{"id":498516,"date":"2022-03-01T08:46:26","date_gmt":"2022-03-01T15:46:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=498516"},"modified":"2022-03-01T16:23:02","modified_gmt":"2022-03-01T23:23:02","slug":"womens-ncaa-championships-pre-cut-psych-sheet-regan-smith-top-seed-in-three-events-lia-thomas-tops-in-two","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/womens-ncaa-championships-pre-cut-psych-sheet-regan-smith-top-seed-in-three-events-lia-thomas-tops-in-two\/","title":{"rendered":"Women’s NCAA Championships Pre-Cut Psych Sheet; Regan Smith Top Seed in Three Events, Lia Thomas Tops in Two"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pre-Cut Psych Sheet Released for Women’s NCAA Championships; Regan Smith Top Seed in Three Events<\/strong><\/p>\n

The pre-cut psych sheets for the upcoming women’s NCAA Championships were released Tuesday morning. These are not the final entry lists for the meet, which will be held March 16-19 at McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta, as only a select number of athletes will be invited to compete in each event, but the top seeds for each event will remain unchanged.<\/p>\n

Typically, that number of swimmers invited for each event is somewhere between 36 and 41 invitees, depending on the number of swimmers entered above the cut-line in more than one event, and swimmers invited in one event may compete in other races where they have B-cuts. The official psych sheet (including cut-lines in each event and a list of alternates in order of priority) will be released Wednesday.<\/p>\n

The only swimmer to earn the No. 1 seed in three individual events is Stanford freshman\u00a0Regan Smith<\/strong>, who leads the way in the 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke and 200 butterfly. Smith will go for the grueling 200 back-200 fly double on the final day of the meet, and she looks to be in strong form as she barely missed her own American record in the 100 back by just seven hundredths at the Pac-12 Championships last week.<\/p>\n

The unofficial psych sheet includes Penn’s\u00a0Lia Thomas<\/strong>, a transgender female swimmer who has been the subject of controversy this season as those around the sport have debated the fairness of her competing against cisgender females. Thomas ranks first in the nation entering the meet in the 200 and 500 freestyle, and she is 10th in the 100 free.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Pre-Cut Psych Sheet<\/a><\/p>\n

Versatile Virginia swimmers\u00a0Kate Douglass<\/strong> and\u00a0Alex Walsh<\/strong> had numerous events to choose from given their range across a wide variety of strokes and distances<\/a>, and with entries finalized, each will be skipping at least one event in which they have the top time in the nation. Douglass will compete in the 50 free (seeded first), 100 fly (fourth) and 200 breast (first), while Walsh will swim the 200 IM (first), 400 IM (second) and 200 fly (fifth).<\/p>\n

Walsh became the second-fastest swimmer in the 200 breast at the ACC Championships<\/a>, but without her in the field at NCAAs, Douglass will be the favorite to win the title in that event. Similarly, Douglass is ranked first in the country in both the 200 IM and 100 free, but her absence from the 200 IM will allow teammate Walsh to enter as the favorite, while another UVA swimmer, Gretchen Walsh<\/strong>, will be seeded first in the 100 free.<\/p>\n

U.S. Olympian and Stanford freshman\u00a0Torri Huske<\/strong> will enter her first NCAA Championships<\/a> seeded first in the 100 fly, second in the 200 IM and third in the 100 free, while 100-meter fly Olympic gold medalist\u00a0Maggie Mac Neil<\/strong> is slated to swim the 100 fly (seeded second), 50 free (seeded third) and 100 free (seeded first). Mac Neil is the reigning NCAA champion in the 100 fly and 100 free, and the showdown between Mac Neil, Huske and Douglass in the 100 fly could be one of the best races of the meet.<\/p>\n

Other defending champions entered in the meet include Stanford’s\u00a0Brooke Forde<\/strong> in the 400 IM and NC State’s\u00a0Sophie Hansson<\/strong> in both breaststroke events. Out of 13 individual events, a Stanford swimmer is the top seed in five, while Virginia holds pole position in four, along with four of the five relays (with Stanford ranked first in the fifth relay).<\/p>\n

Schedule of Events and Top-Seeded Swimmers<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wednesday, March 16<\/p>\n