PHOENIX, Arizona, October 3. RYAN Lochte and Allison Schmitt, both multiple gold medalists from the 2012 Olympics, will be the headliners of the USA squad headed to Istanbul, Turkey, in December for the 2012 short course meters world championships.
Lochte will be looking to equal or improve his impressive medal haul from the 2010 edition, where he picked up six gold and one silver medal, the most of any person at a short course world championships. He also became the first person to break an individual world record since the ban of the techsuits, when he won the 400 individual medley. He would also break the world record in the 200 IM and nearly set another one in the 100 IM. Lochte is scheduled to swim the 50 and 100 butterfly, 200 free and 200 back, as well as the 100 and 200 IMs. This is keeping with his recent statement that he would be giving up the 400 IM.
As for Schmitt, this meet will be her first major short course meters competition. She's now in her senior year at the University of Georgia, and is coming off an impressive Olympic Games, where she won five medals, including gold in the 200 freestyle. Schmitt is the short course meters American record holder in the 200 free with a 1:52.08 from last year. She had previously swum a 1:51.67 at the 2009 Duel in the Pool, but that time was not ratified as the official American record, as USA Swimming had placed a ban on techsuits two months earlier for all swims done by Americans.
Other top names on the list include: Jessica Hardy, the short course world record holder in the 50 breaststroke; Josh Schneider, the American record holder in the short course meters 50 free and the reigning short course worlds bronze medalist in that event; Matt Grevers, the reigning Olympic champion in the 100 backstroke; Kathleen Hersey, the American record holder in the 200 butterfly and a two-time Olympian in the event.
In addition to Schmitt, several collegiate swimmers will compete in Turkey. Ellen Baumgardner (Arizona), Bonnie Brandon (Arizona), Maya DiRado (Stanford), Andrea Kropp (Southern California), Melanie Margalis (Georgia), Megan Romano (Georgia), Laura Sogar (Texas), Jasmine Tosky (Southern California) and Shannon Vreeland (Georgia) fill the women's roster. Kevin Cordes (Arizona), Ryan Feeley (Michigan), Michael McBroom (Texas), Tom Shields (UC-Berkeley), Steven Schmuhl (Indiana) and Michael Weiss (Wisconsin) will take time from their studies to help the American men in Turkey.
Among schools, Georgia will send the most swimmers (four women), with Arizona right behind (two females, one male). Competition begins December 12.
Full roster:
Women Ellyn Baumgardner 50/100 breast Curl Burke Swim Club/Arizona Bonnie Brandon 200 back Mission Aurora Colorado Swimming Chelsea Chenault 4x200 free relay Terrapins Swim Team Maya Dirado 100/200/400 IM Stanford Swimming Claire Donahue 50/100 fly Western Kentucky University Jessica Hardy 50/100 free, 50/100 breast Trojan Swim Club Kathleen Hersey 50/100/200 fly Longhorn Aquatics Kara Lynn Joyce 50 free SwimMAC Carolina Andrea Kropp 200 breast Rattler Swim Club/USC Becca Mann 400 IM, 800 free Clearwater Aquatic Team Melanie Margalis 100/200 IM St. Petersburg Aquatics Lia Neal 4x100 free relay Asphalt Green Unified Aquatics Megan Romano 100/200 fr, 50/100/200 bk Athens Bulldog Swim Club Allison Schmitt 200/400 fr,4x100 fr. rel. North Baltimore Aquatic Club Olivia Smoliga 50/100 back Glenview Titan Aquatic Club Laura Sogar 200 breast Bluefish Swim Club/Texas Chloe Sutton 400/800 free Mission Viejo Nadadores Jasmine Tosky 200 fly Palo Alto Stanford Aquatics Shannon Vreeland 4x200 free relay Athens Bulldog Swim Club Men Mike Alexandrov 50/100 breast Trojan Swim Club Bobby Bollier 200 fly Stanford Swimming Clark Burckle 200 breast Tucson Ford Dealer Aquatics Kevin Cordes 50/100 breast University of Arizona Conor Dwyer 100/200 IM, 200/400 free Lake Forest Swim Club/Gator Mark Dylla 200 fly Athens Bulldog Swim Club Anthony Ervin 50 free California Aquatics Ryan Feeley 1500 free University of Michigan Jimmy Feigen 4x100 free relay Longhorn Aquatics Matt Grevers 100 free, 50/100 back Tucson Ford Dealer Aquatics Ben Hesen 50/100 back Pacesetter Aquatics/Gator Charlie Houchin 4x200 free relay Unattached/ Bolles School Sharks Michael Klueh 400 free FAST Swim Team Ryan Lochte 200 fr,200 bk,50/100 fl,100/200 IM Daytona Beach Swimming/Gator Michael McBroom 1500 free The Woodlands Swim Team/Texas Matt McLean 4x200 free relay FAST Swim Team Ryan Murphy 200 back Bolles School Sharks Tyler Reed 4x100 free relay Southern Kentucky Swim Club Tom Shields 50/100 fly California Aquatics Josh Schneider 50 free SwimMAC Carolina Steven Schmuhl 400 IM Indiana University Garrett Weber-Gale 4x100 free relay Longhorn Aquatics Scott Weltz 200 breast Marin Pirates Michael Weiss 400 IM Wisconsin Aquatics