2017 Phillips 66 National Championships

2017 U.S. Nationals Preview: Who Will Make Men's 4x100m Freestyle Relay?

2017 U.S. Nationals Preview: Who Will Make Men's 4x100m Freestyle Relay?

A preview of the 2017 USA Swimming National Championships and World Championship Trials. This article looks at who can potentially make the the United States World Championship team in the 4x100 meter freestyle relay.

Jun 19, 2017 by Ben Colin
2017 U.S. Nationals Preview: Who Will Make Men's 4x100m Freestyle Relay?

2017 U.S. National Championships & Worlds Trials

​June 27-July 1, 2017
​Indianapolis, Indiana
​IUPUI Natatorium
MEET INFORMATION

The men's 4x100m freestyle relay. The race that causes a stir at every major international championship.

Last summer, the United States Olympic coaching staff made the unpredictable choice to swap veteran ​Anthony Ervin for Games rookie ​Ryan Held​ going into the finals in Rio. The anticipation for the relay lineup followed by the reaction to the move again brought attention to what's been arguably the most exciting race over the years.

So, what happened? The United States won the relay gold in 3:09.92 ahead of France in 3:10.53 and Australia in 3:11.37. A team captained by legend ​Michael Phelps stood atop the podium as emotions overcame Held. Eight years removed from the greatest relay swim ever, the United States was victorious again.

The relay team was comprised of ​Caeleb Dressel​ (48.10), Phelps (47.12), Held (47.73), and ​Nathan Adrian ​(46.97). Three others, Ervin, ​Blake Pieroni, and ​Jimmy Feigen, swam the relay's morning preliminary race to also earn a gold medal.

Just under a year later, it is time to select the relay for the 2017 FINA World Championships. The team will took a bit different this time around after it is selected at the Phillips 66 National Championships and World Championship Trials in Indianapolis on Tuesday, June 27.

FloSwimming's Picks
​1.) Nathan Adrian*
​2.) Caeleb Dressel​*
​3.) Michael Chadwick
​4.) Ryan Held
​5.) Blake Pieroni
​6.) Justin Ress
*​Will earn a spot to swim the individual 100m freestyle in Budapest


Phelps retired after the Olympics in Rio last summer. ​Jimmy Feigen, after serving his suspension for last summer's Rio gas station antics, is also not in the mix.

​Nathan Adrian and ​Caeleb Dressel ​are returning and will likely be locks for the relay. Adrian is the fastest in the 100m freestyle heading into the National Championships. Dressel is over a second slower but ranked fourth.

Barring a disqualification or injury, those two will swim their way onto the relay in Indianapolis. This year, Adrian has been a 48.18 from the 2017 arena Pro Swim Series at Mesa in April, and Dressel just recently swam a 49.26 in Santa Clara at the arena Pro Swim Series.

Two other returners are also in the thick of things right now. Pieroni and Held have both posted times in the low 49-second range. They rank third and fifth entering trials, respectively, and are both coming off stellar collegiate seasons -- Pieroni at Indiana and Held at NC State

The missing link, Ervin, has been swimming in the arena Pro Swim Series but hasn't posted a time faster than 50.25, which he went in Geneva, Switzerland, in January. The good news is that his time ranks him in the top 20, giving him a shot once again if he can pull out some more magic when the lights shine the brightest.

Ervin turned 36 in May, but father time has yet to slow him down. After another individual gold in Rio, Ervin can't be counted out as a possibility for the relay this summer.

Selecting a top six to head to Budapest for the relay will ultimately happen in the water, but previewing who is leading the pack adds to the 100m freestyle's excitement. So far, Adrian, Dressel, Held, and Pieroni are considerable favorites, leaving two spots remaining.

Recent Missouri graduate ​Michael Chadwick currently ranks second behind Adrian with the only other time under 49 seconds -- a 48.69 from the Charlotte UltraSwim the first week in June. Last summer at the Olympic Trials, Chadwick finished sixth in the 50m freestyle but failed to advance to the semifinals in the 100. He swam nearly 0.80 of a second slower than his seed.

Nonetheless, Chadwick looks like a strong favorite to make the team. He has raced twice this long course season after wrapping up the college season in Columbia.

The sixth spot, which could easily be claimed by Ervin, is truly up for grabs. California freshman ​Michael Jensen and NC State's ​Justin Ress are the next two after Held in the rankings, placed sixth and seventh, respectively.

Lurking at eight in the rankings is 100m backstroke world-record holder ​Ryan Murphy, who posted a 49.60 in Atlanta early in May. Other veterans such as ​Conor Dwyer, who swam in the final at the trials last summer, and gold medalist ​Cullen Jones also have times in the top 16 entering the championships.

Five spots on the team basically have the name tag already on them. The sixth member could be anyone. Regardless of who it is, the race to claim the spot will be exciting.
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