The International Swimming League says it has more than 500 swimmers registered for its draft pool, including three of the top five individual scorers from last year.
The ISL announced a handful of swimmers already registered. 2020 league MVP Caeleb Dressel is among them, along with #2 overall scorer Lilly King and #3 overall scorer Beryl Gastaldello.
The ISL release doesn’t reveal all 500+ athletes currently registered, but did specifically list the following swimmers:
- Caeleb Dressel
- Lilly King
- Beryl Gastaldello
- Siobhan Haughey
- Hali Flickinger
- Freya Anderson
- Emily Seebohm
- Olivia Smoliga
- Abbey Weitzeil
- Minna Atherton
- Evgeny Rylov
- Kyle Chalmers
- Tom Shields
- Michael Andrew
- Cody Miller
Atherton, Chalmers and Miller are especially notable because none of the three competed in 2020. Atherton was the first swimmer to break a world record in ISL competition, dominating the backstrokes in 2019, the league’s inaugural season. She didn’t compete last season amid Australia’s pandemic travel restrictions. Chalmers was a 2019 standout who withdrew from the 2020 season due to injury. Miller competed in 2019 but declined to join the ISL’s five-week bubble as he and his wife welcomed a new baby in the middle of ISL season.
Between Dressel, King, Gastaldello, #6 Smoliga, #7 Haughey and #8 Shields, the ISL has confirmed participation for six of last year’s top ten individual scorers. The remaining swimmers from last year’s top ten who have not yet been confirmed by the ISL include #4 Ryan Murphy, #5 Sarah Sjostrom, #9 Chad le Clos and #10 Emre Sakci.
ISL Draft Background
In previous seasons, ISL teams have built their rosters in what was essentially a free agency period with a few blocks of geographically-based exclusive recruiting. In the league’s third season, the ISL will add a draft, allowing teams to retain up to 16 of their athletes from 2020 while sending the unretained swimmers (along with new ISL rookies) into the draft pool.
More info on the ISL draft process:
500 is about how many spectators were in attendance for the ISL Championships in Vegas. And that might be a stretch.
What are ISL’s financials like? Are they going to make it long term? ISL is amazing but I don’t see how it is profitable. Are they surviving on the capital of “angel” investors now?
it survives until the russian billionaire doesn’t get tired of losing money
Not profitable, more of a hobby for Grigorishin. It will last until the AML division of the US Department of Treasury takes notice.
Does everyone get put on a team? If not what happens to the unpicked? Can people just start their own team?
When is the last day to register?
Since he took the year off, is Cody Miller automatically in the draft, or can dc trident reserve him?
He’s in the draft
There’s some kind of loophole for athletes who can provide a doctor’s note about them not traveling. I would think that last year, that would be everyone.
As per usual, we won’t get the full picture about the rules until it’s all said and done.
Kyle Chalmers yes was injured.
But the overseas travel ban and Australia s borders closed to was a
Enduring factor for all ISL Aussie swimmers bar two of them.
I tried to sign up but, uh… I’m a 32-year old Masters swimmer a couple second off the minimum 50 free cut and that didn’t fly.
Man, if only they’d use the honor system entry system USMS uses for nationals, we’d all be set!
I was ready to throw myself in the 100* fly mix with Shields and Dressel, but I guess that’s not gonna happen.
*Me swimming a 75 and them swimming a 100
Woah look at Mr Bigshot here who can go a 48 75 SCM fly
I have it on good authority that I’m kind of a big deal
That really puts those world records into perspective. 44 for 75 free is not cruising either 🤣.
Get on the next plane to Uzbekistan.
Well if that didn’t fly, you should have tried using a crawl stroke lol.