The Week That Was: Ledecky And King Shoot To Top Of World Rankings In Santa Clara

katie-ledecky-2018-santa-clara-pss_2
Photo Courtesy: Becca Wyant

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This week had fast swimming all around the globe, with the third stop of the TYR Pro Swim Series in Santa Clara and the first leg of the Mare Nostrum Series kicking off in Europe. Look below to catch up on all of the results from those meets and the biggest stories of the week in the week that was!

The Week That Was #5 – Hugo Gonzalez Follows Sergio Lopez To Virginia Tech

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Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

Virginia Tech head coach Sergio Lopez Miro announced that 2018 SEC Male Freshman of the Year Hugo Gonzalez will be transferring to Virginia Tech for the 2018-19 season. Gonzalez was a standout during his freshman year at Auburn, winning the 400 IM at the SEC Championships in the fourth fastest time in history and setting program records in the 200 back (1:39.05), 200 IM (1:40.67), and 400 IM (3:35.76). The Spanish native was a three-time gold medalist at the 2017 World Junior Championships and has competed in the 2017 FINA World Championships and the 2016 Rio Olympics.

The Week That Was #4 – Natalie Coughlin Announces Her First Pregnancy

Jul 17, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Natalie Coughlin of the United States adjusts her swim cap before the women's 50m freestyle final the 2015 Pan Am Games at Pan Am Aquatics UTS Centre and Field House. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports

Photo Courtesy: Rob Schumacher/USA Today Sports Images

Olympic gold medalist Natalie Coughlin announced this week that she and her husband Ethan Hall are expecting their first child with a post on her Instagram account. Coughlin’s announcement came along with the announcement of the bottling of her first wine with Gaderian Wines, which you can see here. Coughlin is one of the most successful swimmers in history, tying Jenny Thompson and Dara Torres as the most decorated female U.S. athlete with 12 medals to her name. She was also the first woman to break the 1:00 barrier in the 100 meter backstroke, and was the first woman to win back to back gold medals in the 100 back at an Olympics and the first woman to win six medals in a single Olympiad. While Coughlin never officially retired, she has not competed since 2016.

The Week That Was #3 – Florida Splitting Program With Nesty And Poppell As New Coaches

Florida Gators Swim Camp

Photo Courtesy: Florida Gators Swim Camp

Florida announced this week the long awaited replacements for long-time head coach Gregg Troy, who shared his plan to retire last month, with the news that they will be splitting the combined program into separate men and women’s teams. Two Florida coaches will be taking over for Troy, with long-time Associate Head Coach Anthony Nesty taking over as the new head coach of the men’s program and fellow Associate Head Coach Jeff Poppell taking over as the new head coach for the women’s program. Splitting the program is a different trend than other programs who have combined programs in the wake of coaching changes, including the recent combination of the Northwestern programs.

The Week That Was #2 – Missy Franklin Makes Return To Competition At Mare Nostrum

missy franklin

Photo Courtesy: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports

The swimming world learned this week that Missy Franklin will be making her retun to the competition pool for the first time since the 2016 Olympics, competing in three meets as part of the Mare Nostrum Series in Europe. Franklin made her return in the 100 and 200 back and 100 and 200 free, with her most notable swim being a B final victory in the 200 free (1:58.91). There were plenty of other notable swims over the two day meet, including Rikako Ikee’s national record in the 50 fly (25.11) and near miss in the 100 free (53.10), and Yulia Efimova’s wins in the 50 (29.96) and 100 (1:05.78) breaststrokes. You can see the results from day one here and day two events here.

The Week That Was #1 – Ledecky And King Shoot To Top Of World Rankings In Santa Clara

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Photo Courtesy: Becca Wyant

The latest stop in the TYR Pro Swim Series was one of the fastest yet, with Katie Ledecky tearing up the pool in her first meet since she announced her new partnership with TYR. Bypassing the 1500 free (which she set a world record in at the last stop), Ledecky opened the meet with the fastest 200 free in the world this year (1:54.56) and followed that up with wins in the 800 free (8:11.08) and 400 free (4:00.51). Indiana’s Lilly King also had a dominant meet, posting the #1 time in the world in the 50 breast (29.62) and 100 breast (1:05.61) in addition to a  win in the 200 breast (2:24.97). King’s time in the 50 breast was also a Pro Series record and came at the end of the knockout rounds. Other multiple event winners included Ryan Murphy (100/200 back), Chase Kalisz (400 IM/200 IM/200 fly), Caeleb Dressel (100 fly/100 free), Simone Manuel (50 free/100 free) and Zane Grothe (400/800/1500 free). You can catch up on all of the results and recaps of the 2018 Santa Clara Pro Swim Series here.

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