Ryan qualifies 2nd in the 100m back prelims

Ryan qualified second in this morning's prelims for the 100m back. Here is the list of 10 swimmers who will be in the finals. It should be a great race! Finals tonight at 6 pm PDT. Watch on Universal Sports or USASwimming.org.

1 Grevers, Matthew 53.96
2 Lochte, Ryan 54.00
3 Thoman, Nicholas 54.19
4 Godsoe, Eugene 54.31
5 Owens, Kyle 54.52
6 Russell, David 54.58
7 Hesen, Benedict 54.61
8 Plummer, David 55.02
9 Vyatchanin, Arkady 55.10
10 Friedemann, Mitchell 56.07

Here is an article written about the 100 back before prelims:

http://usaswimming.org/ViewNewsArticle.aspx?TabId=0&Alias=Rainbow&Lang=en&ItemId=3543&mid=9874

Can't Miss Race: Men's 100m Back
8/3/2011
By Mike Gustafson//Correspondent

While the rest of the swim nation catches its breath after comeback king Brendan Hansen’s courageous victory yesterday in the 100m breaststroke, we still have other “races to watch” throughout these 2011 ConocoPhillips USA Swimming National Championships.

Any time Ryan Lochte races a 100m backstroke against Matt Grevers, at least to me, it’s the biggest race of the day. To understand why, you have to look back through the shared history between these two mega-Olympians. Namely, how Grevers has been the spoiler throughout Lochte’s sprint backstroking career.

The first big upset came at the 2005 NCAA Championships, when Grevers was just an unheralded sophomore at Northwestern. Ryan Lochte was the favorite, but Grevers just touched him out by a few hundredths of a second.

This “upset” was repeated at the 2008 Olympic Trials, when the stakes were higher. Ryan Lochte came in as the world-record holder in the event. But Grevers stretched his monstrous 6’8’’ frame to the wall before Lochte, and qualified in the event as well as the medley relay.

Now, Lochte wants to get it back. This morning, Lochte scratched out of the 200m freestyle, presumably to concentrate on the 100m backstroke. He wants to see how fast he can go.

Arguably, winning next summer’s Olympic Trials race in this event is the only way Lochte can punch a ticket in that American 4x100 medley relay. He won’t make it in the butterfly or freestyle, and certainly not the breaststroke. Potentially, qualifying in the 100m backstroke next summer means not just one Olympic medal, but two – assuming that Team USA does what it always does, and swims well in the medley relay.

So tonight is big for Lochte. It’s a gauge reading on whether or not he should continue to concentrate in this event. He’s already got the 200 and 400 IMs, the 200 backstroke, and the 200 freestyle. But if he adds the 100m backstroke to his repertoire, arguably, he could sneak in 8 events at London. Remember that number – 8? Remind you of anyone?

Unfortunately for Lochte, the men’s 100m backstroke– despite a lacking of Aaron Peirsol – remains the most competitive event in men’s swimming. First, there’s Matt Grevers. Grevers wants to make a statement, as he was sitting at home during the World Championships, just barely missing qualification last summer. He is rested and wants to prove something. He’s upset Lochte before, and I believe can do it again.

Nick Thoman just tasted what it would be like to lead-off a winning medley relay in a major long course international meet, last week’s World Championships. You think he wants to give up his spot so easily? Nope. Once he’s had that taste, you can bet that he won’t want to relinquish his spot without a fight.

David Plummer is one year removed from his huge upset last summer at the ConocoPhillips USA Swimming National Championships. Can he give a repeat performance? People are well aware of his name now. He’s got some momentum. The Minnetonka swimmer is certainly capable of pulling off something big. A win here would give him much-needed momentum heading into the Olympic year.

David Nolan is the most promising young male swimmer since Michael Phelps. He had the best performance in high school swimming history earlier this winter, and will be heading to college this fall. Will he show up to campus with a national championship under his belt? A Nolan victory would be a shocker – but we’ve seen shockers before. Nolan needs to become more of a long course swimmer to succeed next year. Nolan’s better event is the 200IM, but this event will gauge how well he’s doing so far.

Tom Shields is the defending NCAA Champion. He’s got more potential than people realize, and he’ll be swimming practically in his backyard. He’s rested and comfortable. He could be a major player next summer, as this field gets deeper and deeper.

An X-Factor that I’m excited about is youngster Ryan Murphy. He’s not going to win. He might not even final. But he’s just 16-years-old and shows tons of potential. Watch out to see what he does in this event, an event that is arguably his best.

So grab your popcorn, ladies and gentlemen. Tonight’s 100m backstroke will prove to be one of the more exciting races of the summer, if only because the field is so deep and so proven, anything can happen. Even without the addition of fan-favorite Aaron Peirsol, the men’s 100m backstroke remains the most competitive event in USA swimming, and I believe that tonight, we’ll once again see why.