Five (+2) Races to Watch at the 2019 TYR Pro Swim Series at Knoxville

Photo Courtesy: Tennessee Aquatics

The field for the 2019 TYR Pro Swim Series at Knoxville is stacked. Like, really stacked. The first stop of the 2019 TYR Pro Swim Series will feature some of the biggest names in the United States, with the top national team swimmers and the top junior team swimmers in attendance.

The TYR Pro Series winners of 2018, Katie Ledecky and Chase Kalisz will be in attendance, with both swimmers notably stepping out of their best events. Ledecky is not in the 800 free and Kalisz is not in the 400 IM. Those are interesting decisions but Kalisz swam the 400 IM at every TYR Pro Series stop last year, so he is most likely needing a break from the event.

Top junior team swimmers Alex Walsh and Carson Foster will be in attendance as well with Walsh swimming in her home state of Tennessee, and Foster making the short drive from Ohio.

Psych Sheet

Women’s 200 Free

Players:

Katie Ledecky, 1:54.56
Leah Smith, 1:55.97
Gabby DeLoof, 1:56.55
Melanie Margalis, 1:56.58
Simone Manuel, 1:57.01
Kayla Sanchez, 1:57.23

The top four seeds look like a solid 4×200 free relay for the United States at the 2019 World Championships. The field is only missing Allison Schmitt and Mallory Comerford to make it a full Worlds team final, but this will still be a race to keep an eye on Thursday night.

Ledecky is always a name to keep an eye on because you never know what kind of race she is going to put up. She has set two world records at the Pro Swim Series, once in 2016, and once in 2018.

Men’s 200 Breast

Players:

Josh Prenot, 2:07.28
Kevin Cordes, 2:07.41
Andrew Wilson, 2:08.37
Nic Fink, 2:08.56
Chase Kalisz, 2:09.90
Cody Miller, 2:10.59

The men’s breaststroke field in the United States is insanely deep, and they will be on full display on Friday night of the meet. Four of the eight swimmers from this summer’s Nationals final will be in the field with Kalisz and Miller added to the mix.

Miller has indicated in his online vlogs that he is not at 100% after having an injury this summer. Prenot and Wilson will represent the United States at the World Championships this summer and Fink and Cordes will be at the Pan American Games.

The 100 breast will be a great race too, but the 200 will be a race of tactics, strategy and mechanics. In fact, five of the top six seeded swimmers have all represented the United States at either the Olympics or the World Championships, with the lone swimmer being Wilson, who will swim at this summer’s Worlds. It will be a can’t miss race in Knoxville.

Women’s 100 Fly

Players:

Kelsi Dahlia, 56.37
Penny Oleksiak, 56.94
Kendyl Stewart, 57.70
Hali Flickinger, 58.48
Farida Osman, 58.51
Regan Smith, 58.59
Dana Vollmer, 59.38

Two of the three medalists from the 2016 Olympics will be in attendance, although both are not in the same place from when they won those medals. Oleksiak won the silver medal for Canada at the meet of her life in 2016, while Vollmer won the bronze in her comeback after giving birth in 2014.

Vollmer has since had another baby and is on another comeback trail leading to the 2020 Olympic Trials. Vollmer swam a 59.38 for fifth place at the Winter Nationals in December in her first 100 fly in competition since the Olympics.

Oleksiak has also not been a 56 since the Olympics, swimming a 58.50 in April at the Commonwealth Games. What kind of shape is Oleksiak in?

Oleksiak and Vollmer will most likely be chasing Kelsi Dahlia in the 100 fly as she is now the United States’s number one swimmer in that event, winning the silver at Pan Pacs, and coming off a very successful fall in short course meters action.

Also keep an eye on 200 butterflyer Hali Flickinger, teenage phenom Regan Smith and 2017 NCAA Champion Farida Osman.

Men’s 200 Fly

Players:

Pace Clark, 1:54.58
Justin Wright, 1:54.63
Chase Kalisz, 1:54.79
Gianluca Urlando, 1:55.21
Tom Shields, 1:55.25
Mack Darragh, 1:56.27

The men’s 200 fly final at US Nationals this summer was one of the biggest shocks of the whole meet. Justin Wright came out of nowhere to take down guys like Kalisz, Jack Conger and Tom Shields to win his first national title.

Wright will start his 2019 campaign in Knoxville where he will take on Shields and Kalisz again in the 200 fly, along with 2017 Worlds team member Pace Clark and rising 16-year-old Gianluca Urlando.

Women’s 100 Back

Players:

Kathleen Baker, 58.00
Olivia Smoliga, 58.75
Regan Smith, 58.83
Phoebe Bacon, 59.12
Ali DeLoof, 59.43
Jade Hannah, 59.62

The top four finishers from the US Nationals final this summer will all face each other in the pool again in the 100 back in Knoxville. Baker, Smoliga, Smith and Bacon were ranked in the top eight in the world in 2018, with Baker setting the world record.

It is sort of the “veterans vs. rookies” matchup with Baker (21) and Smoliga (24) in the professional ranks, while Smith and Bacon are both high school juniors.

Factor in World Short Course Champion Lisa Bratton, plus rising stars Isabelle Stadden and Alex Walsh, this 100 back final will be a can’t-miss race.

BONUS: Women’s & Men’s 400 IM

Players:

Leah Smith, 4:33.86
Melanie Margalis, 4:35.50
Katie Ledecky, 4:38.16
Hali Flickinger, 4:39.04
Emily Overholt, 4:39.48
Mariah Denigan, 4:40.62

The women’s 400 IM will be a great race with veterans Smith and Margalis sitting at the top. You never know what Ledecky is capable of but she will be in the mix as long as she is within two to three seconds at the 300.

The field also features a finalist from Rio in Canadian Emily Overholt as well as two young high school swimmers who have made their stamp on the 13-14 NAG all-time rankings, Mariah Denigan and Claire Tuggle.

The United States is still without a front runner in this event leading in to the 2020 Olympic Trials with the likes of Maya DiRado and Elizabeth Beisel long gone. Smith was in the A-Final in this event at Worlds in 2017 and Margalis won a bronze at Pan Pacs, but neither of them will go to the 2019 Worlds in this event, with Brooke Forde and Ally McHugh taking the reins. Forde and McHugh won’t be in Knoxville, but even without them the 400 IM will be a must-see event.

Jay Litherland, 4:09.31
Carson Foster, 4:14.73
Josh Prenot, 4:14.74
Jake Foster, 4:15.78
Tristan Cote, 4:17.40
Gianluca Urlando, 4:24.56

There is no Chase Kalisz, so the men’s 400 IM will be wide open. This race features about five swimmers that will be challenging for that second spot behind Kalisz in 2020. Of course there are no guarantees for the Olympic Team, but Kalisz is moving in to Phelps/Lochte territory with his dominance over this race in the United States.

So assuming Kalisz gets the spot in the 400 IM, it’s going to be a tight race behind him to get the second spot, and we will get a glimpse of that race in Knoxville.

Jay Litherland has been the number two guy for three years in a row, but is getting some pressure from young guns including the Foster brothers and Gianluca Urlando.

Urlando was disqualified this summer at the Junior Pan Pacs in the 400 IM, so he did not get a chance to swim in finals, leaving the Foster brothers to put up a 4:14 (Carson) and 4:15 (Jake) in the final. Urlando is no slouch in this event but we don’t know how good he is yet.

All three of those guys are still in high school as Jake Foster is currently in his senior year, while Carson and Urlando are juniors. Moving forward to 2020, those three could definitely challenge Jay Litherland for that second spot in the 400 IM in Tokyo.

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Ross Gardner

5 years ago

Alex Semchenko that mens 200 breast field is stacked

April D-Dawn Coco

5 years ago

Allie Hanson

Superfan

5 years ago

The men’s 4im isn’t really wide open with the top seed 5 seconds faster than field. The men’s 100 breast is as stacked as 200 especially adding in Michael Andrews.

Andy

5 years ago

Reply to Superfan

I personally think Litherland will have his hands full with the Fosters and Gianluca heading in to 2020.

Superfan

5 years ago

Reply to Andy

That could be but not sure it is a top race this weekend!