NCAA Women’s Championships: As Big Names Miss Out, Gretchen Walsh Grabs Top Seed in 100 Freestyle; Lia Thomas Advances

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NCAA Women’s Championships: As Big Names Miss, Gretchen Walsh Is Top Seed in 100 Free; Lia Thomas Advances

Several big names missed the championship final of the 100-yard freestyle at the NCAA Championships on Saturday morning in Atlanta. While Virginia’s Gretchen Walsh surged to the top seed in 46.78, the trio of Stanford’s Torri Huske, Michigan’s Maggie Mac Neil and Cal’s Isabel Ivey surprisingly didn’t qualify in the top eight and were left to race in the consolation final during the evening session.

Walsh has been superb during the meet, having notched a pair of runnerup finishes in the 50 freestyle and 100 backstroke. Now, the freshman will try to secure her first individual crown as Virginia storms toward a second consecutive team title. Walsh was one of two swimmers to break the 47-second barrier during the morning, as she was joined by North Carolina State’s Katharine Berkoff, who touched the wall in 46.89. Berkoff is coming off an American-record performance in the 100 backstroke.

Alabama’s Morgan Scott picked up the third seed in 47.27, with University of Pennsylvania transgender woman Lia Thomas qualifying fourth in 47.37. Thomas won the 500 freestyle on the second night of the meet and has been embroiled in controversy throughout the season, due to debate over whether undergoing male puberty has supplied her with inherent advantages over biological women.

Advancing in fifth and sixth were Louisville’s Gabi Albiero (47.45) and North Carolina’s Grace Countie (47.50), with seventh going to Alabama’s Cora Dupre in 47.51. The last position in the final was claimed by Yale’s Iszac Henig, a transgender male who was timed in 47.55. Henig has not taken any hormone boosters during his transition, making him eligible to compete in the women’s championships.

Ivey (47.61) and Mac Neil (47.77) were ninth and 10th, while Huske (48.12) was 15th.

 Event 17  Women 100 Yard Freestyle
==================================================================
         NCAA: N 45.56  3/18/2017 Simone Manuel, Stanford
         Meet: M 45.56  3/17/2017 Simone Manuel, Stanford
     American: A 45.56  3/18/2017 Simone Manuel, Stanford
      US Open: O 45.56  3/18/2017 Simone Manuel, Stanford
         Pool: P 46.70  3/19/2016 Olivia Smoliga, Georgia
    Name                 Year School               Seed    Prelims        
==================================================================
                      === Preliminaries ===                       
 
  1 Walsh, Gretchen        FR Virginia                       46.78  
    r:+0.74  22.23        46.78 (24.55)
  2 Berkoff, Katharine     JR NCSU                           46.89  
    r:+0.68  22.82        46.89 (24.07)
  3 Scott, Morgan          SR Alabama                        47.27  
    r:+0.65  22.70        47.27 (24.57)
  4 Thomas, Lia            5Y Penn                           47.37  
    r:+0.74  23.11        47.37 (24.26)
  5 Albiero, Gabi          SO Louisville                     47.45  
    r:+0.60  22.77        47.45 (24.68)
  6 Countie, Grace         SR UNC                            47.50  
    r:+0.71  22.68        47.50 (24.82)
  7 Dupre, Cora            JR Alabama                        47.51  
    r:+0.59  22.72        47.51 (24.79)
  8 Henig, Iszac           JR Yale                           47.55  
    r:+0.64  22.88        47.55 (24.67)
 -----------------------------------------------------------------
  9 Ivey, Isabel           SR California                     47.61  
    r:+0.69  22.71        47.61 (24.90)
 10 MacNeil, Maggie        SR Michigan                       47.77  
    r:+0.63  22.99        47.77 (24.78)
 11 Antoniou, Kalia        SR Alabama                        47.84  
    r:+0.66  23.16        47.84 (24.68)
 12 Zenick, Katherine      SO Ohio St                        47.91  
    r:+0.60  22.88        47.91 (25.03)
 13 Flynn, Lindsay         FR Michigan                       47.94  
    r:+0.68  22.97        47.94 (24.97)
 14 Alons, Kylee           SR NCSU                           48.02  
    r:+0.63  22.88        48.02 (25.14)
 15 Huske, Torri           FR Stanford                       48.12  
    r:+0.61  22.82        48.12 (25.30)
 16 Bates, Talia           JR Florida                        48.14  
    r:+0.70  23.18        48.14 (24.96)

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