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U.S. swimming rankings going into national championships

By Nick ZaccardiJul 9, 2018, 10:12 AM EDT

The U.S. Swimming Championships are in two weeks, and it’s arguably the second-most important domestic meet of the Olympic cycle.

Nationals will not only determine the team for the year’s major international meet — August’s Pan Pacific Championships — but also partially determine the team for the 2019 World Championships. The selection procedures all but assure the top two per individual event at nationals make Pan Pacs with third-place finishers also strongly in the running. Heck, some fourth-place finishers made the 2014 Pan Pacs team.

The 2019 Worlds team is made up by best times between nationals and Pan Pacs (top two per individual event). Those who struggle at nationals will miss Pan Pacs, and all but assure they miss worlds as well.

The Tyr Pro Swim Series — USA Swimming’s regular-season tour — wrapped up in Columbus, Ohio, over the weekend. It’s as good a time as any to take stock of the best U.S. times for the year and size up the favorites for nationals now that all of the top tune-up meets are behind us.

As expected, Katie Ledecky is far and away No. 1 in the 200m freestyle (by 2.65 seconds), 400m freestyle (6.29 seconds), 800m freestyle (17.78 seconds) and 1500m freestyle (48.22 seconds).

Likewise, Simone Manuel is No. 1 and No. 2 in the 50m and 100m freestyles, Kathleen Baker leads both backstrokes and Lilly King is atop the 100m breaststroke.

The male rankings are a little more surprising. Chase Kalisz, reigning world champion in both individual medleys, also leads the 200m butterfly. That’s not unexpected.

But the man right behind Kalisz in both IMs is an eye-catcher. That’s Ryan Lochte, who came back from suspension to put himself right in the mix to make the Pan Pac and world teams at age 33. An injured Lochte was third in the 400m IM at the Olympic Trials and was a disappointing fifth in the Olympic 200m IM.

Lochte’s best times this year — 1:58.90 and 4:15.80 — are well off the all-important second-place times from 2017 Nationals, though (1:56.79 and 4:09.31).

Caeleb Dressel, who won seven golds at 2017 Worlds, ranks third in each of his primary events (50m and 100m frees and 100m fly), but he swam a full NCAA season and just one Pro Series meet this spring. Expect time drops at nationals in two weeks in Irvine, Calif.

Rankings updated through July 15

Women
50m Freestyle
1. Simone Manuel — 24.59
2. Margo Geer — 24.72
3. Madison Kennedy — 24.88
4. Mallory Comerford — 24.94
5. Kelsi Dahlia — 24.99

100m Freestyle
1. Margo Geer — 53.74
2. Simone Manuel — 53.84
3. Lia Neal — 53.95
4. Mallory Comerford — 54.06
5. Allison Schmitt — 54.34

200m Freestyle
1. Katie Ledecky — 1:54.56
2. Allison Schmitt — 1:57.21
3. Leah Smith — 1:57.41
4. Melanie Margalis — 1:57.49
5. Simone Manuel — 1:58.06

400m Freestyle
1. Katie Ledecky — 3:57.94
2. Leah Smith — 4:04.23
3. Hali Flickinger — 4:06.72
4. Katie Drabot — 4:08.29
5. Melanie Margalis — 4:08.84

800m Freestyle
1. Katie Ledecky — 8:07.27
2. Leah Smith — 8:25.05
3. Ashley Twichell — 8:29.35
4. Haley Anderson — 8:29.64
5. Cierra Runge — 8:29.93

1500m Freestyle
1. Katie Ledecky — 15:20.48
2. Ashley Twichell — 16:08.70
3. Erica Sullivan — 16:09.88
4. Haley Anderson — 16:10.78
5. Hannah Moore — 16:15.37

100m Backstroke
1. Kathleen Baker — 58.77
2. Olivia Smoliga — 59.14
3. Regan Smith — 59.38
4. Ali Deloof — 59.79
5. Isabelle Stadden — 1:00.06

200m Backstroke
1. Kathleen Baker — 2:07.02
2. Isabelle Stadden — 2:08.37
3. Regan Smith — 2:08.64
4. Asia Seidt — 2:08.91
5. Lisa Bratton — 2:09.86

100m Breaststroke
1. Lilly King — 1:05.61
2. Molly Hannis — 1:06.09
3. Katie Meili — 1:06.49
4. Micah Sumrall — 1:07.51
5. Breeja Larson — 1:07.67

200m Breaststroke
1. Melanie Margalis — 2:24.62
2. Emily Escobedo — 2:24.71
3. Lilly King — 2:24.83
4. Madisyn Cox — 2:25.10
5. Micah Sumrall — 2:26.16

100m Butterfly
1. Kelsi Dahlia — 57.29
2. Kendyl Stewart — 57.80
3. Amanda Kendall — 58.29
4. Katie McLaughlin — 58.33
5. Hellen Moffitt — 58.39

200m Butterfly
1. Hali Flickinger — 2:07.88
2. Katie Drabot — 2:08.38
3. Kelsi Dahlia — 2:09.22
4. Ella Eastin — 2:09.82
5. Katie McLaughlin — 2:10.40

200m Individual Medley
1. Madisyn Cox — 2:09.82
2. Melanie Margalis — 2:10.26
3. Kathleen Baker — 2:11.58
4. Asia Seidt — 2:12.63
5. Evie Pfeifer — 2:12.87

400m Individual Medley
1. Melanie Margalis — 4:36.81
2. Leah Smith — 4:37.64
3. Madisyn Cox — 4:37.94
4. Ella Eastin — 4:38.43
5. Katie Ledecky — 4:38.88

Men
50m Freestyle
1. Michael Andrew — 21.69
2. Nathan Adrian — 21.97
3. Caeleb Dressel — 22.15
4. Justin Ress — 22.36
5. Michael Chadwick — 22.37

100m Freestyle
1. Nathan Adrian — 48.58
2. Jack Conger — 48.76
3. Caeleb Dressel — 48.96
4. Michael Chadwick — 49.01
5. Blake Pieroni – 49.04

200m Freestyle
1. Jack Conger — 1:46.96
2. Conor Dwyer — 1:47.28
3. Blake Pieroni — 1:48.08
4. Zane Grothe — 1:48.18
5. Andrew Seliskar — 1:48.35

400m Freestyle
1. Zane Grothe — 3:48.59
2. Jack Levant — 3:51.47
3. Jordan Wilimovsky — 3:51.48
4. Grant Shoults — 3:51.82
5. Mitch D’Arrigo — 3:51.93

800m Freestyle
1. Zane Grothe — 7:50.94
2. Andrew Abruzzo — 7:54.51
3. Jordan Wilimovsky — 7:58.10
4. Logan Houck — 7:58.18
5. Grant Shoults — 7:58.80

1500m Freestyle
1. Zane Grothe — 15:05.31
2. Jordan Wilimovsky — 15:11.70
3. Andrew Abruzzo — 15:13.79
4. Nick Norman — 15:16.81
5. Logan Houck — 15:17.42

100m Backstroke
1. Ryan Murphy — 53.24
2. Justin Ress — 53.30
3. Matt Grevers — 53.73
4. Jacob Pebley — 53.93
5. Ryan Lochte — 54.75

200m Backstroke
1. Ryan Murphy — 1:55.46
2. Jacob Pebley — 1:55.85
3. Clark Beach — 1:58.58
4. Joey Reilman — 1:58.87
5. Nick Alexander — 1:58.97

100m Breaststroke
1. Andrew Wilson — 59.19
2. Michael Andrew — 59.79
3. Devon Nowicki — 1:00.00
4. Josh Prenot — 1:00.23
5. Will Licon — 1:00.60

200m Breaststroke
1. Andrew Wilson — 2:08.52
2. Will Licon — 2:09.47
3. Daniel Roy — 2:09.73
4. Chase Kalisz — 2:09.90
5. Josh Prenot — 2:10.15

100m Butterfly
1. Jack Conger — 51.00
2. Michael Andrew — 51.86
3. Caeleb Dressel — 52.20
4. Tripp Cooper — 52.36
5. Giles Smith — 52.55

200m Butterfly
1. Chase Kalisz — 1:55.63
2. Jack Conger — 1:55.88
3. Justin Wright — 1:57.77
4. Pace Clark — 1:57.93
5. Sam Pomajevich — 1:58.07

200m Individual Medley
1. Chase Kalisz — 1:57.50
2. Ryan Lochte — 1:58.90
3. Josh Prenot — 1:59.47
4. Will Licon — 2:00.11
5. Jay Litherland — 2:00.55

400m Individual Medley
1. Chase Kalisz — 4:08.92
2. Ryan Lochte — 4:15.80
3. Jay Litherland — 4:17.09
4. Josh Prenot — 4:18.58
5. Charlie Swanson — 4:19.38

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Ryan Lochte can be prosecuted in Rio Olympic case, Brazil court rules

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Associated PressJun 28, 2018, 6:00 PM EDT

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SAO PAULO (AP) — The prosecution of U.S. swimmer Ryan Lochte for filing a false police report during the Rio Olympics is back on after a Brazilian court decision this week.

During the Games, the 12-time Olympic medalist told NBC that he and fellow swimmers were robbed at gunpoint in a taxi by men with police badges as they returned to the Olympic Village from a party.

But prosecutors said Lochte invented the story to cover up the swimmers’ vandalism of a gas station and an ensuing confrontation with security guards. The confrontation was captured by surveillance cameras at the gas station.

Lochte later acknowledged he was intoxicated at the time and his behavior led to the confrontation.

The initial claim appeared to confirm widespread fears before the Olympics that the event would be marred by rising crime rates in Rio de Janeiro, which has long struggled with violence. As Lochte’s version of events began to shift, many Brazilians became annoyed that a false story about crime drew so much attention, when the city had hosted the games without major problems.

The scandal drew international headlines and grew to overshadow the final days of the games. Lochte ended up serving a 10-month suspension from the U.S. national swim team for his behavior.

Last year, a court dismissed the case against Lochte, but the Superior Court of Justice reversed that decision Tuesday. Prosecutor Rodrigo de Almeida Maia said Thursday that the next step is for Lochte’s lawyers to present their defense. Lochte does not have to appear in person to defend himself, de Almeida Maia said.

Steve Lochte, the swimmer’s father, said by telephone that he had no comment and directed questions to his son or his son’s lawyers.

Jeff Ostrow, a lawyer who has represented Lochte in the past, did not immediately respond to an email and a voicemail message seeking comment. It was not clear if he would represent Lochte in this case.

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Simone Manuel latest Olympic swimmer to win Honda Cup

Associated PressJun 26, 2018, 6:21 AM EDT

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