Roster Announced for Singapore World Champs

U.S. Nationals: Roster Announced for Singapore World Championships; Jillian Cox In, Kieran Smith Out

USA Swimming has revealed the 47 swimmers set to represent the country at the upcoming World Championships in Singapore. The veteran-laden women’s roster is led by Katie Ledecky, Gretchen Walsh, Torri Huske, Kate Douglass and Regan Smith while a men’s team including Bobby Finke, Carson Foster and Luke Hobson has numerous new faces that made significant improvements during Nationals.

The official roster announcement comes with two key developments. On the men’s side, not enough swimmers made the team in multiple events for all potential relay qualifiers to be added to the roster. Entering the final night of U.S. Nationals, there were 46 swimmers in possible qualifying position, meaning there could be no new members of the team if all hoped to make the roster. That played out in the 200 IM and 800 freestyle finals, but in the 50 free, Santo Condorelli claimed second to earn his ticket.

That meant Kieran Smith was left off the World Championships team despite finishing sixth in the 200 free earlier in the meet. Smith and Jonny Kulow, the fifth-place finisher in the 100 free, were the only swimmers whose relay spots were in question, with Carson Foster and Shaine Casas making the team in individual events as well as their relay alternate positions.

The American coaching staff could still use other members of the Worlds team in the spot Smith would have filled in the 800 free relay, with Chris Guiliano, Luka Mijatovic and Destin Lasco among the Worlds team members not part of the relay pool but posting strong 200 free performances at Nationals, but Smith’s absence could hurt a team already lacking veteran leadership. Smith has been a member of the U.S. “A” teams the past four summers.

On the women’s side, three new swimmers made the team on the final night, McKenzie Siroky as the winner of a 50 breaststroke swim-off, Phoebe Bacon as the runnerup in the 200 IM and Jillian Cox in the 1500 free. Cox finished third in the event behind Ledecky and Claire Weinstein, but Weinstein declined that spot on the Worlds roster to focus on the 200, 400 and 800-meter events plus relay duty.

Additionally, Ledecky has declined her spot in the individual 200 free, an expected development after she made the same call each of the last three years. Huske moves up to occupy that spot alongside Weinstein, giving Huske an ambitious program at Worlds that also includes the 50 and 100 free and the 100 fly.

USA Swimming has yet to reveal he coaching staff that will work under previously-announced head coach Braden Holloway.

Full Roster