INDIANAPOLIS — Four swimmers out of Indiana high schools were formally named to Team USA for the upcoming World Championships at Fukuoka, Japan Saturday.
The announcement was made after the five-day national championships closed at the IU Natatorium July 1. A year from now, Lucas Oil Stadium will be site of the trials to select a team for the Paris Olympics.
The four are led by Lilly King, winner of the 50-, 100- and 200-meter breaststrokes. Additionally, there are three from Carmel: 16-year-old Alex Shackell in the women’s 4x200 freestyle relay, plus Drew Kibler and Jake Mitchell in the men’s 4x200 free relay.
The four compare to five from 2021, when Indiana ranked second to California (seven) in U.S. Olympians. King, Kibler and Mitchell were also on the Tokyo team.
Also, Indiana University’s Josh Matheny made the world team in the 100 and 200 breaststrokes, Anna Peplowski in the 4x200 freestyle relay and Mariah Denigan in open water. Notre Dame’s Chris Guiliano qualified in the 100 freestyle and 4x100 free relay.
IU’s Ray Looze again will be part of the U.S. coaching staff.
As many as four Hoosiers should be headed to the World Junior Championships: JoJo Ramey and Luke Whitlock, both of Fishers Area Swimming Tigers, and Molly Sweeney and Lynsey Bowen, both of Carmel. USA Swimming will announce that team later.
On night 5, Katie Ledecky and Carson Foster each won a third title, and U.S. Open records were set in three events.
Ledecky won the 1,500 freestyle in 15:29.64, her best time in three years and sixth-fastest in history. She owns all of the top 15. She earlier won the 800 and 400 freestyles in Indianapolis.
Ledecky announced she will not swim the 200 free at worlds. That elevated Bella Sims to second spot behind winner Claire Weinstein and Peplowski, who finished seventh, onto the world team.
Foster clocked 1:56.19 to win the 200 individual medley, in which he won world silver last year. Chase Kalisz, Olympic gold medalist in this event and already on the world team for a sixth time, posted he had to withdraw because of food poisoning.
Foster was also champion of the 200 butterfly and 400 IM.
U.S. Open records:
Women’s 200 IM. Kate Douglass, 2:07.09, second-fastest in the world this year. Alex Walsh, who held the record of 2:07.84, was second in 2:07.89.
Men’s 800 freestyle. Bobby Finke will go for a repeat world title after clocking 7:40.34, breaking the record of 7:43.32 he set last year. He narrowly missed his American record of 7:39.36.
Women’s 50 freestyle. Abby Weitzel’s time of 24.00 was just off Simone Manuel’s American record of 23.97.
In the men’s 50 freestyle, Ryan Held was first in 21.50, Guiliano seventh in 21.96 and Kibler eighth in 22.12. Caeleb Dressel, in comeback mode, was 22nd in prelims.
Whitlock, of Noblesville, was top 18-and-under swimmer in the 800 freestyle, finishing ninth in 8:00.79. He was second in May’s 7.5-kilometer open water junior nationals at Sarasota, Fla.
Michael Andrew, winner of five medals at the 2022 worlds and the 50 butterfly champion, was not chosen to the squad. Those in the 50-meter strokes were behind relay alternates on the priority list, and Andrew did not make the cut to 26 men.
Contact David Woods at dwoods1411@gmail.com.
Twitter: @DavidWoods007.