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NCAA Women’s Championships: As Big Names Miss, Gretchen Walsh Is Top Seed in 100 Free; Lia Thomas Advances
Several big names missed the championship final of the 100-yard freestyle at the NCAA Championships on Saturday morning in Atlanta. While Virginia’s Gretchen Walsh surged to the top seed in 46.78, the trio of Stanford’s Torri Huske, Michigan’s Maggie Mac Neil and Cal’s Isabel Ivey surprisingly didn’t qualify in the top eight and were left to race in the consolation final during the evening session.
Walsh has been superb during the meet, having notched a pair of runnerup finishes in the 50 freestyle and 100 backstroke. Now, the freshman will try to secure her first individual crown as Virginia storms toward a second consecutive team title. Walsh was one of two swimmers to break the 47-second barrier during the morning, as she was joined by North Carolina State’s Katharine Berkoff, who touched the wall in 46.89. Berkoff is coming off an American-record performance in the 100 backstroke.
Alabama’s Morgan Scott picked up the third seed in 47.27, with University of Pennsylvania transgender woman Lia Thomas qualifying fourth in 47.37. Thomas won the 500 freestyle on the second night of the meet and has been embroiled in controversy throughout the season, due to debate over whether undergoing male puberty has supplied her with inherent advantages over biological women.
Advancing in fifth and sixth were Louisville’s Gabi Albiero (47.45) and North Carolina’s Grace Countie (47.50), with seventh going to Alabama’s Cora Dupre in 47.51. The last position in the final was claimed by Yale’s Iszac Henig, a transgender male who was timed in 47.55. Henig has not taken any hormone boosters during his transition, making him eligible to compete in the women’s championships.
Ivey (47.61) and Mac Neil (47.77) were ninth and 10th, while Huske (48.12) was 15th.
Event 17 Women 100 Yard Freestyle
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NCAA: N 45.56 3/18/2017 Simone Manuel, Stanford
Meet: M 45.56 3/17/2017 Simone Manuel, Stanford
American: A 45.56 3/18/2017 Simone Manuel, Stanford
US Open: O 45.56 3/18/2017 Simone Manuel, Stanford
Pool: P 46.70 3/19/2016 Olivia Smoliga, Georgia
Name Year School Seed Prelims
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=== Preliminaries ===
1 Walsh, Gretchen FR Virginia 46.78
r:+0.74 22.23 46.78 (24.55)
2 Berkoff, Katharine JR NCSU 46.89
r:+0.68 22.82 46.89 (24.07)
3 Scott, Morgan SR Alabama 47.27
r:+0.65 22.70 47.27 (24.57)
4 Thomas, Lia 5Y Penn 47.37
r:+0.74 23.11 47.37 (24.26)
5 Albiero, Gabi SO Louisville 47.45
r:+0.60 22.77 47.45 (24.68)
6 Countie, Grace SR UNC 47.50
r:+0.71 22.68 47.50 (24.82)
7 Dupre, Cora JR Alabama 47.51
r:+0.59 22.72 47.51 (24.79)
8 Henig, Iszac JR Yale 47.55
r:+0.64 22.88 47.55 (24.67)
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9 Ivey, Isabel SR California 47.61
r:+0.69 22.71 47.61 (24.90)
10 MacNeil, Maggie SR Michigan 47.77
r:+0.63 22.99 47.77 (24.78)
11 Antoniou, Kalia SR Alabama 47.84
r:+0.66 23.16 47.84 (24.68)
12 Zenick, Katherine SO Ohio St 47.91
r:+0.60 22.88 47.91 (25.03)
13 Flynn, Lindsay FR Michigan 47.94
r:+0.68 22.97 47.94 (24.97)
14 Alons, Kylee SR NCSU 48.02
r:+0.63 22.88 48.02 (25.14)
15 Huske, Torri FR Stanford 48.12
r:+0.61 22.82 48.12 (25.30)
16 Bates, Talia JR Florida 48.14
r:+0.70 23.18 48.14 (24.96)
