This week gave the rest of the swimming world the first glimpse of what the US National Team will look like over the next four years at the 2017 Phillips 66 U.S. National Championships. Take a look at the recap of that meet and the other major stories from this week in The Week That Was!
The Week That Was #5 – CAS Dismisses Barelli’s Suit Against FINA
Photo Courtesy: Giorgio Scala
This week the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) announced that it had dismissed a case against FINA that was filed by Paolo Barelli. Barelli’s case accused FINA of conflicts of interest within high offices of the organization’s governance. Specifically, the case name Husain Al-Musallam and Dale Neuberger as violators of FINA’s Code of Ethics. In response to the dismissal of his case by the CAS, Barelli issued a statement saying he may appeal the decision, arguing that “FINA cannot be allowed to be both the ‘judge’ and the ‘jury’ in circumstances where there are serious complaints raised concerning breaches of the FINA Code of Ethics, particularly when the allegations relate to its own senior officials.” You can read Barelli’s full statement here.
The Week That Was #4 – World Junior Records Fall At European Juniors
The 2017 European Junior Championships were held in Netanya, Israel, this week, with several World Junior Records falling during the course of the competition. Italian breaststroker Nicolo’ Martinenghi continued to drop the World Junior Record and Italian National Record in the men’s 100 breaststroke, taking the record even lower to 59.23. Martinenghi had just lowered that record back at the Sette Colli International at the end of June, establishing what was the old record of 59.31. That is the third time the 16-year-old has lowered the World Junior Record in the 100 breast in 2017. Martinenghi was also part of the Italian squad that downed the World Junior Record in the 400 medley relay (3:35.24). Hungary’s Kristof Milak broke a World Junior Record in the men’s 200 fly, where his time of 1:53.79 crushed the previous mark of 1:55.82. Moldova’s Alexei Sancov joined in the record breaking on the final night, taking down Maxine Rooney’s World Junior Record in the 200 free (1:47.00). You can see full recaps of all of the 2017 European Junior Championships on our meet coverage page.
The Week That Was #3 – David Marsh Takes Head Coaching Job At UC-San Diego
Photo Courtesy: Maria Dobysheva
David Marsh, the head coach of Team Elite and the the United States women’s Olympic swim team in Rio, has accepted the head coach position at the University of California-San Diego. UC-San Diego competes in Division II but is currently in the process of switching to Division I. Marsh was previously the head coach of SwimMAC for the better part of the last ten years in Charlotte, North Carolina, before officially splitting with the team earlier this year. While Marsh was still the head coach of Team Elite, Marsh explained that he plans to start another professional team in San Diego while Team Elite will remain in Charlotte. Marsh will officially start with the UCSD Tritons on July 15. You can see Marsh’s video interview about the move here.
The Week That Was #2 – Wright State University Saves Swim Program
Photo Courtesy: Wright State University
In an uplifting piece of news, Wright State University announced this week that the fundraising efforts to save their team from being dissolved have been met. Back in May, Wright State abruptly announced that their programs would be cut, shortly after similar news at the University of Buffalo and the University of North Dakota. With help from the College Swim Coaches Association of America (CSCAA), Wright State was able to put together a fundraising plan to save the program, with an ultimate goal of raising $85,000 to save the men’s and women’s programs. In an official press release from the university, it appears that amount will support the programs through the 2017-2018 season, while “the school and the swimming and diving supporters will continue conversations about how to fund the program beyond the upcoming season.”
The Week That Was #1 – New Storylines Emerge At 2017 US National Championships
Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
The 2017 Phillips 66 U.S. National Championships came to a close this weekend, with many storylines emerging as we head into the new quad. Katie Ledecky was again dominant, winning the 200, 400 and 800 all in the fastest times in the world for 2017 while also earning a berth as part of the 400 free relay. Mallory Comerford unseated Simone Manuel with a new U.S. Open record in the 100 free (52.81), while veteran Nathan Adrian came out on top by .01 in the 100 free and Matt Grevers got redemption by winning the 100 back after missing the Olympic Team last summer. Two American records went down in Indy: Lilly King in the the women’s 50 breast (29.66) and Kevin Cordes in the men’s 100 breast (58.74). The two high point award winners of the meet were Leah Smith (91 points) and Caeleb Dressel (90 points), and both will be heading to Budapest with full event schedules. Smith is slated to compete in six events, including the 200 through 1500 freestyles, the 400 IM and the 800 free relay. Dressel, for his part, has the chance to compete in up to a staggering nine events at Worlds, as he is slated to compete in the 50 and 100 free, 50 and 100 fly, as well as all three men’s relays with the potential for berths on the two mixed relays as well. You can catch all of the news from 2017 National Championships on our meet coverage page.