WE TRACK, YOU TRAIN! The FINIS Smart Goggle, powered by Ciye™, tracks and displays your laps, splits, set time, rest time, and more while you train. The display lives in the corner of the lens and can be seen at a glance, allowing your mind to focus on whatever you desire. After your swim, connect to the app for a complete breakdown of your swim and share your workout on Strava and other apps. Get yours at FINISswim.com
Sleek, Low-Profile Design Available in Smoke & Blue Tint
Complete Breakdown in App Easily upload to Strava!
Removable Smart Coach Module Replace goggles without breaking the bank
Choose the data you want to view at a glance... Or ignore it all and let the laps fly by!
CONTENTS USA NEWS 008 TORRI HUSKE GOES 1:58 IN 200 FREE AT TYR 18U SPRING CUP by Matthew De George
Torri Huske attained an Olympic Trials cut with her 1:58.09 in the 200 meter freestyle at the Richmond section of the TYR 18U Spring Cup. The meet was held at four locations—Richmond, Orlando, Irvine and Des Moines— for the top 18-and-under swimmers in the nation.
009 ORLANDO SECTION OF TYR 18U SPRING CUP PRODUCES GLUT OF TRIALS CUTS by Matthew De George
Six swimmers picked up new Olympic Trials cuts at the Orlando section of the TYR18U Spring Cup. The Orlando section is one of four quadrants of the TYR 18U Spring Cup across the country, offering the top youth talent a chance to qualify for Trials or upgrade which wave of Trials they make.
010 KATHLEEN BAKER CONTINUES TO BE FACE OF TRIUMPH OVER OBSTACLES AS SHE AIMS FOR SECOND OLYMPIC TEAM by Dan D’Addona
When Kathleen Baker qualified for the 2016 Olympics in Rio, she shared her story and her struggles with Crohn’s disease on the global platform. Now, aiming for her second Olympic team, Baker has been a source of courage and inspiration for many young swimmers who are battling more than just the competition.
014 OLYMPIC CHAMPION RYAN MURPHY OPENS UP ABOUT BATTLES WITH MIGRAINE HEADACHES by Dan D’Addona
Three-time Olympic gold medalist Ryan Murphy has been in an ongoing fight with migraine headaches over the years, which get worse with stress, making competition even more difficult than simply facing off against the nation’s best.
015 OUT OF THE POOL: MOLLY SULLIVAN ON DISTANCE DQs, BAD BASKETBALL AND SWIM PARENTING by Matthew De George
Molly Sullivan, a University of North Carolina graduate and former ACC swimming champion, chatted with Swimming World about her 15-year career in journalism, which has taken her from the sidelines of UNLV men’s and women’s basketball to nearly a decade on broadcasts in Philadelphia to network coverage of the NBA and NFL.
018 ONCE AN ALL-AMERICA SWIMMER, COLLEEN FOTSCH PURSUING OLYMPIC DREAM IN BOBSLED by Matthew De George
At 31, Colleen Fotsch is embarking on the third chapter of her athletic career. At Cal, she was an All-American and NCAA champion. After swimming, she discovered a love for CrossFit, where she competed for the last six years. Now, 13 years after she vied for an Olympic spot in the pool, she’s again trying to get to Beijing—this time as a member of the U.S. Olympic bobsled team in 2022.
WORLD NEWS 022 SARAH SJOSTROM EYES RETURN TO COMPETITION AT MARE NOSTRUM SERIES by Dan D’Addona
Olympic champion Sarah Sjostrom is looking ahead to the Tokyo Olympics, but the injured star is not looking too far ahead. Now three months post-op from her elbow surgery in February, she’s targeted a return date of June 1-2 at the Canet stop of the Mare Nostrum Series.
6
BIWEEKLY
SWIMMINGWORLD.COM
024 DRESSEL AND KING AMONG 500 SWIMMERS TO SIGN UP FOR ISL DRAFT by Liz Byrnes
SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY MAY 2021 | ISSUE 09
After the International Swimming League announced two weeks ago that it would include a swimmer draft for the next season that would enhance the parity of competition among the teams, 300 swimmers signed up within 72 hours, with the number now standing at 500.
025 CHINESE FEDERATION OPENS DOOR FOR SUN YANG TO RACE AT TOKYO OLYMPICS
As the Chinese Olympic Trials started last week, the controversial Sun Yang was missing from action. Yet, the Chinese Swimming Federation has instituted a measure that will enable Sun to race at the Olympics if he is deemed eligible following his upcoming retrial with the Court of Arbitration for Sport on a doping violation.
026 SWIMMING WORLD’S LATEST WORLD FEMALE RANKINGS AS OLYMPIC GAMES APPROACH by David Rieder
PUBLISHING, CIRCULATION AND ACCOUNTING www.SwimmingWorldMagazine.com Publisher, CEO - Brent T. Rutemiller BrentR@SwimmingWorld.com Associate Editor-in-Chief - John Lohn Lohn@SwimmingWorld.com Operations Manager - Laurie Marchwinski LaurieM@ishof.org Production Editor - Taylor Brien TaylorB@SwimmingWorld.com
COLLEGE NEWS 030 AUBURN NAMES ALUM RYAN WOCHOMURKA AS NEW HEAD COACH by Matthew De George
Auburn University announced the hiring of Ryan Wochomurka as the school’s new head swimming and diving coach. The former U.S. national teamer was a 21-time All-American at Auburn from 2002-05, winning three national championships with the Tigers.
032 NJCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS: INDIAN RIVER CLAIMS 47th CONSECUTIVE MEN’S TITLE, 39th STRAIGHT WOMEN’S TITLE by Dan D’Addona 033 LA SALLE UNIVERSITY REINSTATES MEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING
La Salle men’s swimming was cut last September, one of seven programs cut by the school, citing budget concerns. On May 3, the school’s board of trustees reinstated the men’s swimming and diving as a varsity program, effective immediately.
Circulation/Membership - Lauren Serowik Lauren@ishof.org Accounting - Marcia Meiners Marcia@ishof.org
EDITORIAL, PRODUCTION, ADVERTISING, MARKETING AND MERCHANDISING OFFICE ONE HALL OF FAME DRIVE, FORT LAUDERDALE, FL 33316 TOLL FREE: 800-511-3029 PHONE: 954-462-6536 WWW.SWIMMINGWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
EDITORIAL AND PRODUCTION Editorial@SwimmingWorld.com Senior Editor - Bob Ingram BobI@SwimmingWorld.com Managing Editor - Dan D’Addona DanD@SwimmingWorld.com Design Director - Joseph Johnson JoeJ@SwimmingWorld.com Historian - Bruce Wigo
DIVING NEWS 034 MICHAEL HIXON, ANDREW CAPOBIANCO CLINCH OLYMPIC QUOTA SPOT IN 3-METER SYNCHRO by Matthew De George 035 KASSIDY COOK, SARAH BACON SECURE WOMEN’S 3-METER SYNCHRO OLYMPIC QUOTA SPOT 036 SARAH BACON WINS FIRST 3-METER DIVING MEDAL FOR U.S. IN 30 YEARS AT WORLD CUP EVENT In capturing the silver medal in women’s 3-meter diving at the FINA World Cup behind China’s Yiwen Chen, Sarah Bacon became the first American female to medal in the event at a World Cup since Kelly McCormick won a bronze medal in 1989.
SPECIAL FEATURES 037 HOW THEY TRAIN: CHARLOTTE SHAMIA by Michael J. Stott
Staff Writers - Michael J. Stott, David Rieder, Shoshanna Rutemiller, Andy Ross, Michael Randazzo, Taylor Brien Fitness Trainer - J.R. Rosania Chief Photographer - Peter H. Bick SwimmingWorldMagazine.com WebMaster: WebMaster@SwimmingWorld.com
ADVERTISING, MARKETING AND MERCHANDISING Advertising@SwimmingWorld.com Marketing Assistant - Meg Keller-Marvin Meg@SwimmingWorld.com
INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENTS Americas: Matthew De George (USA) Africa: Chaker Belhadj (TUN) Australia: Wayne Goldsmith, Ian Hanson Europe: Norbert Agh (HUN), Liz Byrnes (GBR), Camillo Cametti (ITA), Oene Rusticus (NED), Rokur Jakupsstovu (FAR) Japan: Hideki Mochizuki Middle East: Baruch “Buky” Chass, Ph.D. (ISR) South Africa: Neville Smith (RSA) South America: Jorge Aguado (ARG)
PHOTOGRAPHERS/SWTV
038 PARTING SHOT
Peter H. Bick, USA Today Sports Images, Reuters, Getty Images
On the Cover: Kathleen Baker Photo by: Peter H. Bick
THE INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING HALL OF FAME IS LOOKING FOR 1,OOO SPECIAL MEMBERS IN THE AQUATICS COMMUNITY
*Artist rendition of possible new museum buildings
- JOIN THE CLUB -
Commit $10, $25, or $50 a month, or make a one-time donation. donation. Your donation helps keep us moving toward a new vision and museum*. www.swimmingworld.com/one-in-a-thousand
Follow Us On:
@ISHOF
@ISHOF_Museum
@ISHOF
ISHOF / 1 Hall of Fame Drive / Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316 / 954.462.6536 / www.ishof.org
[ PHOTO BY CONNOR TRIMBLE ]
USA NEWS
Torri Huske Goes 1:58 in 200 Free at TYR 18U Spring Cup BY MATTHEW DE GEORGE
T
orri Huske clocked in at 1:58.09 in the 200 freestyle at the Richmond section of the TYR 18U Spring Cup, attaining another Olympic Trials Cut.
Jillian Cox won the girls 800 free, Adam Fusti-Molnar claimed the boys 100 breast and Scarlet Martin was quickest in the girls 100 fly.
The meet is being held at four locations – Richmond, Orlando, Irvine and Des Moines – this weekend for the top 18-andunder swimmers in the nation.
At the Orlando TYR 18U Spring Cup: Sara Stolter broke one minute for the first time in the 100 butterfly to win in 59.58. She was followed to the wall by three swimmers – Jordan Galiano, Kiley Wilhelm, Heidi Smithwick – who picked up Trials cuts on the night. Stolter also finished second in the 200 free to attain a trials cut by .09 seconds. Summer Cardwell won that event in 2:00.88.
Huske also won the 100 butterfly in 57.61, more than three seconds faster than her opposition. Lauren Walsh picked up an Olympic Trials cut in winning the girls 100 breaststroke in 1:10.35. Zoe Dixon went 4:46.12 to win the 400 individual medley ahead of Sophia Duncan in an event that produced five Olympic Trials cuts. On the boys side, Josh Matheny won the 100 breast in 1:02.39, ahead of Jakob Frick, who picked up a trials cut in 1:02.63. Paige McKenna (800 free), Shane Washardt (1,500 free), Daniel Diehl (200 free), Ryan Branon (100 fly) and Tanner Nelson (400 IM) also picked up wins. At the Des Monies TYR 18U Spring Cup: The girls 100 breast picked up featured five swimmers with Trials cuts in the fastest race of the meet. Lucy Thomas won that in 1:09.04. Fifth was Meredith Smithbaker, who dropped more than a second and a half in prelims to get to Trials. The 200 free was similarly quick with three trials cuts: Malia Rausch won in 2:00.87, Ashley Strouse was second and Aurora Roghair is Trials bound after tying the cut line in prelims at 2:01.69. Rausch also earned a Trials cut in the 400 IM, second by a half-second to winner Kathryn McCarthy (4:49.13). Luke Hobson (1:49.44 in the 200 free) and Daniel Matheson (4:24.04 in the 400 IM) both got their trials cuts in the morning session before winning at night. Matheson also won the 1,500 on Thursday night. William Modglin won the 100 fly in 54.40, an exciting final with five swimmers under 55 seconds. 8
BIWEEKLY
SWIMMINGWORLD.COM
The boys side saw big time drops to get under Trials standards. Matthew Fallon trimmed nearly two seconds to 1:01.57 to win the 100 breast ahead of Henry Bethel. Jay Baker picked up his cut in the 400 IM in 4:24.72, followed by Peter Bretzmann, who cut nearly five seconds from his seed time to get to Trials. Michelle Morgan and Joshua Brown won the distance events Thursday. Samuel Hoover (200 free), Kelley Wetteland (100 breast), Holden Smith (100 fly) and Sumner Chmielewski (400 IM) also earned wins. At the Irvine TYR 18U Spring Cup: Justina Kozan pulled out a pair of victories Friday, going 1:58.10 to outduel Claire Tuggle (2:00.57) in the 200 free. She then dominated the 400 IM by more than 12.5 seconds to win in 4:42.05. Tuggle won the 800 free in 8:43.97 Thursday. Katelyn Crom cracked a minute in the 100 fly to win in 59.70. Second was Ecuadorian Anicka Delgado, followed by three with Trials cuts. Ana Adame won the 100 breast in 1:09.37, .15 ahead of Skyler Smith. On the boys side, Humberto Najera finished the night session with the swim of the day, going 4:24.80 in the 400 IM to earn a Trials cut. ◄
[ PHOTO COURTESY ZOE DIXON ]
Zoe Dixon finished second to Torri Huske in the 200 IM at the Richmond section of the TYR 18U Spring Cup. But she trimmed nearly a second and a half off her entry time to upgrade from Wave 1 to Wave 2 of Olympic Trials in 2:13.89. Huske won the event in 2:12.32, a little over a second from her best. She also won the 100 free in 55.57, outdueling Erin Gemmell in a battle of Trials cut holders. The other new cut from the day was Kristin Cornish in the mile, going 16:45.82 to book a spot in Omaha. Second was Claire Dafoe, who trimmed five seconds off her entry time to 16:49.60, just .41 from a cut. >> ZOE DIXON
Orlando Section of TYR 18U Spring Cup Produces Glut of Trials Cuts BY MATTHEW DE GEORGE
Six swimmers picked up new Olympic Trials cuts at the Orlando section of the TYR 18U Spring Cup. The 200 individual medley was particularly prosperous ground. Sara Stolter won the girls event in 2:16.45 to get under the standard. Ella Bathurst was second having already earned her way to Omaha. Third-placed Annika McEnroe will join them after she dropped 1.5 seconds to go 2:17.29 and clear the mark by an even tenth of a second. The boys winner is also Omaha-bound. Henry Bethel eked his way under the cut of 2:04.09, winning in 2:04.06. There was almost a fourth IMer bound for Trials, but Matt Fallon came up .09 shy in 2:04.18. It was still a best time by 1.8 seconds. Evan Keogh didn’t win the 200 backstroke, but his runnerup time of 2:02.74 was a best by 1.2 seconds and gets him a Trials spot. Winner Brandon Miller (2:02.47) already had a Trials cut sewn up. Luke Shourds (1:03.06 in the 100 breaststroke) and Holden Smith (54.01 in the 100 butterfly) also earned Trials cuts via time trials in Orlando. The Orlando section is one of four quadrants of the TYR 18U Spring Cup across the country, offering the top youth talent a chance to qualify for Trials or upgrade which wave of Trials they make. Kirsti McEnroe won the girls 100 freestyle in Orlando with a time of 56.49, her best by a full second. Jack Alexy nearly cracked 50 seconds again in winning the boys race. Hayden Penny (200 back), Julia Brzozowski (1,500 free) and Andrew Taylor (800 free) added wins.
The boys 200 IM didn’t supply a new Trials cut, but it made for a great race, with Arsenio Bustos edging Colin Bitz by a tenth. Bitz remains in the hunt for the Trials cut (2:04.09). Daniel Diehl won the boys 100 free, Henry McFadden claimed the 800 and Trials qualifiers Ann Behm and Tommy Janton split up the 200 back. Aurora Roghair trimmed nearly seven seconds in the 1,500 free to win the event in 16:48.56 and earn an Olympic Trials cut at the Des Moines section of the TYR 18U Spring Cup. At the other side of the distance spectrum, Luke Hobson won the 100 free in 50.24 to earn a Trials cut. The 200 backs were won by swimmers with cuts in hand, Emma Karam in 2:14.35 on the girls side and Ziyad Saleem in 2:02.26 for the boys. Malia Rausch solidified her cut in the 200 IM with a best time of 2:15.46, 1.3 seconds quicker. Tyler Lu continues to live around the cutline in the boys 2-IM: He entered with a seed time of 2:04.01 and was fractionally slower Sunday in 2:04.06. The Trials cut is 2:04.09. Des Moines featured a pair of heartbreaking near-misses. Marcus Gentry’s 2:03.03 is .04 off the 200 back cut. Caroline Bricker fell .07 shy in the 200 IM. Teagan O’Dell dropped more than four seconds to earn the Trials cut in the 200 back at the Irvine section of the TYR 18U Spring Cup. O’Dell clocked in at 2:14.51 to just get under the cut. The 14-year-old had been 2:18.55 entering the meet. She was also third in the 200 IM in 2:18.24, an event won by Katelyn Crom. O’Dell’s was the only new Trials cut of the day. Justina Kozan improved her time in winning the 100 free in 55.75. Crom and 800 free winner Matthew Chai each had Trials cuts. Gabriel Jett (boys 100 free), Ronald Dalmacio (boys 200 back), Zackary Tan (boys 200 IM) and Mattea Sokolow (girls 1,500) added wins. ◄ BIWEEKLY
SWIMMINGWORLD.COM
9
Kathleen Baker Continues to Be Face of Triumph Over Obstacles as She Aims for Second Olympic Team BY DAN D'ADDONA | PHOTOS BY CHRISTOPHER ANDERSON/LILLY
W
hen Kathleen Baker qualified for the 2016 Olympics in Rio, she shared her story and her struggles with Crohn’s disease on the global platform. It was something most people, even many close to her, did not know or did not fully understand. Now, aiming for her second Olympic team, Baker’s story is well-known within the swimming community and she has been a source of courage and inspiration for many young swimmers who are battling more than just the competition. “I have been more in tune in my body and tried to live less in denial about having a chronic disease because it can be hard to want to be normal — and I am not, and have always struggled with that,” Kathleen Baker told Swimming World. Baker is 24 and plans to swim the 100 and 200 backstroke events as well as the 200 IM at the upcoming Olympic Trials. Her outlook on the sport and her journey have changed a lot in the past five years. “So much has changed. I was 19 and so few people in my life actually knew I had Crohn’s disease vs. now when it is common knowledge,” Baker said. “I love that I am able to share my story and also love that so many people around 10
BIWEEKLY
SWIMMINGWORLD.COM
me understand why I do things differently out of the pool or in the pool, like needing more sleep or going to a doctor’s appointment. It is a different level of understanding, which on a personal level, is really nice for me.” But there are many more levels that Baker’s story is affecting. THE PLATFORM “On a platform level, being able to represent the Crohn’s and colitis community in such a good light and share my story — and share the light that it is not always perfect. Yes, I am training for the Olympics, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t still struggle with Crohn’s disease daily and have a lot of things I have to overcome along with that,” she said. “I look forward to being able to grow that platform and hopefully be another wonderful story to share at the Olympics this summer, and be able inspire so many young kids, not only with Crohn’s disease, but with any chronic illness, and show them they can accomplish so much and should never change their dreams.” Baker didn’t change her dream, and that determination led her to qualify for the Olympics in the backstroke. She was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at age 13, as she was beginning to show symptoms and struggle with those.
She relied on her family more than she knew at the time, something she has fully appreciated looking back, especially with all of the organization and assertiveness she has had to deal with as an adult, being on top of her situation with Crohn’s as well as her life outside the water, especially when a student at Cal when she became an NCAA champion. “I have had it for 11 years, which is a long time. It made me grow up quicker than most kids. I knew everything about my medicines, it started at a young age. I was fortunate to go to UNC Hospital, and they have such a great transition and people teaching you things so that when you transfer from pediatrics to being an adult, you understand everything, the medication, so you are not just living in the dark,” Baker said. “At 24, I live across the country from my family and my health is completely in my own control. I make all of my own doctor’s appointments, have to schedule rides when I get procedures done, I have to make sure I am getting my labs done every eight weeks. My mom is not there to remind me to go to the doctor.” FAMILY TIES All of that organization was done by Kathleen’s mother, Kimberly Baker, when Kathleen was first diagnosed. “My family is a huge support system and my mom was the one taking me to most of my appointments. After being diagnosed, I was going to appointments every couple of weeks, and I would get infusions every five weeks. My mom would take the day off of work and sit with me for six hours while I got medicine to help me be normal,” Baker said. “Knowing how much time she took, driving me an hour and a half to Chapel Hill for appointments and all that comes with having a kid with a chronic disease. It is so hard on me, but it was hard on my family. My dad and sister were so supportive and amazing. I am so fortunate that I have an amazing family and that my mom was so on top of it. I got diagnosed with Crohn’s pretty early in the grand scheme of things once I started showing symptoms. That was because my mom knew there was something wrong and told the doctors, and sure enough, I had Crohn’s disease all the way from my esophagus to my intestines. Moms typically know more about you than you know about yourself. I definitely miss having her close by.” There was something very real and bond-strengthening about their hours spent in the car or at doctor’s offices and hospitals together. “At the same time, with something so terrible to have, it did allow me to have more time with my family, especially my mom. I am so close with my mom. I still talk to her every
single day,” Baker said. “She is one of my biggest role models as an amazing mom, but also amazing woman. She was able to balance her own career with family and being at every single swim meet and doctor’s appointment. I am so fortunate to have that. Looking back on those memories, we laugh at some traditions we had, going to the same lunch spot every single appointment (for years). We made the most of it and definitely had some good memories in there.” Now, Baker is showing her support for her mom, who suffers from severe migraine headaches. Baker has joined Team Lilly, a prescription medicine sponsor of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC). “To be a part of this with my mom. I am so proud to be a part of Lilly and raise awareness for the impact of migraines that my mom suffers with is so close to my heart, because not only did she support me with my chronic disease, but she struggles with migraines and how strong she is,” Baker said. “She never really let that affect her role of being my mom. She is so tough. To be a part of this with her is amazing.” CROHN’S AND COVID Now, Baker is aiming to make a second Olympic team in a year full of adversity for the entire world. She said her adversity with Crohn’s has helped her mentally throughout the pandemic. “I feel like having Crohn’s has taken me out of the water for big chunks of time throughout my life. I have a huge appreciation for the sport and it is an attitude that a lot of people don’t get until they experience some adversity,” she said. “COVID gave everyone that adversity and it gave everyone a sense of gratitude. That is something that I had, but it grew even more. To be at practice and feel that gratitude that you are practicing, knowing it could be taken away at any moment — and for me it could be taken away because of Crohn’s or COVID-19 — having that is huge.” Baker has also seen some of her best success after not being in the water as much when she broke a world record in the 100 backstroke in 2018. “I also have been out of the water for seven weeks at a time then broken a world record a half year later, so I know that I am able to come back from being out of the water and that my body can handle that,” Baker said. “I am fortunate that I have experienced that.” During COVID-19 protocols, Baker and her Team Elite group found themselves training in backyard pools, or the CONTINUED >>
BIWEEKLY
SWIMMINGWORLD.COM
11
Pacific Ocean, or out of the water altogether at times. “I am fortunate that David Marsh is my coach. He is really good at finding creative ways for us to stay in shape,” she said. “I was just trying to stay positive and stay in shape, while having some fun.” ON TO THE TRIALS Kathleen Baker was one of the younger swimmers to make the Olympic team in 2016, the same age that Regan Smith, who broke Baker’s world record in the 100 backstroke at the 2019 World Championships, is now. Baker is now a professional swimmer and veteran on Team USA, giving her somewhat of a different outlook heading into trials. “The stress, which is a positive stress, leading into trials because I care so much and want to make the Olympic team,” she said. “I feel like in 2016, it was a frantic stress. I had to pull things together after having some health issues. I feel a lot more confident this time around. I am really looking forward to racing, and using the experience I have racing in the most high-pressure environments — trials, Olympics, worlds, you name it — to my advantage. Trials is a swim meet with emotion multiplied by 100. Even if it is not your own emotion, people around you are having their dreams made and having their dreams crushed. You have to know how to manage that external environment.” And Baker will be managing that as a veteran with a new 12
BIWEEKLY
SWIMMINGWORLD.COM
group of teenagers — as well as other veterans — aiming for the same goal. “I think it is exciting. You always want USA Swimming as a whole to get better. There are always going to be young kids right behind you, and for me, it is about being a good role model for them. But at the same time, I want to stay in my own lane. I am going to trials to race to the best of my ability. I want to go best times and make the Olympic team, so what I need to do is make sure I am doing everything I can,” she said. “You can really tire yourself out worrying about every single person coming up behind you. Right now, it is staying in my same lane. I felt like I was so old at 19, so it is funny to look back and know Regan Smith is 19 now. (It is about) using the competition in a positive way.” BUILDING A LEGACY Baker has done more than most in the pool, but it is not her accomplishments that have made a lasting impression over the years. It is what she has done with that platform. “I am just so proud that I am 24 and I still love swimming the way I did when I was 8. That is pretty amazing to say. I am proud to have broken a world record and gone to the Olympics, while being able to share my story with Crohn’s disease,” Kathleen Baker said. “I think that having this platform of being an elite athlete has been amazing for me to share my story and inspire so many kids around the world who struggle with anything. I am happy to be that voice.” ◄
Become A Member Today
INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP - Basic Member Benefits - ISHOF Pin & Patch - Swimming World Vault With Access To The Past 12 Months
$100
FAMILY MEMBERSHIP - Basic Member Benefits - ISHOF T-Shirt, Pin & Patch - Swimming World Vault With Access To Past 24 Months - 12 Print Issues of Swimming World Magazine
$150
LEGACY MEMBERSHIP - Basic Member Benefits - ISHOF Embroidered Polo Shirt, Pin & Patch - Swimming World Vault With Access Back To 1960 - 12 Print Issues of Swimming World Magazine
$300
CORPORATE MEMBERSHIP - Basic Member Benefits - ISHOF Embroidered Jacket, Pin & Patch - Swimming World Vault With Access Back To 1960 - Two tickets to ISHOF Induction Ceremony Dinner
$1000
Basic Member Benefits
To Become an ISHOF member go to: Swimmingworld.com/join
STAY CONNECTED
- Monthly Member ISHOF e Newsletter - Annual Yearbook With Your Name Listed - 12 Month Access to Swimming World Vault Includes: Swimming World Magazine, Swimming World Biweekly and Swimming Technique
MEMBER DISCOUNTS
- Discounted Ticket Price At ISHOF Events and Honoree Induction Ceremony - 10% OFF At The Museum/Swim Shop
To JOIN and SHOP visit us at / www.ishof.org Tear off and return with payment
Individual Membership..............................................................$100 Family Membership....................................................................$150 Legacy Membership................................................................... $300 Corporate Membership..............................................................$1000 T-Shirt / Polo / Jacket Sizes - S M L XL XXL I also want to make a tax-deductible donor contribution in the amount of $_______________________Donate Now Donation In Honor of My Coach
Name:__________________________________________________ Return completed form with payment to: ISHOF, 1 Hall of Fame Drive, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316 / p (954)462-6536 or at www.ishof.org
Name ____________________________________________________________ Address___________________________________________________________ City_________________________________ State _______ Zip ____________ Phone_____________________________________________________________ E-mail_____________________________________________________________ Payment (Check one): Check Visa MC AmEx Discover Enclosed is my check to ISHOF for a total of $ ______________________ Please charge my credit card for a total of $________________________ Acc’t# ____________________________________________________________ Exp. Date ________________________ Card Code ____________________ Signature_______________________________________________________ Contributions to the International Swimming Hall of Fame, a tax-exempt organization under section 501c3 of the Internal Revenue Code, are deductible for computing income and estate taxes.
[ PHOTO BY MIKE LEWIS / ISL ]
Olympic Champion Ryan Murphy Opens Up About Battles With Migraine Headaches BY DAN D'ADDONA
R
yan Murphy will see his biggest battle in the water this summer, aiming to make another Olympic team.
But his biggest battle out of the water has been an even tougher fight. The three-time Olympic gold medalist has been in an ongoing fight with migraine headaches over the years, which get worse with stress — making competition even more difficult than simply facing off against the nation’s best. It is an extra opponent that has proved to be the toughest. The worst part is Murphy never knows when that battle is going to begin — or end. “Yeah honestly the hardest part about migraines is how unexpected it is,” Ryan Murphy told USA TODAY Sports. “It comes at inopportune times mostly for me. A lot of the time migraines come as a result of stress, so when I have a lot going on and then you couple that with the migraines, it is a little bit tough to deal with.” Murphy went on to detail a story of his first major migraine, that occurred on a flight to the 2012 Olympic Trials. “I got a migraine on that second flight on my way to Omaha. For me, when I get a migraine, the first thing that happens is that I get really hot, I start sweating, so I was asking the 14
BIWEEKLY
SWIMMINGWORLD.COM
flight attendant for ‘water,’ I’m going to try and hydrate my way out of this,” Murphy told USA TODAY Sports. “Didn’t really work. Instead I was like, massaging my temples, trying to work out the migraine that way, and ultimately I ended up having to run down the aisle because I felt like I was going to throw up. There was someone in the bathroom as I was running down that aisle, so I was shaking the door, there’s someone in there, and so I puked all over that firstclass cabin. I had run to the front of the plane, puked all over, I think a little bit of puke got onto the Auburn head coach’s shoe, just to add to the embarrassment.” It was an experience that pushed Murphy to get more education on migraines and worked hard to handle the symptoms when they occur. Murphy has partnered with Eli Lilly, a prescription medicines sponsor of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC). “They are so excited about helping people reach their potential,” Murphy told USA TODAY Sports. “And they are taking on a lot of really challenging health problems and trying to come up with solutions or management to help people with those health problems.” Ryan Murphy said it has helped him focus on the extra competitor he faces, even on the biggest stages. ◄
>> MOLLY SULLIVAN WITH BEN SIMMONS
Out of the Pool: Molly Sullivan on Distance DQs, Bad Basketball and Swim Parenting BY MATTHEW DE GEORGE | PHOTOS COURTESY MOLLY SULLIVAN
W
hen Molly Sullivan graduated from the University of North Carolina, she was looking for a place close to home to start her career in TV journalism.
she adapted to from the beginning … after one little starstruck moment in her first game working for the Sixers in 2012 in Indiana.
Being a sideline reporter for Mountain West college sports sounded like a good gig … even if the position didn’t totally exist yet, or if they lacked a budget for it.
“I look over and I see Larry Bird in the front row,” Sullivan said. “And I passed out pretty much. I don’t even know my first hit, I don’t know what I said, I hope I did the team justice.” (For the record, nearly a decade later, she casually and correctly tosses out that Lou Williams hit the gamewinning bucket in overtime.)
Sullivan pushed and made it a reality. In a career that has lasted 15 years, she’s gone from the sidelines of UNLV men’s and women’s basketball to nearly a decade on broadcasts in Philadelphia to network coverage of the NBA and NFL. She spent seven seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers, two with the Philadelphia Eagles and covered the arrival of the Raiders to Las Vegas for CBS affiliate KLAS. She’s worked for the NFL Network and Turner Sports, covering colleges, the pros and just about everything else. The resilience and drive needed to succeed in journalism reminds Sullivan of the work she did in the pool, as an ACC champion distance specialist for UNC who qualified for NCAAs all four years and swam at the 2000 Olympic Trials. Competing with a mostly male reporting corps on the beat isn’t dissimilar to the time spent training with male distance swimmers at Santa Clara Swim Club. Being around athletes to tell their stories is something that
Sullivan chatted with Swimming World recently about her career in journalism, which included a pretty impressive recall of old magazine covers that we swear we did not put her up to. (Interview has been edited and condensed.) Swimming World: I’ve been familiar with your journalism but not your swimming background. What are some of your favorite memories in the pool? And is winning an ACC championship up there? Molly Sullivan: So my freshman year at Carolina, I can still recall at the time, I grew up in Las Vegas and my dad had flown out to the meet at the University of Maryland. I still recall his flight – I don’t know if the meet was running late or what was going on – but his flight, it was going to be down to the wire. I recall touching the wall and immediately not CONTINUED >>
BIWEEKLY
SWIMMINGWORLD.COM
15
SW: I see you listed Janet Evans as a role model in your UNC bio. That seems perfect for that era. Have you gotten to do any stories on her since?
>> MOLLY SULLIVAN AT LAS VEGAS GOLD SWIM CLUB
looking at my teammates, not looking for my time, nothing. I looked straight up to my father and his hand was up in the air and then bam, he was gone. I recall that freshman year, and that set the benchmark for my career at Carolina. I had a target on my back the rest of the time. I qualified for NCAAs all four years – I think I am the only person in the history of swimming to false start in the 1,650 freestyle, which I did at NCAAs in Atlanta, my (freshman) year. (Editors Note: She was not even the only person DQed in the 1,650 that year.) I was going in and I had a heck of a year, I had a breakout season, I was just flying through the water. I had changed my eating habits and nutrition started to become more important to me and the work outside of the pool, I started to run, I had a heck of a year. And I false-started in the mile, so you don’t even get to know your time. That was the horrible thing and I recall, we were being drug-tested and my boyfriend at the time was there with my parents at the time and they tossed down a bag of Swedish fish as if that was supposed to help me. I think I’m like that on the sidelines, too. I’ve always taken my role incredibly serious, whether as a student-athlete or a young swimmer growing up. I never took myself too seriously, and I thank my parents for that. But I always took swimming so serious, and when I got on that pool deck, the ability to keep my emotions in check, I had to learn and am still learning. 16
BIWEEKLY
SWIMMINGWORLD.COM
MS: She is such class. Growing up, Swimming World was the holy grail. Not only did you have scouting reports from meets across the country and globally, but the storytelling, that’s really where I gravitated to early on in my swimming career. I still think about the covers: I can still vividly see Janet Evans and she had this burgundy prom dress on one of the covers and it said “Swimming’s First Lady.” And there was Dara Torres behind the blocks and Summer Sanders on the beach with her hands on her hips and standing so confidently and with grace. Specifically with Janet Evans, she’s the epitome of class in everything she does. As I’ve grown in my career, we’ve connected at various points through social media and such, and to see her really champion 2028 in Los Angeles (she’s the chief athlete officer of that Olympics), now that I get it and I see value not only to the sport of swimming but to women athletes and just the human race, she carries herself with such class. The Janet Evans Invitational at USC is where I qualified for Olympic Trials. I always swam great at that meet. I would just get up for that meet every summer and I would swim out of my mind. I don’t know what it was, if it was rocking the Janet Evans Invitational shirt – I’ve still got them, and I’ll pass them down to my daughter – but she was it. She was the one, and continues to be. It’s one thing to just be a rock star in the pool, but she continues to not only champion women athletes but athletes as a whole, and now to see 2028 in Los Angeles and to see her doing her thing, she’s just the epitome of cool. SW: As you embarked on your journalism career, do you think being an elite athlete offered any different insight in connecting with the athletes you covered? MS: I don’t know, because we each have our strengths. For me, one of my strengths is also a weakness: I get very invested in the teams and the league and the people that I cover. And the people especially, I’ve always looked at the why of the people and the why of the results rather than the who and the what. I think anybody can talk Xs and Os, but I’ve always tried to separate my reporting by bringing out the real story, for the fans and the viewers, because I work for the person on the other side of the TV. Make no mistake, the NBA is my first love. I was hooked with swimming from Day 1, the first day in the pool, but the NBA was my first love and swimming and basketball have always been intertwined throughout my journey, oddly enough. I think as a swimmer, I learned obviously the work ethic is one thing, but the discipline, perseverance and composure certainly serves me well not only in my career but now as a mom and trying to pass those lessons on to my daughter and help her understand the power of sports. At the end of the day, you strip everything down, and I’m a competitor and I want to throw some elbows in those scrums if I’ve got to get the soundbite or whatever I’ve got to do, and my colleagues and I
will laugh about it.
strength to do what’s right and never let go of what matters most. Swimming, that’s where I learned it. SW: You’ve done boxing and the NBA and the NFL, some very masculine environments. What does it take to have the toughness to be in those rooms and ask the tough questions?
Truth be told, I was not the best student growing up. I probably liked to play a little bit more than I liked to work, at least in the classroom, but I’m paying for that now because I’m constantly learning and studying >> MOLLY SULLIVAN DURING A PHILADELPHIA EAGLES BRODCAST and researching, I can’t get enough, whatever my assignment might be. (Right now, I’m diving into the sports betting side of MS: I feel such a great responsibility, and I’ve been told that the things and trying to learn an entirely new side of things I approach everything like it’s Game 7. And I used to think, because it’s no longer taboo.) But I think being a swimmer gosh I’d better water down whatever I’m doing; I must be and understanding how to read a situation, I think anybody too intense. But as I’ve grown as a woman and as a sports can cover a winning team, but when you cover a losing team, broadcaster, I’ve realized, that’s who I am. I take everything you’ve got to be able to read the athletes, read the coaches, very serious and I think having the composure and the grace read the front office, read the fans and have your finger on to continue to tell the story even when it’s uncomfortable, if the pulse of what’s going on, so I think certainly being a they’re losing, if they’re winning, whatever, at the end of the swimmer has prepared me for that. day, they’re human beings. Often I was the only girl in the room, whether that room was a team charter with the 76ers, I was 99 percent of the time the only female on those flights traveling with the team. Often in the pregame or postgame scrums, I DESIGNING & MANUFACTURING was often the only female when the HIGH QUALITY POOL DECK Sixers were losing because there EQUIPMENT FOR 89 YEARS! wasn’t a lot of people at all around them. But I never batted an eyelash at that. I never flinched, because growing up, I trained with all guys. I was a competitor and it’s not like I needed that, but it’s just where my career went.
SW: Your career has taken you a lot of places. Are there a few highlights that stand out? And what has it taken to adapt to those new locales? MS: I think what I’m most proud of is earning the respect and the trust of Philadelphia sports fans. They expect their teams to reflect the city in that they’re going to fight and they’d better play smart and they’d better never stop fighting, and they expect the same from their reporting. When I made the transition from the NBA across the street to the NFL (with the Eagles), my core values stayed the same. So yes the rules change in terms of Football 101, but at the end of the day, I’m still telling the story. I’ve really enjoyed the NFL. I think the fact that everything matters, and in the NBA you’ve got so many games and there’s back-to-backs which I love because it’s just a continuation of the story, but in the NFL, you’ve got to pace yourself. When you’re a reporter and you’re in that locker room, you might not want to go in for the money question on a Tuesday because by the time you get to Thursday, these guys might be done with you and have nothing else. I think my time in the pool and staring at that blackline for 15 years, it has enabled me to stay disciplined and keep my priorities in check and have the
SW: Among the teams you covered in Philadelphia was the 10-72 76ers in 2015-16. How does one cover one of the worst basketball teams in history every night?
800.824.4387 SRSMITH.COM
MS: Well, there were lots of individuals to talk to, there was a revolving door during Brett Brown’s entire time with the 76ers. … On top of all of that, the winning, the losing, whatever, I was also pregnant that season, the entire season, so I was at week 36 on the 76ers’ final game, and I’ve got a photo where I was huge and I was waddling down the sideline and still telling the story and I’m very proud of that season. ◄ BIWEEKLY
SWIMMINGWORLD.COM
17
[ PHOTO COURTESY INSTAGRAM/@PARITYNOW ]
Once an All-America Swimmer, Colleen Fotsch Pursuing Olympic Dream in Bobsled BY MATTHEW DE GEORGE
E
ven by 2020’s unprecedented standards, Colleen Fotsch found herself somewhere she never would’ve expected last November. Instead of home in balmy Arizona, Fotsch folded herself into a carbon fiber bobsled shell, hurtling down the track in Lake Placid at speeds in excess of 70 miles per hour, crammed into a sled behind Olympic gold medalist pilot Kaillie Humphries. In the moment, as the adrenaline flooded her system and Fotsch pulled the brake lines as she learned days before that brakeman are required to do, all Fotsch could think about was when she’d be allowed to climb back to the start line and go again. “Once I got in, I was like, OK, we’re in, this is awesome,” Fotsch told Swimming World. “And then you start going down the track and it was definitely an oh shit moment of like, oh my gosh, what is going on. It’s not like anything else I’ve ever experienced. It’s not like a roller coaster. It’s just so unique.” Amidst the chaos of 2020, Fotsch discovered a unique opportunity. Now 31, she’s embarking on not a second but third chapter of her athletic career. At the University of California, she was an All-American and NCAA champion, competing at Olympic Trials in 2008. When her swimming career ended, she discovered a love for CrossFit, thriving in the strength-based workout routines and competing for the last six years.
18
BIWEEKLY
SWIMMINGWORLD.COM
Now, 13 years after she vied for an Olympic spot in the pool, she’s again trying to get to Beijing – this time on frozen H2O as a member of the U.S. Olympic bobsled team in 2022. It’s a journey that even she finds difficult to comprehend at turns, one she would’ve never believed had you told her as an 18-year-old swimmer in 2008. “She would’ve never believed me if I were to tell her about what was in store,” Fotsch said. “I think that girl would look at me now and not only just be really proud of the athletic accomplishments but proud of the person that she’s become. I think that’s what’s been one of the most amazing parts of my athletic journey through swimming and CrossFit and now bobsled, through sport I’ve just learned so much about myself and I think I’ve gained a lot of confidence through it. I’ve learned how to be really resilient.” From Cal to CrossFit Colleen Fotsch’s swimming memories gravitate toward racing. For all the time she now spends in the gym – or, during 2020, crafting workouts to while away hotel quarantines around bobsled trips – it’s racing that stands out most from swim career. She created plenty of memories at Cal to look back on. After her freshman season at Notre Dame, the Palo Alto High grad transferred back home to Berkeley, where she was a key part of the Golden Bears’ national titles in 2011 and 2012. As a junior, Fotsch pulled off a daring individual double, scoring in the 100 butterfly (14th) and 100 backstroke (15th) in the
same night session before joining the 200 medley relay to set all of the records – U.S. Open, Pac-12, school and pool marks. She also swam on the victorious 200 free relay that year. In 2012, the same medley relay (Cindy Tran, Caitlin Leverenz, Fotsch and Liv Jensen) duplicated the feat, while Fotsch swam on a runner-up 200 free relay as Cal won another national title, its third in four years. She swam at Olympic Trials in 2008, finishing 101st in the 100 butterfly.
“I loved racing. It’s what I lived for,” she said. “I loved being on relays with my teammates and that was just the best feeling in the world. But I think I got to a point where once I was done and I was no longer training to race or win an NCAA championship, I was like, yeah I’m good, I don’t want to swim laps anymore. Unless it’s swimming around in a floaty, I’m going to stay away from the pool.” Filling that gap of physical activity was a challenge. Fotsch returned to her alma mater as an intern then as a strength and conditioning coach, helping train some of her former teammates. She’s now pursuing a master’s degree in kinesiology online with Michigan State’s program. But there was a deficit in the place that competition held in her life for more than a decade. For all that swimming taught her, she didn’t instantly love the athletic build she was left with, taking time to accept that. When it was driven toward a goal, that was easier to accept. But without that next meet to work toward, she was left unmoored in that area of her life. Eventually in 2014, at what she has described as a low point emotionally, she followed friends to CrossFit. Her competitive fires were instantly reignited, from the obvious physical toll of the workout regimens to the psychological challenge of learning new motions and exercises. She’s participated in a number of regional and national CrossFit competitions, including ones with a swimming component. That inspired her to return to the water, both for recovery and training, which allowed her to “start to fall in love with getting back in the pool again,” still wearing her Cal cap. The intricacies of CrossFit appealed to her meticulous nature, especially given the constantly changing program of events that forces athletes to stay sharp. Within the CrossFit world’s devoted fandom, she’s a bit of a celebrity. Fotsch operates a YouTube channel and an Instagram account with more than 330,000 followers, where she shares nutrition tips, workouts and other glimpses into her journey. Her openness on social media reflects her journey to own the chiseled physique she has cultivated. Just last week, she
[ PHOTO COURTESY FINIS ]
But like any self-respecting sprinter, when the racing stopped at season’s end, so did Fotsch’s enthusiasm for getting in the water without a clear goal to train for.
posted about feeling insecure about her muscle tone as a swimmer and how she “failed to see and appreciate what my body and muscles were capable of doing and capable of.” The acceptance of her muscles, for what they are and for what they do, is a part of her journey to athletic achievement. And she carries that to the bobsled track. “The main goal is performance,” Fotsch said. “My priority now is not what I look like but there’s a part of me that it’s just funny now, I don’t want my arms to be smaller. I want to make sure they’re really muscular because I’m proud of that and I’m proud of how hard I’ve worked for the body I have, not for how it looks but for what it’s allowed me to do and the fact that I wake up every morning and it gets me to the gym and I get to work toward one day maybe making an Olympic team. It’s cool to reflect back on that and how I perceive my body now vs. almost ten years ago.” From CrossFit to the Chicanes Each step in Colleen Fotsch’s journey positioned her to get on the radar of Humphries, one of the top pilots in American women’s bobsled. One of the sport’s challenges is the general absence of youth bobsled, in the way that other athletes grow up as swimmers or hockey players. That means constant recruitment of the athletes involved in the make-or-break seconds atop the hill, getting the sled from a dead stop to the velocity that powers the run. The most recognizable American women’s bobsledder is Lolo Jones, a sprinter and hurdler who ran at the 2008 Summer Olympics and pushed at the 2014 Winter Olympics. Like many of the push athletes, she brought athleticism forged in another sport that was applied via rigorous training in the finer points of the push. Of the national teamers, Nicole Brungardt was a volleyball player, as was Lauren Gibbs, who also ran track. Sylvia Hoffman competed in weightlifting among other sports. Elana Meyers Taylor played rugby for the national team and softball professionally. Olympic medalist Aja Evans was a shot putter. Lauryn Williams won silver in CONTINUED >>
BIWEEKLY
SWIMMINGWORLD.COM
19
first runs down the ice, trying to take it all in. “The first time I went down, I had no idea where I was on the track, and now having taken more trips, it’s even more fun because you’re aware of where you are on the track and what curve you’re at and you know when the finish is,” she said. “Whereas my first trip, I just started counting in my head because I was like, ‘I know this is going to take around a minute to get down, so I’m just going to start counting.’” Fotsch spent most of a month in Lake Placid, adapting to cold weather like someone with extended family in Wisconsin who lived in Illinois as a kid. Her performance at the scouting combined earned her a spot on the national team, which gives her an inside line in trying to compete next year. While her physique has been completely transformed since her swimming days, there’s a part of the competitive mindset that remains with her. [ PHOTO COURTESY COLLEEN FOTSCH ]
“There’s a similar sense, being that I was a sprinter in swimming, that you’re going up to a block, you’re going all out,” she said. “Especially I kind of relate it to my relays, when I was doing a 50 free or a 50 fly, where you’re just going absolutely all out. My CrossFit workouts, there’s a lot more strategy and making sure you don’t blow up at the beginning. (Bobsledding) is not like that at all. You’re going for a few seconds, and you’ve got to go 100-plus percent.”
the 100-meter dash at the 2004 Summer Games and silver in bobsled at the 2014 Winter Games. Fotsch was joined by fellow CrossFitter Kelsey Kiel at camp this year. To sustain itself, USA bobsled has to create a welcoming environment to its newcomers. Humphries knew that when she reached out to Fotsch, inviting her to come to California to train with her. And Fotsch, who had risen from the level of newbie to star in not one but two sports already, was not only familiar with the humility required to learn a new sport but willing to be the vulnerable again. Being in CrossFit, where she has to learn new things constantly even though the sports is ostensibly the same, also helped in that regard. (Among those events is pushing a weighted sled over turf, a little too on the nose of prep for bobsled hopefuls.)
Fotsch will have to wait until the winter to get back on the ice, but there’s a push track set up at Lake Placid that replicates the crucial first seconds of the race for her. USA Bobsled will host push championships in July, and then testing and evaluation in the fall will determine how the federation approaches qualifying for Beijing and the world cup circuit. The women compete in the two-woman and the newly added monobob event. Fotsch would compete to be a brakeman for the two-woman. The U.S. sent two sleds to Pyeongchang in 2018 and three each to Sochi in 2014 and Vancouver in 2010. (That the women don’t compete in four-person bobsled like the men is a major battleground for gender equity; monobob is a concession to even up the men’s and women’s competitions at two events each in Beijing.)
“Honestly, I had no idea,” Fotsch said. “Obviously I had watched it in the Olympics, but I had no idea how athletes go into it, so it was really cool to learn about the combine and what team trials entails and what training for bobsledding looked like. … With bobsledding, it’s not like baseball or soccer or football; you can’t just go to your backyard and be like, I’m going to try this and see if I like this.”
Physically, it’s a long way from the pool. But as Fotsch realized while watching women’s NCAAs this year and reliving the competitive atmosphere she once occupied, there’s something very familiar to it all. In those moments when she’s locked in on the back of the sled, taking the final deep in breaths before unloading all her strength into the push for five lung-busting seconds, there’s something deep in her brain that feels the same as that 18-year-old waiting on the block for the start of a race.
Fotsch’s travels brought her first to California, to get to know Humphries and get an idea of the physical demands of pushing and what specific aspects of her strength she’d have to train. In November, she ventured to Lake Placid for her
“I’ve kind of reverted to mentally where I would go when I would go up to the block in swimming,” she said. “And what I love, too, is you’re going 100 percent, 110 percent, you’re not thinking about anything else.” ◄
20
BIWEEKLY
SWIMMINGWORLD.COM
BE SEEN / BE SAFE
Keep You and Your Belongings Safe and Dry
Designed and manufacture d by the International Swimming Hall of Fame, The Original SaferSwimmer® float was developed to provide a safety aid for open water swimmers. The Original SaferSwimmer® is a brightly colored, inflatable, lightweight float with a waist belt which visibly floats behind swimmers without interfering or hindering performance.
Place your belongings in the dry pouch and take them with you instead of leaving them behind.
The Original SaferSwimmer® can also be used in an emergency as a flotation aid or to calm distressed swimmers. Perfect for open water swimmers and triathletes.
- Free shipping for online orders -
[ PHOTO BY MIKE LEWIS / ISL ]
WORLD NEWS
Sarah Sjostrom Eyes Return to Competition at Mare Nostrum Series BY DAN D'ADDONA
O
lympic champion Sarah Sjostrom is looking ahead to the Tokyo Olympics, but the injured star is not looking too far ahead — just enough to target a return date after her elbow injury. Sjostrom plans to return to racing during the Mare Nostrum Series. The Canet stop is June 1-2. She detailed the plan to Swedish news source Dagens Nyheter. She then hopes to compete at the Italian Sette Colli Trophy in late June. After a strong International Swimming League (ISL) season, Sjostrom was injured and has been slowly getting back into the water, starting with freestyle motions, she posted a couple of weeks ago. She is now three months post-op from her surgery. Sjostrom sustained the injury to her right elbow when she slipped on ice on her way to Reimersholme, south of Stockholm, in February and she was quickly transported to hospital where the fracture was diagnosed and she had surgery to repair the injury. Now, she is continuing to prepare to defend her Olympic title in the 100 butterfly. “I’m slowly getting stronger. This is actually a good start for everyone who wants to learn how to do push ups, this is
22
BIWEEKLY
SWIMMINGWORLD.COM
my level now! Next week I will try to take down the barbell one small step, if my elbow feels ok. And eventually I can do push-ups with my hands on the floor and feet elevated. But progression and patience is super important. First of all I need to learn how to push the same on both sides and keep the shoulders in place. Lost alot of muscle mass and strength on my right arm (4cm) and shoulder in the last 10 weeks, so that’s definitely a challenge,” Sarah Sjostrom posted on Instagram. Sjostrom has been publicly positive about her recovery starting when it occurred. Unfortunately I’ve got some bad news this snowy Sunday morning from Stockholm. Yesterday I slipped badly on the ice and broke my elbow when I fell on the ground. “It’s obviously very shitty timing and I feel devastated, but at the same time I’m determined and motivated to come back stronger then ever. “I’ve seen athletes who come back stronger after injuries and they are my big inspiration now. Surgery is scheduled tomorrow. I have an amazing support team around me, and they will help me with rehabilitation.” ◄
www.halloffameswimshop.com Use code: HALLOFFAME for
10% OFF
Hall of Fame Swim Shop - SALE International Swimming Hall of Fame / 1 Hall of Fame Drive / Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316 / 954-462-6536 / www.Ishof.org
[ PHOTO BY MINE KASAPOGLU / ISL ]
>> CAELEB DRESSEL
Dressel and King Among 500 Swimmers to Sign Up for ISL Draft BY LIZ BYRNES
T
he ISL announced a fortnight ago that the season would include a swimmer draft which would change the athlete selection process and enhance the parity of competition among the teams. Clubs can retain a maximum of 15 swimmers from Season 2, plus one additional swimmer via an interactive online fan vote. Eleven further swimmers will be selected from the ISL draft pool starting with the lowest-ranked team which last season was Aqua Centurions. General Managers will complete their teams’ rosters, selecting from the remaining swimmers in the draft pool for a maximum of 36. The three highest MVP scorers – Dressel, King and Beryl Gastaldello – have all signed up with the draft scheduled to take place during the week of 21 June 2021. Other prominent female swimmers who have registered include Siobhan Haughey – another top 10 MVP scorer from Season 2 – Hali Flickinger, Freya Anderson, Emily Seebohm, Olivia Smoliga, Abbey Weitzeil and Minna Atherton. Atherton of Australia was the first swimmer to break a world
24
BIWEEKLY
SWIMMINGWORLD.COM
record in the ISL back in Season 1. Evgeny Rylov, Kyle Chalmers, Tom Shields, Michael Andrew and Cody Miller are among the men to have signed up. ISL founder Konstantin Grigorishin said: “The initial response to the ISL Draft has been absolutely outstanding with more than 300 swimmers signing up within 72 hours of us opening the registration page, and we now stand at the 500 mark. “The ISL is about breaking barriers both in and out of the pool, not least by creating a culture of gender equity, and with the ISL Draft we will see for the first time in the history of professional sports both men and women drafted with equal opportunity to compete in a league together. “We want to keep the momentum going and see as many eligible male and female swimmers as possible be a part of history by participating in the ISL Draft. “We encourage our valued clubs to promote the draft to the world’s swimmers, we encourage our ISL alumni to promote the draft to their peers, and we encourage all those who are eligible to join the revolution!’’ ◄
limbo. Yet, the Chinese Swimming Federation has instituted a measure that will enable Sun to race at the Olympics if he is deemed eligible following his upcoming retrial with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on a doping violation. The Chinese Federation announced that any athletes who captured titles at the 2019 World Championships would receive automatic qualification for the Tokyo Games. That ruling affects only Sun, who claimed world titles in the 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle, and Xu Jiayu, who was the world champion in the 100 backstroke.
Chinese Federation Opens Door for Sun Yang to Race at Tokyo Olympics BY SWIMMING WORLD EDITORIAL TEAM
A
s the Chinese Olympic Trials started on Friday, the controversial Sun Yang was missing from action, his status for this summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo still in
In February 2020, Sun was handed an eight-year ban by the CAS due to what unfolded during an out-of-competition doping test in September 2018. During the visit by doping testers, Sun and his entourage refused requests of the officials and, at one point, a member of Sun’s team destroyed a vial containing Sun’s blood. While the CAS originally ruled against Sun and, with an eight-year ban ultimately ended the career of the Olympic champion, Sun argued that one of the CAS judges was biased and the case will be heard again by the CAS in late May. If the CAS again rules against Sun, he will be absent from this summer’s Olympic Games. If the ruling goes in favor of Sun, a path toward competing has been established by the Chinese Federation for Sun to defend his Olympic crown in the 200 freestyle. ◄
The ORIGINAL Resistance Swim Team Training Gear USED BY ATHLETES WORLDWIDE
IN WATER RESISTANCE TRAINING GEAR Increase stamina & speed | Quicker acceleration | Enhanced Endurance NZCordz.com | 800.886.6621 Made in the USA
BIWEEKLY
SWIMMINGWORLD.COM
25
[ PHOTO BY CONNOR TRIMBLE ]
>> KATIE LEDECKY
Swimming World’s Latest World Female Rankings As Olympic Games Approach BY DAVID RIEDER
R
anking swimmers who specialize in different events is a very subjective exercise, even in the most normal of times. Judging a 50 freestyler against a 400 IMer means comparing two very different skill sets with little overlap. Should we weigh more heavily consistency or best times or performances in certain meets? All that depends on who is doing the ranking. And of course, the world has been besieged by the COVID-19 pandemic over the past year. Access to training facilities and to competitions has been uneven, and some swimmers have not raced in a major event in almost two years, while others have already completed their Olympic Trials. Certainly, these rankings will be a lot more clear after the Olympics this summer or even after the full gamut of Trials meets is complete. But for now, here is where we stand. This list is heavily weighted toward long course performances, particularly in an Olympic year, and given the inconsistency in racing opportunities, this list captures a moment in time that stretches all the way back to the 2019 World Championships. Plenty of you may disagree with this ordering, and there can even be a legitimate argument for replacing some of the swimmers at the bottom of this list. That’s all fine. This is just one opinion. Beginning with the list of the top female swimmers in the world, there still is no competition for the No. 1 spot.
26
BIWEEKLY
SWIMMINGWORLD.COM
1. Katie Ledecky, USA The only break in Katie Ledecky’s dominance came at the 2019 World Championships, when she finished a surprising second to Ariarne Titmus in the 400 free and withdrew from two races before finally winning a grueling showdown for gold in the 800 free. That made Ledecky one of just two women to ever win four straight world titles in one event (and one of just four swimmers total). She is the fastest swimmer ever in the 400 free by more than two seconds, the 800 free by more than nine and the 1500 free by more than 18. She could bring in another very impressive Olympic medal haul in Tokyo. Even though the 200 free shapes up as a competitive race, and Titmus awaits in the 400, it’s almost impossible to see Ledecky not winning a third straight gold medal in the 800 free or not winning the inaugural gold in the 1500. 2. Lilly King, USA Lilly King has not lost a 50 or 100 breaststroke race since 2015, and she holds the world record in both events. Her 100-meter world record is 1:04.13, and the only active swimmer within a second and a half of that mark is longtime Russian rival Yulia Efimova. King is lurking in the 200 breast, as well, and if she can navigate the U.S. Olympic Trials in that event, she would be a threat for an Olympic medal in another event. 3. Regan Smith, USA The last time there was a full global swimming competition, Regan Smith was the undisputed star in the women’s
4. Simone Manuel, USA The first swimmer on this list who does not own a world record, Simone Manuel has developed a knack for coming up huge in the most important races. She has won gold medals in the 100 free at the last three major events, the 2016 Olympics, the 2017 World Championships and the 2019 World Championships, and she added a 50 free gold in 2019. Each victory has been considered a big upset, but given her track record, each win is just a little less surprising. Going into Tokyo, Manuel is best positioned in the 100 free, where she ranks third all-time in 52.04.
[ PHOTO BY CONNOR TRIMBLE ]
competition. She did not debut until day six of eight, but she ended up smashing world records in both the 100 and 200 back (and as part of the U.S. women’s 400 medley relay). Smith, now 19, hasn’t had a chance to show her best form since the pandemic, but despite some challengers emerging, she enters the Olympic summer as gold-medal favorite in both events.
>> REGAN SMITH
6. Kaylee McKeown, Australia Perhaps no swimmer has improved her stock more during the COVID-19 pandemic than Kaylee McKeown. In 2019, she earned her first individual medal at a major meet when she took silver in the 200 back, but over the past several months, she has vaulted up to second all-time in the 100 back (57.93) and third all-time in 200 back (2:04.49). She joins Regan Smith as the only sub-58 swimmer in the 100 back, and only Smith and Missy Franklin have been quicker in the 200 back. McKeown has also made herself a gold-medal contender in the 200 IM after swimming a 2:08.23, good for eighth alltime, and McKeown has been consistent, with scintillating times at four different meets since November. She could make her Olympic debut this summer at age 20 with a shot at some significant hardware. 7. Sarah Sjostrom, Sweden Again, no need to overthink this. Sarah Sjostrom has been dealing with some injuries in recent months that have hampered her preparation for the Olympics, and her performance at the 2019 World Championships was not her best, but she remains the world record-holder in the 50 and 100 free and 50 and 100 fly. She won three medals, one of each color, at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. If she can return to her best form by the Olympics, she could be in the running for all three Olympic gold medals.
[ PHOTO BY BECCA WYANT ]
5. Ariarne Titmus, Australia At the 2019 World Championships, Ariarne Titmus became the first swimmer to ever become a rival for Katie Ledecky in a freestyle race 400 meters and up. In a stunning moment in the women’s 400 free final, Titmus came from behind over the final 100 meters and then swam away from Ledecky to win gold in 3:58.76, making her just the second woman to ever break 4:00 in a textile suit. Titmus added a silver medal in the 200 free and a bronze in the 800 free, and although she has dealt with some injury issues this year, she should be positioned to aim for a big medal haul in Tokyo.
>> ARIARNE TITMUS
8. Maggie MacNeil, Canada Maggie MacNeil pulled off the biggest upset of the 2019 World Championships when she stunned Sarah Sjostrom to win gold in the 100 fly, and now, MacNeil is considered the favorite for Olympic gold in the event, with the potential to challenge Sjostrom’s world record of 55.48. MacNeil has closing speed unlike any of her competitors, and when she won the world title, she actually turned fifth before blasting the back half. Since 2019, she has been tearing up her competition at the NCAA level as a Michigan Wolverine. In March, she became the first woman ever under 49 in the 100yard fly while also winning the NCAA title in the 100 free and taking second in the 50 free. 9. Emma McKeon, Australia Few swimmers have made more of an impact across a span of events as Emma McKeon. She has won silver and bronze medals at the World Championships in the 200 free and 100 fly, and she provides absolutely critical legs on all of Australia’s free relays. She has never had the chance to CONTINUED >>
BIWEEKLY
SWIMMINGWORLD.COM
27
>> ZHANG YUFEI
[ PHOTO BY FEI MAOHUA ]
year later to set a world record and win the world title in the 100 back, and she defended that gold medal in 2019 while also adding a bronze in the 200 back. In fact, Maase has not lost an individual 100 back race since 2016. The backstroke events have gotten quicker in recent years, but she remains squarely in the Olympic medal picture.
show off her individual 100 free skills at a major international meet, but she could be in medal contention in that event if she can beat out Bronte Campbell for Australia’s No. 2 spot in that event. Even though her only individual gold medals on the international level have come at the Commonwealth Games, McKeon’s versatility and talent make her a shoo-in for a high spot on this list. 10. Katinka Hosszu, Hungary Katinka Hosszu is another swimmer who may fall a little bit short in the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately rankings, but her résumé in the IM events is unmatched. She has won four consecutive world titles in both the 200 and 400 IM events, and she holds world records in both. She will have trouble duplicating her results in the backstroke events from the 2016 Games (gold in the 100 back and silver in the 200 back), but in the IMs, Hosszu’s world records are a significant distance ahead of her closest competition—two seconds in the 200 IM and six seconds in the 400 IM. 11. Cate Campbell, Australia Perhaps she gets a bad rap because she has never won an individual gold medal, but Cate Campbell has already won medals in three Olympics—at her first Games in 2008, she was just 16—and she will look to add to that total in 2021. At the 2019 World Championships, she won silver in the 100 free and bronze in the 50 free, and a year before that, she posted the best performance of her career with five golds at the Pan Pacific Championships. But Campbell is at her best on relays. She has posted the seven fastest 100 free relay splits ever, all since 2018, almost all of them in clutch anchor situations. 12. Kylie Masse, Canada It would be fair to call Kylie Masse the most consistent backstroker in the world since the Rio Olympics. After tying for Olympic bronze in the 100 back in Rio, she returned a 28
BIWEEKLY
SWIMMINGWORLD.COM
13. Zhang Yufei, China Zhang Yufei comes in much higher on this list than she might have one year ago. At the 2019 World Championships, Zhang finished tied for 14th in the 100 fly and 26th in the 200 fly, but she topped the world rankings in both events during the pandemic-affected 2020. She almost broke the world record in the 100 fly with her 55.62, and she also put up an impressive 2:05.49 in the 200 fly that ranked her first globally. The 23-year-old helped China break the world record in the mixed 400 medley relay, and she may also have Olympic medal potential in the 100 free. 14. Tatjana Schoenmaker, South Africa Only five women have ever swum the 200 breaststroke in under 2:20, and none have done so since 2016. But Tatjana Schoenmaker, a 23-year-old from South Africa, almost joined that club last month when she swam a 2:20.17. Now, she is an Olympic gold medal favorite. Schoenmaker has quickly risen through the world rankings, from not even qualifying for the 2017 World Championships to sweeping the breaststroke events at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and 2019 World University Games to taking silver in the 200 breast at the 2019 World Championships. She has also swum a 1:05.74 in the 100 breast, second-fastest in the world this year behind Lilly King. 15. Simona Quadarella, Italy Simona Quadarella is as good in the 800 and 1500 free as any swimmer this side of Katie Ledecky. She swept the 400, 800 and 1500 free gold medals at the 2018 European Championships, and then, in Ledecky’s absence, she won the 1500 free world title in 2019, dominating the field by eight seconds. Quadarella also pushed Ledecky in the 800 free before settling for silver. She’s just 22, and she already ranks fourth all-time in both distance events. 16. Federica Pellegrini, Italy Federica Pellegrini has been one of the world’s best swimmers since 2004, when she won her first Olympic medal in the 200 free. The 32-year-old has not come close to her suit-aided world record of 1:52.98 in years, but in 2019, she still won the fourth world title of her career in the 200 free and won a medal in the event for the eighth straight World Championships. She has not won an Olympic medal since 2008, when she captured gold in the 200 free, so she will try to break that drought in 2020. 17. Siobhan Haughey, Hong Kong Siobhan Haughey made a name for herself during an impressive college career at the University of Michigan, and the 23-year-old from Hong Kong has established herself as a
bona fide international contender. Haughey took fourth in the 200 free at the 2019 World Championships, and she swam as quick a 1:54.44 last year, suggesting she could be in goldmedal contention at the Olympics. Haughey also was one of the most impressive performers during the 2020 ISL season, recording the by far the top times in the 100 and 200 free (short course meters). 18. Yui Ohashi, Japan Over the past four years, Yui Ohashi has been about as consistent as any swimmer aside from Katinka Hosszu in the women’s IM events. Ohashi won a silver medal in the 200 IM at the 2017 World Championships and then a bronze in the 400 IM in 2019, and few other swimmers have both 2:08 (200 IM) and 4:32 (400 IM) potential. Ohashi also swept the IM gold medals at the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships and 2018 Asian Games. It’s consistency over a long stretch, not any recent fireworks, that gives Ohashi the nod for this spot. 19. Wang Jianjiahe, China Wang Jianjiahe was only 17 years old when she won her first World Championships medal, a silver in the 1500 free in 2019, but even before that meet, she had already moved to third all-time in the 800 free, behind only Katie Ledecky and Rebecca Adlington, with an 8:14.64. Wang will be 19 for the Olympics this summer, and her times suggest she will be a medal contender in the 800 and 1500 free. If she can replicate that 8:14 form, she will be squarely in the mix for 800 free silver. 20. Melanie Margalis, USA Melanie Margalis has been on the international scene for a long time, but she is really starting to come into her own at age 29. She has been fourth in the 200 IM at the 2016 Olympics, 2017 World Championships and 2019 World Championships, and she has been a key member of the U.S. women’s 800 free relay, but only recently has she begun to embrace the 400 IM. She has never swum the event internationally, but her best time of 4:32.53 is by far the fastest by an American since 2016. She could contend for a medal in both IMs in Tokyo, although the 200 IM will require her to beat out a deep field at the U.S. Trials. 21. Evgeniia Chikunova, Russia For years, Yulia Efimova has been one of the world’s top breaststrokers, but in 2021, 16-year-old Evgeniia Chikunova has surpassed Efimova as Russia’s top breaststroker. Chikunova won the 100 breast over Efimova at Russia’s Olympic Trials in 1:06.06, and she and Maria Temnikova combined to deny Efimova an Olympic spot in the 200 breast, where Efimova is the two-time reigning World Champion. Chikunova’s 200 breast time of 2:21.63 ranks third in the world this year, and she will surely contend for an Olympic medal in that event. 22. Hali Flickinger, USA Hali Flickinger has been the top 200 butterflyer in the United States since 2017, but she has slowly developed into one of
the world’s best in that event as well. She won gold at the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships and then silver at the 2019 World Championships, after swimming times in the prelims and semifinals quicker than the eventual gold medal-winning time. The 200 fly has improved considerably since 2019, but Flickinger should be in the hunt come Tokyo. 23. Claire Curzan, USA Had the Olympics gone off as scheduled in 2020, Claire Curzan would have had an outside chance at making the U.S. team at best. Now, the 16-year-old has vaulted from Olympic longshot to medal contender in the 100 fly with just a few stunning performances. She improved her lifetime best from 57.87 in 2019 to 56.61 in November 2020 to 56.20 in April 2021. She is now the eighth-fastest performer ever in the event and within striking distance of Dana Vollmer’s American record of 55.98. 24. Kathleen Baker, USA It’s easy to lose sight of Kathleen Baker in the grand scheme of world swimming since Baker dealt with injuries in 2019 and did not win a medal at the World Championships. But she’s still the third-fastest performer in history in the 100 back and a possible Olympic medal contender in that event along with the 200 back and 200 IM (where she has been as quick as 2:08.32, tied for ninth all-time). Baker has been around for a while, but she is only 24, and she could be a huge factor in Tokyo across several events if she can finish in the top two against very deep fields at U.S. Olympic Trials. 25. Taylor Ruck, Canada Considering the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately factor, Taylor Ruck hardly deserves a mention on this list. But you don’t have to go back far to remember 2018, when Ruck took gold in the 200 free, silver in the 200 back and bronze in the 100 free at the Pan Pacific Championships. Ruck actually ranks sixth all-time in the 200 free with that effort from Pan Pacs, when she led a podium that also included Rikako Ikee and Katie Ledecky, and she swam in three individual finals at the 2019 World Championships. She also plays a key role in three Canadian relays, all in medal contention for the Olympics. She has not raced much in the past year, but given the pandemic circumstances, forgetting about Ruck would be foolish. THE NEXT 10 IN CONSIDERATION (alphabetical order) • • • • • • • • • •
Minna Atherton Kathleen Dawson Yulia Efimova Suzuka Hasegawa Boglarka Kapas Annie Lazor Margherita Panziera Sydney Pickrem Molly Renshaw Wang Junxuan ◄ BIWEEKLY
SWIMMINGWORLD.COM
29
COLLEGE NEWS
Auburn Names Alum Ryan Wochomurka as New Head Coach BY MATTHEW DE GEORGE | PHOTOS BY JOE BUVID/HOUSTON ATHLETICS
A
uburn University announced the hiring of Ryan Wochomurka as the school’s new head swimming and diving coach, tasking the alumnus with leading the Tigers back to glory. Wochomurka was a 21-time All-American at Auburn from 2002-05, winning three national championships with the Tigers. The U.S. national teamer has proven himself a strong head coach in six seasons at the University of Houston, leading the Cougars to five consecutive American Athletic Conference women’s titles. “My family and I are honored and humbled for the opportunity to serve as the head coach at Auburn University,” Wochomurka said in a university statement. “I am very thankful to Mr. Allen Greene, President Gogue, the Board of Trustees, and our proud alumni for the opportunity to lead our Auburn men and women in the pool. It is hard to truly encapsulate into words the impact that Auburn Swimming and Diving has had on my life, and we will strive tirelessly
30
BIWEEKLY
SWIMMINGWORLD.COM
to the very best of our ability to provide the same incredible Auburn experience to our current student-athletes that has shaped the lives of so many that have come before. The rich history and tradition of this program is second to none, and we have an incredible opportunity to stand on the shoulders of giants as we look to the future. ‘I believe in Auburn and love it.’ WAR EAGLE!” Wochomurka was named the AAC women’s swimming coach of the year each of those years, from 2017-21. His final award at this year’s championships included producing the co-AAC swimmers of the year (Mykenzie Leehy and Ioanna Sacha) and the freshman of the year (Laura Garcia-Marin). Three Houston swimmers and one diver represented the school at the NCAA Championships. Houston scored nine points at NCAAs, the most for the program since 2011 and the most among non-power conference schools in 2021, finishing in 30th place “We are thrilled to announce Ryan Wochomurka as the
new leader of our swimming and diving program,” Auburn athletic director Allen Greene said. “Ryan’s proven to be an effective communicator and relationship builder, resulting in exceptional recruiting and the development of championship teams as the head coach at the University of Houston. In addition, his achievements as a 21-time All-American and three-time national champion swimmer at Auburn, and the respect he’s earned within the collegiate swimming community, uniquely qualified this Auburn man to lead his alma mater. We’re delighted to welcome Ryan, Leigh, Hayes and Hallie back to the Plains.” Before being hired by Houston, Wochomurka spent eight seasons as an assistant at Louisville, rising to become the recruiting coordinator and associate head coach for the men’s team. He helped them win a pair of Big East men’s titles, three Big East women’s titles and a sweep of both crowns at the 2014 AAC championships. Auburn has fallen far from its perch as one of the nation’s top programs. The men were dominant in the early 2000s, winning six of their eight NCAA titles over a seven-year stretch from 200309. The women’s team won five of six national titles from 2002 to 2007. Auburn has won 18 men’s SEC titles (the last in 2012) and five women’s titles (last in 2008), mostly under the tutelage of David Marsh, then Richard Quick. Gary Taylor was hired in 2018 as the program’s eighth head coach, but he was let go after a 2021 season in which both Auburn squads failed to score at NCAAs. The Auburn men finished eighth at SECs. The women were ninth. ◄
REACH LONG
KICK STRONG
NZCordz.com 800.886.6621 BIWEEKLY
SWIMMINGWORLD.COM
31
[ PHOTO COURTESY NJCAA ]
NJCAA Championships: Indian River Claims 47th Consecutive Men’s Title, 39th Straight Women’s Title BY DAN D'ADONNA
T
he NJCAA Swimming and Diving Championships concluded on Saturday at Anne Wilder Aquatic Complex with Indian River sweeping the titles once again. The Indian River men’s team won its stunning 47th consecutive NJCAA title, while the women won their 39th consecutive championship. The men’s team scored 1,340 points to dominate the field. Iowa Central was second with 690.5, followed by Southwestern Oregon (598), Barton (597.5), South Georgia State (252), Iowa Lakes (223), Erie (159), Jamestown (120), Ancilla (10) and Genesee (3). The Indian River women scored 1,374 points to roll to victory at the NJCAA championships. Southwestern Oregon was second (674), followed by Iowa Central (562), Jamestown (329), Erie (213), Genesee (184), South Georgia State (135), Barton (88) and Iowa Lakes (55). The Indian River men started the final session with a 1-2-3 finish in the 50 fly as Liam Henry won in 21.89, followed by Brennan Hammond (21.99) and Nicholas Fauteux (22.68). Then Luke Altmann (45.20), Dean Walker (45.48) and Caleb Brandon (45.67) went 1-2-3 in the 100 free.
32
BIWEEKLY
SWIMMINGWORLD.COM
Michael Deans (1:56.82) and Aramis Rivera (1:59.93) went 1-2 in the 200 breaststroke. TJ Ray (426.80 points) and Timothy Nagy (362.30) went 1-2 in 3-meter diving. Indian River closed the meet with a victory in the 400 freestyle relay. Altmann, Brandon, Walker and John Zeiger won in 3:00.61. Southwest Oregon’s Alejandro Robles Ruiz won the NJCAA 200 backstroke in 1:49.48. In the women’s NJCAA meet, Indian River’s Ella Gates won the 50 fly (25.25), going 1-2-3 with Erifylli Maroutsou (25.96) and Ashley Sterchele (26.59). Indian River’s Taryn Dailey won the 100 free in 51.59, ahead of Southwest Oregon’s Jacqueline Feurtado (51.84). Lainie Rivas (409.05) and Lola Dragosavac (405.25) went 1-2 in 1-meter diving. Indian River closed the NJCAA championships by winning the 400 free relay as Victoria Ortiz, Dailey, Kailea Green and Lillian Lewis won in 3:32.36. ◄
La Salle University Reinstates Men’s Swimming & Diving
L
a Salle University has reinstated Men’s Swimming and Diving as a varsity program, effective immediately, the chair of La Salle’s Board of Trustees announced. William W. Matthews, III, Esq., ’90, shared the following with the La Salle community in a May 3 message: “Last fall, the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation announced the difficult but necessary decision to reduce the number of La Salle’s intercollegiate athletics teams at the end of this academic year. This action better aligned the size of our department with those of national and conference peer institutions and followed a comprehensive review aimed at elevating our student-athlete experience and improving the competitiveness and quality of our programs. “At the time of this announcement, and in the months that followed, department and University leadership have met with players, coaches, families, and alumni from the affected programs and have discussed an openness to – and a roadmap for – program reinstatement dependent upon key criteria, including the presentation of new and compelling information and meeting or exceeding required fundraising benchmarks by the conclusion of April. “I am pleased to share that Men’s Swimming and Diving has been reinstated as a varsity program, effective immediately, following the Board of Trustees’ approval of a recommendation from the Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation, which was then moved forward by the Board’s Athletics and Recreation Committee. The Men’s Swimming and Diving program and its alumni base has developed an independent and external fundraising infrastructure that will support the operational costs of the program in the short and long term. More specifically, the Men’s Swimming and Diving
program raised the funds necessary to support the program and enhance the Division I student-athlete experience at La Salle. This measure aligns with our commitment to and compliance with all Title IX regulations, and the University will continue offering proportional participation opportunities for both male and female students. Additionally, the Board felt tremendous confidence in the reinstatement for Men’s Swimming and Diving due to existing efficiencies between it and the Women’s Swimming and Diving program, with which it shares a coaching staff, venue, and other resources.” The La Salle University men’s swimming and diving team had been granted “a pathway to restore” the program, according to a letter to alumni sent out earlier this year. The letter, shared with Swimming World, cited a “positive and productive dialogue” with La Salle president Colleen Hanycz, athletic director Brian Baptiste and Board of Trustees chair Bill Matthews. It lays out a plan for the reinstatement of the program contingent on short- and long-term fundraising objectives. “The La Salle swimming & diving community has shown great passion, pride, and a commitment to the men’s program,” Baptiste said in the letter. “The willingness of the group to lead this effort shows a drive and determination to preserve the program. It may serve as an example for similar groups across the country, of the engagement needed to ensure sustainable, championship experiences for the sport of swimming.” La Salle men’s swimming was cut in September, one of seven programs cut by the school, citing budget concerns. Men’s water polo was also cut, though women’s swimming and diving was spared at the time. ◄ BIWEEKLY
SWIMMINGWORLD.COM
33
[ PHOTO COURTESY USA DIVING ]
DIVING NEWS
>> MICHAEL HIXSON & ANDREW CAPOBIANCO (RIGHT)
Michael Hixon, Andrew Capobianco Clinch Olympic Quota Spot in 3-Meter Synchro BY MATTHEW DE GEORGE
M
ichael Hixon and Andrew Capobianco clinched an Olympic quota spot in Tokyo Sunday in the threemeter synchronized competition. The duo finished fourth at the FINA World Cup event in Tokyo, just a point-and-a-half out of bronze with a score of 414.18. That earns them one of the 12 quota spots for the U.S. at the Tokyo Games. “Tonight was really special for Mike and I,” Capobianco said in a USA Diving release. “We haven’t necessarily had all the preparation that we wanted leading into this but we showed a lot of heart and fight, which makes us feel really confident moving forward. It is such an honor to have gotten the call to compete for the Olympic quota spot and I’m just so excited that we did our job. I also want to send a shoutout to everyone back home who stayed up to watch and cheer – love you guys!” “Mike and Andrew had a fantastic day today,” said Dan Laak, High Performance Director for USA Diving, “Going into the competition we knew that they had the dives and as long as
34
BIWEEKLY
SWIMMINGWORLD.COM
they were able to execute, we had a great shot at qualifying. As always, they were calm under pressure and true professionals. We are extremely proud of their finish today and are looking forward to our final four days of competition.” Michael Hixon, 26, is the veteran of the pair. He won silver at the 2016 Olympics paired with Sam Dorman. His international record dates back to the 2010 Youth Olympic Games, and he has a one-meter bronze at the 2015 World Championships on his record. The pair won bronze at the Pan Am Games in 2019. Like Hixon, Capobianco has come through the Indiana talent factory. He’s coming off consecutive NCAA titles in the three-meter springboard in 2019 and 2021 around the NCAA postponement in 2020. The Hixon/Capobianco result clinches nine of 12 Olympic quota spots for the U.S. Sarah Bacon, who already clinched a three-meter synchro spot with Kassidy Cook, and Samantha Pickens will vie for spots in the three-meter individual on Monday. Zachary Cooper will dive on platform. ◄
[ PHOTO COURTESY USA DIVING ]
>> SARAH BACON & KASSIDY COOK (RIGHT)
Kassidy Cook, Sarah Bacon Secure Women’s 3-Meter Synchro Olympic Quota Spot The first day of the 2021 FINA World Cup kicked off in Tokyo, Japan with the Women’s Three Meter Synchronized Diving Competition. USA Diving’s Kassidy Cook and Sarah Bacon took to the boards and qualified fifth for finals with a score of 273.24.
Diving’s Brandon Loschiavo and David Dinsmore qualified fourth heading into the finals. Despite having several fantastic dives in the finals, their best scoring dive being an inward 3 ½ somersaults tuck position, their overall score of 369.18 earned them an eighth place.
Despite Cook suffering through a shoulder injury and dropping to ninth after their second dive, the duo climbed their way back with their fifth and final dive, a forward dive with 3 ½ somersaults pike position, being their best scoring dive at 65.70. They ended the competition with a score of 278.49, which put them ahead of Great Britain’s Katherine Torrance and Grace Reid’s 276.
“We had some highs and lows today,” said Dan Laak, High Performance Director for USA Diving. “Kassidy and Sarah pushed through their last dive with every ounce of determination they could find to make sure they brought home that spot. We are extremely proud of the courage they exhibited today. David and Brandon didn’t have their best dives today, but they came to Tokyo ready to compete and while they didn’t get the results they were hoping for, we are proud of them and the effort they have put in during the months leading up to this event in the face of uncertainty. We have five more events to focus on and we’re looking towards the upcoming days.”
“This year has brought nothing but adversity for Kassidy and me,” said Bacon. “It all started with the postponement of the Olympic Games and then of World Cup. We get to World Cup, and more adversity hits when Kassidy is dealing with a shoulder injury and cannot do dives to her head. We kept good spirits through it all and really just tried to lift each other up and keep smiling the whole way. Once we knew we secured the Olympic Quota spot a flood of emotions came from both of us. I’m just so proud of Kassidy for pushing through and continuing to fight through the pain and stand by my side in order to secure that quota spot.” In the Men’s 10 Meter Synchronized Competition, USA
The 2021 FINA World Cup continues tomorrow with the Women’s 10 Meter Synchronized Competition and Men’s Three Meter Synchronized Competition where 2016 Olympic Silver medalist, Mike Hixon will pair up with 2021 NCAA Champion Andrew Capobianco to represent USA Diving. ◄ The above press release was posted by Swimming World in conjunction with USA Diving. BIWEEKLY
SWIMMINGWORLD.COM
35
[ PHOTO COURTESY USA DIVING ]
Sarah Bacon Wins First 3-Meter Diving Medal for U.S. in 30 Years at World Cup Event
O
n the fourth day of the FINA World Cup, Sarah Bacon, Samantha Pickens and Zachary Cooper competed in the Women’s 3-meter and Men’s 10-meter finals respectively. Bacon, who qualified second into the final round, continued her impressive performance into the final round scoring a total of 438.75 earning her second place behind China’s Yiwen Chen. Bacon bookended her list with her two best scores starting her list with an inward two- and one-half pike and ending with a full-out, both receiving scores of 73.5. Bacon’s silver medal marks the first time in over 30 years that a female has medaled in the 3-meter springboard at a World Cup, the last time being the Kelly McCormick’s bronze medal finish at the 1989 World Cup. “The feeling of accomplishing this is indescribable,” said Sarah Bacon, “Wenbo and I have put so much time and work into the past year into my 3- meter diving and getting to a point where I was able to be consistent and then to have it show through on all three of my lists, I just couldn’t
36
BIWEEKLY
SWIMMINGWORLD.COM
be any prouder.” Pickens also competed in the 3-meter final finishing in 12th place with a total score of 255. In the Men’s 10 Meter Competition, Cooper finished 12th with a score of 384.20. “Today was a great day for Sarah Bacon,” said Dan Laak, High Performance Director for USA Diving, “Over the years we have seen her develop into a true competitor and to see it come to fruition and her make history today is a testament to her work ethic. I am looking forward to seeing how she continues to progress. I’m also extremely proud of both Sam and Zach for coming on this trip and stepping up when we needed them in order to ensure our ability to compete in Tokyo. To see them not only compete but make the finals just shows not only their abilities, but also the great depth of talent we have within USA Diving.” ◄ The above press release was posted by Swimming World in conjunction with USA Diving.
SPONSORED BY
CHARLOTTE SHAMIA
how they train
BY MICHAEL J. STOTT [PHOTO BY DAVID CERVENKA]
www.NZcordz.com
PROGRESSION OF TIMES SCY
AGE 5
AGE 6
AGE 7
AGE 8
AGE 9
AGE 10
AGE 11
25 Free
25.40
21.00
16.36
15.28
—
—
—
25 Fly
37.96
25.69
17.99
15.53
—
—
—
50 Free
—
—
—
34.59
31.90
29.53
27.69
50 Fly
—
—
—
37.55
31.54
30.10
28.75
100 IM
—
—
1:34.07
1:25.04
1:17.06
1:09.86
1:05.97
O
f all the thousands of youngsters Steve Haufler has taught in his 45-year career as a swim instructor, it just may be that Charlotte Shamia is his quintessential poster child. Shamia is now 13 and a straight-A eighth-grader at Head-Royce School in Oakland, Calif., swimming for Orinda Aquatics with a love for dance and musical theater. But it was at age 5 as a beginning swimmer that she was drafted by Haufler to learn butterfly in five minutes in front of 75 coaches! Haufler’s assistants assured him that Shamia had learned the basic skills of air exchange, body position and kick, and possessed the perfect butterfly body with the requisite flexible shoulders and back. “I began with testing her body for flexibility,” says Haufler. “I had her lie on the deck with a stack of four kickboards under her hips and one kickboard under her chest. I kept her arms straight and positioned them higher than her ears. Her 5-yearold body contoured beautifully into the butterfly landing position. Then, she got in the water, and I taught her the body dolphin (hands by her side and in front), the arm pull and recovery and how to put them together. Pull, swing, body dolphin—success. “As I came to find out later, Charlotte was very shy in new situations,” says Haufler. That didn’t stop her from joining the 300-member Orinda Country Club team, developing new friendships and a love for swimming. “From the beginning, Charlotte rarely missed a practice and would attend rain or shine. Her humble personality, quiet confidence, coupled with her strong work ethic and a great group of supportive
42
MAY 2021
SWIMMINGWORLD.COM
teammates, made her a team fixture,” he says. Though introverted, Shamia is a good listener and extremely coachable. “From the start, Charlotte has been laser-focused on mastering the strokes, and she never cut corners to go faster in the moment,” says Haufler. Initially unsure of her capabilities at meets and concerned about beating her friends in practice, Shamia has since cultivated a competitive edge that has led to winning six Orinda Moraga Pool Association and Costra County high-point awards in the 7-11 age groups. In addition, she has enjoyed Junior Olympic success (as a 12-year-old, she swam 27.92 and 1:03.78 for the 50 and 100 yard fly), and she has been the recipient of numerous club sportsmanship and “hardest worker” awards. Future plans include becoming one of Haufler’s junior instructors. SOME FAVORITE SHAMIA OCC SETS • Warm-up set: 4x {25 FR zero breaths, 25 BK 15 meters underwater dolphin, 25 BR (distance per stroke), 25 FL with 15 meters zero breath, then EZ FR 30 seconds rest between following set elements:
• 4x {4 x 50 (descend 1-4) @ 1:10; rest extra :20; 100 IM (descend 1-4 by round @ 2:00) (The first round of 50s was FL, or KS FL, 2nd round BK, 3rd round BR, 4th round FR) IMs were done 1:22, 1:20, 1:18, 1:16 • 2x {8 x 50 FL, FL/BK, BK, BK/BR, BR, BR/FR, FR, FR/FL) @ 1:10; rest extra :30; then 3x {75 IM w/o FR @ 1:20; 25 FR @ :50 (3 breaths or less, FAST) • 3x {25 FL @ :30, 50 BK @ 1:10, 75 BR @ 1:40, 100 FR @ 2:10, 25 FR @ :30, 50 BR/FR @ 1:10, 75 IM w/o FL @ 1:40, 100 IM @ 2:10 • 6x {75 FR @ 1:20, 25 FL @ :40 • ALL FR — 2x {4 x 50 @ 1:15 breath control 3-3, 3-2, 2-2, 2-1; rest :30; 4 x 25 @ :30 w/paddles and fins (technique focus); rest :30; 4 x 50 @ 2:00 w/paddles and fins FAST=50 race time; rest :30; 6 x 25 (distance per stroke)v
Michael J. Stott is an ASCA Level 5 coach whose Collegiate School (Richmond, Va.) teams won nine state high school championships. A member of that school’s Athletic Hall of Fame, he is also a recipient of NISCA’s Outstanding Service Award.
BIWEEKLY
SWIMMINGWORLD.COM
37
PARTING SHOT Chris Wieser has a laugh during finals at the 2021 TYR Pro Swim Series in Mission Viejo. [PHOTO BY BECCA WYANT]
38
BIWEEKLY
SWIMMINGWORLD.COM