Phelps To Swim Four Races, No 200 Free, at 2014 U.S. Swimming National Championships

USA Swimming has released the psych sheets for the 2014 National Championship meet, which runs from Wednesday, August 6th, at the William Woollett, Jr. Aquatic Center in Irvine, California.

See the full psych sheets here.

This psych sheet is a bit unusual, in that we’re expecting there to be a lot of scratches from top swimmers because of the unique nature of this meet. Specifically, once swimmers make the Pan Pacs roster, they can swim extra individual events in prelims there to either advance to finals or try to secure a spot on the World Championship team for 2015. So, for example, a swimmer like Ryan Lochte, who has been battling injury, might pull back on events if he makes the roster early in this meet, and then just focus on securing relay spots. The 200 IM is his last scheduled event, so that might fall by the wayside if he’s already on the team to save his ailing knee.

He would then have the opportunity to swim the 200 IM at Pan Pacs if he felt up to it, and thereby qualify for Worlds in 2015.

Read more about Pan Pacs and Worlds selection procedures.

Someone like Megan Romano, who has a double in the 200 free and the 200 back, will probably scratch the latter of those races unless some disaster happens in the 200 free where she fails to final or gets disqualified.

But it’s a good start, and we’ll start with the schedule of one Michael Fred Phelps, who is back in action after missing last year’s National Championship meet. He is entered in the 100 free, the 100 fly, the 100 back, and the 200 IM. That means no 200 free, and probably no leeway to get onto the 800 free relay for Pan Pacs – though he could still work his way there for Worlds.

The only conceivable way for him to get onto that 800 free relay for Pan Pacs is if one of the top four finishers in the 200 free relay at Nationals scratches. USA Swimming won’t pull swimmers up for relay spots, so coaches would then have the ability to insert a swimmer of their choosing.

Below, we’ve pulled out some of the more interesting schedules from the psych sheets; if there’s any others you find that are noteworthy, post them in the comments.

• Michael Phelps – 100 free, 100 fly, 100 back, 200 IM
• Ryan Lochte – 100 free, 200 free, 200 back, 100 fly, 100 back, 200 IM
• Missy Franklin – 100 free, 200 free, 200 back, 100 back
• Katie Ledecky – 100 free, 800 free, 200 free, 400 IM, 400 free, 1500 free, 200 IM, 50 free
• Tyler Clary – 200 fly, 200 free, 200 back, 400 IM, 400 free, 200 IM
• Nick Thoman – 50 back, 100 back
• Eugene Godsoe – 50 fly, 100 fly, 50 back, 100 back
• Megan Romano – 100 free, 200 free, 200 back, 50 back, 100 back, 50 free
• Kendyl Stewart – 200 back, 50 fly, 100 fly, 50 back, 100 back
• Elizabeth Beisel – 200 fly, 800 free, 200 free, 200 back, 400 IM, 400 free, 100 back, 1500 free, 200 IM
• Conor Dwyer – 100 free, 200 free, 400 IM, 400 free, 200 IM
• Maya DiRado – 200 fly, 200 free, 400 IM, 100 back, 200 IM (NO 200 back)
• Katie Hoff – 100 free, 200 free, 100 breast, 200 IM
• Caeleb Dressel – 100 free, 200 free, 50 fly, 100 fly, 50 free
• Michael Andrew – 200 fly, 100 free, 200 free, 200 back, 50 fly, 100 fly, 50 breast, 50 back, 100 breast, 100 back, 200 IM, 50 free (12 events)
• No Reece Whitley
• Darian Townsend – 100 free, 200 free, 100 fly, 100 back, 200 IM (which is what he said he would swim).
• Natalie Coughlin – 100 free, 50 free

Other noteworthy schedules, though not that interesting or surprising:

• Nathan Adrian/Jimmy Feigen/Anthony Ervin – 100 free, 50 free
• Allison Schmitt – 100 free, 200 free, 400 free
• Kevin Cordes – 200 breast, 50 breast, 100 breast (all top seeds)

A full preview, along with links, will come next week, and please continue to follow our race-by-race predictions as well.