WUGs and Pan Ams: What Did We Learn?

by Andy Ross

24 July 2015, 05:00am

By Andy Ross, Swimming World Intern

A lot of swimming has gone on the last few weeks with the World University Games and the Pan American Games concluding. There are still a lot of question marks surrounding the Olympic Games in terms of what is going to happen, but the last two weeks of swimming have given us swim fans a lot of things to look forward to.

Here are some things we have learned about the US National Team from WUGs and Pan Ams:

1. Natalie Coughlin is back.

Photo Courtesy: Erich Schlegel/USA Today Sports Images

I made the mistake of thinking Natalie Coughlin was done for after she failed to make the Pan Pac team last summer. She had a great Pan American Games and seems to be back to her winning ways. She immediately put herself in the talks for the 4×100 free relay team for Rio, an event the US has struggled to find an identity in. She split 53.8 anchoring the team in Toronto to silver. Although the US will want her to be closer to a sub 53 split (especially if Cate Campbell of Australia will pull another 51 point split) in the Olympic final to compete for gold. She also lead off the 4×100 medley relay in 59.05. The US has struggled to find a good backup for Missy Franklin in the 100 back and Coughlin definitely helped shorten that search party, considering the other Americans who swam the 100 back at the two meets could not break a minute.

2. The Women’s 4×200 free relay is money.

Photo Courtesy: Rob Schumacher/USA Today Sports Images

This relay is stacked from top to bottom for the Americans. We don’t know how Katie Ledecky and Missy Franklin will do in Kazan but the potential third and fourth swimmers for the relay are looking very tough to beat. Allison Schmitt is slowly getting back into her 2012 self as she unleashed a 1:56 flat start 200 free in Toronto.

Shannon Vreeland and Leah Smith also proved they will be viable options for the Olympic relay selection with swift 1:58s in Gwangju. Right now the Americans are heavy favorites for gold in Rio in the 4×200 free relay and they will be even tougher to beat if they have Schmitt in 2012 form as well as Smith or Vreeland in the “weak” spot. That world record is the last women’s relay record from 2009 and it looks to be going down soon. Anything can happen in a year, so who knows whom the four swimmers on that relay will be. But we do know that the pool of talent is strong.

3. Men’s backstrokers are still dominant.

Photo Courtesy: Gwangju Summer Universiade Organizing Committee

The men’s 100 and 200 back have been dominated in international competitions by Americans, and WUGs and Pan Ams did not prove to be any different. The Americans won both gold medals for the 200 back in Gwangju and Toronto with Jacob Pebley and Sean Lehane winning each. Lehane’s victory came at a time when the Americans were struggling while the Brazilians and Canadians were stealing the show. It was nice to see that even the relative ‘B-Team’ can still win a ‘reliable’ event on an international stage.

Nick Thoman took home gold for the Americans in the 100 back in Toronto. His compatriot Jack Conger could not do the same in Gwangju, but he still won bronze. With that depth, the men’s backstroke events will be some of the best races in Omaha at the Olympic Trials next summer and the US will be in good hands in those events for years to come.

Biggest Surprises

Women: Katie Meili.

Photo Courtesy: Erich Schlegel/USA Today Sports Images

Katie Meili won gold in the 100 breast in Toronto after going 1:05 in the morning. She vaulted herself into talks of the 4×100 medley relay team in Rio next summer with that performance. That is something that nobody expected from her going into the Pan Ams.

Men: Jay Litherland.

Photo Courtesy: Gwangju Summer Universiade Organizing Committee

This shouldn’t be a huge surprise considering Jay Litherland is a part of an impressive IM group at Georgia, but nobody (at least I didn’t) expected Litherland to win a medal in Gwangju, let alone gold. The men’s 400 IM keeps getting stronger for the Americans, even if Lochte and Phelps are staying away from it. That will be one of the best races in Omaha next summer. Litherland’s freestyle leg won it for him in Gwangju and he may do the same thing in Omaha. If he is close at the 300, the field better watch out.

Who Answered Expectations

Women: Kelsi Worrell.

Photo Courtesy: Erich Schlegel/USA Today Sports Images

You can’t go 49 in a yards 100 fly and not expect to have pressure to perform long course. Kelsi Worrell did just that at the Pan Ams winning gold with a 57.78 (57.24 in prelims). Without Dana Vollmer since 2012, the Americans struggled to find a dominant butterflyer to have on the 4×100 medley relay and it seems like they finally found one in Worrell. But she will have to compete with the likes of Sarah Sjostrom (SWE), Jeanette Ottesen (DEN), Lu Ying (CHN) and Emma McKeon (AUS) in the 4×100 medley relay final who are all capable of 56s from a relay start.

Men: Josh Prenot.

Photo Courtesy: Gwangju Summer Universiade Organizing Committee

Josh Prenot had a lot of good swims in the Arena Pro Swim Series that lead many to think he was due for a breakout meet in Gwangju. That is exactly what happened. He won golds in the 200 IM and 200 breast as well as silver in the 400 IM. His best chance at an Olympic berth next summer would probably be in the 200 breast with his 2:08.90 swim from WUGs. I said during the Charlotte Pro Swim Series that he is the most underrated swimmer in the US and it looks like that won’t last long. He is due for stardom in the near future.

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Jim C

8 years ago

Do you anticipate the US reconsidering the selection criteria that generated the World Champ team a year ahead of the meet? I always thought that selecting the Olympic team a month or so in advance of the Games was too close, but a year out seems to ignore lots of potential cracks in the foundation -such as injury, illness, and failing to perform at the level that got an individual on the team in the first place.

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Andy Ross

8 years ago

Reply to  Jim C

I would still stick with the idea of picking it a year out. In the past there have not been TOO many misses by picking the team a year before. It’s hard to pick the team closer to Worlds because of NCAAs being so late in March.

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Tyler Yates

8 years ago

Prenot is amazing. He’s definitely one of the best swimmers in the country and one of the best in history.

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superfan

8 years ago

I wasn’t really that surprised by Litherland’s time or win. He made the USA National team coming out of high school with a 4:14…. 2 second drop at 18 is not unusual. Making the national team in high school for a guy is more unusual than a 2 second drop in a 400.

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Andy Ross

8 years ago

Reply to  superfan

Regardless his swim was still a very good one.

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Bill Bell

8 years ago

Proe it’s going to be tough to,keep,off the plane to Rio next Jily he keeps improving as he use in 20 breast. Cordes and Miller are still the guys to beat but Prenot could get down in the 2:98-plus range at Nationals and then next year.2:07.00!

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