SwimSwam Pulse is a recurring feature tracking and analyzing the results of our periodic A3 Performance Polls. You can cast your vote in our newest poll on the SwimSwam homepage, about halfway down the page on the right side, or you can find the poll embedded at the bottom of this post.
Our most recent poll asked SwimSwam readers to pick the 2020 U.S. Olympian that will score the most points in their freshman season at the 2022 Women’s NCAA Championships:
RESULTS
Question: Which female U.S. Olympian will score the most points as a freshman at the 2022 NCAA Championships?
- Regan Smith – 55.6%
- Torri Huske – 38.6%
- Emma Weyant – 4.2%
- Erica Sullivan – 1.6%
There are four women entering their freshman season in the NCAA that are coming off of representing the United States in Tokyo, all of whom won medals. The poll asked readers which of the four would be the highest scoring swimmer at the 2022 NCAA Championships in their first season.
It’s important to point out that Torri Huske, 18, is the only one of the quartet that’s entering the NCAA directly out of her Grade 12 year of high school. Regan Smith and Emma Weyant, both 19, deferred enrollment for one year, while Erica Sullivan, 21, was first eligible to compete collegiately in 2018-19.
More than 55 percent of the voters picked Smith to be the top scorer as a freshman at NCAAs, which should come as no surprise given that she’s the American Record holder in the 100 (49.16) and 200-yard backstroke (1:47.16), and is also the second-fastest swimmer of all-time in the 200 butterfly (1:49.78).
Assuming those are the three events Smith will ultimately race at NCAAs, the incoming Stanford Cardinal will tackle a difficult double on the final night of competition, with the 200 back and 200 fly only separated by a few events.
The three-time Tokyo Olympic medalist will also have a trio of tough outs in the backstroke events, with defending 100-yard champ Katharine Berkoff of NC State, defending 200 winner Phoebe Bacon of Wisconsin, and Alabama’s Rhyan White, who was the upset winner over Smith in the 200 back (with Bacon second) at the U.S. Olympic Trials, all set to take her on.
Even with the double and the tough matchups, Smith is still a favorite to potentially go three-for-three individually at NCAAs, making it easy to see why she was the leading vote-getter.
Sitting second was her new Stanford teammate Huske, who is coming off a phenomenal summer that included breaking the American Record in the 100 butterfly (long course) on multiple occasions and finishing .01 outside of an individual Olympic medal in the event.
Huske, who won a silver medal on the U.S. women’s 400 medley relay in Tokyo, took the top spot in our re-rank of the girls’ high school class of 2021 recruits, and heads to The Farm with times fast enough to make NCAA ‘A’ finals across six events.
Huske’s projected NCAA lineup would likely include the 50 free, 100 free and 100 fly—though she could also be a contender in the 200 free, 200 fly and 200 IM—where she’ll face some tough matchups. If she goes with the three sprints and avoids the 200s, Huske will clash with Maggie MacNeil and potentially Kate Douglass on all three. Those two are reigning NCAA champions, and would make Huske an underdog to win any individual titles in her first season, which would appear to give the point-scoring edge to Smith.
Weyant, who won Olympic silver in the women’s 400 IM, is headed to Virginia where she’ll join an elite medley crew that includes Douglass and Alex Walsh, who both made the podium in the 200 IM in Tokyo. She’ll be a top contender in the 400 IM right off the bat at NCAAs, but probably won’t be a serious title challenger in any other events right away, diminishing her point potential.
Sullivan only received 1.6 percent of votes despite appearing to be the odds-on favorite to win the 500/1650 double this season. The University of Texas commit is coming off of winning silver behind Katie Ledecky in the first-ever Olympic women’s 1500 freestyle.
Below, vote in our new A3 Performance Poll, which asks: what hypothetical swim that never happened would you most want to go back in time to see what would’ve happened:
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The A3 Performance Poll is courtesy of A3 Performance, a SwimSwam partner.
Emma Mckeown vs an on form Simone Manuel. Side by side. Mckeon would win but she will be pushed the whole by Simone.
editing note on Rucks splits for 100Fr were 45.6 and 45.8
Huske might be the most valuable because of relays, but I see Smith doing 1 bk / 2 bk / 2 fly, which are much more open individual events.
Wonder how Sullivan can come down to 200, but she could get 40 points in distance.
Weyant may have some tricks up her sleeve, but so far her 400 IM looks much better than the sum of parts. Her best non-IM events are probably 200/500, where she is at best an A-finalist right now, but can’t swim them anyway.
I think a 100 free final at NCAAs with MacNeil, Douglass, Ivey, Alons, Ruck, Huske, and G. Walsh would be 🔥 and amazing to watch! What’s even crazier is they all have another year of eligibility to come back and do it again in 2022 with Curzan in the last lane 😮.
Regan will be out for blood this season. Watch out! Her Olympic Trials and Olympic Games did not go the way she had hoped. Her best is yet to come.
Swimming: the only sport where a lack of success is viewed as a guarantee of future success.
Did you watch any of the interviews with her Dad after the races? He was pissed. Right or wrong, Dad’s expectations were not met and that trickles down to Regan as well.
That’s absolutely untrue. He was obviously very proud of what she accomplished. I saw multiple interviews (NBC, CBS, etc.) and he never remotely came across as upset. I think he was honest in referencing how the expectations changed from 2020, but was very proud of her success. The expectations on Regan were enormous but it didn’t come from her father. He knew what she had gone through and was so proud of her. Not sure why you would suggest otherwise.
Sadly, the pandemic really ruined her chance of becoming the darling of US like Franklin in 2012.
Her momentum was not same this year as before the pandemic. Not saying she would beat McKeown for sure, but she would have been a lot better at the Olympics had it taken place as normal in 2020.
Stanford’s 4×100 Medley Relay is gonna be massive.
Regan Smith 49.16
Zoe Bartel 58.72
Torri Huske 49.70
Taylor Ruck 46.76
That will easily win NCAA’s and considering relay splits are usually faster than actual times, could very well set an AR.
Could’ve a possibility. However they can’t break an American record with Ruck
Isn’t Taylor Ruck Canadian?
If we say that Huske/Ruck and Douglass/G. Walsh is a wash on the back half, then it will come down to whether R. Smith can beat Tiltmann by more than Wenger can beat Bartel. And N.C. State will have something to say too.
recent racing suggests BR leg may be Raab, who has a favorable trend and at OT W2, finished 10th and 7th in 100/200; Many have forgotten Rucks exceptional history of relay splits. she only has one NCAA finals in her resume, Go way back in time to early 2019 and she had a 45.8 split, the fastest of any athlete (including Weitzeil, Commerford) 2019 along with a 1:39 leg in winning 800. There were lots of doubters on this site in 2018-19, because she hadn’t had any short course swims for 18 moths, before Stanford. Have to wait til late Feb and March for the real projection. NCState and UVA have so much relay talent.
And nc state replaces the 48 on their relay with what will likely be 46.
What do you project for backhalf swimers NCST
As fun as it would have been to see Dressel swim a tapered 200 free in SCY, got to vote for MP because the big pool (esp Olympics) takes precedence.
MP was 1:54.65 in the summer of 2007, when the WR (held by Lochte) was 1:54.32. He also came 0.03 from Peirsol’s 100 back WR.
Ofc even qualifying for the US team for the 200 back would have been really hard in 2008 (just a casual 0.02 off the existing WR). But for me MP doing backstroke in major meets will always be the “one that got away”, and I’m really intrigued to see what sort of monster time he could have dropped. 1:53 was definitely on the… Read more »
Smith, Huske, Ruck and several others all training together at Avery, will help them all prepare for the Big meets. Training may be more intense than the Big meets!