SW Biweekly – 2021 NCAA Men’s and Women’s Division I Championships Preview

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In this issue of SW Biweekly, you can check out our preview of the 2021 NCAA Men’s and Women’s Division I Championships. Also featured is Simone Manuel’s newly co-founded media and commerce company , TOGETHXR, created to showcase voices of women. She also partnered with Comcast to help low-income families throughout Oakland, California get internet access; Torri Huske reflects on her national record-setting, state title-winning high school finale; Katie Ledecky returns to competition with a strong effort in the 1500 freestyle, and she’s excited that the 2021 Tokyo Olympics will be the first time ever that the women’s 1500 will be added to the schedule, as well as the men’s 800; Ryan Lochte is pleased with his results at the TYR Pro Swim Series; Regan Smith’s win in the TYR Pro Swim Series shows her comfort with double events ahead of Olympic Trials; Australia reveals backup plans and insurance swims for their June Olympic Trials in Adelaide; the 2021 Swim Camp Directory; and much more!

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FEATURES

USA NEWS

008 SIMONE MANUEL CO-FOUNDER OF NEW MEDIA COMPANY, TOGETHXR
by Matthew De George
Olympic gold medalist Simone Manuel is one of four athlete founders of TOGETHXR, a media and commerce company founded to showcase voices of women.

09 SIMONE MANUEL, COMCAST PARTNER TO HELP BRIDGE DIGITAL DIVIDE IN OAKLAND
by Matthew De George
Olympic swimmer Simone Manuel and Comcast announced a partnership recently to help provide internet access to low-income families in Oakland, Calif. Comcast contributed $100,000 to the city, along with 1,000 laptop computers and 12 months of free internet services to needy families.

010 TORRI HUSKE REFLECTS ON NATIONAL RECORD-SETTING, STATE TITLE-WINNING HIGH SCHOOL FINALE
by Dan D’Addona
In her final high school swimming season, Torri Huske set two national high school records and nearly claimed a third, leading Yorktown to the Virginia state high school team championship.

011 KATIE LEDECKY RETURNS TO COMPETITION WITH STRONG EFFORT IN 1500 FREESTYLE
by John Lohn
Before she stepped onto the blocks at the USA  Swimming TYR Pro Series stop in San Antonio, it had been a year since Katie Ledecky last raced competitively. Even so, the evidence of her dominance in the 1500 meter free was on display, as she unleashed a time, 15:42.92, that only she and four others have bettered in history!

012 KATIE LEDECKY EXCITED TO BE PART OF “MEANINGFUL” GENDER-EQUAL OLYMPICS
by Dan D’Addona
The 2021 Tokyo Olympics will be the first in which women will compete in the 1500 freestyle and the men in the 800. Five-time Olympic champion Katie Ledecky is excited that the women’s 1500 will be added to the Olympic schedule not only because she’s the world record holder, but because she is part of a generation that is fighting for gender equality.

014 “WE’RE IN A GOOD SPOT”: RYAN LOCHTE PLEASED AFTER PRO SWIM SERIES FINAL
by Matthew De George
On paper, Ryan Lochte’s results at the TYR Pro Swim Series might have seemed underwhelming, but the 36-year-old who will be vying for his fifth straight Olympic Games was enthused citing the amount of quality training he’s been doing: “The times I’m going in practice, just the yardage, the back-to-back practices that I’m having that are great, I’m seeing it more often. And it makes me excited to see what this summer’s going to hold.”

015 WIN IN PRO SWIM SERIES 100 FLY REFLECTS REGAN SMITH’S COMFORT WITH DOUBLES
by Matthew De George
With an impressive runner-up finish in the 200 back followed by a win the 100 fly at the TYR Pro Swim Series in San Antonio, Regan Smith gleaned a little more information about the challenge of a multi-swim finals session as she prepares for this summer’s U.S. Olympic Trials.

WORLD NEWS

016 SWIMMING AUSTRALIA REVEALS  BACKUP PLANS AND INSURANCE SWIMS FOR OLYMPIC TRIALS
by Ian Hanson
Swimming Australia announced a range of scenarios if a COVID lockdown and border closures disrupt its June Olympic Trials in Adelaide.

018 BRITAIN’S MOLLY RENSHAW TALKS MANCHESTER, DAVE HEMMINGS AND HER PERSONAL ISL LEGACY
by Liz Byrnes

020 TOKYO OLYMPICS CHIEF VOICES SUPPORT FOR POSSIBILITY OF SPECTATORS AT GAMES
by Matthew De George
Seiko Hashimoto, the new head of the Tokyo Olympic Organization Committee, has expressed support for having fans in attendance if the Games proceed this summer.

020 CORNEL MARCULESCU, LONGTIME FINA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, STEPS DOWN
Cornel Marculescu, FINA’s executive director for the last 35 years, announced his resignation, effective immediately, at the recent first FINA Bureau meeting of 2021.

COLLEGE NEWS

022 YES, VIRGINIA, NOW IS THE TIME TO MAKE YOUR MOVE
by Dan D’Addona
For years, Stanford and Cal have been battling each other for national supremacy at women’s NCAAs, with the Cardinal and Golden Bears finishing 1-2 in the last three championships. Before that, Cal had put together four team titles since 2009. But in 2021, look for Virginia to make its move—not only as a new rival, but quite possibly as a new champion!

024 THIS SHOULD BE WELL WORTH THE WAIT
by Dan D’Addona
A year ago, all eyes were on the Cal and Texas men’s swimming and diving teams in what looked to be one of the greatest NCAA Championship duels ever. Sadly, the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out that showdown, but spirits are running high one year later—not only for that much anticipated Cal-Texas confrontation, but for the simple fact that college swimmers will again be able to come together and compete at a national championship.

WATER POLO NEWS

026 USA WATER POLO WILL EMERGE FROM COVID-19 SCARRED, BUT PERHAPS WISER
Commentary by Michael Randazzo
This is the final in a series of articles examining the health of the national governing body for U.S. water polo in the wake of Bahram Hojreh’s criminal and civil sexual abuse cases and the coronavirus pandemic that has resulted in more than 500,000 American deaths.

SPECIAL SECTIONS

030 2021 SWIM CAMP DIRECTORY

038 HOW THEY TRAIN: MAGGIE PURCELL
by Michael J. Stott

039 HASTY HIGH POINTERS

040 PARTING SHOT