200 Backstroke
After getting the freshman jitters out last year with somewhat underwhelming performances, Florida sophomore Elizabeth Beisel has put a full two-and-a-half seconds between herself and her next closest pursuer. Her sizzling 1:49.82 from February's SEC meet is the fourth-fastest time in NCAA history, and even though she's not likely to be challenged – last year's winning time was a 1:50.76 – her closest pursuer is likely to come from someone she trains with every day.
Florida senior Teresa Crippen finished 4th last year in a blanket finish that saw 2nd through 4th separated by less than a tenth of a second, but has never been lower than that in this event. As World Championship teammates with the Olympics on the horizon, Crippen and Beisel are more likely to have saved something this year for NCAAs than conference and should both be faster than they were in February.
Third place should be a battle between Stanford sophomore Maya DiRado, and Missouri junior Dominique Bouchard, who got the touch last year for second. Bouchard is a hot prospect for the Canadian Olympic team, and Canada's trials meet begins two weeks after NCAAs, so the edge goes to DiRado who might be a little more tuned for this meet, but it could be decided by a touch.
Beyond these four, a slew of 1:53s wait in the wings, but senior Kristen Shickora and junior Kelsey Gaid of Georgia will be there to capitalize on the points left on the table by the missing Deborah Roth of Cal, who finaled here last year. Tess Behrens of Indiana and Sarah Denninghoff of Arizona are about as good here as the 100 and likely finalists.
Winner: Elizabeth Beisel (Florida)
Runner-Up: Teresa Crippen (Florida)
Finals: Maya DiRado (Stanford), Dominique Bouchard (Missouri), Kristen Shickora (Georgia), Kelsey Gaid (Georgia), Tess Behrens (Indiana), Sarah Denninghoff (Arizona)
On-The-Bubble: Katie Riefenstahl (Texas), Stephanie Au (California), Meredith Cavalier (Virginia)
Wildcard: Cindy Tran (Cal) She's the best 100 backstroker in the field, but the 200 back is a completely different animal, and one that Tran hasn't tamed yet. With a team title on the line and Georgia showing their teeth with Shickora and Gaid, can Tran use her speed to hang on to a finals spot, or will she blaze out?
Darkhorse Finalist: Johanna Gustafsdottir (Florida International) She has broken 25 national records in her native Iceland, and is without peer in the Sunbelt conference, but still getting used to swimming yards. She's already seeded to score, but a couple tenths here or there will put FIU swimming on the map, and potentially Gustafsdottir in a finals spot.