US Olympic Swimming Trials 2012: Power Ranking the Top 10 Swimmers on Team USA

The 2012 U.S. Olympic swimming trials are loaded with amazing swimmers. This team is stacked. They are so loaded with talent that how they measure against each other is just as compelling as how they measure against every swimmer in the world.

When these athletes get to London, the Americans are poised to come back with a bucket full of gold, and some bronze and silver as well. 

So let's take a look at how these amazing fleet water-treaders stack up as they prepare to grab eternal glory. 

No. 10: Nick Thoman

Nick Thoman backstroked his way to an amazing return trip in the 100-meter backstroke to take second and earn his trip to London.

He couldn't pass leader Matt Grevers, but it was still an impressive charge. Thoman finished with a time of 52.86 seconds. Grevers posted a 52.08. 

Thoman would have been able to push Grevers for that win were it not for a slow start, and you can expect him to be in the thick of the medal hunt in London. 

No. 9: Caitlin Leverenz

Caitlin Leverenz is a jack-of-all-trades type of swimmer, and in this case, that makes her master of one: the individual medley. 

Leverenz won the 200-meter individual medley with an impressive time of 2 minutes,10.22 seconds. She followed that up by taking second in the 400 IM. 

Leverenz is coming on strong and getting stronger with each swim. Don't be surprised to see her hoisting gold in London. 

No. 8: Nathan Adrian

Nathan Adrian is a sprinting specialist. He entered the trials as the favorite to take the 100-meter freestyle, and he did not disappoint.

He finished with a time of 48.10 seconds, which is the fourth fastest time in the world this year, and he did so knowing he had this race locked up down the home stretch. 

Adrian will be right in the mix of the battle for gold in the 100 free, and he will be the heart of the Americans' 4x100 freestyle team. 

No. 7: Breeja Larson

Breeja Larson, 20, is one of the most unlikely medal favorites you will ever find. She came out of nowhere to take first in the 100-meter breaststroke, and she had to take down world champion Rebecca Soni to do so. 

It has been a meteoric rise for Larson, who didn't even take up swimming until she was 17, and was so far off the radar that she wasn't even in the Olympic Trials media guide, which profiles 74 swimmers!

Now, she has to be considered the favorite to take the gold in this event.  

No. 6: Dana Vollmer

Dana Vollmer destroyed the competition in the 100-meter butterfly at the trials. Her winning time, 56.50 seconds, was over a full second ahead of the second-place finisher. 

And despite the lack of anyone pushing her to the finish line, this time was just .08 off the American record, and it was less than a half a second away from the world record. 

Vollmer might not only grab London gold in this event, she could set the world record while doing so. She is also will have a chance to take home some hardware as a member of the 4x200 freestyle team. 

No. 5: Matt Grevers

The 6'8" Grevers is having an impressive run at the trials. He won the 100-meter backstroke and posted the second fastest time in history while doing so with 52:08 seconds.

Obviously, he will head to London as one of the clear favorites in this event, but that isn't the only event he could bring a medal home from. 

Grevers raced in the 100 freestyle with the hopes of earning a spot on the relay. He made that impression and almost did more. He finished just .09 out of second place in the 100 free finals. 

No. 4: Allison Schmitt

Allison Schmitt is well on her way to becoming the dominant figure in women's freestyle. She won the 400-meter freestyle at the trials in impressive fashion and looked even better in the 200 free. 

In that event, she broke the American record, which she already held, with a time of 1 minute, 54.40 seconds. This is the fastest time in the world this year in this event. 

With this kind of showing, Schmitt is as good a bet for gold as you will find on this team. She also is sure to be the anchor leg on the 4x200 free team. 

No. 3: Missy Franklin

Missy "Missile" Franklin's star is in the process of going supernova. The 17-year-old set the 100-meter backstroke American record as she took first place over the two-time defending Olympic gold medalist in this event, Natalie Coughlin. 

While this was an official passing of the torch, it was not all that shocking. Franklin has quickly become a dominant figure in women's swimming. 

She isn't all about the backstroke, either. She will compete in the 200 freestyle after making a huge charge late to take second in the finals of that event with a time of 1 minute, 56.79 seconds. This means she is also set to compete in the 4x200 free. 

No. 2: Ryan Lochte

Despite all the greatness of the swimmers just mentioned, you have to sort through all of the information and hype about Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps to hear about them, and Lochte and Phelps are great enough to justify this kind of attention. 

They are already set to battle in London in the 400-meter individual medley and 200 freestyle and will likely be facing off in the 200 IM as well. Not to mention the likely joining of forces on relay teams. 

These two can be expected to turn any events they compete in at the Olympics to a battle of two, just like they have at the trials. 

No. 1: Michael Phelps

Ryan Lochte had taken the swimming torch from Michael Phelps since the last Olympics, but Phelps has proven that he was merely loaning it to him. 

These two have been separated by hundredths of seconds at the trials, but that is most definitely a good sign for Phelps, who has made a long trek back to top form. Phelps is also set to compete in one more event than Lochte in London: the 200 butterfly. 

For these reasons, and the fact that Phelps is the most dominant and captivating presence to hit the water since Jaws, he holds the No. 1 spot in these rankings.