By Braden Keith on SwimSwam

Australian champion swimmer Cate Campbell returned to the water on Thursday, swimming in a chlorinated pool for just the 4th time since the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Donning a Wonder Woman training suit, Campbell swam some laps at the Colmslie Aquatic Centre in Morningside, Queensland

The 30-year old Campbell says that to begin her comeback journey, she didn’t count laps or swim on any intervals; rather, that “today was purely about reconnecting with the water.”

In a lengthy Instagram post, Campbell evaluated the session as “slow and messy,” but she also says that she is working on cutting herself a break too.

“After taking the longest time out of the water in my life, I’m reminding myself that it’s okay to start from where I am – not from where I was, or where I want to be.”

Campbell is the current World Record holder in the women’s 100 meter freestyle in short course and is the former World Record holder in the same event in long course. In total, her Olympic career earned her four gold medals, a silver, and three bronze medals. Of those eight medals, six have come in relays – including gold as the anchor of both the 400 medley relay and a World Record setting 400 free relay in Tokyo. She also picked up an individual bronze medal in the 100 free in Tokyo.

She is also a four-time World Champion, including an individual gold in the 100 free in 2013.

• See Also: Cate Campbell: “We Don’t Have to be Ashamed on Mental Health Struggles”
• See Also: Cate Campbell Has Learned to Embody the Mantra “Be Brave”

Since the Tokyo Olympic Games, Campbell has become an increasingly-vocal advocate for mental health in athletes as she reflected on her own career in the pool.

In February, Campbell reaffirmed her commitment to training for the Paris 2024 Olympics, saying that she would spend some time in Europe to renew her spark for the sport.

The Australians are still near-automatic for gold medals in the 400 free relay. That offers Campbell a good shot at more hardware at the Paris 2024 even as her specialty events, the 50 and 100 free, have become more competitive since the Tokyo Olympics.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Cate Campbell Begins Her Return to Training in Queensland

By Riley Overend on SwimSwam

The biggest swimming event in HBCU history is coming to Howard University on Oct. 1. 

One day after ninth-year Howard head coach Nicholas Askew will be inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame on Sept. 30, the Bison will host crosstown rival Georgetown for their first dual meet of the season. 

Dubbed the “Battle at The Burr,” the Saturday afternoon event will be decked out with DJs, dance troupes, Howard’s marching band, food vendors, and overflow seating in the splash zone and basketball gym, where fans can view a broadcast with special-guest commentary from someone Askew teased as “easily recognizable by their hardware of Olympic medals.” Various performances will take place during the usual breaks in the action. 

Typically, the Bison draw about 500 fans for meets at Burr Gym Pool, but they’re expecting upwards of 2,000 in attendance for next month’s Battle at The Burr. Not only will they get a boost from alumni and supporters who will already be in town for the Athletic Hall of Fame festivities, but Howard’s swim team is also the only show on campus that weekend.

“This will be the biggest, most-attended HBCU event in history for swimming and diving,” said Askew, a 2000 graduate of Howard who was a member of the Bison swim and tennis teams. “It’s arguably going to be one of the largest-attended events in swimming and diving for a regular-season event. We know that some other institutions have larger seating capacities and have some pretty significant rivalries, but we’re going to be right up there in that top echelon of attendance.”

“The big effort is fundraising,” he added. “Swimming is the No. 1 cut program in all of NCAA. We want to make sure we’re doing our part in creating such fanfare that people will feel good about supporting the program financially so we can take some of the burden off the athletic department.”

In 2016, Howard became the last remaining HBCU school with a swim program after North Carolina A&T disbanded its team. 

“Our environment is different than any other college environment on the planet,” Askew said. “I can’t speak enough to the electricity that’s in this environment and how special it is given the fact that we’re the only HBCU and how the numbers do not favor the culture. Such a large number of Black or brown people don’t swim or have limited swimming ability. To be able to pack the stands — to have them there the entire time for a swim meet cheering loudly and engaged in the fan experience — you’re not going to find anywhere else like it.”

When Georgetown visited Howard last October, the atmosphere at the meet left quite the impression on Hoyas supporters. Some parents called it their favorite crowd experience ever. Georgetown’s men and women teams escaped with victories, but the men’s side was decided by the final two events in a thrilling finish.

Afterward, Georgetown head coach Jack Leavitt insisted that all future matchups be held at Burr Gym Pool instead of switching sites annually. 

“We’re trying to create a really fan-friendly environment for a dual meet,” said Leavitt, whose men’s team won its first Big East title last season. “We want it to be enticing for a swim parent, but also just an average fan who might’ve never watched college swimming before. We’re thrilled to be asked to be a part of this with them. With Howard being the only HBCU with a swim program, we’re trying to highlight them as much as we possibly can and get as much attention on the sport to try to get some more HBCUs to add a swim program.”

“Nic has built his program to a really competitive level,” Leavitt added. “I’m really proud of the work he’s done and I’m really honored to be the team that he chose to swim against in this environment. I’m excited to see who shows up and get some more eyeballs on D.C. swimming.” 

Among the big names confirmed to be attending so far are USA Diving president Lee Michaud, USA Swimming managing director Joel Shinofield, Olympic bronze medalist Elizabeth Beisel, and Olympic silver medalist Maritza McClendon. McClendon, Team USA’s first Black female swimmer, will serve as Howard’s honorary assistant coach for the meet. 

“It’s a great time to showcase the program, what we’ve been up to, and start to really generate the excitement of what we’re hopefully going to be able to do moving forward,” Askew said. 

Both Howard and Georgetown will open their seasons Sept. 23 at the Potomac Relays hosted by Howard, which will also feature George Mason in a showdown of Washington, D.C. schools. 

Fellow Howard swimmer Camille Chatoor will join Askew in the school’s Athletics Hall of Fame on Sept. 30.

Tickets for the event can be found at www.howarduniversitytickets.com. 

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Howard Sets Out to Host Biggest HBCU Swim Meet in History vs. Georgetown

By Anne Lepesant on SwimSwam

Fitter and Faster Swim Camps is the proud sponsor of SwimSwam’s College Recruiting Channel and all commitment news. For many, swimming in college is a lifelong dream that is pursued with dedication and determination. Fitter and Faster is proud to honor these athletes and those who supported them on their journey.

Staten Island Technical High School senior Arie Ioselevich has announced his verbal commitment to the University of Notre Dame for 2023-24.

“I am beyond excited to announce my verbal commitment to continue my academic and swimming careers at the University of Notre Dame! I am so grateful to coaches Chris, Kameron, Josh, Trevor, and Kelsi for giving me this opportunity. Thank you to my family, friends, and coaches for pushing me and never giving up. Go Irish!”

Ioselevich swims for Trident Aquatic Club at the JCC in Staten Island, New York. He specializes in breaststroke and IM. In the summer of 2022, he won the B final of the 100m breast and came in 21st in the 200 breast at Speedo Junior Nationals, notching PBs of 1:02.83 and 2:19.32, respectively. He also time-trialed the 100 fly (58.52) and 200 IM (2:08.03) and scored best times in those events, too. A year ago at 2021 Speedo Summer Championships East, he swam times of 1:07.08 and 2:22.93 in the 100/200 breast and only finaled in the 200 (30th).

His best SCY times in his top events come from the 2022 Speedo Spring Sectionals–Phoenix last March. There, he placed seventh in the 100 breast (56.37), third in the 200 breast (2:01.04), 18th in the 200 IM (1:53.93), and 11th in the 400 IM (4:05.21).

The Fighting Irish finished eighth of 11 teams at the 2022 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships. Their top breaststroker was senior Josh Bottelberghe (51.62/1:52.44), who was their only scorer in the 100 breast (second place) and their top scorer in the 200 breast (fourth). Then-sophomores Tyler Christianson and Sean Faikish placed 13th and 19th, respectively. It took 54.22 in the 100 breast and 1:59.13 in the 200 breast to make finals at the 2022 ACC Championships.

Best SCY times:

• 200 breast – 2:01.04
• 100 breast – 56.37
• 50 breast – 27.77
• 100 fly – 51.96
• 400 IM – 4:04.47
• 200 IM – 1:53.93

Ioselevich is the first public commitment to the Notre Dame men’s class of 2027. He will join a breaststroke training group led by Christianson (53.37/1:52.90), Faikish (54.50/1:55.81), Parker Macy (56.62/2:01.42), and Christopher Guiliano (56.97).

If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to Recruits@swimswam.com.

About the Fitter and Faster Swim Tour 

Fitter & Faster Swim Camps feature the most innovative teaching platforms for competitive swimmers of all levels. Camps are produced year-round throughout the USA and Canada. All camps are led by elite swimmers and coaches. Visit fitterandfaster.com to find or request a swim camp near you.

FFT SOCIAL

Instagram – @fitterandfasterswimtour
Facebook – @fitterandfastertour
Twitter – @fitterandfaster

^{FFT is a SwimSwam partner.}

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Summer Juniors Finalist Arie Ioselevich Verbally Commits to Notre Dame

By Jared Anderson on SwimSwam

See also:

• Women’s #9-#12
• Women’s #13-#16
• Women’s Honorable Mentions
• Individual recruit rankings – Girls final rankings
• Individual recruit rankings – Boys final rankings

We continue our 2022 recruiting series with a team-by-team look at the best recruiting classes entering the NCAA next season. The classes below are projected freshmen for the 2022-2023 season.

A few important notes on our rankings:

• The rankings listed are based on our Class of 2022 Re-Rank. “HM” refers to our honorable mentions and “BOTR” refers to our best of the rest section for top-tier recruits.
• Like most of our rankings, these placements are subjective. We base our team ranks on a number of factors: prospects’ incoming times are by far the main factor, but we also consider potential upside in the class, class size, relay impact and team needs filled. Greater weight is placed on known success in short course yards, so foreign swimmers are slightly devalued based on the difficulty in converting long course times to short course production.
• Transfers are included.
• For the full list of all verbally committed athletes, click here. A big thank you to SwimSwam’s own Anne Lepesant for compiling that index – without it, rankings like these would be far less comprehensive.
• Some teams had not released a finalized 2022-23 team roster at the time these articles were published, meaning it’s possible we missed some names. Let us know in the comments below.

Best NCAA Swimming & Diving Recruiting Classes: Women’s Class of 2022

Previously ranked:

• #16: Notre Dame Fighting Irish
• #15: Kentucky Wildcats
• #14: UNC Tar Heels
• #13: Ohio State Buckeyes
• #12: Louisville Cardinals
• #11: Indiana Hoosiers
• #10: Michigan Wolverines
• #9: Texas Longhorns

#8: Wisconsin Badgers

• Top-tier additions: #7 Blair Stoneburg (FL – distance), Abby Wanezek (WI – sprint free)
• The rest: Abby Reid (WI – sprint free), Anna teDuits (WI – back), Hazel Ozkan (Turkey – breast)

Florida distance star Blair Stoneburg is a huge get for a Wisconsin program that already has last year’s breakout NCAA mile champion Paige McKenna on the roster. Stoneburg is already faster in the 200 free (1:44.6) and 500 free (4:38.8) than McKenna was out of high school, though McKenna was always most centered around the mile. Stoneburg’s lifetime-bests would have scored at last year’s NCAAs in the 200 free and 500 free, and she should be an immediate upgrade to the 800 free relay, where Wisconsin had a pair of 1:45s on their 10th-place relay last season.

Speaking of relays, 22.5/49.3 sprinter Abby Wanezek should be a solid addition to the relay room. She’s also a 53-second backstroker. It’s a relatively small class, but the likely impacts of Stoneburg and Wanezek are plenty to get this group into the top 10. If one of the more developmental recruits really pops, then watch out for this group.

#7: Duke Blue Devils

• Top-tier additions: #15 Kaelyn Gridley (IL – breast), #19 Martina Peroni (OH – fly), BOTR Tatum Wall (VA – sprint free)
• The rest: Audrey Portello (CA – IM), Issie Abrajan (CA – fly), Kiki Kennedy (NY – back), Mia Leko (CT – free), Madeline Meredith (KY – fly)

The Blue Devils nabbed a pair of our top 20 recruits, both fast risers who were not in our national top 20 ranks when they were recruited as sophomores and juniors. Kaelyn Gridley is a really exciting prospect. She dropped almost five seconds in the 200 breast to take over as the fastest 200 breaststroker in the nation for this recruiting class at 2:08.3. She’s also a sub-minute 100 breaststroker who is dropping time in a hurry and could be a major player on the college level.

Martina Peroni out of Ohio is a 52.9/1:55.1 butterflyer with a ton of versatility. It seems very possible that she and Gridley wind up forming the core of a medley relay down the road, but Peroni is also a good enough IMer (1:57.7/4:14.4) that maybe her best college potential lies there.

Tatum Wall will bring 22.5/49.5 speed to the free relays – she was one of our “best of the rest” swimmers just outside the top 20 ranks. The rest of the class features a pair of 53-second butterflyers in Issie Abrajan and Madeline Meredith and a 53-second backstroker in Kiki Kennedy. Dartmouth fifth-year transfer Mia Leko is 1:57.6 in the 200 fly and Audrey Portello adds another 4:14 IMer to the mix.

#6: USC Trojans

• Top-tier additions: #5 Justina Kozan (CA – IM), BOTR Katherine Adams (OR – breast), Ashley McMillan (Canada – back), Carolina Sculti (Stanford transfer – diving), Elise Garcia (Cal transfer – sprint free)
• The rest: Sydney Brakebill (CA – sprint free), Ella Flowers (TX – fly), Nisha Kijkanakorn (Australia – breast)

USC has a nice mix of ranked recruits, internationals, impact transfers, and developmental prospects in a fairly large recruiting class. Justina Kozan fell a little in our ranks as a senior, but remains one of the best freshmen in the country with NCAA scoring times in the 400 IM (4:05.6) and 200 fly (1:54.2) to go with a 1:56.3 in the 200 IM. Her versatility should be key for USC, and going 1:44.4 in the 200 free means she’ll also have good relay value.

Katherine Adams dropped almost five seconds in the 200 breast as a high school senior. She’s only 1:02 in the 100 currently, but after going 2:10.2 in the 200 breast, it seems very likely she’ll cut time in that 100 too.

On the transfer side of things, the Trojans got two additions from Pac-12 rivals. Former Stanford diver Carolina Sculti was an NCAA A finalist on the 3-meter springboard last year and is a two-time Pac-12 champ and five-time All-American. Elise Garcia is a 22.1/48.5 sprinter who split 21.4 and 21.6 on Cal free relays at NCAAs last year.

Then there’s Canadian backstroker Ashley McMillan, whose short course meters times of 56.9 and 2:06.5 roughly convert to 51.6 and 1:53.9, right on the cusp of NCAA scoring range.

Also keep an eye on speedster Sydney Brakebill, who is 22.6 in the 50 free but still needs to develop some longer endurance. That kind of pure speed could mean a lot on relays down the road.

#5: LSU Tigers

• Top-tier additions:Maggie MacNeil (Michigan transfer – fly)
• The rest: Chloe Song (MA – free), Hannah Womer (Florida State transfer – free), Lily Huges (NJ – back), Lily Jones (KY – back)

Just how much impact will Maggie MacNeil have on this LSU program with one year of eligibility remaining? Even with limited time, it’s hard to overstate how good MacNeil is. She’s an Olympic gold medalist, multi-time world champion, and NCAA record-holder in the 100 fly. Though she slipped to third in that event last year, MacNeil is the only woman in history to break 49 seconds in the event, going a mind-boggling 48.8 back in 2021.

MacNeil’s best times of 21.1/46.0 in freestyle, 49.7 in backstroke and 48.8 in butterfly are indescribable game-changers to LSU’s relays, none of which qualified for NCAAs last year.

MacNeil doesn’t carry quite the same kind of recruiting value she would if she had four years of eligibility remaining like many of the other names in these ranks. But even with a single year, she’s enough by herself to vault this class into the top 5 nationally.

The rest of the class is definitely on the developmental side, but 22.9 sprinter Hannah Womer will be a nice addition to LSU’s stable of relay options to join MacNeil.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Ranking The 2022 Women’s NCAA Recruiting Classes: #5-8

By Sophie Kaufman on SwimSwam

It’s that time of the year again. SwimSwam will be previewing the top 12 men’s and women’s teams (and then some) from the 2022 NCAA Championships. Follow along with the College Swimming Preview Channel. Want to read even more? Check out the latest edition of the SwimSwam magazine. 

#2 Texas Longhorns

Key Losses: Evie Pfeifer (29 NCAA points, 1 relay), Julia Cook (3 NCAA points, 1 relay)

Key Additions: #3 Lydia Jacoby (breast), graduate transfer Dakota Luther (fly)

GRADING CRITERIA

Two years ago, we unveiled a new, more data-based grading criteria based on ‘projected returning points’, a stat of our own making that involved a lot of manual calculations involving departing seniors, redshirts, freshmen, etc. We liked the objectiveness of that stat, but given that there’s still a lot of uncertainty for this year, we’re adopting a hybrid approach this year. The “stars” will rely heavily on what swimmers actually did last year, but we’ll also give credit to returning swimmers or freshmen who have times that would have scored last year.

Since we only profile the top 12 teams in this format, our grades are designed with that range in mind. In the grand scheme of college swimming and compared to all other college programs, top 12 NCAA programs would pretty much all grade well across the board. But in the interest of making these previews informative, our grading scale is tough – designed to show the tiers between the good stroke groups, the great ones, and the 2015 Texas fly group types.

• 5 star (★★★★★) – a rare, elite NCAA group projected to score 25+ points per event
• 4 star (★★★★) – a very, very good NCAA group projected to score 15-24 points per event
• 3 star (★★★) – a good NCAA group projected to score 5-14 points per event
• 2 star (★★) – a solid NCAA group projected to score 1-4 points per event
• 1 star (★) –  an NCAA group that is projected to score no points per event, though that doesn’t mean it’s without potential scorers – they’ll just need to leapfrog some swimmers ahead of them to do it

We’ll grade each event discipline: sprint free (which we define to include all the relay-distance freestyle events, so 50, 100 and 200), distance free, IM, breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly and diving. Use these grades as a jumping-off point for discussion, rather than a reason to be angry.

2021-2022 LOOKBACK

The Texas women held the fourth spot in the SwimSwam power rankings for the majority of last season. Then, in our final rankings, we had them at third, trailing only Virginia and Stanford. Much of the conversation heading into the 2022 NCAAs centered around whether there was anything Stanford could do to beat Virginia. In hindsight, the conversation should have been about the battle between Stanford and Texas for second.

Stanford didn’t swim badly, but both Texas’ swimmers and divers performed exceptionally. They raked in points from Kelly Pash‘s three ‘A’ finals, Anna Elendt‘s strong finishes in breaststroke, and the distance duo of Erica Sullivan and Evie Pfeifer. However, it was their butterfly and diving that powered them past Stanford in the final individual events of the meet—200 fly and platform. Then, they did enough in the 400 free relay to hold off Stanford, securing their place as the national runner-up.

After an exceptional meet like that, can the Longhorn women hold onto their momentum and defend their spot as the country’s #2?

Sprint Freestyle: ★★

Kyla Leibel (photo: Jack Spitser)

While the Texas women have many areas where they shine, sprint freestyle is not one of them. They had just one woman compete in either the 50 or 100 freestyle at NCAAs—Emma Sticklen, who finished 33rd in the 50 freestyle in 22.26. While that was just off her lifetime best, it took 21.99 to make it back for finals last year. With no recruits coming in who will immediately contribute NCAA points in the 50 or 100 free, it looks like this area will still be a gap for Texas in the 2022-23 season.

At the dual meet and conference level, however, they have more depth. With a 22.07, it was then-sophomore Grace Cooper who had Texas’ fastest time in the 50 freestyle last season. Cooper is the two-time Big-12 champion in the event, and will make a run at the hat trick this season. She’s not as strong in the 100 freestyle—her best time is 49.00—but she still finished fifth at Big 12s. That 49.00 came from the Minnesota Invitational, and she added more than half a second en route to her Big-12 title. To make even more of an impact in the postseason, she’ll need to aim to be at her best come February.

Texas kept Sienna Schellenger in-state, and she holds lifetime bests of 22.76 in the 50 and 49.73 in the 100. While neither of those will make an immediate impact, she could be a key relay piece for the Longhorns.

Seniors Bridget Semenuk and Kyla Leibel are classic 50/100/200 freestylers and—especially Leibel—the further they go the better they get. Both played crucial roles on the Texas relays all season, and are important depth pieces as the Longhorns look to hold on to their second place in the team competition. None of Semenuk, Leibel or Cooper swam an individual event at NCAAs last season. Relays are a weak spot for Texas, so continued improvement will be paramount for this trio will be paramount this season, especially as Texas has a few key legs to replace.

Their best 200 freestyler is Kelly Pash, who finished third at NCAAs with a lifetime best 1:42.38. Pash had a strong long course season and should bring that momentum into her senior campaign. 200 free national champion Taylor Ruck does return and showed herself to be back on form last season, when she won in 1:41.12. Given that, it might take a big lifetime best for Pash to win an individual national title, but that isn’t impossible.

Distance Freestyle: ★★★★

Erica Sullivan (photo: Jack Spitser)

Tokyo Olympian Erica Sullivan headlines the Longhorns’ 2022-2023 distance group. As a freshman last year, Sullivan finished third in the 500 (4:35.92) and second in the 1650 (15:45.94) at NCAAs, amassing 33 individual points. Her personal bests in both events were set prior to her freshman year, so we know that her ceiling is higher. That’s especially true in the mile, where her time was over 22 seconds off her 15:23.81 lifetime best. Sullivan had shoulder surgery in the offseason, which caused her to miss U.S. World Trials in April. Since then, she swam one event at U.S. Nationals, where she placed fourth in both the 800 and 1500 meter freestyles.

Evie Pfeifer scored 27 points across the same events last year and has since graduated, which is a big loss for the Longhorns. It leaves Sullivan as the sole scorer for Texas in the distance events, with questions still lingering about what kind of form she’s bringing into the season and her recovery. Sullivan is certainly capable of holding her place in the event standings—and if she’s on form winning both or either—but as it stands, the Longhorns will lose points from 2022 to 2023 NCAAs in these events. What they really need is another distance swimmer having a big season and jumping up into NCAA scoring.

Even with the loss of Pfeifer, Sullivan alone makes this a four-star distance group.

Backstroke: ★★★

It’s junior backstroker/butterflier Olivia Bray who leads the Longhorns’ backstroke group this season.

Last year at NCAAs, she took on the 100 fly/100 back double, and in the 100 back, finished eighth in 51.02 after posting a personal best of 50.69 in prelims. She opted for the 200 fly last year at NCAAs, so those 11 points were the only ones Texas scored in the 100 back. She did race the 200 back at Big 12s, where she went a personal best of 1:51.09, which would have earned her seventh at NCAAs. After posting multiple lifetime bests last season, Bray comes into this season with a strong foundation to build off as she continues to improve.

Given Texas’ depth in the 200 fly, which is also getting a significant improvement this season (more on that below), it’s possible we see Bray take on the 200 back over the 200 fly in 2023.

The backstroke group has lost Julia Cook, who was an important depth piece for the Longhorns. They’re bringing in two freshmen, Meghan DiMartile and Emily Carpenter, who are both 1:58-high in the 200. Neither project to make an immediate impact this season, but could develop into important pieces.

Breaststroke: ★★★★

Anna Elendt (photo: Jack Spitser)

Last season, German Olympian Anna Elendt had a major breakthrough in yards. She first made headlines by breaking Texas’ 100-yard breaststroke school record in December 2021. At the Big 12 Championships, she split a blistering 56.42 on the 400 medley relay. Then, at NCAAs, she roared to 56.88 in prelims of the 100 breast, joining an exclusive group of women under 57 seconds as the fifth-fastest all-time. She added time in the final, ultimately finishing fifth in a razor-thin race, though her morning time would have won the event. She followed that up by clocking 2:04.31 in the 200 breast, finishing second behind Kate Douglass‘ American record performance.

Elendt made great strides in her sophomore season, and now as a junior will be counted on for her consistency as one of the best breaststrokers in the NCAA. Her 56.88 100-yard time makes her a serious contender for the national title, especially with Alexis Wenger (UVA) and Sophie Hansson (NC State) graduating. In the 200 breast, it’s hard to see her beating Douglass, but she should remain near the top of the podium. It’s realistic to expect Elendt to equal or surpass the 31 NCAA points she contributed last season.

The Longhorns are also getting an incredible addition to their breaststroke group in Lydia Jacoby. The Tokyo gold medalist in the 100-meter breaststroke, Jacoby also has the fastest time in her class in yards with a 58.87. Jacoby went from unranked as a sophomore, to eighth as a junior, to #3 on our re-rank of the girls’ high school class of 2022. Even though her yards times aren’t yet at the same level as her long course pedigree, she’s made big improvements and should continue to do so at Texas. She and Elendt will be a lethal duo to contend with. We’ll get more in-depth on relays later, but right now it looks like Elendt retains her spot on the medleys, though Jacoby could very well challenge her.

Butterfly: ★★★★★

By James Sutherland on SwimSwam

SwimSwam Pulse is a recurring feature tracking and analyzing the results of our periodic A3 Performance Polls. You can cast your vote in our newest poll on the SwimSwam homepage, about halfway down the page on the right side, or you can find the poll embedded at the bottom of this post.

Our most recent poll asked SwimSwam readers which women’s team will be the top finishers this season among those out of last year’s top five:

Question: Which team will finish highest at the 2022 Women’s NCAA Championships?

RESULTS

• Louisville (#6)– 26.2%
• Tennessee (#10)– 22.5%
• Cal (#8)– 20.0%
• A team ranked 11+– 8.2%
• Michigan (#7)– 7.8%

The 2022-23 NCAA campaign is upon us, and it’s time to start prematurely prognosticating on what’s to come at season’s end.

The Division I women’s landscape seemingly has a clear top-five—there was an 82.5-point gap between fifth and sixth-place last season, and it’s hard to imagine any of the schools outside of the upper echelon manage to erase that gap.

Right now, it looks like Virginia at #1, Texas and Stanford battling for second, and Alabama and NC State in the fight for fourth. But beyond those teams, the race for sixth is much more wide open.

Louisville, Michigan, Cal and Ohio State placed sixth through ninth last season, and were separated by just 31.5 points. Furthermore, 10th-place Tennessee had several swimmers finish well off their times done one month earlier at SECs, suggesting there’s potential for much more at the national level.

That brought us to the poll question of which of them would finish highest (likely sixth), and it yielded competitive results.

Over 26 percent of readers predict the Cardinals will maintain their spot in sixth, while 22.5 percent picked the Lady Vols to make a big move up after placing 10th last year.

Louisville has lost no individual scorers, while Tennessee also has minimal losses and has the talent to improve from last year, it’s just a question of whether or not they prioritize NCAAs over SECs.

Despite all of the uncertainty surrounding the Cal women this offseason, 20 percent of voters are confident they’ll still outperform last year’s eighth-place showing, while more people picked a team that finished outside of the top 10 last year (8.2%) than seventh-place Michigan (7.8%) to take sixth.

The Wolverines lost more than 80 percent of their individual points, most notably with the departure of Maggie MacNeil, who was also the driving force behind their relay performances. As a result, staying in the top 10 would probably be viewed as a successful year.

Below, vote in our new A3 Performance Poll, which asks: Which men’s team that finished outside of the top four last season will finish highest at the 2023 Men’s NCAA Championships:

ABOUT A3 PERFORMANCE

The A3 Performance Poll is courtesy of A3 Performance, a SwimSwam partner.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: SwimSwam Pulse: 26.2% Pick Louisville Women To Maintain Top 6 NCAA Status

By Noelle Theodoulou on SwimSwam

David Wright, a former New Zealand Olympic swim coach, died on August 24 in Auckland after a battle with kidney disease. He was 74.

Wright coached a number of top-tier swimmers throughout his career, including representatives from New Zealand, the U.S., the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Saudi Arabia. This included coaching Kiwi swimmer Toni Jeffs to the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona.

In 2003, Wright was appointed as the U.S. Virgin Islands national team coach. He spent seven years traveling between the U.S. Virgin Islands and Delray Beach, Florida to coach national, international, and Olympic swim stars.

In Florida, he coached notable names including 2000 Olympian and current Alabama associate head coach Ozzie Quevedo, 2004 Olympic gold medalist Rhi Jeffrey, and former D2 All-American Joseph Skuba.

Among Wright’s last acts as a coach was a connection with a refugee swimmer, Eyad Masoud, who he initially met in Saudi Arabia and fought for the Syrian-born athlete to train at better facilities.

Masoud followed Wright back to New Zealand, and Masoud has gone on to represent both New Zealand and Refugee Swimming, even competing at the World Championships this past summer.

Beyond his coaching exploits, Wright was known for the swim blog he co-founded in 2003, SwimWatch International, where he shared not only his passion for the sport, but also kept the powers at be accountable.

Perhaps most notable among the issues Wright got involved in came in 2014, when New Zealand’s Lauren Boyleset a new world record in the SCM women’s 1500 freestyle at the Wellington Winter Championships. Wright protested that the pool did not meet FINA’s minimum requirements for depth, though the record was ultimately upheld.

Wright also coached his daughter, Jane Copland, who represented New Zealand at international competitions and went on to swim at Washington State University. Copland at one point held the New Zealand 200 breaststroke record for four years.

Wright also co-wrote a pair of swimming books: Swim to the Top and Swimming–A Training Program.

Prior to his career as a swim coach, Wright coached his wife, Alison Wright, to a successful track career.

Copland published a eulogy on SwimWatch International following his death, which you can read here.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Longtime New Zealand Swim Coach David Wright Dies At 74

By Chris Ritter on SwimSwam

When’s the last time someone trained you to be a dryland coach? Probably never. Or, if you have gotten training, it’s been quick and shallow education to accommodate for lack of time and resources. Coaches are so busy training their swimmers that they often overlook the most important member of the team: themselves. This is a problem.

Coaches are the glue that holds their program together. Responsible for the wins and losses, coaches unlock potential in their athletes. It is the most important job. It’s only through experience that coaches gain their reputation as a dryland coach. But it’s education that produces better coaching skills. So why are we leaving out the educational piece for dryland?

Nowadays, dryland coaches at the professional and collegiate level have credentials in strength and conditioning AND insider knowledge of the sport. This is now trickling down into club and high school programs as recruiting becomes a bigger factor for youth programs. Most swim coaches at the youth level are either getting educated in dryland or hiring a dryland coach with the proper skills. At SURGE Strength, we are bridging the gap between swim coaches and dryland coaches.

Dryland Through the Decades

 “The illiterate of the twenty-first century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” – Alvin Toffler

Have you encountered a coach that does the same dryland program with their swimmers every year? They have ten years of experience, but their program still reads as one year old. This leaves the swimmers underserved and ultimately costs them their potential.

Dryland should evolve as the sport of swimming evolves. If you think back to the 1960s and ’70s, dryland was almost non-existent. People did a few wetland circuits here and there. They were mostly doing “garbage yardage” and some abs on deck. Moving into the 1980s and ’90s, some people started mixing in dryland workouts, but they were still not the norm. As we move into the 2000s, people started taking dryland more seriously. They began “cross-training” for swimming and following fitness programs. Fast-forward to the 2010s: There are people becoming purely dryland coaches and recognizing the leap forward that dryland can give their swimmers. Although it took a while, swimming has finally caught up to other sports in the strength and conditioning realm.

As we turn over a new decade, people are now expected to be certified or specialized in dryland. Look at the physique of a swimmer. Take away the block they are standing behind, and you won’t know what sport they play. They are true athletes – at least, the best ones are. Exceptional dryland coaches know that training swimmers to become better athletes will exponentially help them become better swimmers when they translate their skills to the water. They achieve this by implementing strength and conditioning principals beyond the scope of a traditional swim coach. This requires a new skill set, which we help you develop when you become SURGE Strength Dryland Certified (SSDC).

Progressive Programming

Once you have attained the skills to be a dryland coach, your programming should evolve as well. Most strength and conditioning coaches cringe when they look back at their old programs. This is because research is constantly unlocking new scientific principles and discovering better ways to apply them. Dryland coaches should easily identify why they chose the exercises in their dryland plan. Each part of their program should tie into their team’s long- and short-term goals.

At SURGE Strength, we unpack the key scientific principles that help you create a periodized dryland program. We break down training phases throughout the season and for each day. We explain how to apply workout variables (Learn More – 8 Workout Variables Every Dryland Program for Swimmers Needs) to match your team’s goals. Most importantly, we teach you how to program better dryland designed specifically for the sport of swimming.

Programming vs Coaching

While optimal programming is important, it’s only as good as the coach running it. Anyone can lead a group of athletes through a workout. However, it takes an additional skill-set to coach them. A program in real life looks different than a program on paper. An injury pops up and an athlete needs a modification. You get kicked out of your training space and now you don’t have the same equipment. Coaching requires adaptability and the ability to not only listen to an athlete but truly hear them. Good coaches can modify the workout without compromising the goal of the session. They know how to execute the plan in a way that speaks to each individual on the team. This partially comes with experience. However, it also comes with proper training.

The process of Becoming SDDC trains coaches how to give proper coaching cues. You learn how to execute programs for each phase in the training season. We help you scale each workout to accommodate various fitness levels within your team. Investing in your craft is more than just learning how to write an exercise program – it is acquiring a skill set that develops buy-in from your athletes and helps you connect with them in a unique way to create elevated dryland coaching.

As the sport of swimming gets faster, the pace of dryland training for coaches also gets more intense. Gone are the days of pulling a workout off the internet and giving it to swimmers to do on their own. Dryland now requires periodized training plans and the ability to coach them well. That’s why our mission at SURGE Strength is to develop swimmers into better athletes. Better athletes will always become faster swimmers.

LEARN ABOUT BECOMING SSDC

MORE RESOURCES FROM SURGE STRENGTH:

ENROLL IN A DRYLAND 101 COURSE FOR FREE

GET STARTED WITH A DRYLAND PROGRAM

The goal of SURGE Strength is simple:

BUILD BETTER ATHLETES

GENERATE FASTER SWIMMERS

Courtesy of SwimSwam’s exclusive dryland training partner, SURGE Strength.

SURGE Strength, a strength training brand created by Chris Ritter, CEO of RITTER Sports Performance, aims to build better athletes and faster swimmers through dryland programs and educational courses.

Get started with a SURGE Strength Dryland Program or enroll in a dryland course in the SURGE Strength Academy today!

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Coaching the Dryland Coach Within You: A Guide for Swim Coaches

By Spencer Penland on SwimSwam

2022 FINA World Junior Open Water Swimming Championships

• September 16-18, 2022
• Mahé Island, Seychelles
• Open Water
• Event Page
• Results

The first day of the 2022 World Junior Open Water Swimming Championships is in the books. Competing at Mahé, an island in Seychelles, young open water swimmers competed in the girls and boys 5k and 7.5k today. The 5k was for swimmers aged 13-15, while the 7.5k featured 15-17s. Tomorrow we will see the girls and boys 10k competition, which is for swimmer aged 17 to 19.

Girls 5k

It was rising American freestyle star Claire Weinstein who won gold in the girls 5k on the opening day of the championships. It was a very tight race between the 15-year-old Weinstein and 15-yeaar-old Tuna Erdogan from Turkey at end, seeing Weinstein finish in 51:52.40 to Erdogan’s 51:56.80. Spain had a strong showing as well, with 14-year-old Noa Martin winning bronze in 52:05.90 and 15-year-old Carolina Oliveira finishing fourth in 52:32.60.

Notably, Martin is only 14 years old, making her the youngest medalist of the day.

For Weinstein, the win marks her first World Junior medal in an open water or pool event. The 15-year-old swam at the LC World Championships in June, competing on the USA women’s 4×200 free relay. In a display of her prowess in the pool, Weinstein led the American team off in 1:56.71, helping them to a gold medal.

You can view FINA’s stream of the race below:

Boys 5k

The boys 5k saw an incredibly tight finish between American Nathan Szobota, Italian Davide Grossi, and German Diego Heinze, all 15 years old. It was Szobota who finished first in 48.50.90, just 0.10 seconds ahead of Grossi (48:51.00). Heinze was only 0.60 behind Grossi, taking third in 48:51.60.

Like Spain in the girls 5k, Germany had a strong showing here, with 15-year-old David Kuhn finishing fourth in 48:53.70, less than four seconds behind the winner.

Only ten seconds separated first from seventh in the race, with Turkish 15-year-old Emir Albayrak taking seventh in 49:00.70.

There were three 13-year-olds in the field this morning, all performing admirably despite the disadvantage in age. Santiago Villanueva out of Venezuela took 16th in the race, finishing in 51:30.70, less than three minutes off what it took to medal. India’s Dharshan Shashikumar was 28th (54:23.10), while Malaysia’s Aslan Adnan was 29th (56:57.80).

You can view FINA’s stream of the race below:

Girls 7.5k

It was a clean sweep for the U.S. in the girls races today, with Katie Grimes posting a dominant victory in the girls 7.5k. The 16-year-old, who is teammates with Weinstein at the Sandpipers of Nevada in Las Vegas, swam a 1:22.38.50, finishing well over two minutes ahead of silver medalist Narin Burcunaz of Turkey (1:24:57.40). Burcunaz, who is just 15, finished a little over a second ahead of bronze medalist Lia Csulaki out of Hungary (1:24.58.90).

This time it was a strong performance for the U.S., with 16-year-old Claire Stuhlmacher taking fourth in 1:25:04.10.

Like Weinstein, Grimes also had a phenomenal performance at the World Championships this summer, winning a pair of silver medals. She took second in the 1500 free and 400 IM at those championships, winning her first senior international medals. Grimes also notably competed at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics last summer when she was 15, finishing fourth in the women’s 800 free, just off the podium.

You can view FINA’s stream of the race below:

Boys 7.5k

Hungary had the best team performance of the day, winning gold and bronze in the boys 7.5k. Hunor Kovacs-Seres won the race by a significant margin, finishing in 1:16:02.10, which was 18 seconds faster than silver medalist Paulo Delgado from Mexico. Delgado beat out Hungary’s Mate Hartmann by 0.10 seconds, finishing in 1:16:20.50 to Hartmann’s 1:16:20.60.

Germany’s Linus Schwedler, who competed at the European Championship in open water this summer, was just off the podium, taking fourth in 1:16:20.90, just 0.30 seconds behind Hartmann. Japan’s Kaito Tsujimori (1:16:21.60) and Brazil’s Matheus Melecchi (1:16:22.80) were right in the thick of it as well, finishing fifth and sixth respectively.

You can view FINA’s stream of the race below:

Read the full story on SwimSwam: 2022 World Junior OW Champs Day 1: Katie Grimes and Claire Weinstein Each Win Gold

By Dan Dingman on SwimSwam

SwimSwam’s daily swimming workout series is a collection of workouts written by coaches from a variety of backgrounds. All daily swimming workouts have been written using Commit Swimming. The workouts themselves are not indicative of SwimSwam’s or Commit’s views on training. They strictly reflect the opinions of the author swim coach.

Workout Context

• Purpose:  Speed and Power
• Target age group:  15-18 years old, 13-14 years old
• Target level:  Age Group (Advanced), Age Group (Intermediate), Senior Age Group/ High School State Level
• Weeks until target meet:  4 weeks
• Team Location:  United States
• Course:  25 Yards
• Shared workout link:  Click here to view this workout on commitswimming.com

The Workout

500 Tag

Dive 10:00
Turns 10:00

2x
        2 x 75 Fins & Paddles Sprint 1:15
        2 x 75 Fins Sprint 1:30
        2 x 75 Sprint 2:00
3x
        3 x 50 Fins & Paddles Sprint :55
        3 x 50 Fins Sprint 1:05
        3 x 50 Sprint 1:15
1x
        4 x 25 Fins & Paddles Sprint :20
        4 x 25 Fins Sprint :40
        4 x 25 Sprint 1:00
200 Rec

Coach Notes

The swim coach was asked to define any shorthand he or she used in this workout. Their notes should provide some additional context to this swimming workout.

Tag – One Swimmer begins the practice as ‘IT’. They can’t tag anyone until they complete the first 200. Swimmers can go back and forth, up and down, across lanes to avoid ‘IT’. No Tag Backs. Once they complete the 500 they’re safe.

Rec – Recovery/Cool Down

Ryne Drogemuller
Head Site Coach, Aqua Swim Club

SwimSwam’s daily swimming workout is powered by Commit Swimming.

Swimming news for swim coaches and swim teams, courtesy of Commit Swimming. Click here to view all daily swimming workouts on SwimSwam.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Daily Swim Coach Workout #772

By Coleman Hodges on SwimSwam

In the SwimSwam Podcast dive deeper into the sport you love with insider conversations about swimming. Hosted by Coleman Hodges, Garrett McCaffrey, and Gold Medal Mel Stewart, SwimSwam welcomes both the biggest names in swimming that you already know, and rising stars that you need to get to know, as we break down the past, present, and future of aquatic sports.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: World Champ Medalist Josh Liendo Aiming for Dressel’s SCY Records at Florida

By Reid Carlson on SwimSwam

It’s that time of the year again. SwimSwam will be previewing the top 12 men’s and women’s teams (and then some) from the 2022 NCAA Championships. Follow along with the College Swimming Preview Channel. Want to read even more? Check out the latest edition of the SwimSwam magazine. 

#3 FLORIDA GATORS

Key Losses: Bobby Finke(turned pro; 42 individual NCAA points), Kieran Smith (turned pro; 44 individual NCAA points; 4 NCAA relays), Will Davis (graduated; 6 individual NCAA points; 2 NCAA relays), Isaac Davis(graduated)

Key Additions: Josh Liendo(Canada — sprint fly & free), Dawson Joyce(FL — sprint free & fly), Gio Linscheer(TX — distance free, IM, breaststroke), Cameron Abaqueta (NC — backstroke, sprint free, breaststroke), Daniel Gordon (PA — sprint freestyle)

Returning Fifth Years: Dillon Hillis(16 individual NCAA points; 2 relays)

GRADING CRITERIA

Three years ago, we unveiled a new, more data-based grading criteria based on ‘projected returning points’, a stat of our own making that involved a lot of manual calculations involving departing seniors, redshirts, freshmen, etc. We liked the objectiveness of that stat, but given that there’s still a lot of uncertainty for this year, we’re adopting a hybrid approach this year. The “stars” will rely heavily on what swimmers actually did last year, but we’ll also give credit to returning swimmers or freshmen who have times that would have scored last year.

Since we only profile the top 12 teams in this format, our grades are designed with that range in mind. In the grand scheme of college swimming and compared to all other college programs, top 12 NCAA programs would pretty much all grade well across the board. But in the interest of making these previews informative, our grading scale is tough – designed to show the tiers between the good stroke groups, the great ones, and the 2015 Texas fly group types.

• 5 star (★★★★★) – a rare, elite NCAA group projected to score 25+ points per event
• 4 star (★★★★) – a very, very good NCAA group projected to score 15-24 points per event
• 3 star (★★★) – a good NCAA group projected to score 5-14 points per event
• 2 star (★★) – a solid NCAA group projected to score 1-4 points per event
• 1 star (★) –  an NCAA group that is projected to score no points per event, though that doesn’t mean it’s without potential scorers – they’ll just need to leapfrog some swimmers ahead of them to do it

We’ll grade each event discipline: sprint free (which we define to include all the relay-distance freestyle events, so 50, 100 and 200), distance free, IM, breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly and diving. Use these grades as a jumping-off point for discussion, rather than a reason to be angry.

2021-2022 LOOKBACK

The Florida men were dominant at the 2022 SEC Championships, winning with 1414 points, out-pacing runners-up Tennessee by a staggering 476. This is even more impressive considering two-time Olympic gold medalist Bobby Finke had to miss the meet due to COVID.

At the 2022 NCAA Championships, Florida placed third with 374 points, comfortably ahead of NC State though 62.5 points behind second-place University of Texas. Though Florida had numerous ‘A’ and ‘B’ finalists at NCAAs, their accomplishments in the sprint relays were arguably more impressive and vital for team points.

The Gators started their NCAA campaign with a victory in the 200 medley relay, establishing new NCAA and US Open Records in the process in 1:21.13, 0.23 ahead of Texas. The following day, Florida blasted a 1:14.11 in the 200 free relay, the second-fastest performance of all-time. Florida also notched a third-place finish in the 400 medley relay, a sixth-place finish in the 400 free relay, and a seventh-place finish in the 800 freestyle relay.

The Gators’ only individual NCAA champion in 2022 was Bobby Finke, who won the 1650 freestyle by over nine seconds (despite adding 10 seconds to his lifetime best). In total, Finke scored 42 points at NCAAs. Kieran Smith, the American Record holder in the 500 freestyle, also had an impressive season and earned 44 points for the Gators at NCAAs, though he failed to defend his 2021 title in the 200 free. Both men, however, are foregoing their fifth-year seasons to turn pro and focus on long course.

Head Coach Anthony Nesty will lead the Gators while also managing one of the most impressive pro groups in the country. This will be Nesty’s fifth season as Head Coach since Gregg Troy‘s 2018 retirement. In the previous four seasons under Nesty’s guidance, the Florida men have won four SEC Championship team titles (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022), and placed sixth (2019), third (2021), and third (2022) at the NCAA Championships.

Sprint Free: ★★★★

Canadian World Championship medalist Josh Liendo‘s commitment to join the Gators for the 2022-2023 season is a huge addition to Florida’s sprint freestyle contingent, and one that the Gators will need without Smith and the Davis brothers (Will and Isaac). Liendo will also be a major relay factor, but we’ll get to that later. Liendo’s long course times converted to yards put him at 18.74 in the 50 and 41.39 in the 100, with his short course meters times coming in just a little quicker at 18.70 and 41.27. Given his results on the major international stage, these conversions seem to be pretty conservative.

Junior Adam Chaney was Florida’s second-highest point-scorer in sprint freestyle at NCAAs in 2022, earning nine points, five points less than Smith earned for his fifth-place effort in the 200. Chaney earned his points in a mere 18.75 seconds, placing ninth in the 50. Chaney just missed getting a second swim in the 100, finishing 17th with a 41.97 in prelims, though he has a best time of 41.74 from 2021.

Eric Friese didn’t earn any individual points at NCAAs last season, placing 29th in the 50 (19.36) and 24th in the 100 (42.22), though he put up a massive 18.39 on the 200 freestyle relay, helping Florida to victory. At SECs, Friese placed ninth in the 50 (19.23) and sixth in the 100 (42.65), while also earning a silver medal in the 100 fly (44.86).

Fifth-year Alberto Mestre rounds out Florida’s short-sprint specialists. Though Mestre did not compete at NCAAs, he placed sixth in the 50 and ninth in the 100 freestyles at SECs, notching NCAA ‘B’ cuts in each race.

As for the 200 freestyle, the Gators will rely on Trey Freeman, Alfonso Mestre, Oskar Lindholm, and Michigan transfer Jake Mitchell to get the job done and fill Smith’s void.

Freeman earned six points at NCAAs with an 11th-place finish (1:32.49) in the 200 freestyle, though he, Mestre, and Lindholm, all members of Florida’s seventh-place 800 freestyle relay, also specialize in the 500 and 1650, whereas Mitchell swam the 400 IM and 500 free at NCAAs in 2022. Though the Gators have a chance of scoring in the 200 at NCAAs, they are far more dangerous at the conference level.

Distance Free: ★★★★

Losing both Finke and Smith really stings for the Gators, but it’s not as though their distance crew has been decimated. Freeman and Mestre both scored individually in both the 500 and 1650 at NCAAs, with Freeman earning a total of 14 points (six in both the 200 and 500 freestyles, and two in the mile), while Mestre brought in 19 points (12 in the 500 and seven in the mile). Lindholm also picked up individual points with a 14th-place in the mile, adding another three points to Florida’s haul.

Freeman represented Team USA at the 2022 FINA World Championships, qualifying for the team with a sixth-place finish in the 200 free and a second-place finish in the 400 free at U.S. Nationals in Greensboro. In Budapest, Freeman placed eighth in the 400 freestyle (LCM), and took home a gold medal as a prelims member of the 4 x 200 freestyle relay.

At SECs, Florida put five men in the ‘A’ final of the 500, four of which are returning for the 2022-2023 season. As for the mile, the Gators had seven men score, placing first (Freeman), third (Tyler Watson), fifth (Lindholm), sixth (Mestre), seventh (Nicholas Hernandez-Tome), eighth (Jack VanDeusen), and ninth (Brennan Gravley).

Michigan transfer Jake Mitchell represents another opportunity for the Gators to have an individual point scorer at NCAAs in the 500 or 1650. Though Mitchell failed to make an individual final at the 2022 NCAA Championships, his lifetime bests in each race would have scored at the meet.

Incoming freshman Gio Linscheer has SEC-scoring potential in both the 500 and 1650. In fact, Linscheer’s lifetime best in the mile would have placed him sixth in the race at the 2022 SEC Championships and is already under the NCAA ‘B’ cut standard.

Backstroke: ★★

Backstroke was a powerful albeit small discipline for the Gators in 2022. Sprint specialist Adam Chaney and middle-distance ace Kieran Smith were Florida’s top backstrokers, each scoring in the Championship final at NCAAs and each winning one of the backstroke events at SECs. However, it is also noteworthy that Chaney and Smith were Florida’s only swimmers in the 100 and 200 backstroke, respectively, at the SEC Championships.

Chaney placed third in the 100 backstroke at NCAAs, and was a key member of Florida’s medley relays. As for the 200 back, now-pro Smith was the sole representative for the Gators, placing fourth.

Beyond Chaney, freshman Cameron Abaqueta shows SEC scoring potential in both the 100 (47.51) and 200 (1:47.06) backstroke. Similarly, freshman Eduoard Fullum-Huot of Canada has a lifetime best of 26.86 in the 50 long course backstroke, which could develop into a strong 50/100 backstroke in short course yards. While Abaqueta and Fullum-Huot could develop into eventual replacements for Chaney, who is a junior, backstroke is a discipline Florida will need to focus on replenishing.

Breaststroke: ★★½

Breaststroke is another one-man show on the national level for the Gators. Dillon Hillis was Florida’s only competitor in both the 100 and 200 breaststrokes at NCAAs in 2022, scoring a total of 16 points, placing sixth in the 100 and 14th in the 200. Hillis, however, did not swim either of these races at the 2022 SEC Championships. While Hillis was the only Gator to race breaststroke individually at NCAAs, Florida did boast a strong breaststroke group at SECs.

Beyond Hillis, junior Amro Al-Wir is Florida’s top breaststroker, holding lifetime bests of 52.66 and 1:53.90 in the 100 and 200 breaststrokes. Al-Wir also put up a notable 51.82 split on the Gators’ medley relay at SECs. Despite this, Al-Wir did not get an invite to the 2022 NCAA Championships. Kevin Vargas also raced in the ‘A’ final of the 200 breaststroke at SECs, placing fifth in 1:54.45, though like Al-Wir, Vargas did not race at NCAAs.

Sophomores Julian Smith and Peter Bretzmann had strong freshman campaigns in 2022 and will be vital to Florida making an impact in this discipline again in 2023. Smith notched NCAA ‘B’ cuts in the 100 and 200 breaststrokes at SECs, stopping the clock at 52.73 in the 100, placing 12th, and 1:55.82 in the 200, placing 19th. Bretzmann, meanwhile, placed 12th in the 200 breast in 1:55.58, another ‘B’ cut.

Euros Junior gold medalist Aleksas Savickas of Lithuania provides a welcomed boost to Florida’s breaststroke group. Savickas holds lifetime bests of 28.63/1:01.29/2:13.35 in the 50/100/200 breaststroke in long course meters. Converted to yards, these times are 24.89/53.41/1:56.53, which gives Savickas SEC scoring potential.

While stronger overall than the backstroke group, breaststroke is an area Florida will need to focus on revamping, especially once Hillis’ eligibility is up.

Butterfly: ★★★★

Canada’s Josh Liendo is a huge addition to Florida’s butterfly group. In the summer of 2022, Liendo won bronze in the 100 butterfly at the 2022 FINA World Championships, clocking in at 50.97, just off of his best time of 50.88. At the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Liendo won the 100 fly, touching in 51.24, beating out veterans including James Guy (GBR), Matt Temple (AUS), and Chad le Clos (RSA).

Though Liendo is primarily a sprint free and fly specialist, he also holds a lifetime best of 2:00.52 in the 200 LCM butterfly, which converts to a 1:46.07 in yards, though he is unlikely to swim the 200 fly at the conference or national level, given his strength in both the 50 and 100 freestyles.

Eric Friese is another sprint free and fly specialist with a particular affinity for the relays. At NCAAs in 2022, Friese threw down a monster 19.36 50 fly split on the 200 medley relay,

By James Sutherland on SwimSwam

Swim of the Week is brought to you by arena, a SwimSwam partner.

Disclaimer: Swim of the Week is not meant to be a conclusive selection of the best overall swim of the week, but rather one Featured Swim to be explored in deeper detail. The Swim of the Week is an opportunity to take a closer look at the context of one of the many fast swims this week, perhaps a swim that slipped through the cracks as others grabbed the headlines, or a race we didn’t get to examine as closely in the flood of weekly meets.

It’s an eerily quiet time in the world of swimming, as the championship meets of the summer have wrapped up and athletes are getting back into the swing of things for the school year and club season, meaning there’s a lack of racing going on.

But the World Junior Open Water Swimming Championships are doing their part to fill that void, as the three-day competition kicked off on Friday from the Seychelles, an island nation located in the Somali Sea (700 miles northeast of Madagascar).

The opening day of competition featured the 5k and 7.5k events, which were exclusively for swimmers aged 13-15 and 16-17, respectively.

In the girls’ 7.5k, it was an absolute tour de force from American Katie Grimes, who bulldozed the field with a final time of 1:22:38.50.

In open water, conditions dictate times, making it impossible to truly compare someone’s clocking from one competition to another. However, we can look at margin of victory, and Grimes’ was significant.

The 16-year-old led runner-up Narin Burcunaz of Turkey by a full two minutes and 18 seconds, or nearly two seconds per 100 meters.

Granted, Grimes has experienced success at the highest level of the sport, including a pair of silver medals at the 2022 World Championships in the women’s 1500 free and 400 IM, while her competitors in Seychelles are still on the way up. But nonetheless, this open water effort was impressive.

Day 1 podiums with a lot of shiny medals and big smiles

By James Sutherland on SwimSwam

Australian Hall of Fame swim coach Dick Caine has been hit with seven fresh sexual abuse charges after another alleged victim came forward to police.

Caine, 76, was arrested and charged on nine counts of sexual abuse in June of this year and then received 11 more in August after a then-24-year-old female stepped forward, alleging that Caine abused her in 1992.

On Thursday, Caine was due to appear before Downing Centre Local Court on fresh charges, including four counts of committing an act of indecency against a female and two sexual assault charges.

The new charges related to the alleged sexual assault offenses committed by Caine against a girl aged between 13 and 15 during the early 1980s, according to police.

The girl is alleged to have been a student of Caine’s at his swim school at Carris Park in the southern area of Sydney.

Caine is now facing a total of 27 charges. This includes 13 counts of “carnal knowledge teacher of girl aged 10-17 years.”

Carnal knowledge is a legal term in Australia that means sexual intercourse.

A total of seven alleged victims have stepped forward with claims against Caine—six girls and one woman—from between the 1970s and 1990s.

Former champion swim coach Dick Caine is facing more charges over the alleged sexual abuse of young girls he trained during the 1970s. The 76-year-old was arrested at his Condell Park home in June after a woman accused him of assaulting her as a teenager. https://t.co/OF81oZXOfrpic.twitter.com/ePZM6S6Evu

— 7NEWS Sydney (@7NewsSydney) September 15, 2022

Caine remains on bail, and he was not present at court on Thursday. The court has been adjourned until November 10.

Magistrate Susan McIntyre told the court that Caine would need to be present at his next court date.

Shortly after his initial arrest, Caine’s wife revealed that he was terminally ill and had “maybe six months” to live.

Caine asked for the charges to be dropped because he is unlikely to live until a trial begins.

When he was first charged in June, his lawyer, Bryan Wrench, claimed Caine’s innocence.

“He is going to fight to his dying breath to clear his name, it’s a terrible situation,” Wrench said.

After officers from the Kings Cross Police Area Command received information about multiple sexual assault accusations against a teenage girl in January 2021, detectives established “Strike Force Coco” to investigate the matter.

Police said that investigations under Strike Force Coco are ongoing.

Caine was the head coach at Carss Park Swimming Pool in Sydney for more than 40 years, and only finished his time there in 2018.

In March 2022, Caine was inducted into the Australian Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Hall of Fame Australian Coach Dick Caine Hit With More Sexual Abuse Charges

By James Sutherland on SwimSwam

Three-time Olympic medalist Mark Tewksbury will be a member of the Canadian delegation attending Queen Elizabeth II‘s state funeral on Monday.

Tewksbury, the 1992 Olympic champion in the men’s 100 backstroke and a member of the Order of Canada, said he was “very honored” to be among a list of dignitaries Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday who will be in attendance in London.

Other Order of Canada members apart of the delegation are actress Sandra Oh, performing artist Gregory Charles, and Cross of Valour recipient Leslie Arthur Palmer.

Queen Elizabeth IIdied on September 8 at the age of 96. Her state funeral will be attended by 2,000 guests at Westminster Abbey on September 19.

“It’s such an honor, I was very touched [to be invited],” Tewksbury told CBC.

The 54-year-old told CBC that he and the Queen’s “paths crossed a number of times” over the years, though they only met once when she came through the athletes’ village at the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria, British Columbia.

“I had that famous minute of small talk,” said Tewksbury, who won a total of four Commonwealth titles across the 1986 and 1990 Games.

“I must admit, I thought ‘Oh, what’s the big deal?’ Because I’d seen it from afar, at the Commonwealth Games in ’86, and she was often in the stands and swimming. But she just had that presence. It’s such a cliche, but I suddenly was tongue-tied, butterflies. There was a presence. She obviously wore her duty so incredibly well.”

Tewksbury said he was at a conference in Manchester when he heard word that the Queen had died on September 8. The Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle had given the opening address at the conference four days earlier.

“So, I felt the sadness. And then our event got immediately canceled, because that’s royal protocol. I’m still in a little bit of shock, to be honest,” Tewksbury said.

A two-time Canadian Olympian, Tewksbury won a silver medal at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, swimming the lead-off leg on the Canadian men’s 400 medley relay.

Four years later, at the 1992 Games in Barcelona, the Calgary native won the gold medal in the men’s 100 backstroke, setting a new Olympic Record of 53.98 to edge out reigning world champion Jeff Rouse of the United States.

The gold medal was Canada’s first of the 1992 Games and its first in the pool since 1984.

Tewksbury also won a bronze medal on the Canadian medley relay in Barcelona, and subsequently announced his retirement from the sport.

After being inducted into both the Canadian Olympic and Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, Tewksbury has worked actively in the sports world since his athletic retirement, including a stint as an athlete representative at the IOC.

His most prominent role since retiring from competition came in 2012, when he served as the Chef de Mission for the Canadian Olympic team for the 2012 Summer Games in London.

In addition to his work in the sports world, Tewksbury has also long been an advocate for gay rights, publicly coming out in 1998.

Tewksbury was appointed to the Order of Canada, which “recognizes outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation,” in 2020, for “his athletic excellence and sport leadership, and for championing equity, inclusion and human rights, both on and off the field of play.”

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Canadian Olympic Champion Mark Tewksbury “Honored” To Be Part of Queen’s Funeral

By Riley Overend on SwimSwam

The push for college athletes to be considered as employees got another boost on Thursday. 

According to a new report by Sports Illustrated’s Ross Dellenger, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is expected to investigate whether unpaid college athletes are being discriminated against based on unfair compensation. 

The EEOC was recently referred to an employment and civil rights complaint from March filed by the National College Players Association (NCPA) to the Department of Education. The complaint accuses all 350 NCAA Division I schools of colluding to cap compensation and in the process violating Black students’ civil rights.

The EEOC receives about 100,000 employment complaints per year, and prosecutes only about 500 of those. SI gained access to the letter here, which referred the matter to the EEOC’s San Francisco district office. 

As revenue has grown within the college sports industry over the years — highlighted by a recent $1 billion annual TV deal for the Big Ten and nearly $2 billion annual contract for the College Football Playoff — the NCAA has continued to place limits on scholarship money that schools can provide while outlawing most direct payments. 

The NCPA’s nine-page complaint laid out in detail how much money college athletes are missing out on due to “unjust compensation limits” — $24,000 a year for women’s basketball players, $164,000 a year for men’s basketball players, and $185,000 a year for football players. 

“It’s only a matter of time before college athletes are considered employees. That’s certainly one takeaway from this decision,” said Ramogi Huma, executive director of the NCPA. “But we do believe that each department should be doing their part in terms of enforcing existing laws relative to college athletes rights and college students, including the Department of Education.”

Michael LeRoy, a legal expert on labor policy from Illinois, told SI that the case’s referral appears to be a sign that the complaint is being “taken really seriously” and is a “big deal” for the athletes-as-employees movement.

“It will trigger an aggressive investigation,” LeRoy predicted. “I’d anticipate the EEOC will file a complaint casting this as part of employment discrimination, and schools will fall back on their 116-year-old argument that this is about amateur athletics. It will be one more thorn in the side of NCAA athletic programs.”

The complaint asserts that because a high percentage of Black students are also college athletes, the compensation limit creates a “disparate impact” on Black college students. The letter also references Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employers of 15 or more people from discriminating against its employees and applicants for employment based on race, color, origin, gender identity, sex, or religion. 

“This is another way for the Biden administration to say that they aren’t letting go of the employment-in-college-athletics issue,” LeRoy said. “They’ll investigate it. Given the fact it is a Biden board, they are probably going to request information from schools about the disparity.”

In good news for swimming fans, Huma remarked that the athletes-as-employees movement shouldn’t have to threaten the existence of non-revenue sports. However, financial sacrifices would have to be made in other areas if market caps are lifted. 

“College athletes throughout predominantly white sports receive fair market compensation, but athletes in the only predominantly Black sports (FBS football and men’s and women’s basketball) do not,” Huma told SI. “All college athletes should have the opportunity to receive fair market pay. This can happen without cutting any sports. Colleges would just have to spend a bit less on coaches’ salaries and luxury facilities.”

The EEOC’s impending investigation is one of four ways that college athletes could secure employee status in the coming years. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued a memo last September saying that certain college athletes are employees with the right to unionize, among other protections. The NCPA filed unfair labor practice charges with the NLRB against the NCAA, the Pac-12, and USC and UCLA. The NCPA is seeking employee status for Division I basketball and FBS football players, a goal that could be realized soon with an NLRB hearing expected this fall. 

The other two routes toward employment are through Congress or court, where Johnson v. NCAA is moving through the legal system in Pennsylvania. Either way, the change would subject athletes to federal taxation and risk of termination by their new employer, the school. Schools could lose out on their Section 501(3)c status, which affects taxation on bond financing and charitable gifts. They might also miss out on student fees and public support as a result. 

Read the full story on SwimSwam: EEOC Reportedly Investigating Potential Discrimination of Unpaid College Athletes

By Spencer Penland on SwimSwam

2022 World Champs gold medalist Drew Kibler has moved back to Indianapolis and resumed training with Carmel Swim Club under head coach Chris Plumb. Kibler graduated from the University of Texas this spring and declined to use his fifth year of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kibler confirmed to SwimSwam that he’s back training at Carmel Swim Club. SwimSwam has asked Kibler what led to his decision to go back to Carmel, but has not yet received a response. Plumb, however, did respond to SwimSwam’s request for comment, saying Kibler will be training with him “for the foreseeable future.”

During his time at Texas, Kibler won five NCAA titles, including the 200 free individually at the 2022 NCAAs this March. He also won national titles in the 400 free relay in 2022, and the 800 free relay in 2019, 2021, and 2022. Notably, the 2020 NCAA Championships were canceled due to the pandemic.

Outside of the NCAA, Kibler was on the U.S. Olympic Team for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. He swam on the prelims men’s 4×200 free relay, earning a spot on the finals relay with his swim. He split 1:45.51 on the second leg of the final relay, but the U.S. ultimately finished fourth, just 0.59 out from winning a medal.

He was even better this summer, qualifying for the U.S. World Champs team in the 4×200 free relay, as well as the individual 200 free. In the 200 free, Kibler advanced to finals, where he would swim his lifetime best of 1:45.01 to finish fourth, narrowly missing out on the podium. Kibler then led off the U.S. men’s 4×200 free relay in 1:45.54, setting them up for their gold medal performance. He then swam on prelims of the U.S. 4×100 mixed free relay, helping the Americans qualify with the top seed for finals. Kibler didn’t swim on the finals relay, which finished third, but he still earned a bronze medal for his efforts on the morning relay.

Prior to his arrival at Texas, Kibler was one of the most successful U.S. junior swimmers of his class while training at Carmel Swim Club. He was on the U.S. Junior Pan Pacs teams in 2016 and 2018, winning nine medals between the two meets. Kibler won Jr Pan Pacs gold in five events in 2018, including the boys 100 free, 200 free, 4×100 free relay, 4×100 free relay, and 4×100 medley relay. He also won silver in the 50 free at those championships. In 2016, he won gold on the boys 4×100 free relay, silver in the 4×200 free relay, and bronze in the 200 free.

Kibler also won World Junior Championships silver in the boys 4×200 free relay at the 2017 Championships in his hometown of Indianapolis.

Kibler isn’t the only former Carmel swimmer to return to the club this year. At the beginning of the year, Michigan’s Wyatt Davis left school to return home and train at CSC with Plumb. While back at Carmel this spring and summer, Davis swam lifetime bests in five events, including the LCM 50, 100, and 200 free, as well as the LCM and SCY 100 fly. Davis has since returned to Michigan for the new school year.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: 2022 World Champs Gold Medalist Drew Kibler Back Home Training at Carmel Swim Club

By Sidney Zacharias on SwimSwam

The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) has released the results of its 2021-2022 High School Sports Participation Survey. This is the first participation report since 2018-2019, as data was not compiled the previous two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The NFHS reported 7,618,054 total participants, down 4% from the 2018-2019 survey. The only sport in the boys’ top 10 most popular sports to see an increase was golf, which increased almost 4%. On the girls side, volleyball was the only top 10 sport to see an improvement, registering a 4.6% increase. 

TEN MOST POPULAR BOYS PROGRAMS

TEN MOST POPULAR GIRLS PROGRAMS

“Given what has occurred in our country the past three years, we believe a decline of only four percent in participation totals from 2018-19 is pretty remarkable,” said Dr. Karissa Niehoff, CEO of the NFHS. “We know some states that were able to complete surveys in 2020-21 reported participation increases this past year. So, we are very optimistic that trend will continue in the years to come as schools fully recover from the effects of the 2020 shutdown.”

Overall, swimming and diving participation fell by about 11.87%. Girls recorded a 13% decrease, though it remains the 8th most popular girls sport. Boys also maintained their 10th place position in popularity, but still recorded a decrease of 9.8%. This continues, but amplifies, the trend from 2018-2019, where combined swimming participation fell by 1.52%.

The number of schools offering swimming and diving programs remained relatively stable, and actually increased slightly. The number of boys programs increased by 1.65%, while the number of girls programs increased by 0.9%. 

YEAR-BY-YEAR GROWTH RATES (COMBINED):

YEAR-BY-YEAR GROWTH RATES (BOYS):

YEAR-BY-YEAR GROWTH RATES (GIRLS): 

Swimming and diving was not the only sport to see declines like these–cross country recorded a decline of 13% for girls and 14% for boys. Wrestling also saw a significant change, dropping 6% in participation. Even 11-player football, the most popular high school sport in the country, registered a decline of 3%. 

Track and field remained the most popular sport for girls, however, the trend of volleyball increasing and track decreasing could change that in the next few years. Soccer also moved ahead of basketball for 3rd place, but both declined in participation. 

On the boys side, track and field suffered a loss of almost 6% but was able to maintain their 2nd place position in popularity. Basketball shares a similar trend–they maintained their 3rd place position, but still lost about 3.5% of its participants. 

Overall, it appears the trend is that “traditional” sports, such as the ones in the top 10, are seeing the largest decline. However, “emerging” sports, like beach volleyball and girls flag football, are gaining traction in many parts of the country and continue to see exponential increases in participation. For example, beach volleyball gained over 4,000 participants in the last three years (about a 190% increase). 

Unified Sports saw a dramatic increase in participation, rising from 5,541 participants in 2018-2019 to 55,598 participants this past year. Unified Sports includes teams where there is a combination of participants with and without intellectual disabilities. 

The full data report has not yet been released, but a partial version can be found here.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: NFHS Releases 2021-2022 High School Sports Participation Survey

By James Sutherland on SwimSwam

Dutch Olympian and World Championship medalist Kira Toussaint has announced that she’s committed to continuing her training at the University of Tennessee, her alma mater, through the 2024 Olympic Games while also working as a volunteer assistant with the collegiate program.

Toussaint, who represented the Lady Vols in the NCAA for two seasons from 2015 to 2017, made her return to Knoxville earlier this year in the lead-up to the 2022 championship season.

After exhausting her NCAA eligibility in 2017, Toussaint returned home to the Netherlands to train with Dutch National Team coach Mark Faber.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Kira Toussaint (@kiratoussaint)

The 28-year-old is coming off a solid summer in the pool, though she was unable to match her career-best performances from 2021.

Toussaint won a bronze medal as a member of the Dutch mixed 400 medley relay at the 2022 World Championships, and also made a pair of individual finals, placing sixth in the women’s 100 backstroke and eighth in the 50 back.

Less than two months later at the European Championships, the Amstelveen native won bronze in the women’s 100 back, placed fourth in the 50 back, and added a pair of relay medals, including a gold on the mixed 400 medley.

During her time training under Faber in the Netherlands, Toussaint evolved into one of the best female backstrokers in the world, including breaking the world record in the SCM 50 back during the 2020 International Swimming League (ISL) season.

She was also a finalist at the Tokyo Olympics in the summer of 2021, placing seventh in the women’s 100 back. That was her second Olympic appearance, having represented the Netherlands in 2016, where she finished 18th in the 100 back.

Collegiately, Toussaint swam her first two seasons in the NCAA at Florida Gulf Coast, becoming an All-American and resetting numerous program records.

Following the 2014-15 campaign, she transferred to Tennessee, where she earned eight more All-America honors while winning a trio of SEC titles.

Under coach Matt Kredich, there is a sizable women’s pro group in Knoxville, primarily made up of former Lady Vols, including the likes of Erika Brownand Madeline Banic.

A pro swimmer taking on a volunteer assistant coaching role with the collegiate program is not an uncommon move, as it allows them greater latitude to travel and train with teams that would not necessarily be afforded to them as just a post-graduate trainee. Katie Ledecky, for example, is a volunteer assistant with the Florida Gators.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Kira Toussaint To Train At Tennessee Through Paris, Work As Volunteer Assistant

By Sidney Zacharias on SwimSwam

Fitter and Faster Swim Camps is the proud sponsor of SwimSwam’s College Recruiting Channel and all commitment news. For many, swimming in college is a lifelong dream that is pursued with dedication and determination. Fitter and Faster is proud to honor these athletes and those who supported them on their journey.

Ethan Gluck has announced his verbal commitment to the United States Naval Academy. Gluck is a current high school senior at iUniversity Prep, a virtual school based out of Grapevine, Texas. He currently trains and competes with the nearby City of Richardson Swim Team. 

“I am humbled to have the opportunity to represent the US Naval Academy.  It is an honor and a privilege to join the brotherhood and serve my country.  GO NAVY!”

Gluck is a very versatile swimmer, but has seen the most success in distance free, the 200 fly, and 400 IM. Gluck owns US Open cuts in both the 200m fly and 1650. 

Top SCY Times: 

• 500 free – 4:34.83
• 1000 free – 9:23.90
• 1650 free – 15:23.79
• 200 fly – 1:48.62
• 400 IM – 3:57.11

Top LCM Times:

• 400 free – 4:07.31
• 800 free – 8:30.82
• 1500 free – 16:09.47
• 200 fly – 2:01.04
• 400 IM – 4:32.10

Gluck’s commitment comes after a successful summer, where he set huge lifetime bests across the board. At the NCSA Summer Champs, Gluck won the 200 fly in 2:01.04, which was a best time by almost 5 seconds. Gluck also recorded a top 8 finish in the 400 IM at NCSAs, claiming 7th with a best time of 4:31.10. Gluck began the 2022 LCM season with a best of 2:11.99 in the 200 fly and 4:40.46 in the 400 IM, meaning that he has improved by almost ten seconds in both events this summer.

Gluck also competed at the NCSA Spring Championships, where he set lifetime bests in the 500, 1000, 1650, 200 fly, and 400 IM. Similar to his LCM season, he also saw an enormous improvement across last year’s SCY season–he dropped almost 32 seconds in the 1650, almost 12 seconds in the 200 fly, and over 6 seconds in the 400 IM. 

At last year’s Patriot League Championships, the Navy men won the program’s 18th conference title. They out scored second place Army by 133.5 points. Gluck’s best time in the 400 IM would have put him comfortably in the B-final at last year’s meet. His best 1650 time would have earned 5th at last year’s meet, and would have made him Navy’s second-fastest performer in the event last year behind Garrett McGovern. His 200 fly would have been right on the edge of the A-final last year, an event where Navy went 1-2 withEthan Tack (1:44.70) and Patrick Colwell(1:45. 65). McGovern and Colwell should still be on campus when Gluck arrives in Annapolis.  

Joining Gluck in Navy’s class of 2027 are fellow recruits Kris Lawson, Matt Beehler, Simon Thompson, Luca Oliva, Kellan Pattison, Ben Irwin, and Coleman Yates.

If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to Recruits@swimswam.com.

About the Fitter and Faster Swim Tour 

Fitter & Faster Swim Camps feature the most innovative teaching platforms for competitive swimmers of all levels. Camps are produced year-round throughout the USA and Canada. All camps are led by elite swimmers and coaches. Visit fitterandfaster.com to find or request a swim camp near you.

FFT SOCIAL

Instagram – @fitterandfasterswimtour
Facebook – @fitterandfastertour
Twitter – @fitterandfaster

^{FFT is a SwimSwam partner.}

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Navy Receives Verbal From US Open Qualifier Ethan Gluck