And Christiana Regenauer. Ending final 12 months in sixth place, Albeiro climbed from 50.84, his finest time in 2022, to 50.04 within the 2023 ACCs. Regenauer completed final 12 months in thirty ninth place, however is without doubt one of the swimmers who noticed the most important breakthroughs this season, reaching 51.03. If there’s one factor to learn about Louisville, it is that the dropout fee from conferences to NCAAs is without doubt one of the highest within the nation. Due to this fact, we expect that Albiero will fall beneath 50, whereas Regenauer will likely be a candidate to enter the highest eight regardless of solely being in tenth place.

Gabi Albiero (photograph: Jack Spitser)

The final two swimmers to take part on this under-51 occasion this 12 months are NC State’s Kylee Alons And Abby ArensThe season’s bests of fifty.64 and 50.84, respectively. Alons, who completed fifth final 12 months, fell wanting a season-high 50.63 from the Texas-NC State duo and climbed to 50.93 within the ACCs, additionally turning into the fifth girl in historical past to separate a flight underneath 22 50 in the identical match. Contemplating how effectively he is carried out at 50 flies this season, a very good thinning might knock on the door for a 49-point swim. In spite of everything, the highest 100 flight occasions of fifty.35 in 2021 appears too late to be erased.

Arens didn’t have the most important ACCs in transition to the NCAAs, swimming 51.62 in 100 flights within the ACCs and 52.58 within the NCAAs final 12 months. In truth, this appears to be a problem for him yearly, as he provides to all of his occasions at each the 2021 and 2022 NCAA meetups. It has elevated its 100 flight occasions to 50.84 this 12 months, however we’re simply leaving it out of the highest 8 primarily based on runway historical past.

brown-haired meghan lee and the State of Ohio Katherine Zenick each near 50 factors, ninth and eleventh locations respectively. Lee is comparatively new to the 100 fly as he had by no means competed in a championship meet occasion previous to this season. He improved his finest time this season from 54.26 to 51.03, which completed second behind MacNeil within the SECs. He was fairly good at transferring up from the SECs to the NCAAs in his occasions final 12 months, however this 12 months, as 100 flies are a part of day 3 doubling with 100 backs, that could be a bit tougher.

Zenick set a finest time of 51.03 on the Tim Welsh Traditional, after which swam 51.48 (a time that coincided together with his thirteenth place within the NCAAs final 12 months) to win the Large Tens. He, like most of the different swimmers at Ohio State, was added to the NCAAs after going all-out within the Large Tens, so will probably be attention-grabbing to see if he can change course and make it to the finals this 12 months.

Lexi Cuomo (photograph: Jack Spitser)

of Virginia Lexi Cuomo He caught the eye of some for his no-sprint performances within the ACCs as he break up 21.14 in 200 free relays and dropped from 48.44 to 47.71 in 100 free relays. Nevertheless, in all 100 flies, a competitor almost missed final 12 months’s ‘A’ closing to complete ninth within the qualifiers. Moreover, his private document of fifty.65 from 2021 would simply make the ‘A’ closing, so if we see related enhancements within the NCAA’s 100 flight as we noticed within the free dash within the ACCs, you possibly can beat your finest time and make the ‘A’ closing with ease. . At present, it ranks 14th within the psychological charts with a season-high 51.47.

you will need to observe Gretchen Walsh And Olivia Bray Though each completed within the high eight within the nation, each selected 100 out of 100 flies. Walsh’s 49.34 from the ACCs would take him to fourth place, whereas Bray’s 50.07 from the Large 12s (which was his first PB on the occasion particularly since 2019) would put him in seventh place.

SwimSwam’s Picks

Black Horse: Olivia Peoples, Florida— Florida girls are on fireplace this 12 months, and Peoples is only one of many Alligators making huge splashes to qualify for the NCAAs. This season, he climbed from 52.49 to 51.81, incomes his first NCAA berth and putting twenty fourth on the psychological charts. Even though this 12 months will probably be the primary to finish the conferences within the NCAA’s shrink, Florida did very effectively final 12 months (the Gators improved with the second-highest quantity of seeds of any NCAA staff final 12 months), which implies that the peoples have the potential to make one other huge drop. .