2010 Australian Championships

This week, Australia will pick the swimmers that will represent the world no. 2 swimming nation at this year's Pan Pacs and Commonwealth Games at the Telstra Australian Championships. The meet runs Tuesday, March 16 until Sunday, March 21. As the Aussies are the first big swimming nation to hold their trials, expect the world best times to be rewritten over the next week. As qualifying procedures are not set in stone, since more than two swimmers per nation may compete at both Pan Pacs and Commonwealth Games, I will predict the top three finishers in all events, except the 100 and 200 freestyle, where I will go to six spots, since they are relay events. Over the course of the meet, look for 31 year olds to star on the men's side, with Geoff Huegill and Ashley Callus attempting to return to the national team, while Jessicah Schipper, Emily Seebohm, Stephanie Rice, Leisel Jones, Matt Targett, and Andrew Lauterstein are consistent performers who are heavily favored to return to the team. Note that Eamon Sullivan underwent (ANOTHER) hip operation in January, and he hasn't competed since December, and we will not know how he rebounds until race day.

Women's 200 Free
1 - Meagan Nay
2 - Stephanie Rice
3 - Bronte Barratt
4 - Ellen Fullerton
5 - Merindah Dingjan
6 - Kylie Palmer

Men's 50 Back
1 - Daniel Arnamant
2 - Ashley Delaney
3 - Ben Treffers

Women's 50 Fly
1 - Marieke Guehrer
2 - Emily Seebohm
3 - Jessicah Schipper

Men's 400 Free
1 - Robert Hurley
2 - Ryan Napolean
3 - Robert Hurley

Women's 200 IM
1 - Stephanie Rice
2 - Emily Seebohm
3 - Alicia Coutts

Men's 200 Fly
1 - Nick D'arcy
2 - Chris Wright
3 - Lachlan Staples

Women's 50 Breast
1 - Leisel Jones
2 - Sarah Katsoulis
3 - Samantha Marshall

Men's 50 Fly
1 - Geoff Huegill
2 - Matt Targett
3 - Andrew Lauterstein
*Targett and Lauterstein will have fast semi-final times, but Huegill will put it together in the finals, as the 31 year old completes his remarkable comeback.

Women's 100 Back
1 - Emily Seebohm
2 - Belinda Hocking
3 - Sophie Edington

Men's 100 Breast
1 - Brenton Rickard
2 - Christian Sprenger
3 - Craig Calder

Women's 100 Free
1 - Cate Campbell
2 - Melanie Schlanger
3 - Emily Seebohm
4 - Sally Foster
5 - Marieke Guehrer
6 - Felicity Galvez

Men's 200 Free
1 - Tomasso D'Orsogna
2 - Kenrick Monk
3 - Patrick Murphy
4 - Nick Ffrost
5 - Robert Hurley
6 - Thomas Fraser-Holmes

Women's 800 Free
1 - Kylie Palmer
2 - Melissa Gorman
3 - Blair Evans

Men's 100 Free
1 - Cameron Prosser
2 - Matt Targett
3 - Tomasso D'Orsogna
4 - Eamon Sullivan
5 - Andrew Lauterstein
6 - Matt Abood
*After missing out on the Worlds team last year due to a poor semi-finals swim, Prosser will be a force to be reckoned with, and he could upset the veteran Targett.

Women's 100 Fly
1 - Jessicah Schipper
2 - Stephanie Rice
3 - Felicity Galvez

Men's 200 Back
1 - Hayden Stoeckel
2 - Bobby Jovanovich
3 - Ashley Delaney

Women's 200 Breast
1 - Leisel Jones
2 - Tessa Wallace
3 - Samantha Marshall

Men's 800 Free
1 - Robert Hurley
2 - Ryan Napolean
3 - Christopher Ashwood

Men's 50 Breast
1 - Brenton Rickard
2 - Karl Wurzer
3 - Christian Sprenger

Women's 50 Back
1 - Emily Seebohm
2 - Sophie Edington
3 - Marieke Guehrer

Men's 100 Fly
1 - Andrew Lauterstein
2 - Mitchell Patterson
3 - Adam Pine

Women's 100 Breast
1 - Leisel Jones
2 - Sarah Katsoulis
3 - Samantha Marshall

Men's 100 Back
1 - Hayden Stoeckel
2 - Ashley Delaney
3 - Daniel Arnamnart

Women's 50 Free
1 - Cate Campbell
2 - Sally Foster
3 - Marieke Guehrer

Men's 400 IM
1 - Thomas Fraser-Holmes
2 - Sam Beinke
3 - Shane Ashbury

Men's 50 Free
1 - Ashley Callus
2 - James Roberts
3 - Matt Abood
*Look for Callus to win by nearly a half-second after missing Rome last year.

Women's 200 Back
1 - Meagan Nay
2 - Belinda Hocking
3 - Emily Seebohm

Men's 1,500 Free
1 - Ryan Napolean
2 - Robert Hurley
3 - Theodore Pasialis

Women's 400 Free
1 - Bronte Barratt
2 - Ellen Fullerton
3 - Blair Evans

Men's 200 IM
1 - Leith Brodie
2 - Thomas Fraser-Holmes
3 - Tommaso D'Orsogna

Women's 200 Fly
1 - Jessicah Schipper
2 - Samantha Hamill
3 - Felicity Galvez

Men's 200 Breast
1 - Brenton Rickard
2 - Christian Sprenger
3 - Craig Calder

Women's 400 IM
1 - Stephanie Rice
2 - Ellen Fullerton
3 - Samantha Hamill

Women's 1,500 Free
1 - Melissa Gorman
2 - Kylie Palmer
3 - Belinda Bennett