The heat sheets are out for the 3rd day of the 2014 Santa Clara Grand Prix in California, and there’s a few new notable selections that have happened.
In addition to the absences of Natalie Coughlin, who is resting after a long week of travel in Europe for the Mare Nostrum series, and Chloe Sutton, who says she’s sick, Georgia Bulldog and defending 50 free NCAA Champion Olivia Smoliga has also pulled out of the meet with an undisclosed illness.
Full Saturday heat sheets available here.
Smoliga tweeted on Thursday that she turned around and went back home, meaning that her Grand Prix is over already.
Among those who are still in Santa Clara, SwimMAC post-grad Tyler Clary had to make a little bit of a tough choice. He held three entries for Saturday’s races, the 200 free, the 200 back, and the 400 IM, and at this meet has decided that the 400 IM was the one to go. He was the 2nd seed and the swimmer most likely to challenge Worlds medalist Chase Kalisz in that race: a task that will now be left up to the likes of Sebastien Rousseau and Michael Weiss.
For the most part, scratches were pretty quiet for the rest of Saturday morning. Missy Franklin is holding on to her 200 free/200 back double, and Michael Phelps is still in the 200 free, where he’ll race in the 5th heat as the #3 seed overall.
Brooke Zieger did pull out of the 200 back.
Clary – 400 IM
Brooke Zieger – 200 back
Missy doing the double
Oh no! 😥
For once that Miss swimming America Olivia Smoliga was scheduled to swim at a Grand Prix meet this year! 😥