U.S. International Team Trials: Predictions for All Women’s Events

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Claire Curzan -- Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

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U.S. International Team Trials: Predictions for All Women’s Events

It’s time to look into the crystal ball and predict who will win each event over the next five days in Greensboro, N.C., at the U.S. International Team Trials, the major selection event in the country for 2022. The Americans will select the top two finishers in most individual events to compete at this summer’s World Championships, plus the winners in the 50-meter events of butterfly, backstroke and breaststroke, and at least four swimmers (and up to six) will qualify in the 100 and 200 freestyle for relay purposes.

The women’s competition will be highlighted by superstar Katie Ledecky, who has spent the last decade as one of the world’s best swimmers, as well as individual Olympic gold medalist Lydia Jacoby and world-record holders Lilly King and Regan Smith. Five other individual medalists from the Tokyo Olympics, Alex Walsh, Kate Douglass, Hali Flickinger, Emma Weyant and Annie Lazor, will also be competing.

For these women’s predictions, we will go day-by-day in event order, beginning with the 200 butterfly.

Tuesday, April 26

200 Butterfly

  1. Hali Flickinger
  2. Regan Smith

Teenager Charlotte Hook, the silver medalist in this event at the Short Course World Championships, will pose a major challenge to Flickinger and Smith, who each captured individual medals in this event in Tokyo.

100 Freestyle

  1. Abbey Weitzeil
  2. Kate Douglass
  3. Claire Curzan
  4. Gretchen Walsh
  5. Erika Brown
  6. Natalie Hinds

Tight battle for relay spots should include Olympians Torri Huske and Olivia Smoliga, while Simone Manuel, the 2016 Olympic gold medalist in the 100 free and a two-time world champion, is not entered.

800 Freestyle

  1. Katie Ledecky
  2. Katie Grimes

Ledecky has won four consecutive world titles in this event, and she could become the first woman to win gold in one event at five consecutive World Championships.

Wednesday, April 27

200 Freestyle

  1. Katie Ledecky
  2. Paige Madden
  3. Bella Sims
  4. Leah Smith
  5. Torri Huske
  6. Erin Gemmell

Alex Walsh could be a surprising candidate to make a run for a relay spot.

200 Breaststroke

  1. Annie Lazor
  2. Lilly King

King swam under 2:20 for the first time in capturing silver in this event in Tokyo, while Lazor earned bronze. Olympic gold medalist Tatjana Schoenmaker will not compete at Worlds this year.

200 Backstroke

  1. Regan Smith
  2. Phoebe Bacon

Smith holds the world record, but she finished behind Rhyan White and Bacon in a major upset at last year’s Olympic Trials.

50 Butterfly

  1. Claire Curzan

Thursday, April 28

400 IM

  1. Emma Weyant
  2. Hali Flickinger

Katie Grimes, the fourth-place finisher at the Olympics in the 800 free, will be in the mix here, while Leah Smith has also had some 400 IM success in her career.

100 Butterfly

  1. Claire Curzan
  2. Torri Huske

This could be the race of the meet, with Olympians Curzan and Huske trying to fight off 100-yard fly American-record holder Kate Douglass and short course meters world-record holder Kelsi Dahlia.

50 Breaststroke

  1. Lilly King

50 Backstroke

  1. Katharine Berkoff

Friday, April 29

400 Freestyle

  1. Katie Ledecky
  2. Leah Smith

Paige Madden was an Olympic finalist in this event alongside Ledecky, who took silver in an epic dual with Ariarne Titmus, while Smith has won medals in the 400 free at the 2016 Olympics and the last two World Championships.

100 Breaststroke

  1. Lilly King
  2. Lydia Jacoby

King and Jacoby will face off for the first time since Jacoby upset the world-record holder to win Olympic gold.

100 Backstroke

  1. Regan Smith
  2. Katharine Berkoff

At the NCAA Championships last month, Berkoff and Gretchen Walsh both broke the American record in the 100-yard back while Smith ended up third. Walsh, Rhyan White, Olivia Smoliga and Claire Curzan are among the other strong contenders here.

Saturday, April 30

1500 Freestyle

  1. Katie Ledecky
  2. Katie Grimes

Olympic silver medalist Erica Sullivan will not be competing this week in Greensboro.

200 IM

  1. Alex Walsh
  2. Kate Douglass

Both University of Virginia stars were on the podium in Tokyo in this event, while Douglass may try to race both the 200 IM and 50 free on the final night.

50 Freestyle

  1. Abbey Weitzeil
  2. Claire Curzan

Douglass and Gretchen Walsh will both be in the mix for the individual spots here.

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Bob Groseth
Bob Groseth
2 years ago

Picture is Curzan

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