By Anya Pelshaw on SwimSwam

Landon D’Ariano has announced he will transfer to NC State for the upcoming 2025-2026 season. D’Ariano just finished his freshman season at Texas.

D’Ariano was one of eight men from Texas to enter the portal on the day that it opened. He did not swim at SECs for the team despite being an ‘Honorable Mention’ ranked recruit coming out of high school. D’Ariano is the second freshman to transfer out of Texas as Jeremy Kelly announced he will join Notre Dame this fall.

Although he did not swim at SECs, his best times would have scored at the meet. He swam a lifetime best of a 3:42.20 at the Texas vs Texas A&M dual meet at the end of January. That would have made the ‘B’ final at SECs. His best time of a 1:44.76 from midseason in the 200 fly would have been just off of making the SEC ‘C’ final.

D’Ariano’s Best SCY Times:

• 200 IM: 1:45.87 (Midseason)
• 400 IM: 3:42.20 (Dual meet vs Texas A&M)
• 200 fly: 1:44.76 (Midseason)

The NC State men finished 3rd at ACCs and went on to finish 9th at 2025 NCAAs. Quintin McCarty led the team with 15 individual points at NCAAs.

Based on his best times, D’Ariano is a boost in the IM group. His 400 IM would have been #2 on the roster this season only behind Kyle Ponsler who won the NCAA ‘B’ final in a 3:37.42. D’Ariano’s 200 IM and 200 fly times would have been #4 on the roster. D’Ariano was also not far off what it took to earn an invite to 2025 NCAAs as it took a 3:41.61 this season in the 400 IM. This was much faster than last seasons’s 3:42.93 cutline.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Texas Freshman Landon D’Ariano Announces Transfer To NC State

By SwimSwam on SwimSwam

When it comes to improving your swim game, there are few pieces of equipment as essential—or as overlooked—as swim paddles. Whether you’re training for a major competition or just looking to refine your technique, the right paddles can be a game-changer. But with so many options out there, how do you know which paddles are right for you?

First things first: not all paddles are created equal. Some are built to increase resistance and build muscle strength, while others focus on helping you fine-tune your technique. From sleek, hydrodynamic designs that reduce drag to oversized, power-building paddles that give your arms a serious workout, the variety can be overwhelming.

But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. This guide will break down everything you need to know to choose the perfect set of paddles—whether you’re a seasoned pro or a budding swim star just starting to explore the benefits of strength training in the pool.

Let’s dive in.

1. Speedo Power Paddle Plus

Price: Approx. $21

Overview: The Speedo Power Paddle Plus is a great choice for swimmers looking to improve their strength and technique in the water. These paddles are designed to provide added resistance, helping swimmers develop stronger strokes. With a focus on comfort and performance, they are versatile enough for both beginners and advanced swimmers.

What Makes It Great:

• Increased Resistance: The Power Paddle Plus is designed to create more resistance, making it perfect for building strength in the shoulders and arms.
• Ergonomic Design: The paddles are shaped to mimic the natural motion of the stroke, reducing strain and ensuring a comfortable fit.
• Durable Material: Constructed from durable plastic, these paddles are built to withstand regular use without cracking or breaking.

Ideal For: Swimmers who want to improve arm strength and technique through resistance training. Ideal for both training and fitness purposes.

2. Speedo Nemesis Contour Paddles

Price: Approx. $22

Overview: The Speedo Nemesis Contour Paddles are designed to help swimmers improve their stroke mechanics while providing comfort and support. The contoured shape allows for natural water flow, ensuring a more effective training session.

What Makes It Great:

• Ergonomic Contour: The paddle’s curved design helps to improve stroke technique, especially for freestyle and butterfly.
• Comfort Fit: With adjustable straps, these paddles offer a secure and comfortable fit, reducing hand fatigue during longer training sessions.
• Enhanced Stroke Power: The design is aimed at maximizing resistance, thus improving upper body strength.

Ideal For: Swimmers seeking a paddle that helps refine stroke technique while building strength and power.

3. Speedo Tech Paddle

Price: Approx. $25

Overview: The Speedo Tech Paddle is a smaller, more compact paddle that focuses on improving technique and increasing stroke efficiency. It is a great choice for swimmers who want to work on their hand entry and recovery without overloading their muscles.

What Makes It Great:

• Small, Compact Design: These paddles offer less resistance compared to larger paddles, making them perfect for technique-focused swimmers.
• Finger Holes for Better Control: The paddle features small finger holes to provide a more secure grip and help with hand positioning in the water.
• Lightweight Construction: The lightweight design ensures minimal strain on the arms while still providing an effective training tool.

Ideal For: Swimmers looking to refine their technique and improve hand positioning without excessive resistance.

4. Speedo I.M. Tech Paddle

Price: Approx. $21

Overview: The Speedo I.M. Tech Paddle is designed specifically for Individual Medley (I.M.) swimmers. It’s a versatile paddle with an ergonomic design that targets all four strokes (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly).

What Makes It Great:

• Multi-Stroke Focus: This paddle is designed to be used for all four strokes, making it perfect for I.M. swimmers.
• Ergonomic Shape: The paddle’s shape allows for better water flow and less drag, making it effective for technique enhancement.
• Comfortable Fit: Adjustable straps ensure a snug fit, enhancing comfort during longer practice sessions.

Ideal For: Swimmers who focus on I.M. and want a versatile paddle to enhance technique and strength for all strokes.

5. Sporti Power Swim Paddles

Price: Approx. $12

Overview: The Sporti Power Swim Paddles are great for swimmers looking to increase upper body strength. Their larger surface area creates significant resistance, helping to build muscle endurance while improving stroke technique.

What Makes It Great:

• Large Paddle Surface: Provides significant resistance, helping swimmers to build arm strength and power.
• Durable Construction: Made of sturdy plastic that holds up well to frequent use in training sessions.
• Adjustable Straps: Easy to adjust, ensuring a secure fit for different hand sizes.

Ideal For: Swimmers who want to increase resistance during training and build upper body strength.

6. Sporti Swim Paddles

Price: Approx. $7.80

Overview: The Sporti Swim Paddles are a budget-friendly option for swimmers seeking to improve stroke mechanics and strength. These paddles are ideal for swimmers of all skill levels, offering a good balance between comfort and performance.

What Makes It Great:

• Affordable Option: Great for swimmers on a budget who still want effective training tools.
• Comfortable Fit: Designed with adjustable straps for a secure fit.
• Light Resistance: Ideal for swimmers focusing on technique and stroke refinement rather than muscle building.

Ideal For: Swimmers seeking an affordable paddle for technique training.

7. FINIS Agility Paddle Floating

Price: Approx. $25

Overview: The FINIS Agility Paddle Floating is a unique design that helps swimmers focus on proper hand entry and technique. The floating design makes it easy to use for beginners and advanced swimmers alike.

What Makes It Great:

• Floating Design: The paddles float in the water, helping swimmers maintain proper hand positioning and technique.
• Hand Positioning: Encourages swimmers to maintain the proper hand shape and position during the stroke.
• No Straps: The lack of straps provides a more natural feel and encourages swimmers to actively grip the water.

Ideal For: Swimmers looking to refine hand positioning and improve technique.

8. FINIS Manta Swim Paddles

Price: Approx. $25

Overview: The FINIS Manta Swim Paddles feature a unique design that helps swimmers develop proper technique by allowing them to focus on their hand entry and stroke recovery.

What Makes It Great:

• Innovative Design: The paddles are shaped like manta rays, allowing for a more natural feel in the water.
• Focus on Technique: Designed to improve stroke efficiency and hand placement without overloading the swimmer with excessive resistance.
• Comfortable Fit: With no straps, the paddles naturally fit into the swimmer’s hand, promoting a more natural stroke.

Ideal For: Swimmers focused on improving stroke efficiency and hand technique, especially for freestyle and butterfly.

9. FINIS Iso Hand Paddles Strapless Isolation Paddles

Price: Approx. $26

Overview: The FINIS Iso Hand Paddles are strapless paddles designed to help swimmers isolate their hand and arm movements during their strokes. These paddles help improve stroke technique by emphasizing the proper hand entry and grip.

What Makes It Great:

• Strapless Design: Encourages swimmers to focus on hand placement and technique.
• Targeted Resistance: The design allows swimmers to feel the water better and isolate arm movements, improving efficiency.
• Comfortable Fit: The ergonomic design ensures that the paddles stay securely in place while promoting better technique.

Ideal For: Swimmers seeking to isolate hand movements and refine their technique without relying on excessive resistance.

10. Arena Elite Hand Paddle 2

Price: Approx. $24

Overview: The Arena Elite Hand Paddle 2 is a high-quality paddle designed to enhance stroke mechanics while building strength. Its versatile design makes it suitable for various strokes, helping swimmers improve their overall performance.

What Makes It Great:

• Ergonomic Shape: The Elite Paddle’s shape improves stroke mechanics and provides effective resistance.
• Durable Material: Made from long-lasting materials, the paddles can withstand heavy use.
• Adjustable Straps: Ensures a secure fit for various hand sizes.

Ideal For: Competitive swimmers looking to improve their technique and strength for various strokes.

11. Arena Vortex Evolution Hand Paddle

Price: Approx. $25

Overview: The Arena Vortex Evolution Hand Paddle is a high-performance paddle designed to increase resistance and power output during training. Its advanced design helps swimmers focus on technique while also building strength.

What Makes It Great:

• Advanced Design: The Vortex Evolution features a unique shape that maximizes resistance while maintaining a comfortable fit.
• Improved Stroke Mechanics: Helps swimmers improve their stroke efficiency and hand entry.
• Durable and Long-Lasting: Made from premium materials that withstand rigorous use.

Ideal For: Swimmers who want to enhance strength while improving stroke mechanics.

12. Mizuno Technical Swim Paddles

Price: Approx. $30

Overview: The Mizuno Technical Swim Paddles are designed to improve stroke power and technique. The ergonomic shape ensures that swimmers can build muscle strength while refining their stroke.

What Makes It Great:

• Ergonomic Shape: Supports proper stroke mechanics and minimizes drag.
• Durable Construction: The paddles are made from high-quality, durable plastic, perfect for frequent use.
• Adjustable Straps: The straps provide a customizable fit, ensuring comfort during long training sessions.

Ideal For: Swimmers looking to build strength and refine their stroke technique.

ORDER YOUR SWIM PADDLES HERE!

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Read the full story on SwimSwam: The Ultimate Guide to Buying Swim Paddles: What You Need to Know

By Sean Griffin on SwimSwam

2025 SPEEDO CANADIAN SWIMMING OPEN

• April 10-12, 2024
• Edmonton, AB, Canada
• Edmonton Kinsmen Sports Centre
• LCM (50m)
• Prelims 11:30am (ET) / Finals 7pm (ET)
• Event Page
• Meet Packet
• Psych Sheets

The 2025 Canadian Open will begin tomorrow, April 10th, and run through April 12th. The three-day competition will serve as a tune-up meet, with the Canadian World Championship Trials just two months away.

Prelims will begin each day at 11:30am (ET) and are expected to last 2-3 hours, depending on the session. All finals sessions will start at 7pm (ET) each day.

A large contingent of Canada’s biggest names will be in attendance at the meet, including Mary-Sophie Harvey, Ingrid Wilm, Finlay Knox, Taylor Ruck, Lorne Wiggington, Ella Jansen, Sophie Angus, and Alexanne Lepage. You can read more in our meet preview.

CBC Sports and CBC Gem will be live-streaming the entire meet, both prelims and finals. You can find the direct stream links below.

Live Stream Links (Geo-blocked to Canada):

• Day 1 Prelims
• Day 1 Finals
• Day 2 Prelims
• Day 2 Finals
• Day 3 Prelims
• Day 3 Finals

Event Schedule:

• Thursday, April 10
  • 400 IM
  • 100 Backstroke
  • 50 Breaststroke
  • 200 Freestyle
  • 200 Butterfly
  • 1500 Freestyle
• Friday, April 11
  • 50 Backstroke
  • 100 Freestyle
  • 200 Breaststroke
  • 50 Butterfly
  • 800 Freestyle
• Saturday, April 12
  • 100 Butterfly
  • 200 Backstroke
  • 200 IM
  • 100 Breaststroke
  • 400 Freestyle
  • 50 Freestyle

Read the full story on SwimSwam: How (And When) To Watch The 2025 Canadian Swimming Open

By Retta Race on SwimSwam

2025 HUNGARIAN NATIONAL SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Wednesday, April 9th – Saturday, April 12th
• Prelims at 9am local (3am ET)/Finals at 5pm local (11am ET)
• Csik Ferenc Swimming Pool, Kaposvar, Hungary
• LCM (50m)
• Meet Central
• SwimSwam Preview
• Entries/Live Results
• Livestream (Prelims Only)

The 2025 Hungarian National Swimming Championships kicked off today from Kaposvar and 22-year-old Hubert Kos wasted no time making his presence known.

Racing in the prelims of the men’s 50m backstroke, University of Texas star Kos fired off a new national record of 24.63 to easily take the top seed.

Kos’ time overtook the longstanding Hungarian benchmark of 24.76 Richard Bohus put on the books at the 2018 Gyor Open.

Kos, the reigning Olympic champion in the 200m back, was the sole swimmer of this morning’s field to dip under the 25-second barrier. Adam Jaszo was the next-closest swimmer in 25.40 and Benedek Kovacs captured the 3rd seed in 25.43.

Entering this competition, Kos’ lifetime best in the 50m back sat at the 24.85 he notched for 5th place at last year’s European Championships so he sliced .22 off that previous outing to become the fastest Hungarian ever.

As swift as Kos was, he’ll need to drop significant time to check in among the top 20 performers in history; he’s now #43 on the all-time list. In the meantime, he ranks 4th in the world this season.

NCAA champion Kos is slated to race the additional events of 100m back, 50m/100m fly and 200m IM at this competition, the latter of which he snagged the top seed in a time of 2:03.45 ahead of his 50m back record.

Additional Notes

• Olympic gold medalist Kristof Milak and Jaszo both clocked a time of 49.74 to share the top seed in the men’s 100m freestyle.
• The women’s 100m free saw Nikolett Padar punch a result of 55.20 to land lane 4. Panna Ugrai was also sub-56 with a morning swim of 55.71.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Olympic Champion Hubert Kos Knocks Down Hungarian Record In 50 Back

By Keith Dunlap on SwimSwam

2025 Eastern Zone SC Age Group Championships

• April 2-5
• Webster, NY
• SCY (25 yards)
• Results

One of the top 13-year-old swimmers in the country added to his highly-ranked national times at the Eastern Zone Short Course Age Group Championships.

Ethan Han of New Jersey-based Whitewaters Swimming set personal bests to win six events in the boys’ 13-14 age group, and he now owns the fastest times among 13-year-old boys this season in both the 100 freestyle and 100 breaststroke.

Han won the 100 freestyle in 46.41 and the 100 breast in 56.24. He also won the 200 free (1:42.13), 500 free (4:38.95), 100 back (51.30) and 200 back (1:51.45), all personal best times.

From a team perspective, Life Time Metro (NJ) won both the combined and girls’ team titles, while the Stamford Sailfish Aquatic Club won the boys’ title.

Other individual standouts were:

• In the girls’ 13-14 age group, Joelle Van Duzer of Greater Holyoke YMCA won the 1650 free (17:32.02) and 200 fly (2:05.05) in personal best times, and also topped the 500 free (5:06.07). Van Duzer added a second-place finish in the 100 fly (personal best 57.41).
• Zsofia Milak of Ridgefield Aquatic Club swam well in the girls’ 13-14 age group, winning the 200 free (1:52.47), 100 fly (55.81) and 200 IM (2:07.81) all in personal best times. Among 13-year-old girls this season, she has the sixth-fastest time in the 100 fly and the 14th-fastest in the 200 free.
• In the boys’ 13-14 age group, Cullen Cashman of South Shore Mill Pond YMCA won the 200 breast (2:04.22) and 200 IM (1:53.45) in personal best times. He also was second in the 100 breast (personal best 57.29) and 100 fly (51.71, but swam a personal best 51.50 in preliminaries). Among 14-year-old boys this season, Cashman owns the 11th-fastest time in the 200 breast and the 12th-fastest in the 100 breast.
• In the girls’ 11-12 age group, Sadie Wiedersum of Three Village Swim Club set personal best times to win the 50 free (24.86), 100 free (53.98) and 50 breast (31.22) and to finish second in the 100 breast (1:09.60).
• Abby Fang of Whitewaters Swimming in the girls’ 11-12 age group won the 50 fly (26.90), 100 fly (1:00.16) and 200 IM (2:13.87) in personal best times, while also swimming a personal best time in the 100 IM (1:02.41) to finish second. Among 11-year-old girls this season, she has the fifth-fastest time in the 200 IM, the sixth-fastest in the 100 fly and the eighth-fastest time in the 100 IM.
• In the boys’ 11-12 age group, Brody Michaels of Stamford Sailfish Aquatic Club won the 200 back (2:03.18), 100 fly (56.66) and 100 IM (58.72) in personal best times, and also won the 500 free (5:07.58). In addition, Michaels was second in the 50 back (26.99) and 100 back (57.97). Among 12-year-old boys this season, he has the 11th-fastest time in the 200 back.
• Miles Pearson of Westport/Weston Family Y Swim YMCA in the boys 11-12 age group won the 50 breast (29.67) and 200 breast (2:16.85) in personal best times. He also swam personal best times to finish second in the 200 free (1:55.10), 100 breast (1:04.33) and 200 IM (2:08.86). Pearson owns the 12th-fastest time in the 200 breast and the 15th-fastest time in the 100 breast among 12-year-old boys.
• In the girls’ 10-and-under group, Julianne Roldan of the Clifton Seahawks won six events, taking the 50 back (personal best 30.11), 100 back (personal best 1:06.70), 100 breast (personal best 1:15.24), 100 fly (personal best 1:03.87), 100 IM (1:06.52) and 200 IM (2:24.82).
• Scott Thieman of Parkland Aquatic Club won three events in the boys 10-under age group, taking first in the 500 free (5:25.82), 100 back (1:03.76) and 100 fly (1:03.59), all in personal best times. He also swam personal best times to finish second in the 200 free (2:04.38) and 100 free (58.64).

Combined Team Standings — Top 5

1. Life Time Metro (NJ), 1490.5
2. Stamford Sailfish Aquatic Club, 1034.5
3. Nation’s Capital Swim Club, 777.5
4. SwimRVA, 610
5. Phoenix Aquatic Club, 606

Girls’ Team Standings — Top 5

1. Life Time Metro (NJ), 923
2. Phoenix Aquatic Club, 445
3. Ridgefield Aquatic Club, 390
4. Greater Holyoke YMCA, 346.5
5. Lakeland Hills YMCA, 313

Boys’ Team Standings — Top 5

1. Stamford Sailfish Aquatic Club, 966
2. Life Time Metro (NJ), 567.5
3. Nation’s Capital Swim Club, 518.5
4. SwimRVA, 351.5
5. Somerset County YMCA, 343

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Ethan Han Adds To Top Times At Eastern Zone SC Age Group Championships

By Coleman Hodges on SwimSwam

Olympic champion in the 200 back Hubi Kos carried his success over into the yards pool last month, going 3-for-3 in his individual events at the NCAA Championships and breaking NCAA records in the 100 and 200 back. Kos explains the confidence that being an Olympic champion has given him and how Bob Bowman’s training prepares him for moments like this.

• 0:00 Hubi Kos Introduction
• 1:35 Being a Celebrity in Hungary
• 5:25 Watching Laszlo Cseh
• 10:45 200 Back NCAA Record
• 14:15 Olympic Champion Boost
• 17:15 SCM 200 Back World Record
• 21:50 1:33 200y Back???
• 24:00 Losing First Race of Season
• 27:15 Developing Short Course Butterfly
• 29:35 Bob Bowman is Nicer at Texas
• 33:42 Competing for Texas Next Year
• 35:16 Hungarian Nationals

In the SwimSwam Podcast dive deeper into the sport you love with insider conversations about swimming. Hosted by Coleman Hodges 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.

• Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify
• Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean
• Click here to listen and subscribe on Google
• Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube
• Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes
• Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher
• Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio
• Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon
• Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora

Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Hubi Kos Talks NCAA Records, Hungarian Nationals, and the “Olympic Champion Boost”

By Keith Dunlap on SwimSwam

2025 Indiana Age Group Championships

• March 21-13
• Indianapolis, IN
• SCY (25 yards)
• Results

Grace Gannon and Kate Allen are on top of national rankings this season following fast swims at the Indiana Age Group Championships.

Gannon won the 100 fly (56.99) and 200 IM (2:05.76), which were not only personal bests, but now rank as the nation’s fastest times in those events this season among 12-year-old girls.

Gannon also won the 50 back (27.51), 100 back (58.60) and 50 fly (25.87) in personal best times. Swimming for the Fishers Area Swimming Tigers, Gannon also owns the sixth-fastest time this season in the 100 back.

Allen, from Carmel Swim Club, swam a personal best time of 51.85 to win the 100 free, which is now this season’s fastest time in the event among 12-year-old girls.

Allen also swam personal bests to win the 50 free (23.93), 200 free (1:53.94) and 500 free (5:07.39), while also swimming personal best times to finish second in both the 50 fly (26.20) and 200 IM (2:07.59).

Among 12-year-old girls this season, Allen also has the second-fastest times in both the 50 and 200 free, the third-fastest time in the 200 IM and the fifth-fastest in the 500 free.

Allen was a big reason why Carmel Swim Club won the combined and girls’ team titles. Carmel also won the boys’ team title.

Other individual standouts were:

• Josh Pendleton of Club Olympia Swim Team in the boys’ 13-14 age group won the 1000 free (9:44.08) and 1650 free (16:13.13) in personal best times, and he also won the 500 free (4:37.02). Pendleton has the 14th-fastest time in the 500 free this season among 14-year-old boys.
• Also in the boys’ 13-14 age group, Matthew Cuadros of Center Grove Aquatic Club won the 100 breast (56.30), 200 breast (2:02.28) and 200 IM (1:57.28) all in personal best times. Cuadros owns the fourth-fastest time in the 100 breast and the fifth-fastest time in the 200 breast this season among 14-year-old boys.
• Kendall Dieckman of the Fishers Area Swimming Tigers had a strong showing in the girls’ 13-14 age group, winning the 100 free (personal best 50.92), 200 breast (personal best 2:17.68), 200 IM (2:03.84) and 400 IM (personal best 4:26.48), while taking second in the 100 breast (personal best 1:03.82).
• In the 13-14 girls’ age group, Haley Morris of Carmel Swim Club swam personal bests to win the 1000 free (10:19.44) and 1650 free (17:08.92).
• Zara Paton of the Fishers Area Swimming Tigers won the 100 back (57.21) and 200 back (2:05.07) in personal best times in the 13-14 age group.
• Cooper McQuiston of Oak Hill Swim Club swam personal bests to win the 100 free (46.27) and 200 free (1:42.06) in the boys 13-14 age group. McQuiston owns the sixth-fastest time this season in the 100 free among 14-year-old boys.
• In the boys 11-12 age group, Austin Young of the Fort Wayne Swim Team won the 100 free (personal best 51.38), 50 back (personal best 26.67), 100 back (57.85, but also swam a personal best 52.52 in prelims) and 50 breast (personal best 30.31). He also finished second in the 200 IM (2:11.02, but swam a personal best 2:10.93 in prelims) and 50 free (personal best 23.53).
• Dylan Zhao of Carmel Swim Club in the 11-12 age group won the 100 breast (personal best 1:05.83) and 200 IM (personal best 2:08.47), while taking second in the 50 breast (30.53) and 100 back (58.62) in personal best times.
• Ontario Johnson of Munster Swim Club in the 11-12 age group won the 50 free (23.39) and 100 fly (57.02) in personal best times. Johnson has the 13th-fastest time this season among 12-year-olds in the 50 free.
• In the girls’ 10-and-under age group, Sophia Liu, 10, of the Fishers Area Swimming Tigers swam personal best times to win the 100 free (1:00.68), 50 breast (34.82), 100 breast (1:17.65), 50 fly (28.91) and 200 IM (2:29.27).
• Gabriel Brown, 9, of the Fishers Area Swimming Tigers won five events in the boys’ 10-and-under age group. He finished first in the 100 free (58.60), 200 free (2:03.25), 50 back (30.20), 100 back (1:04.41) and 200 IM (2:20.51) all in personal best times, while also winning the 50 breast (36.65) and finishing second in the 100 breast (personal best time of 1:17.27.

Combined Team Results — Top 5

1. Carmel Swim Club, 2794.5
2. Fishers Area Swimming Tigers, 2253.5
3. Fort Wayne Swim Team, 1084
4. Zionsville Swim Club, 729.5
5. Valparaiso Swim Cub, 711

Girls’ Team Results — Top 5

1. Carmel Swim Club, 689.2
2. Fishers Area Swimming Tigers, 1306.5
3. Fort Wayne Swim Team, 568
4. Southeastern Swim Club, 490
5. Duneland Swim Club, 388.5

Boys’ Team Results — Top 5

1. Carmel Swim Club, 1314
2. Fishers Area Swimming Tigers, 947
3. Fort Wayne Swim Team, 516
4. Zionsvillle Swim Club, 498.5
5. Valparaiso Swim Club, 395

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Grace Gannon, Kate Allen Swim To Top Times At Indiana Age Group Championships

By SwimSwam on SwimSwam

Courtesy: Swimming Australia

HE almost took down one of the biggest names in Australian swimming this time last year and Sommerville’s Josh Conias is odds on to dominate again at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre this Easter.

Conias missed out by just 0.02 on claiming Kyle Chalmers’ national age record in the 16 years 50m freestyle with a time of 22.35 and is one of the athletes to watch at this week’s Australian Age Championships at Brisbane Aquatic Centre this Easter school holidays.

The 17-year-old is apprentice to The Professor Cam McEvoy, with both training under Tim Lane, and Conias will join aspiring LA 2028 and Brisbane 2032 Olympians and Paralympians from April 10-18.

Almost 2500 athletes, including more than 50 international visitors, will contest the championships which have traditionally been the breeding ground of the likes of Olympic gold medallists and world championsAriarne Titmus, Kaylee McKeown andElijah Winnington.

At the conclusion of this meet, a Junior Dolphins team will be selected for the 2025 World Junior Championships in Romania.

Junior Dolphins Sienna Toohey (15),Hayley Mackinder (17) and emerging stars like Henry Allan (16) – who set two Australian age records at the NSW Open Championships in March – are other names to look out for alongside Paralympian Callum Simpson (17) and Australia’s youngest swimmer to compete at La Defense Arena, Holly Warn (16).

For Simpson and Warn, they are returning to the pool where they first punched their tickets to the Paris Paralympic Games.

“As the biggest event on Swimming Australia’s calendar, the Australian Age Championships are the greatest opportunity to see the nation’s next generation perform,” said Swimming Australia’s National Youth Coach Simon Cusack.

“From Macey Sheridan (15) who recently made history as the youngest winner of the Northern Territory’s Sportsperson of the Year to Josh (Conias) who trains alongside Olympic great Cam McEvoy here in Brisbane, there is immense talent brewing in the Australian age swimming pool.

“Plus, with the likes of budding breaststroke star Lily Koch (16) and middle-distance teen swimmer Lincoln Wearing (16), who brokeGrant Hackett’s 1996 1500m Queensland state record, competing – the depth of talent we have climbing through the ranks is exciting.”

Swimming is one of the few sports to feature both para and able-bodied athletes at the same national championships and this year marks a record amount of athlete entries.

General Manager of Paralympic Program Anna Johnson said: “We are so proud to be one of the few national sport organisations that deliver national competitions where our para and able-bodied swimmers compete side by side.”

“The power of para sport is that it provides the unique opportunity to unite communities, inspire the next generation and raise awareness that helps break down barriers to inclusion.

“By creating accessible events, like the Australian Age and Open Championships, that welcome diversity and showcase excellence, we hope to inspire Australia through swimming.”

The Australian Age and Open Championships are proudly supported by the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland and Brisbane City Council through Brisbane Economic Development Agency.

The 2025 Australian Age Championships will be available to watch live and free on 9Now. Heats start from 9am AEST; finals start from 6pm AEST.

Event tickets are available from Ticketek.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: “The Apprentice” and Next Gen Dolphins To Contest Australian Age Championships This Week

By Keith Dunlap on SwimSwam

2025 SC Western Zone Senior Championships

• April 2-5
• Saint George, UT
• SCY (25 yards)
• Results 

Both Jake McCoy and Gabe Jones are about to embark on college swimming careers, but they showed at the 2025 SC Western Zone Senior Championships that they still want to finish out their club seasons strong.

Signed with Tennessee and swimming for Cougar Aquatics, McCoy won five events, most notably producing personal best times to capture the 100 breaststroke (55.04) and 200 (1:58.63). McCoy eclipsed his previous best in the 100 breast by 48 one-hundredths. He also won the 200 backstroke (1:44.82), 200 individual medley (1:47.01) and 400 IM (3:48.45).

Jones, who is headed to the University of Denver and swims for Olympus Aquatics, won the 100 back (48.80) and 200 butterfly (1:47.12) in personal best times to go along with a victory in the 100 fly (48.49).

His time in the 100 back was 97 one-hundredths better than his previous best, while his time in the 200 fly was 69 one-hundredths better than his old personal best. Those times would have been good for second place in both events at this year’s Summit League meet, which Denver won. He also finished 2nd in the 200 IM (1:49.33) and 400 IM (4:31.78).

In the team competition, Olympus Aquatics swept the combined, girls’ and boys’ titles.

Besides McCoy and Jones, other individual standouts were:

• Rainie Moran, a member of the class of 2027 who swims for Olympus Aquatics, was the high point getter in the girls’ competition. She swam personal bests to win the 200 fly (2:03.32), the 200 IM (2:03.43) and finish second in the 100 breast (1:05.52). She also won the 500 free (5:04.58) and took second in the 200 fly (2:03.32).
• Fran Hunt (class of 2026) of Olympus Aquatics won the 100 breast (1:04.13) and 200 breast (personal best 2:18.02), and was second in the 100 fly (56.44).
• Summer Thresher, a BYU commit and class of 2026 swimmer, won the 100 back in a personal best time of 54.07 and the 200 breast in a time of 2:00.36. She also was third in the 100 fly in a personal best time (56.50) and swam a personal best time in the 100 free (52.08) during preliminaries.
• Chesney Bonner, a class of 2026 swimmer for Southern Utah Swimming Association, won the 200 free (1:51.77) and 1650 free (17:17.01) in personal best times during the girls’ competition. She also swam personal bests to finish second in the 200 IM (2:06.92) and third in the 400 IM (4:31.78).
• In the boys’ competition, Sebastian Wrona of Olympus Aquatics won the 50 free (20.63) and 100 free (45.30). He also took second in the 100 back (48.83), 100 fly (49.26) and 200 fly (1:49.39).

Combined Team Standings — Top 5

1. Olympus Aquatics, 2173
2. Boulder City Henderson Heatwave, 1496.5
3. Front Range Barracudas, 718
4. Utah Valley Aquatics, 619
5. Avon Swim Club, 608

Girls’ Team Standings — Top 5

1. Olympus Aquatics, 823.5
2. Boulder City Henderson Heatwave, 789
3. Front Range Barracudas, 718
4. Southern Utah Swimming Association, 422
5. Aspire Aquatics of Colorado, 343.5

Boys’ Team Standings — Top 5

1. Olympus Aquatics, 1109.5
2. Boulder City Henderson Heatwave, 531.5
3. Avon Swim Club, 315
4. Bozeman Barracudas Swim Club, 294
5. Park City Swimming, 254

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Tennessee Signee McCoy, Denver Bound Jones Shine At Western Zone Senior Championships

By Sophie Kaufman on SwimSwam

Thank you to Andrew Mering and his NCAA box scores for contributing to this report. 

The 2025 Men’s NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving Championships featured one of the most anticipated team races in years—certainly in the post-COVID era of collegiate swimming. Despite myriad records and exciting races in Federal Way, fans were treated to the opposite of the expected back-and-forth team battle between the Texas Longhorns, California Golden Bears, and Indiana Hoosiers.

Instead, the Longhorns took the lead after the opening two relays and did not surrender it. The meet took on a familiar shape once Indiana fell out of the race for first and the SwimSwam comments filled with the age-old question: will Cal have a big enough final day to catch Texas? This year, they did not. The Longhorns—though they had left the door open for things to break in Cal’s favor during the last session—were able to maintain control of the ship and win the team’s first title in the Bob Bowman era.

But, the lack of excitement from a team standings perspective prompted a different question for us here at SwimSwam. How many times does the lead actually change hands at the NCAA DI Championships?

We looked back at the men’s and women’s DI Championships from 2018-2025 to see what the recent championships could tell us. 2018 was our cut-off because it’s the earliest year we have data that tells us what the score was after each event at both the men’s and women’s championships.

Lead Changes at the NCAA Championships, 2018-2025

With some exceptions, the men’s team races in this period have been a race between California and Texas, which has resulted in many close contests. However, the last seven years in women’s NCAA swimming has been defined by dominance, first Stanford’s, then Virginia’s. So, it’s no surprise the number of average lead changes at the men’s meet is much higher than at the women’s meet. The average number of lead changes at the men’s championships is 3.42, while it’s only 1.42 for the women.

Sometimes, the lead change is a superficial one. For example, at the 2023 Women’s NCAA Championships, Texas passed Virginia after a monster 500 freestyle performance but the Cavaliers took back the lead in the 200 IM, the next event. The one lead change at the 2019 and 2024 Men’s NCAA Championship came after the second and third events, respectively.

Additionally, there have been three women’s NCAA Championships in our data set that saw one team lead for the entire meet: 2018 Stanford, 2021 Virginia, and 2022 Virginia. Meanwhile, the 2025 Texas team is the only one in the last seven men’s meets to hold the lead from the first event to the last.

Of course, there are a couple factors to keep in mind with this data. The NCAA Championship schedule evolved significantly during this period. The NCAA ditched prelims relays in favor of timed finals after the pandemic. Day 1 of the competition also changed. When the “relay only” session was put into action it was first just the 800 freestyle relay before the 200 medley relay was added. This year, the 100 butterfly and 400 IM swapped places on Day 3. If the schedule had stayed the same from 2018 to 2025, presumably the team races would play out differently, even if the end result was the same.

The men’s 2018 NCAA Championships leads all meets during this period with nine lead changes during the competition. NC State, Texas, Cal, and Indiana all held the lead at one point during the meet, with Texas taking control after platform diving—the last individual event—and holding on for the win.

Here’s how that team race played out:

Men:

One of the things the NCAA Championship team standings reflect is the parity in the league that season. Parity is an increasing concern for many NCAA swim fans in the evolving world of college athletics. With college athletic departments assessing the value each sport brings, some schools are going to invest in swimming and diving programs more than others, eventually decreasing whatever amount of parity currently exists.

NCAA swimming and diving is at a crossroads as it prepares for the changes an approved House vs. NCAA settlement could bring. At the same time as programs are trying to attract wider audiences, the changes the league is undergoing could hamper those efforts. A tense team battle isn’t the sole thing that makes an NCAA Championships exciting. Swimming families still make up a large percentage of viewership, especially in person. But, growing the sport means attracting a different type of viewer. It’s easier for a non-swim nerd to follow the dynamic of a close team battle than understand why a sub-6:00 800 freestyle relay is historic. The team aspect of the sport is often the most familiar to a new swim fan.

So, as this era of college athletics closes, the powerhouse programs at the top of the NCAA swimming and diving world look more firmly entrenched than ever. Time will tell if any program will be able to mount a serious challenge that reignites a real team race.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Can Fans Expect A Close Team Race In The NCAA Championships In The Future?

By James Sutherland on SwimSwam

It’s post-NCAA retrospective time, as we look back at recruit rankings through the lens of now-updated NCAA scoring data. We’ve focused in on the senior class (after four NCAA seasons) and the freshman class (after their first NCAA showings), and now it’s time to share all of our data for the four classes currently making up the NCAA field.

Further reading:

• Revisiting recruiting ranks: High school class of 2021
• Revisiting recruiting ranks: High school class of 2024

We’ll also include this year’s freshmen and seniors to have all the data in one post. You can find further analysis of those classes above.

Notes:

• The data included is only individual scoring at NCAAs. That’s not an exact measure of an athlete’s contribution to a program: many of these swimmers (and others not listed) were relay scorers at NCAAs, scored significant points at conference meets and provided great leadership and culture-building for their programs. This data isn’t a perfect analysis of the best recruits – it’s merely a quick look at the data we can compile.
• Some of these athletes haven’t had as many scoring seasons as others in their class. Some redshirted a season and have more remaining seasons. Some deferred their enrollment as freshmen. Some sat out a year with a transfer. Some turned pro early. Some will turn pro early. Some are hard to pigeonhole into a specific class, international athletes especially. We did our best to group athletes where they best fit. Again, this isn’t a hard-and-fast ranking of value – it’s just the best data we can compile.
• The ranks are from our recruit rankings, typically compiled when these athletes were high school juniors. We don’t include internationals in those rankings, as it’s difficult to figure out if and when internationals will join the NCAA and which class they should be grouped with before they appear in the NCAA. Do bear in mind that our rankings were done well over a year before any of these athletes appeared in NCAA competition, so if you do have a quibble with a specific rank, you may want to check how fast that athlete actually was when the ranking was done before you get too livid. Unranked recruits showing massive improvement curves are some of the best stories in the NCAA year-in and year-out, and one reason we rank recruits is so we can better see which athletes had great rises during their college careers.
• All that said, compiling these ranks is a lot of data entry and a lot of research. If we missed anyone, or misclassified anyone with the wrong class or with the wrong domestic/international tag, please let us know in the comments and we’ll update our data as soon as possible!

SENIORS (HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 2021, COLLEGE CLASS OF 2025)

• Read more on this class here.

RANKED RECRUITS

UNRANKED RECRUITS

INTERNATIONAL RECRUITS

By Sean Griffin on SwimSwam

The 2025 World Championships will be without one of swimming’s top all-around female breaststrokers.

2024 Olympic bronze medalist and defending 200 breast world champion, Tes Schouten, who represents the Netherlands, made the announcement on her Instagram on Tuesday, April 8th.

Schouten stated, “Since last September, I have been struggling with my health. It started with nerve pain on the left side of my face, which subsided after 2-3 weeks. In November, these symptoms returned, but it became so unbearable that I was admitted to the hospital. In the end, I spent 11 days in the hospital due to nerve pain, loss of power and function on the entire left side of my body. I am still not back to my old self and experience daily issues in the form of extreme fatigue and pain.

“As a result, I will not be participating in the World Championships in Singapore this summer. This situation makes me very sad because I would have loved to be there this summer to do what I enjoy most: competing in swimming, traveling, striving for victory, making memories, and hugging my wonderful friends from all over the world again.

“It’s strange to realize that I won Olympic bronze in Paris on August 2nd, when my body was at its strongest to achieve a top performance, and just a month later, I was struggling with immense pain, which reached its lowest point in November. Mentally, this is not always easy either. As an elite athlete, I have always been used to being fit, training hard every day, and being able to handle everything. Pushing my body until there was nothing left. Now it feels like my body is letting me down, while my mind still wants to push forward.

“A few weeks ago, I started a recovery plan to help my body readjust to stimuli and exertion without becoming fatigued or experiencing pain. How long this recovery process will take remains to be seen. But I believe that I will soon be the old Tes again, standing on the starting block with great joy, a big smile, and a healthy body. First, it’s time for what’s most important: recovery.”

Schouten has been on a rapid progression over the past two years. Her rise began prior to the 2023 World Championships, as she consistently improved the Dutch national record in the 200 breast. In March 2023, she established a new national mark with a time of 2:23.38, then lowered it to 2:22.21 the following month at the Eindhoven Qualification Meet.

She continued her momentum in June, posting a 2:21.71, and then further improved to 2:21.63 at the World Championships in Fukuoka, where she earned a bronze medal. Later that season, she brought the record down once more, clocking 2:21.52 at the Budapest stop of the World Cup.

24-year-old Schouten then made her biggest leap forward at the 2024 World Championships, held in Doha, about five months prior to the start of the Paris Games. She led from start to finish en route to her first individual Worlds gold. She stopped the clock at 2:19.81, moving up to #9 on the all-time top performers list and becoming the tenth woman to ever break the 2:20 barrier. She also added a silver in the 100 breast, stopping the clock in 1:05.82, just shy of her April 2023 national record of 1:05.71.

All-Time Top Performers, Women’s 200 Breaststroke:

1. Evgenia Chikunova (RUS) — 2:17.55 (2023)
2. Tatjana Smith (RSA) — 2:18.95 (2021)
3. Rikke Pedersen (DEN) — 2:19.11 (2013)
4. Kate Douglass (USA) — 2:19.24 (2024)
5. Yuliya Efimova (RUS) — 2:19.41 (2013)
6. Rebecca Soni (USA) — 2:19.59 (2012)
7. Victoria Gunes (TUR) — 2:19.64 (2015)
8. Rie Kaneto (JPN) — 2:19.65 (2016)
9. Tes Schouten (NED) — 2:19.81 (2024)
10. Lilly King (USA) — 2:19.92 (2021)

Schouten’s gold medal also marked a historic milestone for the Netherlands, as it was the nation’s first in the women’s 200 breast at the World Championships. In 2023, she had already become just the second Dutch woman to reach the podium in the event, following Wijda Mazereeuw, who claimed silver at the 1975 Championships.

Between March 2023 and February 2024, Schouten dropped an impressive 3.57 seconds from her personal best in the 200 breast.

At the Olympics, although unable to recreate that sub-2:20 form, Schouten won bronze in 2:21.05, and settled for 10th in the 100 breast.

With the retirement of Tatjana Smith, Schouten has established herself as the clear No. 3 in the world in the 200 breast, trailing only Olympic champion Kate Douglass and world record holder Evgeniia Chikunova.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Olympic Bronze Medalist Tes Schouten To Miss 2025 World Championships Due To Health Issues

By Retta Race on SwimSwam

2025 HUNGARIAN NATIONAL SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Wednesday, April 9th – Saturday, April 12th
• Prelims at 9am local (3am ET)/Finals at 5pm local (11am ET)
• Csik Ferenc Swimming Pool, Kaposvar, Hungary
• LCM (50m)
• Meet Central
• SwimSwam Preview
• Entries/Live Results
• Livestream (Prelims Only)

The 2025 Hungarian National Swimming Championships kicked off today from Kaposvar and 22-year-old Hubert Kos wasted no time making his presence known.

Racing in the prelims of the men’s 50m backstroke, University of Texas star Kos fired off a new national record of 24.63 to easily take the top seed.

Kos’ time overtook the longstanding Hungarian benchmark of 24.76 Richard Bohus put on the books at the 2018 Gyor Open.

Kos, the reigning Olympic champion in the 200m back, was the sole swimmer of this morning’s field to dip under the 25-second barrier. Adam Jaszo was the next-closest swimmer in 25.40 and Benedek Kovacs captured the 3rd seed in 25.43.

Entering this competition, Kos’ lifetime best in the 50m back sat at the 24.85 he notched for 5th place at last year’s European Championships so he sliced .22 off that previous outing to become the fastest Hungarian ever.

As swift as Kos was, he’ll need to drop significant time to check in among the top 20 performers in history; he’s now #43 on the all-time list. In the meantime, he ranks 4th in the world this season.

NCAA champion Kos is slated to race the additional events of 100m back, 50m/100m fly and 200m IM at this competition, the latter of which he snagged the top seed in a time of 2:03.45 ahead of his 50m back record.

Additional Notes

• Olympic gold medalist Kristof Milak and Jaszo both clocked a time of 49.74 to share the top seed in the men’s 100m freestyle.
• The women’s 100m free saw Nikolett Padar punch a result of 55.20 to land lane 4. Panna Ugrai was also sub-56 with a morning swim of 55.71.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Olympic Champion Hubert Kos Knocks Down Hungarian Record In 50 Back

By Madeline Folsom on SwimSwam

The world of swimming was rocked this morning when World Aquatics announced the addition of stroke 50s to the 2028 Olympics, but those weren’t the only changes announced today.

One of the other big changes comes in women’s water polo. Since it was added to the Games in 2000, the women’s tournament has consisted of 10 teams or less, while the men’s has consisted of 12.

The Los Angeles Games in 2028 are being hosted in the center point of the American Water Polo scene, and, for the first time ever, the women’s event will have 12 teams competing for gold, making the men’s and women’s sports equal.

There are a variety of other changes coming, including the addition of Olympic events, meaning this Olympics will be giving out more medals than any other Games in history.

Other Changes:

• The soccer (football) tournament will feature an increase in women’s teams, with 16 teams competing, while the men’s tournament will feature 12. This marks the first Games ever where there will be more women’s teams than men’s teams in soccer. In 2024, the men had 16 and the women had 12.
• A new weight class is being added to women’s boxing, resulting in seven weight classes for both the men’s and women’s sports.
• The 3×3 basketball tournament will also be expanded to have 12 women’s teams and 12 men’s teams, which puts it in line with the other team sports.
• They are introducing six mixed gender team events in archery (compound bow), artistic gymnastics, athletics (4×100 mixed gender relay), costal towing beach sprint (mixed double sculls), golf, and table tennis
• Sport climbing is gaining two medal events due to the separation of boulder and lead climbing, leading to three total medal events.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Women’s Water Polo Will Have a 12-Team Bracket for the First Time Ever

By Retta Race on SwimSwam

2025 SOUTH AFRICAN SENIOR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Wednesday, April 9th – Sunday, April 13th
• Newton Park Swimming Pool, Gqeberha, South Africa
• LCM (50m)
• SwimSwam Preview
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheet
• Results

South Africa’s Senior National Championships kicked off today from Gqeberha and Olympic finalist Pieter Coetze took on his signature 100m backstroke event to begin the competition.

After reaping the top seed with a morning swim of 53.03, 20-year-old Coetze lowered it down to 52.71 to top the podium well ahead of his competitors.

Runner-up status went to Ruard van Renen of the University of Georgia who touched in 54.77 while Jonah Pool-Jones earned bronze in 56.39.

Altough splits are not available at the time of publishing, Coetze’s 52.71 came within .13 of the African Record of 52.58 he established en route to placing 5th in the event at the 2024 Olympic Games.

Coetze’s time easily cleared the World Aquatics ‘A’ standard of 53.94 needed for this summer’s World Championships in Singapore.

He now ranks #1 in the world, tying British rising star Oliver Morgan, who hit the same mark in February of this year.

Coetze’s continued success in this event appears to support his decision to retract his initial commitment to Cal and stay in his home country of South Africa for training and studying at the University of Pretoria.

21-year-old Matt Sates is entered in a monster lineup of ten individual events, including tonight’s 200m freestyle.

Sates produced a time of 1:47.49 to get to the wall first, splitting 25.34/26.82 (52.16)/27.38/27.95 in the process.

He and the rest of the field were chasing the World Aquatics ‘A’ cut of 1:46.70 needed for Singapore, so we’ll have to see how the rest of his events shake out at this competition.

17-year-old Kris Mihaylov held his own with a final time of 1:48.93 for silver, although the promising teen was slightly quicker in the prelims with a top-seeded 1:48.81. Righardt Muller placed 3rd tonight in 1:51.19.

Additional Notes

• Dune Coetzee topped the women’s 200m free field in 1:59.09, leading a trio of sub-2:00 athletes. Rebecca Meder touched in 1:59.38 and Aimee Canny, the African record holder in this event, placed 3rd in 1:59.48.
• Meder dove in for a 2nd event, the women’s 100m breast, where she upgraded to gold in a time of 1:07.50.
• 19-year-old Chris Smith clocked a time of 1:01.57 to beat Michael Houlie to the wall in the men’s 100m breast. Houlie settled for silver in 1:01.79 and Matthew Randle was right behind in 1:01.82.
• The women’s 100m back saw Jessica Thompson, just 17 years of age, get it done for gold in 1:01.68 this evening.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Olympic Finalist Pieter Coetze Clocks World-Leading 52.71 100 Back

By Braden Keith on SwimSwam

The debut of Grand Slam Track in Kingston, Jamaica last weekend, which is track& field’s attempt at a national made-for-television series, was received with mixed reviews. The rollout has been a bit reminiscent of swimming’s International Swimming League, which limped through three seasons before eventually disappearing into the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Field events were excluded.

Led by 4-time Olympic champion and track superstar Michael Johnson, the league has raised at least $30 million in financial commitments from their partners, including a large investment from Winners Alliance, which bills itself as an “athlete-centric commercial alliance.”

The scale of that money is very similar to what is rumored to have been spent per season of the ISL, which was created by Konstantin Grigorishin, a wealthy Russo-Ukrainian billionaire who took a keen interest in the sport of swimming (his son swam at Cal).

The prize money is similar too, though the scoring system is different. There are no teams, but instead events are grouped into “categories,” and the top 8 performers in each category win between $10,000 and $100,000.

The criticisms of the meet’s debut from track & fields hardcore fans echoed eerily similar to those ladled upon the ISL: empty stands, lack of splits, poor camera work, and a lack of effort by athletes.

• A thread of complaints from LetsRun.com.

In trying to ‘reinvent’ the sport, the organizers of both seemed to lose some of the fundamentals of exciting sport presentation. The innovation didn’t completement what is known to work; rather, axioms that are borne out over dozens of sports and dozens of year, in favor of a pseudo-innovative, but pseudo NBC-Olympics-style-broadcast where commentators tell us about the importance of the trailing pack but the cameras don’t show them finishing. That doesn’t undermine that the commentary team was pretty good, overall.

Grand Slam Track also suffered from slow times. The ISL, generally, always had some pretty fast results (including several World Records), though the team battle did diminish the reliance on fast times to create excitement. The ISL’s equivalent problem may have been more on the imbalanced nature of most events, where the outcome of the team scoring was decided very early on.

But the biggest critique of Grand Slam Track was the pacing – without field events (or human interest stories) to fill in the gaps between races, the sessions seemed like they dragged on to their 3 hour conclusions. This was fundamentally not a problem in ISL meets, where the competitions roared through races at a breakneck pace – one of the strengths of the league’s format.

Track and swimming share a lot of bonds. They’re blue-blood sports that have existed since the dawn of sport, they’re ‘fundamental’ sports that seem to be core to human existence, and their sports where a bunch of competitors lineup and see who can do it the fastest. While there are some key differences that distinguish their fates, the two sports do seem inevitably linked in learning – both sports can benefit greatly from watching, and learning, the others.

There is one key difference between Grand Slam Track and the ISL, though, that gives it a chance, and it’s this Tweet from Michael Johnson:

What can we do over the season to make @GrandSlamTrack better?

— Michael Johnson (@MJGold) April 8, 2025

As silly as it seems, this one Tweet is what gives me hope for Grand Slam Track where the ISL ultimately failed. For those of us working in and around the sphere of the league, there was one consistent narrative: the ISL didn’t want any feedback. They had it all figured out, they were sure of their path, and even when the money and fans weren’t coming, feedback was treated with an “enemy of the state” attitude. That is from team owners, media, coaches, fans, and yes: even the athletes themselves.

Michael Johnson is asking for feedback, and while his other social media posts have definitively focused on the successes without explicitly acknowledging the failures, but he is, at least, asking the question.

Now we’ll watch and see if dogma takes hold or if any of the feedback is taken into account in future editions.

As swimming looks for a pivot that can revive interest, keep watching what’s happening in this space, and many others. It’s going to take a hivemind to come up with something that works, and while not every voice is going to be right, every voice matters in the effort.

The next meet will be May 2-4 in Miami, followed by May 30-June 1 in Philadelphia and June 27-29 in Los Angeles.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Grand Slam Track’s Debut in Kingston, Jamaica Met With Mixed Reviews, Learning Opportunities

By Anya Pelshaw on SwimSwam

Earlier today, World Aquatics announced the addition of the stroke 50s for the 2028 LA Olympics. This means that the 50 back, 50 breast, and 50 fly will join the Olympic program.

Some athletes have taken to social media displaying their excitement about the decision. Great Britain’s Adam Peaty confirmed he will look to attend the LA Games.

By Noah Duperre on SwimSwam

2025 World Aquatics Diving World Cup

• April 3-6
• Guadalajara, MEX
• Results

The 2028 Olympic cycle for international diving kicked off this past weekend with the first stop of the World Aquatics Diving World Cup. Guadalajara, Mexico returned to hosting this event for the first time since 2013. The World Aquatics Diving World Cup series features two “World Cup” events, culminating in a “World Cup Superfinal,” which will take place in Beijing, China in May. Divers must qualify to the Super Final through their performance at the first two competitions.

To nobody’s surprise, the Chinese team dominated on the women’s side of the meet. Headlined by Paris Olympic Champions, Quan Hongchan and Chen Yiwen, the Chinese women collected all four gold medals up for grabs and went 1-2 in both of the individual events. NCAA breakout diver and Texas freshman, Alejandra Estudillo took home a silver medal of her own as Mexico placed runner up in both women’s synchronized events. Another NCAA star earned herself a medal as Miami’s Chiara Pellacani helped Italy to a silver medal in the mixed team event.

The men’s side of the meet saw Mexico best the strong Chinese contingent in two events. The synchro team of Osmar Olvera and Juan Celaya, a former LSU Tiger, gave Mexico their first gold medal of the competition. The Mexican pair, who came up just a couple points shy of Olympic gold last summer in this event, put on a show in front of a lively home audience. Chinese Olympic Champion, Wang Zongyuan, looks strong as ever as he earned the three meter title ahead of Celaya, who claimed the silver. Up on the ten meter, Mexican Randal Willars dominated his competitors to win gold, almost 80 points ahead of second place.

Despite a strong showing from team Mexico at home, the Chinese contingent still came out on top of the medal table with seven golds, compared to Mexico’s two. Those two were the only nations to earn a gold medal at this meet.

The next stop of the World Cup will bring the divers up north to Windsor, Canada and will take place from the 10-13 of April. Divers earn their way to the World Cup Super Final by being one of the top 12 overall individuals or top 8 synchro teams through the first two stops. The competition will take place in Beijing from the 2-4 of May.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: China and Mexico Claim Golds in Guadalajara Diving World Cup Opener

By James Sutherland on SwimSwam

With Wednesday’s announcement that the 50 backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly will be added to the event schedule for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, fans are already predicting which swimmers will benefit the most and certain athletes have expressed their excitement about the addition.

Before we get to the Games, one order of business to determine is what the Olympic qualifying times will be in each event. The times used for Olympic qualification have historically been a bit stiffer than the ‘A’ cuts used for the World Championships. For the 2024 Games in Paris, the Olympic qualifying time (OQT) was the 14th-place time from the prelims at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, while the consideration time (OCT) was 0.5% slower.

Although it’s likely the 2025 World Championships will be used as the benchmark to determine the Olympic qualifying times for the stroke 50s in 2028, with the OQTs typically released in the spring two years before the Games (so approximately 12 months from now), we can get a gauge of what they’ll look like using some recent data.

For theoretical purposes, we can use the same criteria to determine what the Olympic qualifying times in each stroke 50 would be using results from the 2023 World Championships, which was the last best-on-best long course international meet that included stroke 50s. (The 2024 World Championships took place in February 2024, but with many of the world’s best swimmers missing.)

• Estimated Olympic Qualifying Time (OQT): 14th-place time from 2023 World Championships
• Estimated Olympic Consideration Time (OCT): 0.5% slower than estimated OQT (rounding up)

WOMEN’S OLYMPIC QUALIFYING ESTIMATES

MEN’S OLYMPIC QUALIFYING ESTIMATES

Looking at the estimated OQTs based on the 2023 World Championship results, we can see how many swimmers would’ve qualified for the Olympics based on times done in the 2024 calendar year—a year where stroke 50s were not a main focus of the majority of swimmers.

Note that this doesn’t take into account the fact that a country can send a maximum of two swimmers in an event to the Games.

• Women 50 back– 32
• Women’s 50 breast– 26
• Women’s 50 fly– 42
• Men’s 50 back– 42
• Men’s 50 breast– 38
• Men’s 50 fly– 36

FASTEST SWIMMER IN EACH STROKE 50 – 2024

• Women 50 back– Kaylee McKeown (AUS), 27.07
• Women’s 50 breast– Ruta Meilutyte (LTU), 29.40
• Women’s 50 fly– Sarah Sjostrom (SWE), 24.63
• Men’s 50 back– Kliment Kolesnikov (RUS), 23.90
• Men’s 50 breast– Sam Williamson (AUS), 26.32
• Men’s 50 fly– Noe Ponti (SUI), 22.65

OLYMPIC QUALIFYING ESTIMATES VS 2025 STANDARDS

We can also take a look at how the theoretical Olympic qualifying times in the stroke 50s compare to what the actual standards are for the 2025 World Championships.

Women’s OQT vs 2025 Worlds ‘A’ Cut

Women’s OCT vs 2025 Worlds ‘B’ Cut

Men’s OQT vs 2025 Worlds ‘A’ Cut

Men’s OCT vs 2025 Worlds ‘B’ Cut

As the numbers show, the automatic qualifying times are almost identical, with all of the 2025 standards only slightly slower than the estimated OQTs, but the big difference is in the consideration/’B’ standards.

That’s due to the fact that, unlike the Olympic consideration times which are 0.5% slower than the OQTs, the ‘B’ cuts for the World Championships are 3.5% slower than the ‘A’ cut.

The ‘A’ cuts for the 2025 Worlds were determined by using the faster of two times, either the ‘A’ cut for the 2023 and 2024 Worlds or, the 16th place time from the preliminary heats fat the 2023 World Championships.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: What Will The Olympic Qualifying Times Be In The Stroke 50s?

By Retta Race on SwimSwam

Swimmers around the world are responding to World Aquatics’ announcement that 50m sprints of each stroke will be part of the 2028 Olympic Games official program.

This announcement has been building up for some time, with the world aquatics governing body having submitted a request last August for 50s of backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly to be added to the Olympic schedule. The events were already at every World Championships but had never been part of the Olympic program until now.

British multi-Olympic champion Adam Peaty, who is bypassing this year’s World Championships, was one of the first elite athletes to respond to the announcement.

Via Instagram, the world record holder stated, “50m Sprint Events have just been added to @la28games which confirms my attempt to be at my Fourth Olympic Games.

“This is the best result for our incredible sport and will allow more people to be part of it and stay in it much longer. Thank you @world_aquatics for this amazing decision.

I’ve got a good feeling about these next three years