Swimming Blogs - Chris DeSantis

I know, this is the moment you've all been waiting for. The moment at which a middling blogger puts forth his complete predictions against another middling blogger. Who will emerge victorious? I think its pretty obvious. When you see the picks, you'll realize that one of us knew the true value of Presley Bard, and one of us didn't. To be clear, the scoring will work as follows:

6 points for correctly picking first

4 for second

2 for third

1 for each additional swimmer in the top eight, with a bonus point for correctly picking their location. Also one point if you pick a swimmer anywhere in the wrong places and they are still top 8. Without further ado, here are my picks:

Mens 400 IM:
1. Michael Phelps
2. Ryan Lochte
3. Eric Shanteau
4. Pat Mellors
5. Robert Margalis
6. Tyler Clary
7. Brennan Morris
8. Alex Vanderkaay

Womens 100 Fly:
1. Rachel Komisarz
2. Samantha Woodward
3. Mary Descenza
4. Dana Volmer
5. Felicia Lee
6. Christine Magnuson
7. Kim Vandenberg
8. Elaine Breeden

Mens 400 Free
1. Peter Vanderkaay
2. Erik Vendt
3. Klete Keller
4. Larsen Jensen
5. Michael Klueh
6. Fran Crippen
7. Matt Patton
8. Chad LaTourette

Women's 400 IM:
1. Katie Hoff
2. Elizabeth Beisel
3. Julia Smit
4. Ariana Kukors
5. Caitlin Leverenz
6. Kathleen Hersey
7. Kaitlin Sandeno
8. Alicia Aemisegger

Men 100 Breast
1. Brendan Hansen
2. Scott Spann
3. Mark Gangloff
4. Kevin Swander
5. Scott Usher
6. Jon Roberts
7. Matthew Lowe
8. John Criste

Women 100 Back
1. Natalie Coughlin
2. Hayley McGregory
3. Laila Vaziri
4. Margaret Hoelzer
5. Elizabeth Beisel
6. Elizabeth Pelton
7. Presley Bard
8. Kristen Shickora

Men 200 Free
1. Michael Phelps
2. Peter Vanderkaay
3. Ryan Lochte
4. Klete Keller
5. Chris DeJong
6. Michael Klueh
7. Ricky Berens
8. Jayme Cramer

Women 100 Breast
1. Jessica Hardy
2. Rebecca Soni
3. Tara Kirk
4. Megan Jendrick
5. Amanda Beard
6. Lindsey Payne
7. Keri Hehn
8. Kasey Carlson

Men 100 Back
1. Aaron Piersol
2. Ryan Lochte
3. Randall Bal
4. Matt Grevers
5. David Cromwell
6. Pat Schirk
7. Adam Mania
8. Ben Hesen

Women 400 Freestyle
1. Katie Hoff
2. Kate Ziegler
3. Allison Schmitt
4. Carly Piper
5. Chloe Sutton
6. Ashley Chandler
7. Caroline Burckle
8. Jessica Rodriguez

Womens 200 Freestyle
1. Katie Hoff
2. Allison Schmitt
3. Julia Smit
4. Kate Ziegler
5. Dana Vollmer
6. Carly Piper
7. Kim Vandenberg
8. Lacey Nymeyer

Men 200 Butterfly
1. Michael Phelps
2. Dan Madwed
3. Davis Tarwater
4. Gil Stovall
5. Bobby Bollier
6. Eddie Erazo
7. Mark Dylla
8. Robert Looney

Women 200 IM
1. Natalie Coughlin
2. Katie Hoff
3. Whitney Myers
4. Julia Smit
5. Kaitlin Sandeno
6. Arian Kukors
7. Elizabeth Beisel
8. Ava Ohlgren

Men 100 Free
1. Michael Phelps
2. Jason Lezak
3. Matt Grevers
4. Garrett Weber-Gale
5. Nathan Adrian
6. Nick Brunelli
7. Ricky Berens
8. Neil Walker

Women 200 Butterfly
1. Mary Descenza
2. Kim Vandenberg
3. Kathleen Hersey
4. Kaitlin Sandeno
5. Elaine Breeden
6. Ava Ohlgren
7. Courtney Kalisz
8. Alyssa Anderson

Men 200 Breaststroke
1. Brendan Hansen
2. Eric Shanteau
3. Scott Spann
4. Scott Usher
5. Paul Zaich
6. Sean Mahoney
7. Giordan Pogioli
8. John Criste

Women 100 Freestyle
1. Natalie Coughlin
2. Amanda Weir
3. Kara Lynn Joyce
4. Katie Hoff
5. Lacey Nymeyer
6. Jessica Hardy
7. Dara Torres
8. Christine Magnuson

Men 200 Backstroke
1. Aaron Piersol
2. Michael Phelps
3. Ryan Lochte
4. Tyler Clary
5. Chris DeJong
6. David Cromwell
7. Doug Van Wie
8. Cory Chitwood

Women 200 Breaststroke
1. Rebecca Soni
2. Amanda Beard
3. Caitlin Leverenz
4. Megan Jendrick
5. Tara Kirk
6. Keri Hehn
7. Laura Sogar
8. Jordan Danny

Men 200 Meter IM
1. Michael Phelps
2. Ryan Lochte
3. Eric Shanteau
4. Pat Mellors
5. Robert Margalis
6. TP Patrick
7. Tim Liebhold
8. Caleb McDermott

Men 50 Meter Freestyle
1. Garrett Weber-Gale
2. Cullen Jones
3. Ben Wildman-Tobriner
4. Gary Hall
5. Nick Brunelli
6. Matt Grevers
7. Jason Lezak
8. Nathan Adrian

Women 800
1. Katie Hoff
2. Kate Ziegler
3. Caroline Burckle
4. Chloe Sutton
5. Kelsey Ditto
6. Ashley Evans
7. Kaitlin Sandeno
8. Emily Brunemann

Men 100 Butterfly
1. Michael Phelps
2. Ian Crocker
3. Matt Grevers
4. Ricky Berens
5. Davis Tarwater
6. Peter Verhoef
7. Chris Brady
8. Gil Stovall

Women 200 Back
1. Margaret Hoelzer
2. Elizabeth Beisel
3. Katie Hoff
4. Julia Smit
5. Hayley McGregory
6. Katie Riefenstahl
7. Teresa Crippen
8. Elizabeth Pelton

Women 50 Free
1. Kara Lynn Joyce
2. Dara Torres
3. Amanda Weir
4. Jessica Hardy
5. Samantha Woodward
6. Emily Silver
7. Anna Turner
8. Lara Jackson

Men 1500 Free
1. Erik Vendt
2. Larsen Jensen
3. Chad LaTourrette
4. Fran Crippen
5. Chip Peterson
6. Michael Klueh
7. Matt Patton
8. Tobias Work

And here's the e-mail Gus sent me with his picks:

Alright DeSantis. Time to meet your doom. You're the overweight Thorpe, the 80 year old swimmer's ankle-sagging Speedo, the rogue bacteria that causes swimmers' ear. And even though I thoroughly enjoy FloSwimming, your videos, and your blogs... the fact of the matter is, you're smug. You think just because Garrett goes to practically every single meet in America and works 24/7 uploading races means that you're better than US? You think since tons of swimmers around the country love watching your workout videos and interviews means you're better than US? You think because your blogs are informative and entertaining and everyone likes you more than me means that you're better than US?

Well.

Many people may look at my picks and think one word: nepotism. So maybe picking my buddy Grevers over Phelps in the 100 free is an "upset." Perhaps picking my lady Sandeno over Hoff in the 400 IM is a "stretch". Possibly picking my BFF Cromwell over Lochte and Peirsol in the 200 back is "ridiculous."

One week, DeSantis. Then we'll see who's smug.

You see, Chris, here at Chlorination (SwimNetwork.com) we walk on the wild side. Sure. Phelps might be the "safe" pick. But this is the Trials. Anything can happen. And -- just in case my few friends decide to read this -- I don't want Kaitlin Sandeno to approach me -- with tears in her eyes --? and ask sadly, "Why, Mike? Why didn't you believe in me?"

A bottle of wine and a complete "Newsies" soundtrack later, here are my picks. And to Kaitlin, Grevers, and Crommy? Chris DeSantis doesn't believe in you.

But I do.

Men 400 IM
Phelps
Lochte
Margalis
Vanderkaay
Clary
Shanteau
Crippen
Burckle

Women 100 Fly
Vollmer
Komisarz
Descenza
Breeden
Magnuson
Myers
Breeden
Kirk

en 400 Free
Vanderkaay
Vendt
Keller
Jensen
Klueh
Patton
La Tourette
Work

Women 400 IM
Sandeno
Hoff
Beisel
Kukors
Smit
Leverenz
Ohlgren
Knutson

Men 100 Breast
Gangloff
Hansen
Spann
Lowe

Roberts

Barnes
Usher

Women 100 Back
Coughlin
McGregory
Hoelzer
Descenza
Rogers
Beisel
Fessel
Vaziri

Men 200 Free
Phelps
Vanderkaay
Lochte
Keller
DeJong
Ritter
Walters
Klueh

Women 100 Back

Kirk
Hardy
Jendrick
Soni
Kehn
Tinnon
McKeehan
Chandler

Men 100 Back

Peirsol
Lochte
Grevers
Cromwell
Bal
Hesen
Marshall

Women 400 Free

Hoff
Ziegler
Schmitt
Chandler
Sutton
Piper
Rodriquez
Gingrich

Women 200 Free

Hoff
Coughlin
Schmitt
Ziegler
Weir
Vollmer
Joyce
Smit

Men 200 Fly

Phelps
Tarwater
Madwed
Stovall
Vanderkaay
Berens
Erazo
McGill

Women 200 IM

Hoff
Coughlin
Sandeno
Myers
Kukors
Ohlgren
Leverenz
Hersey

Men 100 Free

Grevers
Phelps
Lezak
Adrian
Brunelli
Jones
Weber-Gale
Vanderkaay

Women 200 Fly

Vandenberg
Hersey
Descenza
Sandeno
Vollmer
Krisman
Kalisz

Anderson

Men 200 Breast

Hansen
Shanteau
Spann
Usher
Lowe
Gangloff
Hurley
Mahoney

Women 100 Free

Torres
Coughlin
Weir
Joyce
Hardy
Hoff
Hupman
Denby

Men 200 Back

Cromwell
Lochte
Peirsol
DeJong
Clary
Schirk
Sun
Van Wie

Women 200 Breast

Soni
Jendrick
Beard
Hehn
Kirk
Tinnon
Leverenz
Kukors

Men 200 IM

Phelps
Lochte
Shanteau
Rathgeber
Liebhold
Mellors
Wike
Patrick

Men 50 Free

Grevers
Hall
Weber-Gale
Adrian
Wildman-Tobriner
Brunelli
Lezak
Walker

Women 800 Free

Hoff
Ziegler
Sandeno
Ditto
Evans
Sutton
Anderson
Burckle

Men 100 Fly

Crocker
Phelps
Grevers
Bubolz
Cramer
Doyle
Stovall
Brady

Women 200 Back

Hoelzer
Beisel
McGregory
Crippen
Smit
Descenza
Pelton
Jones

Women 50 Free

Torres
Joyce
Jackson
Hardy
Nymeyer
Hupman
Vollmer
Jensen

Men 1500 Free

VENDT
Vanderkaay
Jensen
Klueh
LaTourette
Patton
Graves
Margalis