Not Much to Say

We are running triple practices today and I didn't have time to get away from the office to get to a location I could watch online. I did catch some of the live results from Omega Timing's Website, at least enough to see the results from most of the Women's 200 Breast and Men's 200 IM.

GCIT Swimmers Bill Cregar and Mike Joyce swam lifetime bests in the 200 IM today. Mike went 3 for 3 in best times (including his 200 Fly time trial on Tuesday) and Bill went 2 for 2 at this meet. That is pretty impressive for two Trials Rookies swimming an early season taper meet (normally they wouldn't shave and taper until the beginning of August).

I think this is the point in the meet where the Champions pull away from the rest of the pack. Normally a swim meet will last up to four days. Trials is now into Day 5 with three more to go. This does not even consider the fact that most swimmers arrived in Omaha one week ago or earlier. That's one week of sleeping in a hotel, eating out, and trying to make the US Olympic Team. Natalie Coughlin proved she is still up to the task by establishing a new Meet Record in the Women's 100 Free this morning. She'll be the top seed in tonight's semi-final. Swimming next to her will be 41 year-old Dara Torres.

DAY 5 FINALS WHAT TO WATCH FOR:

• The session begins tonight with the Men's 200 Breast Final. Brendan Hansen goes for the double in the breaststroke events. I expect these gentlemen to get the night off to an exciting start as they all could be legitimate medal contenders in Beijing.
• Ryan Lochte has a rough double tonight (and presumably tomorrow night) as we swims the semi-finals of the 200 IM and 200 Back. Ryan's the World Record Holder in the 200 Back but is the third fastest seed for tonight. I didn't see the race but I assume he went into cruise control about halfway through the race.
• The Women's 200 Fly includes two recent high school graduates: Kathleen Hersey from Atlanta and Leah Gingrich from the West Shore YMCA in Harrisburg, PA. Outside of the coaches and families of the eventual first and second place finishers, the happiest person in the building after this race will be University of Texas coach Kim Brackin who will welcome both of these ladies as freshman next year. Keep an eye on Kim Vandenberg in Lane 6 tonight. She won the Silver Medal in this event at last year's World Championships. Vandenberg does not usually take her races out very fast, but will be closing quickly over the last 100 meters.
• Is Jason Lezak ready to break the World Record in the 100 Free? Could this race present a similar situation to the Men's 100 Back where Randall Bal just missed the World Record in the semi-final only to finish 4th in the Final and miss qualifying for the team? Remember this event is about more than first and second place: the top four finishers will automatically qualify for the Team as members of the 400 Free Relay and the next two finishers stand a good chance of making the team as well. New Jersey's Cullen Jones will attempt to snag one of these coveted spots in tonight's final.
• Amanda Beard's quest to make her fourth Olympic Team is down to the Women's 200 Breaststroke. She's the third seed in tonight's semi-final and will swim in Heat 2 next to New Jersey native Rebecca Soni.
• If you want to see Michael Phelps swim tonight you will have to wait until the last event of the evening. He's the second seed in the Men's 200 IM semi-final.