2024 U.S. OLYMPIC TRIALS
Well, Friends, they are here. The pre-scratch psych sheets for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials have dropped.
Pre-Scratch Psych Sheet
This article will be updated as we comb through the sheets for notable athletes or interesting entries.
On the women’s side, Kate Douglass has a busy event line-up. The former UVA standout is contesting five individual events. She is entered in the 100 breast, 100 free, 200 IM, 200 breast, and 50 free (she is the American Record holder in the latter two events). Douglass will avoid any preliminary session doubles but will have a potential few in the evening. Particularly of note, the 50 freestyle semifinal is scheduled right before the 200 IM Final.
Douglass’s Trials Schedule
- Sat. June 15th
- Sun. June 16th
- AM: 100 Breast Prelims
- PM: 100 Breast Semis
- Mon. June 17th
- Tues. June 18th
- AM: 100 Free Prelims
- PM: 100 Free Semis
- Wed. June 19th
- AM: 200 Breast Prelims
- PM: 100 Free Finals, 200 Breast Semis
- Thurs. June 20th
- Fri. June 21st
- AM: 200 IM Prelims
- PM: 200 IM Semis
- Sat. June 22nd
- AM: 50 Free Prelims
- PM: 50 Free Semis, 200 IM Finals
- Sun. June 23rd
Also facing the prospect of a back-to-back swim in the evening is Torri Huske. Huske, who had a massive breakout in 2021, is also entered in the 200 IM and 50 free double. She ranks as the 3rd seed in the 200 IM (2:08.47) behind only Douglass and Alex Walsh and is the 4th seed in the 50 (24.31) behind Douglass, Abbey Weitzeil, and Gretchen Walsh. She’ll square off with that trio in the 100 freestyle, where her 53.08 entry time slots her into the #3 seed. Huske starts her Olympic Trials schedule with the first event, the 100 fly, where, as the number one seed, she will look to chase her own American record of 55.64. She has already been as fast as 55.68 this season, so expect fireworks in the first event.
Unsurprisingly, Katie Ledecky is the top seed in the 200/400/800/1500 free. With the changed event order from 2021, the 200 and 1500 no longer overlap on the same evening so she won’t have to deal with doubled events. While Ledecky focuses solely on the freestyle events, Claire Curzan has appeared to drop them completely. The move is not entirely as surprising as Curzan has shifted more into the backstroke events. She is entered in the 100 fly (#4 – 56.61), the 100 back (#3 -58.29), and the 200 back (T-#2 – 2:05.77).
Kaitlyn Dobler, who placed third in the 100 breast last summer at Nationals, appears to be absent from both the 100 and 200 breast, events where, based on last year’s performance, she was expected to be a contender. SwimSwam has reached out to Dobler to see if this was a clerical error.
On the men’s side, much focus has been placed on Caeleb Dressel and if he can return to the form that saw him win five gold medals in Tokyo. The Florida Gators and recent father is entered in his three primary events: the 50 free, 100 free, and 100 fly. He is seeded 10th in the 100 free with a time of 48.30.
Jack Alexy, the 2023 Fukuoka silver medalist, leads the pack with his 47.31. In the 50 free, Dressel is ranked 5th (21.84) behind fellow veteran and 2016 Olympic gold medalist Ryan Held (21.50). The 100 fly, on paper, appears to be his best chance of qualifying for Paris, as the World Record Holder is entered with a time of 50.84, behind only Dare Rose (50.46) and Shaine Casas (50.80).
Some other notable entries on the men’s side include Michael Andrew and Carson Foster. Andrew, the American record holder, is entered in his primary three events: 100 breast (#5 – 59.52), 50 free (#3 – 21.64), and the 100 fly (#9 – 51.66). However, sandwiched in between the 50 free and 100 fly, Andrew is entered in the 200 IM. Before scratches, he is the #25 seeded, entering in with a 2:01.00. Andrew appeared to have dropped the 200 IM from his schedule, only swimming it once this season at the Berlin leg of the World Cup. Andrew Has a personal best of 1:55.26 and won the 2021 Trials in 1:55.44.
Foster finds himself pre-scratches with a heavy schedule of seven events. He is entered in the 400 free (#8 – 3:47.64), 200 free (#3 – 1:45.64), 400 IM (#1 – 4:06.56), 200 fly (#2 – 1:53.85), 100 free (#33 – 49.35), 200 back (#9 – 1:56.97) and 200 IM (#2 – 1:56.19). It seems highly unlikely that he will swim all of the events as the 200 free and 400 IM are back to back on the morning of day 2 and have only the 100 fly separating them in the evening, and the finals of the 200 fly are also scheduled for the same evening as the semifinals of the 200 back.
Buried in the Pysch Sheets but very much a threat to get a second (or third) swim in all his events is Luca Urlando. Urlando, who is taking a redshirt season from Georgia and is on the mend from shoulder surgery, is entered in four events. He is the 13th seed in the 400 Free (3:49.26), 14th in the 200 free (1:46.98), 10th in the 200 fly (1:56.25) and 38th in the 100 fly (53.18). At the 2021 Trials, Urlando finished 3rd in both the 100 and 200 fly and was just .10 away from qualifying in the latter.
NOTABLE ENTRIES
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The lists above are by no means exhaustive.
More updates to follow…
