Swimming

Florida Gators Scratch En Masse from San Antonio Pro Swim Series, Pros Remain

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By Mark Wild on SwimSwam

2024 TYR PRO SWIM SERIES – SAN ANTONIO

USA Swimming has updated the Psych Sheet for the 2024 San Antonio Pro Swim Series. The meet is the last leg of the tour, which, this year, was only contested over three stops. In the past, there had been a stop in May, but this year, there won’t be one, so swimmers looking to get another meet before the Olympic Trials start in about nine weeks must look elsewhere.

The biggest change between the two seems to be the absence of the entire University of Florida team. While the pro group of Katie Ledecky, Caeleb Dressel, Kieran Smith, and Bobby Finke still appears, swimmers who just wrapped up the collegiate season are missing.

Bella Sims, who won the 200 and 500 free last month and was a member of the winning 4×200 free relay, was initially entered in six events. The 50/100/200/400 free as well as the 100/200 back. Sims, a 2021 Olympic silver medalist (prelims of the 4×200 free relay), was the #3 seed in the 400 with an entry time of 4:03.25, behind only Ledecky and Leah Smith. She was also the #3 seed in the 200 free behind Siobhan Haughey and Ledecky but has now been replaced by Paige Madden as the third seed in the 400 and Erin Gemmell in the 200.

Joining Sims on the victorious 4×200 relay at NCAAs were Isabel Ivey and Emma Weyant. Both were initially entered to swim the meet but both have scratched their events, which are listed below.

  • Ivey – 100 Free (#25), 200 Free (#28), 200 IM (#10).
  • Weyant – 400 Free (#14), 200 Free (#34), 400 IM (#2), 200 Breast (#21)

Ivey was the runner-up in the 200 IM at NCAAs to Alex Walsh, and Weyant, a 2021 silver medalist in the 400 IM, also placed runner-up to Walsh but in the 400 IM.

Florida is not the only school to see its NCAA champions initially appear on the entry list to scratch out later. Winner of the 100 breaststroke and UVA Cavalier Jasmine Nocentini has also opted not to swim in San Antonio. The Italian was the 18th seed in the 50 free, the 85th seed in the 100 breaststroke, and the 139th seed in the 100 free, but don’t let those seedings confuse you, as she entered the meet with yards times in the later two events.

Scratches aren’t contained to just Women’s NCAA Champions as the University of Florida’s Adam Chaney and Maguire McDuff, who helped the Gators to two relay titles, are among the large group of Gators not attending the meet. Teammates Jake Mitchell, Mason Laur, Molly Mayne, and Aleksas Savickas are also not making the trip to Texas. Mitchell may be best known for making the 2021 Olympic team via a solo time trial in the 400 freestyle.

Natalie Hinds also initially appeared in the psych sheet but appears to have scratched. Hinds did not compete at either of the previous Pro Swim Series meets.

The updated psych sheets don’t only reflect scratches, however. Jack Aikins, who swims for UVA but redshirted the season, appears to have been added to the meet. Aikins, who represented the USA in Doha, placed 8th in the finals of the 100 back and 4th in the final of the 200 back. He walked away from Doha with four medals, all courtesy of swimming the preliminary legs of relays.  In San Antonio, he will swim the 100 free (#27), 200 back (#4), and 100 back (#6).

Bailey Andison, who represents Canada internationally also appears to be a late entrant into the meet. Andison, who placed 18th at the Toyko Olympics in the 200 IM and swam collegiately for both the University of Denver and Indiana, will contest both of the medley events, coming in as the #6 seed in the 400 IM and the #13 seed in the 200 IM.

SwimSwam: Florida Gators Scratch En Masse from San Antonio Pro Swim Series, Pros Remain

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