By Retta Race on SwimSwam

The 2022 FINA World Championships may have concluded but the month of July brings several key nation’s summer championships meets, the European Junior Swimming Championships, the European Youth Olympic Festival, as well as the start of the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Please let me know in the comments of any meets I may have inadvertently missed.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: High-Level International Meets for July 2022

By Anya Pelshaw on SwimSwam

UNC seniors Grace Countie and Sophie Lindner have both announced they will be returning to UNC for a fifth year via Instagram.

Countie was UNC’s highest scorer at NCAAs this year. She scored a total of 38 individual points and was highlighted by sixth place finishes in the 50 free (21.54) and 100 back (50.77) as well as a seventh-place finish in the 100 free (47.36). Countie was also a member of UNC’s 200 medley, 400 medley, and 200 freestyle relays that placed in the top-16. She also swam on the 400 freestyle relay that finished 17th, missing out on top 16 by 0.04 seconds.

Countie also was key to UNC’s fourth place finish at ACCs. Countie was the team’s second highest scorer only behind diver Aranza Vazquez. Countie finished third in the 50 free (21.45) and fifth in the 100 free (47.77) and 100 back (51.95).

Countie told SwimSwam that she wanted to use her fifth year because she “love[s] the program and school. My teammates are irreplaceable and some of the best people. I could not imagine going through the grind with any other group of people. Also, I feel like my job is unfinished after last year. There are things that I want to accomplish and goals I hope to reach for myself, and for my team. I hope to use this last year. to make more memories, to grow as an athlete, and to enioy UNC for all it is worth.”

Also returning to UNC for a fifth year is backstroker Lindner. Lindner scored a total of nine individual points at the 2022 NCAA Championships. She finished 11th in the 200 backstroke (1:52.12) and 14th in the 100 backstroke (51.74). Lindner also was on UNC’s 200 and 800 freestyle relays as well as their 200 and 400 medley relays.

Lindner was UNC’s third highest scorer at ACCs this past season as she scored 63 individual points. She was highlighted by a fifth place finish in the 200 back (1:52.67), a sixth place finish in the 100 back (51.97), and a 13th place finish in the 200 free (1:46.64).

Lindner told SwimSwam that she will be returning to UNC to use her fifth year as she earns her master’s in accounting at the business school. Lindner said that her motivation for returning was because “I felt that I have not yet accomplished what I know I can accomplish in the pool. Additionally, the opportunity was presented to me and I didn’t want to pass that up-I still very much love swimming and all that comes with it in college and am not ready to be done.”

Lindner also spoke of some ways her past three seasons at UNC have been impacted as“sophomore year NCAAs was canceled. dueto COVID, I got COVID the week of my junior year ACCs and then got mono during the fall of my senior year.” She said that she “felt like I missed out on a few meets and wanted one more shot at a (hopefully!!) regular college season.”

Athletes were allowed an extra year of eligibility due to COVID-19 during the 2020-2021 season. Many athletes took this extra year this season, and although the number is expected to fall over the next few years, that has not seemed to have happened as dramatically so far for next season.

The biggest difference between this season’s fifth years and future season’s is the scholarship cap. Women’s swimming is allowed  14 total scholarships per team. This season, 5th year seniors didn’t count toward that cap unless they transferred. In future seasons, 5th year seniors will count against the cap, until the waiver expires. This means that both Countie’s and Lidner’s scholarships next season will count towards the 14.

The return of both swimmers is huge for UNC as they return a combined 47 NCAA individual points and 140 ACC individual points. Over the last four years, the UNC women have risen from finishing 42nd at NCAAs in 2019 to 14th in 2022.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: NCAA Scorers Grace Countie and Sophie Lindner to Return to UNC for 5th Year

By Anne Lepesant on SwimSwam

Fitter and Faster Swim Camps is the proud sponsor of SwimSwam’s College Recruiting Channel and all commitment news. For many, swimming in college is a lifelong dream that is pursued with dedication and determination. Fitter and Faster is proud to honor these athletes and those who supported them on their journey.

Michael Zhang from Burke, Virginia, has announced his commitment to the Columbia University men’s swimming and diving class of 2026. He’ll join Matthew Lou and Seth Roach in New York City next fall.

“I’m super excited to announce my commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at Columbia University! I want to thank my coaches, teammates, friends, and family for their endless support, as well as coach Jim for this opportunity. Go Lions!”

Zhang wrapped up his senior year at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology with a state title in the 100 breast (55.05) at the 2022 VHSL 6A Swimming and Diving State Championships. He was runner-up in the 200 IM (1:50.64) and contributed to two second-place relays, anchoring the 4×100 free (46.36) and swimming the breaststroke leg (24.78) on the medley relay. In 2021 the then-junior won both the 200 IM (1:51.32) and 100 breast (57.03) at the 5A state meet.

Zhang currently represents Arlington Aquatic Club. In March 2020, when he swam for Dragon Swim Team, he was one of 48 athletes named by USA Swimming to the 2020 National Diversity Select Camp roster. He is a Winter US Open qualifier in the 100 breast and 200 breast and a Winter Juniors qualifier in the 200 IM. He finaled in both the 100 breast (10th) and 200 breast (21st) at 2021 Winter Juniors East, earning a PB in the 100. He notched lifetime bests in the 200 breast, 200 IM, and 100 free at the 2022 Christiansburg Sectionals, where he won the 200 breast and 200 IM, was runner-up in the 100 breast, and placed 13th in the 100 fly. Zhang kicked off the 2022 long course season last month with a PB of 1:04.13 while winning the 100 breast at Richmond Sectionals.

Best SCY times:

• 100 breast – 54.33
• 200 breast – 1:59.08
• 200 IM – 1:49.93
• 400 IM – 3:58.69
• 200 fly – 1:52.07
• 100 fly – 50.03
• 50 free – 21.39

Zhang’s best times would have scored in the B finals of the 100 and 200 breast events at 2022 Ivy League Men’s Championships.

If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to Recruits@swimswam.com.

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Read the full story on SwimSwam: Columbia Adds 54.3/1:59.0 Breaststroker Michael Zhang to Class of 2026

By James Sutherland on SwimSwam

A highlight package of pool swimming at the 2022 FINA World Championships drew fewer than 200,000 viewers on NBC on Sunday, according to Show Buzz Daily.

The event was available for viewing across NBC’s streaming platform, Peacock, throughout the duration of the event (June 18-25), and was also available on the Olympic Channel.

Upon the conclusion of the competition in Budapest, NBC featured a highlights package on its main network at 12 pm E.T. on Sunday, June 26.

The package failed to crack 200K viewers, which is the minimum requirement to be listed on Show Buzz Daily.

The event was followed by the final round of the LPGA Women’s PGA Championship, which drew approximately 849,000 viewers.

The U.S. Track & Field Championships, for example, picked up over 100,000 viewers in perhaps a more favorable timeslot (4 p.m.) on Saturday and Sunday, though that was live coverage compared to the compressed highlight package that swimming received.

Other sports outside of the primary ones (football, basketball, baseball, motor sports, golf, college baseball and soccer) that outdrew swimming included major league rugby (281,000) and the Westminster Dog Show (450,000 on Wednesday, 282,000 on Tuesday).

Failing to reach 200,000 viewers is a downturn compared to some recent television ratings for swimming.

In early April, a highlights package of the Pro Swim Series meet in Mission Viejo drew 537,000 viewers on NBC, while the International Swimming League’s network television debut in October 2020 on CBS picked up 381,000 viewers.

The numbers pale in comparison to the juggernaut that is the U.S. Olympic Trials, however, which averaged 2.7 million nightly viewers on NBC last year. Of course, the Olympic Trials receive daily primetime coverage on the main NBC network, which gives it a huge boost.

Having the daily finals on The Olympic Channel relative to NBC has a significant impact on viewership, as NBC is available to approximately 277 million households in the U.S., compared to 35 million for the Olympic Channel.

The time difference in the World Championships could’ve played a part in a relative lack of interest from American viewers, who, for the most part, would’ve been asleep during the preliminary heats (3 am E.T.) and at work during finals (12 p.m. ET).

The U.S. team set an all-time record by winning 45 medals at the championships, blowing past their previous total of 38 set in 2017.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: World Championship Highlights Draw Fewer Than 200,000 Viewers On NBC

By Braden Keith on SwimSwam

Star swimmers Sarah Sjostrom and Kira Toussaint have both now announced positive tests for COVID-19. They are at least the second and third swimmers who attended an arena brand event in Budapest after the conclusion of competition at the World Championships, along with Noe Ponti, who also has announced a positive test after the World Championships.

Also at that event, according to social media posts, were swimmers Louise Hansson, Sophie Hansson, new World Record holder Thomas Ceccon, Nicolo Martinenghi, Kyle Chalmers, and Bruno Fratus. None of those swimmers have announced positive tests.

Sjostrom won gold in the 50 free, silver in the 100 free, and gold in the 50 fly at the World Championships, skipping her specialty event the 100 fly as she continues to work back from a fractured elbow suffered in February 2021. According to her Instagram story, this is Sjostrom’s first time testing positive for COVID-19.

Toussaint posted that her positive test “really sucks,” but added a silver lining: “more cuddles” from her dog Binky. A former World Record holder individually in the 50 backstroke in short course meters, and current World Record holder in the mixed 200 medley relay in short course meters, Toussaint didn’t medal at the 2022 World Championships.

Individually, she placed 6th in the 100 back and 8th in the 50 back. She also swam the backstroke leg on the Netherlands’ bronze medal winning mixed 400 medley relay and their 5th-place women’s 400 medley relay.

While none of the athletes indicated any severe symptoms in their posts, each of the three are only six weeks away from competing in the European Championships in Rome. As we saw from athletes like American breaststroker Lilly King, that time out of the water and recovery even from mild symptoms can impact athletes’ performances at meets.

Midway through the meet, FINA confirmed that eight swimmers had so far tested positive for COVID-19. That includes at least one other medal winner: Australian Lani Pallister. The COVID-19 protocols in Budapest were more relaxed than they were for the last major FINA event, the World Short Course Championships in Doha last December, but still required testing of all participants.

Early in the meet, only the Chinese team was seen consistently wearing masks, though more athletes could be seen wearing them later in the event.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Sarah Sjostrom, Kira Toussaint Join List of Post-Worlds COVID-19 Positives

By Sophie Kaufman on SwimSwam

2022 FINA WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

• June 18-25, 2022 (pool swimming)
• Budapest, Hungary
• Duna Arena
• LCM (50-meter format)
• Meet Central
• Live Results

Now that the 2022 FINA World Championships are over, it’s time to take a look back at our predictions to see how they compare to how the meet actually shook out.

Click here for all of SwimSwam’s Official Previews and Projected Medal Table

Predicting the Medalists

One of the big factors that lowered our batting average is injuries. We started writing our previews three weeks out from the meet, and a lot happened in that time and at the meet itself. We predicted 11 medals for swimmers in events that, for one reason or another, they didn’t end up racing.

Caeleb Dressel is the biggest example—we had him set for four individual golds. Siobhan Haughey withdrew because of her ankle injury, Shayna Jack broke her hand in the warmup pool, and Arno Kamminga didn’t swim the 200 breast due to illness. Kaylee McKeown scratched the 100 back, where she’s the world record holder. Duncan Scott and Ahmed Hafnaoui never suited up in Budapest.

Out of 126 medals podium spots (not counting ties, which we did not account for in our predictions), we put 37 medalists in the correct spot. We had another 44 medalists correct, but gave them the wrong color medal. Added up, that means that we got 81 medalists correct, or 64.2%.

Even with Dressel pulling out of the meet early, we still did the best at predicting the gold medalists. Having Katie Ledeckyall but locked in for three wins helps pad that stat, but we still correctly predicted 19 out of 42 winners for 45.2%.

We got 12 silver medalists right, or 28.5 % of those medals. We did worst with the bronze medals and were right on just eight of those, or a lowly 19%. These numbers aren’t entirely surprising given that in many events, like Ledecky’s, the gold medalist might be straightforward, and then things get increasingly bunched up as we move down the podium.

What We Got Right

Despite the injuries and illness, there were four events where we had a 100% correct podium. We correctly predicted the podium in the women’s 1500 free, 4×100 free relay, and 4×100 medley relay. On the men’s side, we got the 200 back.

SwimSwam’s Fully Correct Podiums: 

We were also right about both of Mollie O’Callaghan‘s individuals. The rising teen star had a strong follow-up to her international breakout at the Tokyo Olympics, winning gold in the 100 free and silver in the 200 free. She also played a role on four of Australia’s medal-winning relays, including a world record in the mixed 4×100 free relay.

In addition to the four podiums we got right, there were five podiums where we were correct about the gold and silver medalists.

SwimSwam’s Correct Gold-Silver Predictions

While we awarded Sarah Sjostrom a bronze in the 100 free when she actually earned silver, we also correctly predicted that she’d win the 50 free and 50 fly. This was far from the hottest of takes, but shows that she’s progressing nicely after her elbow injury last year.

Biggest Misses

• Without a doubt, our biggest miss was underestimating Leon Marchand. We had him down for only one medal, bronze in the 400 IM. In the 200 IM, we had him fourth, and out of the final entirely in the 200 fly. That couldn’t have been further from what happened, as he swept both IMs, earned silver in the 200 fly, and was named the best male swimmer of the meet.
• We were 0-3 for medalists in the men’s 50 free. Our preview had Dressel, Bruno Fratus, and Josh Liendo on the podium, in that order. Dressel pulled out of the meet before the event, Fratus lost the swim-off with Grousset, failing to advance to the final, and Liendo finished fifth.
• On the flip side, we overestimated both Lukas Märtens and Yui Ohashi. Märtens won silver in the 400 free (we predicted he’d win) but didn’t medal in the 1500 free and missed the final entirely in the 800 free. Ohashi swept the IMs in Tokyo, but didn’t medal in either event in Budapest, and didn’t qualify for the final in the 200.

Predicting the Medal Table

Actual vs. Predicted Medal Table

What We Got Right

While we didn’t get the medal count right, we were right about the U.S team’s dominance at the meet. 42 medals seemed a little high heading into the meet, but the U.S actually surpassed that, winning 45 medals and setting the most records for a nation in a single world championship.

We were right about the medal counts for both Brazil and the Netherlands. However, while we were correct about Santos and Kamminga medaling in the 50 fly and 100 breast, respectively, the second medalists were a surprise. For Brazil, Guilherme Costa surprised with a bronze medal in the 400 free. The Netherlands out-touched Great Britain for bronze in the mixed medley relay.

Despite the -3 difference, we actually weren’t too far off on our predictions for how Great Britain would far at this meet. Two of those predicted medals belong to Duncan Scott, so the difference is only -1.

Biggest Misses

• We expected too little not only of Marchand, but the entire French team. They were our widest margin of difference, outscoring our predicted medals by 5. Marchand accounts for two of those medals, but Maxime Grousset also stepped up. We had him medaling in the 100 free, but he snuck into the final via swim off and ended up winning bronze there too. On the women’s side, Analia Pigree and Marie Wattel added medals, and so did Melanie Henique, who we correctly predicted for silver in the 50 fly.
• Ruta Meilutyte‘s resurgence was a surprise to us. We didn’t have Lithuania down for any medals, but in her return to international competition, Meilutyte won gold in the 50 breast and bronze in the 100 breast.
• Canada also outperformed our expectations, led by Josh Liendo taking bronze in the 100 free and 100 fly. He also played a role on the mixed 4×100 free relay, where Canada won a silver medal we didn’t see coming. This performance by Liendo made him the most decorated Canadian man at a single world championships.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: How Did We Do? Reviewing SwimSwam’s Worlds Predictions

By James Sutherland on SwimSwam

Swimming legends Michael Phelps and Natalie Coughlin were among eight individuals inducted into the United States Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame on Friday as members of the Class of 2022.

The class also featured 55-time Paralympic swimming medalist Trischa Zorn-Hudson, who competed in seven Paralympic Games from 1980 to 2004.

The class featured a total of eight individuals, two teams, two legends, one coach and one special contributor.

One of the teams was the 1976 women’s 400 freestyle relay that was comprised of Kim Peyton, Jill Sterkel, Shirley Babashoff and Wendy Boglioli. The quartet broke the world record and upset the East German that had won back-to-back world titles in 1973 and 1975.

Class of 2022 Inductees:

• Natalie Coughlin (swimming)
• Muffy Davis (Para alpine skiing and Para-cycling)
• Mia Hamm (soccer)
• David Kiley (Para alpine skiing, Para track and field, and wheelchair basketball)
• Michelle Kwan (figure skating)
• Michael Phelps (swimming)
• Lindsey Vonn (alpine skiing)
• Trischa Zorn-Hudson (Para swimming)
• The 1976 Women’s 4×100 Freestyle Relay Swimming Team
• The 2002 Paralympic Sled Hockey Team
• Gretchen Fraser (legend: alpine skiing)
• Roger Kingdom (legend: track and field)
• Pat Summitt (coach: basketball)
• Billie Jean King (special contributor)

Phelps is the most decorated athlete in Olympic history, owning a career total of 26 medals, 23 of them being gold.

Coughlin owns 12 career Olympic medals, including back-to-back individual golds in the women’s 100 backstroke in 2004 and 2008. She also won gold on the U.S. women’s 800 free relay in Athens.

Below, find some images from the event, along with the induction speeches:

MICHAEL PHELPS

NATALIE COUGHLIN

TRISCHA ZORN-HUDSON

1976 WOMEN’S 400 FREE RELAY

OTHER INDUCTION SPEECHES

Roger Kingdom

Muffy Davis

Mia Hamm

David Kiley

Michelle Kwan

By SwimSwam on SwimSwam

Courtesy: Duke Athletics

Evan Brown joins the Duke diving corps after wrapping up a successful prep career in Arlington, Va. Evan graduated from Washington Liberty High School and dove for Dominion Dive Club under coaches Kristen Johnson and Stephanie Sutton.

He is the son of Mike and Lori Brown and has one older sister, Grace Ann.

ON THE BOARDS HIGHLIGHTS

• Three-time first-team All-State
• Placed fifth individually at the State Championships as a sophomore
• Won the one-meter at the NVSL All-Star Meet
• Missed his senior season due to injury

OFF THE BOARDS HIGHLIGHTS

• Member of National Honor Society

GET TO KNOW EVAN

Why Duke in one word?  Powerhouse

What is your favorite swimming memory so far? Winning VHSL States for Diving

What is your pre-race hype song?  “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”

Do you have any hidden talents?  I’m a great skateboarder

If you had to eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?  Raspberries

PERSONAL BEST SCORES

• One-Meter Diving: 414.65
• Three-Meter Diving: 435.86

Evan Brown on why Duke:

Duke is a beautiful school that has a great community and some of the most amazing team members I think I have ever met. The environment is great and it is both rigorous academic wise and athletics wise.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Duke Adds Diver Evan Brown To 2022 Recruiting Class

By Braden Keith on SwimSwam

The Collegiate Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of American (CSCAA) has announced its Spring 2022 Scholar All-America Team award winners.

To qualify, teams must have a minimum of a 3.0 team GPA for the previous semester.

The list includes 731 teams from 441 institutions – an increase from the 721 programs from 424 institutions that earned the honor last year.

The highest team GPA’s come from Division III programs. Caltech men and the Pacific Lutheran women are the top overall programs, both achieving a 3.85 team GPA.

Harvard’s men and Stanford’s women lead the Division I list with team GPA’s of 3.78 and 3.83, respectively. Roberts Wesleyan’s men (3.66) and Fairmont State’s women (3.84) top the Division II category. SCAD-Savannah is best among all NAIA schools for both the men (3.56) and women’s (3.80) rankings. NJCAA schools are led by Southwestern Oregon men (3.27) and women (3.54)

Founded in 1922, the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA), is the nation’s first organization of college coaches. The mission of the CSCAA is to advance the sport of swimming and diving with coaches at the epicenter of leadership, advocacy, and professional development.

From the top 10 of NCAA Division I, the most-competitive level, of Division I swimming, most teams made the list. That includes the entire top 10 of the women’s NCAA Championship meet.

Women’s NCAA Division I Top 10 that earned Scholar All-America Status:

• 1st – Virginia – 3.45 GPA
• 2nd – Texas – 3.52 GPA
• 3rd – Stanford – 3.83 GPA
• 4th – Alabama – 3.50 GPA
• 5th – NC State – 3.61 GPA
• 6th – Louisville – 3.56 GPA
• 7th – Michigan – 3.49 GPA
• 8th – Cal – 3.48 GPA
• 9th – Ohio State – 3.33 GPA
• 10th – Tennessee – 3.63 GPA

#11 Indiana (3.53) and #12 Kentucky (3.65) also made the list.

Seven out of the top 10 teams at the men’s NCAA Division I Championships also earned All-America status.

Men’s NCAA Division I Top 10 that earned Scholar All-America Status:

• 2nd – Texas – 3.22 GPA
• 4th – NC State – 3.28 GPA
• 5th – Indiana – 3.26 GPA
• 6th – Arizona State – 3.46 GPA
• 7th – Stanford – 3.72 GPA
• 9th – Ohio State – 3.01 GPA
• 10th – Virginia – 3.01 GPA

Other high-flying teams in and out of the pool include the NCAA Division II Champions from Queens which made the list in both the men’s (3.50 GPA) and women’s (3.66 GPA) categories.

The Division III champion Kenyon women (3.53 GPA) and Emory men (3.60 GPA) also made the list.

The full lists are below:

By Braden Keith on SwimSwam

Australian swimmer Shayna Jack has already returned to the weight room just three days after undergoing surgery on a broken hand.

Jack posted a video on her Instagram channel on Wednesday working out in the gym in preparation for the upcoming Commonwealth Games. The video includes Jack doing squats, a range of core workouts, and even upper body strength exercises with the help of a modified band that allows her to move weight without the use of her injured hand.

American orthopedists Dr. Ather Mirza and Dr. Justin Mirzasay that metacarpal fractures, without complications, usually take 6 to 8 weeks to fully heal, including wearing a splint for the first three of those weeks.

But Jack has to work on an accelerated timeline with swimming at her next major meet, the 2022 Commonwealth Games, scheduled to begin in a month on July 29.

Jack fractured her 4th metacarpal (hand bone) earlier this week in the training pool at the World Championships in Barcelona in what is being called a “freak accident.”

Jack was swimming into the wall in the warmup pool when the swimmer in front of her turned and pushed off. Jack’s finger was caught in the other swimmer’s suit, pulling her finger back.

The break has been described as a ‘clean break,’ meaning a more straightforward surgery and recovery.

The surgery was done at St. Andrews War Memorial Hospital in Queensland. Jack says that she plans to rejoin the Australian team in Chartres, France on July 15 for final preparations for the Commonwealth Games. The Commonwealth Games begin on July 28 in Birmingham, England.

The 2022 World Championships were Jack’s return to the international stage after a 24-month anti-doping suspension. Jack tested positive for the banned anabolic agent Ligandrol and was initially suspended for four years. Upon appeal, she successfully convinced arbiters that she did not ingest the substance intentionally, and had that suspension reduced to two years.

Jack’s meet started off well – she won gold in the 400 free relay and silver in the mixed 400 free relay. That included a 52.65 anchor on the women’s 400 free relay and a prelims split of 52.92 on the mixed 400 medley relay. Jack was injured before the start of the individual 100 free, where she was a strong medal contender. Her 52.60 in the 100 free, done in March, still ranks her #2 in the world this year, behind only her countrymate Mollie O’Callaghan.

Australia will be favored to sweep the women’s (and mixed) relays at the Commonwealth Games with or without Jack. The country is the current World Record holders in the 400 free relay, set at last year’s Olympics on a relay that didn’t include Jack or O’Callaghan, who are currently the top two in the world this year.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Shayna Jack Returns to the Weight Room Just 3 Days After Undergoing Surgery

By SwimSwam Partner Content on SwimSwam

Courtesy of Renata Porter, a SwimSwam partner.

You can’t steal second if your foot is still on first. 

I love this quote. It’s visual for me. When I ask clubs what their Vision is for the next 1 to 3 years, I either get the ‘Oh Crap’ stares with the large slow blinks or some kind of flippant response about how they know where they are going, they don’t need to write it down. So, I push. I ask, “If I had everyone in this room write down what your organization’s vision statement is, would they match up?”

I believe everyone understands the concept of establishing their Vision, I mean, you are in the arena of sports. If you don’t have some concept of goals and how to attain them, I’d venture to say you might be in the wrong business. So, if you understand the concept of personal goals, what is so different in establishing your main goal, your vision, for your organization?

Those of you who have actually created a vision statement, did you do it in isolation? Has it been shared with your entire team – all staff, volunteers, parents and swimmers? Are you making purposeful and collective progress towards your vision? Or are they just words on your website or some sheet of paper never to be looked at again?

There is a difference between a mission statement and a vision statement.

A point of clarification for me is to say that I understand each swim club has a mission statement. And that is good, but there is a difference between a mission statement and a vision statement. A mission statement is why your organization exists. A vision statement is where you are going. A mission statement doesn’t tend to change, your organization was established for a reason and that reason hardly ever needs an adjustment. Where your vision statement is only meant to last a few years. It’s your vision for the future. It should be something that you need to work towards, it’s motivational and aspirational.

There are two key factors in creating and reaching your Vision. First, the vision must be created with the leadership team. Your specific leadership team will vary, but if you have a board that board cannot do this in isolation. You must include your coaches. Same for a coach run club, the head coach should include your main coaches and any administrative staff that you may have.

Including the leadership team ensures that your vision is robust and something all of the leadership can and will buy into. This is how you create the purposeful and collective buy-in. Everyone understands the direction, loves the direction and takes ownership in their part in reaching that vision.

Second, you must take steps to reach your vision. If you don’t then your foot is still on first. You are treading water (surviving), but not swimming (thriving). Setting incremental goals and plans on how to achieve those goals, is how you reach your vision. You have to purposely work towards your vision, so it’s not just empty words. This is something we all intellectually understand, but so few businesses take steps to actually reach their vision. Or ensure the plans they are making are aligned with reaching their vision.

Setting and working towards your vision is a big part of building a strong culture that attracts and retains staff, members and volunteers. Big statement? Yes, but that doesn’t make it untrue. A club that works to achieve goals and move their organization forward is typically open to development and investment in staff. They have low turnover in staff and members.  They are open to using new tools and creating efficiencies, so focus can shift to areas of need. They spend less time putting out fires and more time proactively solving problems before they become issues. And lastly, a club that has and works toward their vision has a strong reputation because they can truly serve their members and the community.

About Renata Porter

Renata Porter is a dedicated business consultant with a focus on youth sports clubs.  Her company provides actionable guidance and support to help sports clubs to shift from old mindsets and sameness, to running the club as the business it is. Renata has helped clubs have positive operational outcomes by being an end-to-end partner, sharing her passion to see clubs succeed. 

Sign up for Developing your club’s Vision, Values and Behaviors webinar here!

You can find articles, tools, and webinars at Your Sports Resource.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Has Your Swim Club Established A Vision?

By Anya Pelshaw on SwimSwam

2022 FINA WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS – OPEN WATER SWIMMING

• June 18-July 3, 2022
• Lake Lupa, Budapest, Hungary
• Open Water Results
• Women’s 10K Results
• Men’s 10K Results

Open water worlds in Budapest, Hungary completed their third day of competition on Wednesday, June 29th. The athletes had a day off of competition yesterday after competing in the 5K open water event on Monday, June 27th.

The women’s 10K kicked off at 8 am. The event ended up being a very tight race as the top three finishers were all within 1.5 seconds of each other at the finish. After being 20th at the halfway points, Sharon Van Rouwendaal of the Netherlands moved up in the second half of the race to win the event in a 2:02:29.2. She finished only 0.5 seconds ahead of second place finisher Leonie Beck of Germany who finished in a 2:02:29.7. Third place finisher Ana Marcela de Cunha of Brazil was third in a 2:02:30.7.

This was Van Rouwendaal’s first medal of the competition so far. Beck earned her second medal after being a member of Germany’s winning 4×1500 m relay on the first day of competition. Cunha also earned her second medal after winning gold in the women’s 5K two days ago.

At last year’s 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Van Rouwendaal finished with a silver medal behind gold medalist Cunha. Notably, this is a completely different podium than the 2019 World Championships in the event.

Women’s 10K Race

Top 8 Finishers

1. Sharon Van Rouwendaal (Netherlands): 2:02:29.2
2. Leonie Beck (Germany): 2:02:29.7 (+0.5)
3. Ana Marcela de Cunha (Brazil): 2:02:30.7 (+1.5)
4. Aurelie Muller (France): 2:02:36.1 (+6.9)
5. Katie Grimes (USA): 2:02:37.2 (+8.0)
6. Anna Olasz (Hungary): 2:02:39.1 (+9.9)
7. Angelica Ribiero Andre (Portugal): 2:02:39.3 (+10.1)
8. Lea Boy (Germany): 2:02:40.5 (+11.3)

The men’s 10K open water kicked off at noon. Italy’s Gregorio Paltrinieri came out on top winning the event in a 1:50:56.8 just ahead of fellow countryman Domenico Acerenza who was second in a 1:50:58.2. Rounding out the podium was Germany’s Florian Wellbrock.

The three were at the front of the pack for most of the race. The Italian’s pulled away at the end to finish about 14 seconds ahead of Wellbrock.

This was the second medal for Acerenza who was on Italy’s silver medal winning 4×1500 meter relay. This was the third open water medal for Paltrinieri as he also was on the Italian relay and finished second in the men’s 5K two days ago. This also was the third open water medal for Wellbrock as he was on Germany’s winning 4×1500 m relay and he won gold in the men’s 5K as well.

Notably, Wellbrock also won two medals in the pool events as he finished with a silver in the 800 and bronze in the 1500 freestyles. Paltrinieri also captured a medal in the pool as he won the 1500 freestyle.

At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Wellbrock captured gold in the event and Paltrinieri finished with a bronze. Wellbrock won the event back at the 2019 World Championships as well.

Men’s 10K Race

Top 8 Finishers

1. Gregorio Paltrinieri (Italy): 1:50:56.8
2. Domenico Acerenza (Italy): 1:50:58.2 (+1.4)
3. Florian Wellbrock (Germany): 1:51:11.2 (+14.4)
4. Marc-Antoine Oliver (France): 1:51:11.5 (+14.7)
5. David Betlehem (Hungary): 1:51:29.8 (+33.0)
6. Mykhailo Romanchuk (Ukraine): 1:51:41.6 (+44.8)
7. Niklas Frach (Germany): 1:51:45.8 (+49.0)
8. Nicholas Sloman (Australia):  1:51:58.1 (+1:01.3)

Open Water Medal Table

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Paltrinieri and van Rouwendaal Win 10K on Day 3 Open Water Worlds

By James Sutherland on SwimSwam

FINA announced the 20 members elected to its revamped Athletes’ Committee on Wednesday, with a ceremony taking place in Budapest during the 2022 World Aquatics Championships.

The committee features representatives from all six aquatics disciplines and FINA’s six regions, and is also split evenly between men and women.

Five-time Jamaican Olympic swimmer Alia Atkinson was elected as the Committee Chair, while British diver Jack Laugher was named Vice-Chair.

The elected members will serve for the 2022-2026 period.

ELECTED ATHLETES’ COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Committee Chair– Alia Atkinson (JAM)

Committee Vice-Chair– Jack Laugher (GBR)

Artistic Swimming

• Nehal Saafan (EGY)
• Bill May (USA)

Diving

• Maria Polyakova (RUS)

High Diving

• Anna Bader (GER)
• Alain Kohl (LUX)

Open Water

• Ana Marcela Cunha (BRA)
• Ferry Weertman (NED)

Swimming

• Therese Alshammar (SWE)
• Shane Ryan (IRL)
• Siobhan Haughey (HKG)
• Dmitriy Balandin (KAZ)
• Jessica Hansen (AUS)
• Ryan Pini (PNG)
• Jamila Nsibambi Lunkuse (UGA)
• Matthew Sates (RSA)
• Dylan Carter (TTO)

Water Polo

• Margarita Plevritou (GRE)
• Felipe Perrone Rocha (ESP)

Voting took place via electronic ballots for swimming (June 16-25) and diving, water polo, open water and artistic swimming (June 16-28), while high diving, not being contested in Budapest, was done via mail-in balloting.

The committee makeup is as follows:

• Ten (10) Swimming athletes, including one male athlete and one female athlete from each
  Continent;
• Two (2) Open Water Swimming athletes, including one male athlete and one female athlete;
• Two (2) Diving athletes, including one male athlete and one female athlete;
• Two (2) High Diving athletes, including one male athlete and one female athlete;
• Two (2) Artistic Swimming athletes, including one male athlete and one female athlete; and
• Two (2) Water Polo athletes, including one male athlete and one female athlete.

Some of the athletes were running unopposed, meaning that only seven of the 20 spots were elected by their peers.

Swimmers Shane Ryan, Dmitriy Balandin, Jessica Hansen, Ryan Pini, Lunkuse Jamila Nsimbambi, Matthew Sates and Atkinson were selected automatically. Also running unopposed was Greek water polo player Margarita Plevritou, artistic swimmers Saafan Nehal and Billy May, open water swimmer Ferry Weertman, and high divers Anna Bader and Alain Kohl.

The athletes elected in were swimmers Siobhan Haughey, Therese Alshammar and Dylan Carter, divers Laugher and Maria Polyakova, open water swimmer Ana Marcela Cunha and water polo player Felipe Perrone Rocha.

The committee’s purpose is to give the athletes more of a voice in the decision made by FINA.

“Athletes are the heartbeat of aquatics,” said FINA President Husain Al-Musallam. “There is no sport without athletes. This is why I am so proud to be part of these historic elections today.

“With equal gender representation and athletes from all six continents across all disciplines, I have no doubt that those elected will strengthen and promote the athletes’ voice for the benefit of the entire aquatics community.”

The Committee Chair, Atkinson, will act as an ex-officio member of the FINA Bureau to communicate athlete perspectives on a variety of matters.

“Today marks another significant step forward for both FINA and all aquatics athletes,” Atkinson said.

“The Athletes’ Committee will act as a critical link between athletes and FINA. Having the athlete community choose those who represent them in important decisions is critical for the future development of our beloved sport.”

Along with the 20 members elected, an additional six will be appointed by the FINA President, six more Honorary Members will also be appointed by the FINA President, and the two aquatic athletes who are members of the IOC Athletes’ Commission, Daniel Gyurta (Hungary) and Federica Pellegrini (Italy), will also be on the committee. That means a total of 34 athletes will be on the FINA Athletes’ Committee.

FINA’s previous Athletes’ Committee featured 16 members, with the biggest difference with this revamped version being that it features athletes elected by their peers.

The new committee also features members much closer to their competitive careers. They don’t need to be active, but must’ve competed at either the previous two World Championships, previous two Olympic Games, or the Worlds where the most-recent elections are conducted.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: FINA Announces 20 Members Elected To New Athletes’ Committee

By Anya Pelshaw on SwimSwam

Ohio State has promoted Mike Hulme to associate head coach after spending six years on the coaching staff. They also have hired Katie Trace as an assistant coach after spending the last five seasons as an athlete for the Buckeyes.

Hulme has been an assistant for the Buckeyes for the last six seasons. Hulme graduated from Ohio State in 2011 with a degree in economics and political science. He was a member of the Ohio State Men’s 2010 Big Ten Championship team.

After graduating from Ohio State, Hulme made coaching stops at Purdue, Michigan State, and Denver before arriving back as an assistant with the Buckeyes. Since arriving back in Columbus before the 2016-2017 season, Hulme has helped coach the Buckeye women to back-to-back-to-back Big Ten Championships from 2020-2022.

Ohio State head coach Bill Dorenkott spoke of Hulme’s promotion saying, “Mike brings a yeoman’s approach to his job. He is humble, hardworking and he embodies the qualities of servant leadership. This promotion is long overdue and a testament to Mike’s selfless demeanor. I am looking forward to sharing the deck with Mike long into the future.”

Hulme spoke of his promotion saying, “Being named associate head coach at my alma mater means a great deal to myself and my family, and I am ecstatic to move forward with this new role.” He continued, “Our program, coaches, and student-athletes have grown so much over the five years since we combined our men’s and women’s teams, and I can’t wait to continue that trajectory moving forward. I want to thank Bill Dorenkott, Mike Penner, Gene Smith, and President Johnson for their support.”

In addition to the promotion, Ohio State also hired Katie Trace who just finished up her fifth year as an athlete at Ohio State. Trace is a Columbus area native as her hometown is Upper Arlington, OH, which is about less than 10 minutes away from Ohio State’s campus.

Trace spent the last five seasons as an athlete at Ohio State. This past season, she was the Buckeye women’s fourth highest scorer at Big Tens and was highlighted by third place finishes in both the 200 butterfly and 400 IM.

Dorenkott spoke of the addition of Trace saying, “Katie is a fourth-generation graduate of The Ohio State University and she represents all that is good in being a Buckeye,” He continued saying, “She chose to swim a fifth year and our staff often shared that it felt like having an extra coach in the water with the team. So, this was a natural progression and one that I feel very good about moving into the future.”

Trace spoke of staying at her alma mater saying, “After earning two degrees from Ohio State, becoming a coach here is the opportunity of a lifetime,” She continued by saying, “The expectation is excellence in all that we do. The people at Ohio State are investing in this mission and are passionate to be successful every day, and our swimming and diving program is no different. I’ve spent five years as a student-athlete being coached by both Bill Dorenkott and Mike Hulme, so I’m excited for the chance to work and learn alongside them in this chapter of my journey at Ohio State. I’m grateful to be able to take advantage of this new role in the program and continue the accomplishments we’ve achieved in recent years.”

The Ohio State coaching staff will look much different this upcoming season than it did this past season. Associate head coach Dorsey Tierney-Walker left Ohio State at the end of May, Matt Bowe joined the Cal men’s coaching staff, and Bryon Tansel most recently joined the Louisville staff.

The Buckeye women won the 2022 Big Ten Championship before finishing ninth at NCAAs. The Buckeye men finished second the 2022 Big Ten Championships before finishing ninth at NCAAs.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Ohio State Promotes Mike Hulme to Associate Head; Add Katie Trace as Assistant

By James Sutherland on SwimSwam

Swimming legends Michael Phelps and Natalie Coughlin were among eight individuals inducted into the United States Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame on Friday as members of the Class of 2022.

The class also featured 55-time Paralympic swimming medalist Trischa Zorn-Hudson, who competed in seven Paralympic Games from 1980 to 2004.

The class featured a total of eight individuals, two teams, two legends, one coach and one special contributor.

One of the teams was the 1976 women’s 400 freestyle relay that was comprised of Kim Peyton, Jill Sterkel, Shirley Babashoff and Wendy Boglioli. The quartet broke the world record and upset the East German that had won back-to-back world titles in 1973 and 1975.

Class of 2022 Inductees:

• Natalie Coughlin (swimming)
• Muffy Davis (Para alpine skiing and Para-cycling)
• Mia Hamm (soccer)
• David Kiley (Para alpine skiing, Para track and field, and wheelchair basketball)
• Michelle Kwan (figure skating)
• Michael Phelps (swimming)
• Lindsey Vonn (alpine skiing)
• Trischa Zorn-Hudson (Para swimming)
• The 1976 Women’s 4×100 Freestyle Relay Swimming Team
• The 2002 Paralympic Sled Hockey Team
• Gretchen Fraser (legend: alpine skiing)
• Roger Kingdom (legend: track and field)
• Pat Summitt (coach: basketball)
• Billie Jean King (special contributor)

Phelps is the most decorated athlete in Olympic history, owning a career total of 26 medals, 23 of them being gold.

Coughlin owns 12 career Olympic medals, including back-to-back individual golds in the women’s 100 backstroke in 2004 and 2008. She also won gold on the U.S. women’s 800 free relay in Athens.

Below, find some images from the event, along with the induction speeches:

MICHAEL PHELPS

NATALIE COUGHLIN

TRISCHA ZORN-HUDSON

1976 WOMEN’S 400 FREE RELAY

OTHER INDUCTION SPEECHES

Roger Kingdom

Muffy Davis

Mia Hamm

David Kiley

Michelle Kwan

By Sophie Kaufman on SwimSwam

2022 FINA WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

• June 18-25, 2022 (pool swimming)
• Budapest, Hungary
• Duna Arena
• LCM (50-meter format)
• Meet Central
• Live Results

Now that the 2022 FINA World Championships are over, it’s time to take a look back at our predictions to see how they compare to how the meet actually shook out.

Click here for all of SwimSwam’s Official Previews and Projected Medal Table

Predicting the Medalists

One of the big factors that lowered our batting average is injuries. We started writing our previews three weeks out from the meet, and a lot happened in that time and at the meet itself. We predicted 11 medals for swimmers in events that, for one reason or another, they didn’t end up racing.

Caeleb Dressel is the biggest example—we had him set for four individual golds. Siobhan Haughey withdrew because of her ankle injury, Shayna Jack broke her hand in the warmup pool, and Arno Kamminga didn’t swim the 200 breast due to illness. Kaylee McKeown scratched the 100 back, where she’s the world record holder. Duncan Scott and Ahmed Hafnaoui never suited up in Budapest.

Out of 126 medals podium spots (not counting ties, which we did not account for in our predictions), we put 37 medalists in the correct spot. We had another 44 medalists correct, but gave them the wrong color medal. Added up, that means that we got 81 medalists correct, or 64.2%.

Even with Dressel pulling out of the meet early, we still did the best at predicting the gold medalists. Having Katie Ledeckyall but locked in for three wins helps pad that stat, but we still correctly predicted 19 out of 42 winners for 45.2%.

We got 12 silver medalists right, or 28.5 % of those medals. We did worst with the bronze medals and were right on just eight of those, or a lowly 19%. These numbers aren’t entirely surprising given that in many events, like Ledecky’s, the gold medalist might be straightforward, and then things get increasingly bunched up as we move down the podium.

What We Got Right

Despite the injuries and illness, there were four events where we had a 100% correct podium. We correctly predicted the podium in the women’s 1500 free, 4×100 free relay, and 4×100 medley relay. On the men’s side, we got the 200 back.

SwimSwam’s Fully Correct Podiums: 

We were also right about both of Mollie O’Callaghan‘s individuals. The rising teen star had a strong follow-up to her international breakout at the Tokyo Olympics, winning gold in the 100 free and silver in the 200 free. She also played a role on four of Australia’s medal-winning relays, including a world record in the mixed 4×100 free relay.

In addition to the four podiums we got right, there were five podiums where we were correct about the gold and silver medalists.

SwimSwam’s Correct Gold-Silver Predictions

While we awarded Sarah Sjostrom a bronze in the 100 free when she actually earned silver, we also correctly predicted that she’d win the 50 free and 50 fly. This was far from the hottest of takes, but shows that she’s progressing nicely after her elbow injury last year.

Biggest Misses

• Without a doubt, our biggest miss was underestimating Leon Marchand. We had him down for only one medal, bronze in the 400 IM. In the 200 IM, we had him fourth, and out of the final entirely in the 200 fly. That couldn’t have been further from what happened, as he swept both IMs, earned silver in the 200 fly, and was named the best male swimmer of the meet.
• We were 0-3 for medalists in the men’s 50 free. Our preview had Dressel, Bruno Fratus, and Josh Liendo on the podium, in that order. Dressel pulled out of the meet before the event, Fratus lost the swim-off with Grousset, failing to advance to the final, and Liendo finished fifth.
• On the flip side, we overestimated both Lukas Märtens and Yui Ohashi. Märtens won silver in the 400 free (we predicted he’d win) but didn’t medal in the 1500 free and missed the final entirely in the 800 free. Ohashi swept the IMs in Tokyo, but didn’t medal in either event in Budapest, and didn’t qualify for the final in the 200.

Predicting the Medal Table

Actual vs. Predicted Medal Table

What We Got Right

While we didn’t get the medal count right, we were right about the U.S team’s dominance at the meet. 42 medals seemed a little high heading into the meet, but the U.S actually surpassed that, winning 45 medals and setting the most records for a nation in a single world championship.

We were right about the medal counts for both Brazil and the Netherlands. However, while we were correct about Santos and Kamminga medaling in the 50 fly and 100 breast, respectively, the second medalists were a surprise. For Brazil, Guilherme Costa surprised with a bronze medal in the 400 free. The Netherlands out-touched Great Britain for bronze in the mixed medley relay.

Despite the -3 difference, we actually weren’t too far off on our predictions for how Great Britain would far at this meet. Two of those predicted medals belong to Duncan Scott, so the difference is only -1.

Biggest Misses

• We expected too little not only of Marchand, but the entire French team. They were our widest margin of difference, outscoring our predicted medals by 5. Marchand accounts for two of those medals, but Maxime Grousset also stepped up. We had him medaling in the 100 free, but he snuck into the final via swim off and ended up winning bronze there too. On the women’s side, Analia Pigree and Marie Wattel added medals, and so did Melanie Henique, who we correctly predicted for silver in the 50 fly.
• Ruta Meilutyte‘s resurgence was a surprise to us. We didn’t have Lithuania down for any medals, but in her return to international competition, Meilutyte won gold in the 50 breast and bronze in the 100 breast.
• Canada also outperformed our expectations, led by Josh Liendo taking bronze in the 100 free and 100 fly. He also played a role on the mixed 4×100 free relay, where Canada won a silver medal we didn’t see coming. This performance by Liendo made him the most decorated Canadian man at a single world championships.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: How Did We Do? Reviewing SwimSwam’s Worlds Predictions

By James Sutherland on SwimSwam

A highlight package of pool swimming at the 2022 FINA World Championships drew fewer than 200,000 viewers on NBC on Sunday, according to Show Buzz Daily.

The event was available for viewing across NBC’s streaming platform, Peacock, throughout the duration of the event (June 18-25), and was also available on the Olympic Channel.

Upon the conclusion of the competition in Budapest, NBC featured a highlights package on its main network at 12 pm E.T. on Sunday, June 26.

The package failed to crack 200K viewers, which is the minimum requirement to be listed on Show Buzz Daily.

The event was followed by the final round of the LPGA Women’s PGA Championship, which drew approximately 849,000 viewers.

None of the daily airings on The Olympic Channel had over 200,000 viewers either.

The U.S. Track & Field Championships, for example, picked up over 1,000,000 viewers in perhaps a more favorable timeslot (4 p.m.) on Saturday and Sunday, though that was live coverage compared to the compressed highlight package that swimming received.

Other sports outside of the primary ones (football, basketball, baseball, motor sports, golf, college baseball and soccer) that outdrew swimming included major league rugby (281,000) and the Westminster Dog Show (450,000 on Wednesday, 282,000 on Tuesday).

Failing to reach 200,000 viewers is a downturn compared to some recent television ratings for swimming.

In early April, a highlights package of the Pro Swim Series meet in Mission Viejo drew 537,000 viewers on NBC, while the International Swimming League’s network television debut in October 2020 on CBS picked up 381,000 viewers.

The numbers pale in comparison to the juggernaut that is the U.S. Olympic Trials, however, which averaged 2.7 million nightly viewers on NBC last year. Of course, the Olympic Trials receive daily primetime coverage on the main NBC network, which gives it a huge boost.

Having the daily finals on The Olympic Channel relative to NBC has a significant impact on viewership, as NBC is available to approximately 277 million households in the U.S., compared to 35 million for the Olympic Channel.

The time difference in the World Championships could’ve played a part in a relative lack of interest from American viewers, who, for the most part, would’ve been asleep during the preliminary heats (3 am E.T.) and at work during finals (12 p.m. ET).

The U.S. team set an all-time record by winning 45 medals at the championships, blowing past their previous total of 38 set in 2017.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: World Championship Highlights Draw Fewer Than 200,000 Viewers On NBC

By Braden Keith on SwimSwam

The Collegiate Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of American (CSCAA) has announced its Spring 2022 Scholar All-America Team award winners.

To qualify, teams must have a minimum of a 3.0 team GPA for the previous semester.

The list includes 731 teams from 441 institutions – an increase from the 721 programs from 424 institutions that earned the honor last year.

The highest team GPA’s come from Division III programs. Caltech men and the Pacific Lutheran women are the top overall programs, both achieving a 3.85 team GPA.

Harvard’s men and Stanford’s women lead the Division I list with team GPA’s of 3.78 and 3.83, respectively. Roberts Wesleyan’s men (3.66) and Fairmont State’s women (3.84) top the Division II category. SCAD-Savannah is best among all NAIA schools for both the men (3.56) and women’s (3.80) rankings. NJCAA schools are led by Southwestern Oregon men (3.27) and women (3.54)

Founded in 1922, the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA), is the nation’s first organization of college coaches. The mission of the CSCAA is to advance the sport of swimming and diving with coaches at the epicenter of leadership, advocacy, and professional development.

From the top 10 of NCAA Division I, the most-competitive level, of Division I swimming, most teams made the list. That includes the entire top 10 of the women’s NCAA Championship meet.

Women’s NCAA Division I Top 10 that earned Scholar All-America Status:

• 1st – Virginia – 3.45 GPA
• 2nd – Texas – 3.52 GPA
• 3rd – Stanford – 3.83 GPA
• 4th – Alabama – 3.50 GPA
• 5th – NC State – 3.61 GPA
• 6th – Louisville – 3.56 GPA
• 7th – Michigan – 3.49 GPA
• 8th – Cal – 3.48 GPA
• 9th – Ohio State – 3.33 GPA
• 10th – Tennessee – 3.63 GPA

#11 Indiana (3.53) and #12 Kentucky (3.65) also made the list, as did the rest of the top 17 teams at the women’s NCAA Championship meet.

Eight out of the top 10 teams at the men’s NCAA Division I Championships also earned All-America status.

Men’s NCAA Division I Top 10 that earned Scholar All-America Status:

• 2nd – Texas – 3.22 GPA
• 3rd – Florida – 3.22 GPA
• 4th – NC State – 3.28 GPA
• 5th – Indiana – 3.26 GPA
• 6th – Arizona State – 3.46 GPA
• 7th – Stanford – 3.72 GPA
• 9th – Ohio State – 3.01 GPA
• 10th – Virginia – 3.01 GPA

Other high-flying teams in and out of the pool include the NCAA Division II Champions from Queens which made the list in both the men’s (3.50 GPA) and women’s (3.66 GPA) categories.

The Division III champion Kenyon women (3.53 GPA) and Emory men (3.60 GPA) also made the list.

The full lists are below:

By Anya Pelshaw on SwimSwam

Kobie Melton of Arkansas has announced via Instagram that she will be returning to Arkansas to use her COVID-19 fifth year of eligibility. Melton made the announcement by placing the @razorbackswimdive ’22+1 in her Instagram bio.

Melton used her first four years of eligibility at Arkansas. This past season, she was Arkansas’ fourth-highest individual scorer at SECs as she scored a total of 32 points. There she finished 11th in the 100 back (52.85), 13th in the 100 free (48.70), and 22nd in the 50 free (22.63).

She went on to qualify for the 2022 NCAA Championships. There she competed in prelims of the 100 free (48.48, 29th), 100 back (52.65, 36th), and 50 free (22.43, 43rd). She also was a member of the team’s 200 medley, 200 freestyle, and 400 freestyle relays.

In 2021, she swam in two A finals and one B final at the 2021 SEC Championships. She finished eighth in the 50 free (22.36), eighth in the 100 back (53.01), and 12th in the 100 free (48.92). She went on to qualify for NCAAs as well where she swam in prelims of the 50 free, 100 free, and 100 back.

Melton also swam at Wave I trials in June 2021. There she finished sixth in the 50 free (25.65) and second in the 100 back (1:01.89). Her second-place finish in the 100 back qualified her for Wave II Trials where she swam another personal best time of 1:01.50 in the 100 back.

Her best SCY times are:

• 50 free: 22.18 (2021 SECs)
• 100 free: 48.42 (2022 SECs)
• 100 back: 52.65 (2022 NCAAs)
• 100 fly: 52.91 (2019 SECs)

Arkansas finished 11th out of 12 teams at the 2022 SEC Championships. They also went on to finish 28th at NCAAs scoring a total of 15 points.

Melton told SwimSwam that she will be finishing up her undergrad and adding a business minor to her animal science/pre-vet degree in her fifth year. She said that taking the fifth year was an “opportunity I couldn’t pass up. My undergrad is something I’ll never get to relive. I want to take advantage of every possible moment in the pool and classroom at Arkansas.”

Read the full story on SwimSwam: NCAA Qualifier Kobie Melton to Stay at Arkansas for 5th Year

By Ben Dornan on SwimSwam

2022 FINA WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

• June 18-25, 2022 (pool swimming)
• Budapest, Hungary
• Duna Arena
• LCM (50-meter format)
• Meet Central
• Preview Index
• Full Aquatics Schedule
• How To Watch
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results

Prior to the 2022 World Championships, SwimSwam’s Braden Keith, Retta Race, Ben Dornan, and Coleman Hodges conducted the SwimSwam 2022 World Championships Fantasy Draft. Each GM drafted a team of 8 swimmers, selecting one swimmer from each continent (Asia, Europe, North America, South America, Oceania, and Europe) and 2 wild card swimmers. The draft resulted in the following set of teams:

The goal was to draft a team that would score the highest number of points according to the scoring system that we devised. The scoring system is as follows:

• Individual Gold Medal: 6 points
• Individual Silver Medal: 5 points
• Individual Bronze Medal: 4 points
• Made an Individual Final, Didn’t Medal: 1 point
• Relay Gold Medal, Swam in Finals: 4 points
• Relay Silver Medal, Swam in Finals: 3 points
• Relay Bronze Medal, Swam in Finals: 2 points
• Any relay medal, Only Swam in Prelims: 1 point
• Individual World Record Bonus: 3 points
• Relay World Record Bonus: 2 Points *
• DQ: -2 points **

* The original post did not include the relay world record bonus but 2 points will be awarded if a swimmer races on a world record-breaking relay.

** The DQ penalty only applies to swimmers who race an event and get disqualified. It does not apply to swimmers who scratch or who enter and don’t show up for (DNS) a race.

The Results Are In

After 8 days of racing, Braden finished with the most points as his team scored a total of 90 points overall. Coleman had a strong performance, surging over the last few days to nearly catch Braden, and wound up in second with 87 points. Retta pulled off third place with a score of 66 and I had the worst performance, finishing last with 58 points. You can find a full breakdown of how each individual draftee scored during the meet below, but first, let’s check out the highlights.

Highlights

Braden (90 Points)

Two of Braden’s picks alone brought in more than half of his team’s points: Mollie O’Callaghan and Torri Huske. Those two women were actually the highest-scoring swimmers at the meet if you include all of the non-drafted swimmers as well. O’Callaghan picked up 2 individual medals in the 100 free (gold) and 200 free (silver), made the podium in 4 relays, and got a bonus 2 points for her world record-breaking mixed 4×100 freestyle. O’Callaghan scored 27 points overall.

Torri Huske wasn’t far behind with a total of 24 points. She won individual medals in the 100 fly (gold) and 100 free (bronze), made the final in the 50 free and 50 fly, and won 4 different relay medals. Huske’s performance was huge for Braden and it’s notable that she was his final pick and the overall 31st pick of the draft (out of 32).

It’s scary to think how Braden would have scored if he had gotten a fully loaded Caeleb Dressel, who left the meet after only swimming 2 events. Dressel still collected 10 points by winning the 50 fly and men’s 4×100 free but he would have surely gotten many more if he hadn’t pulled out of the 50 free, 100 free, 100 fly, and several more relays.

Braden had three other swimmers reach individual podiums in Yang Junxuan (200 free gold), Lara van Niekerk (50 breast bronze), and Kylie Masse (50 back gold, 100 back silver), meaning that 6 of his 8 swimmers won individual medals.

Coleman (87 points)

Coleman placed second here and has a group of 4 swimmers to thank for the majority of his points. Michael Andrew, Hunter Armstrong, Sarah Sjostrom, and Katie Ledecky picked up between 15 and 22 points each and were all on more than 1 individual podium. Sjostrom and Ledecky won 2 and 3 events each, while Andrew earned a silver and 2 bronze medals. Armstrong got a silver in the 50 back as well as a bronze in the 100 back.

Those individual podium finishes were huge for Coleman’s team and that quartet raked in 72 of his 87 points. Nicholas Santos got Coleman 5 points from his 50 fly silver and Kyle Chalmers was helpful on the freestyle relays he swam, bringing in 9 points including his world record bonus.

Retta (66 points)

Just like Braden with Torri Huske, Retta’s final pick in this draft was her highest-scoring team member. Claire Curzan had 4 finals swims at the meet and landed on the podium in the 100 backstroke. She also earned points by placing 5th in the 100 fly and 50 fly, as well as 8th in the 100 free. Curzan’s big points, however, came from her relay efforts where she collected a total of 12 points from 4 relay medals.

Kaylee McKeown scored fewer points than expected but still managed to get Retta 18 points total. She won the 200 back, placed second in the 200 IM, and finished 5th in the 50 back. Additionally, she took silver in both the women’s and mixed 4×100 medleys.

Retta’s big get here was Josh Liendo who broke through at this meet to land on 3 podiums. Liendo managed to snag bronze in both the 100 freestyle and 100 butterfly at the meet and nearly got onto the podium in the 50 fly where he finished 5th. Liendo got another few points for Retta in the mixed 4×100 freestyle when Canada finished second overall.

Ben (58 points)

My team didn’t have as many high-scorers as the others as  Zhang Yufei led the charge with her triple bronze performance in the butterfly events. She got 12 events from those 3 podiums and then picked up 1 more in the 50 free final, placing 5th.

I had another 2 swimmers clear 10 points in Bobby Finke and Regan Smith. Finke got 11 points from his distance gold and silver, while Smith landed 6 points from her 100 back gold. Smith also had finals swims in the 50 back (5th) and 200 fly (4th), and her contribution to the women’s 4×100 medley.

That’s a quick summary of where the majority of our points came from so now let’s look at some of the swimmers who didn’t contribute as many points as we may have expected:

Misses

This section identifies places where our draftees performed slightly worse than what their ceiling was at this meet. This is not to disparage the swimmers, but just to identify where a certain selection didn’t quite pan out. All of these swimmers are incredible athletes and I am just a man watching on a computer.

Braden

• Braden’s lowest scorer was Fernando Scheffer who got 0 points overall. Scheffer got bronze in the 200 free in Tokyo but couldn’t replicate that performance this year, swimming a 1:46.11 for 9th in the semis and just missing the finals heat.
• Other than the obvious Caeleb Dressel departure, Braden’s only other significant disappointment was when