The NCAA Division I Men’s Swimming & Diving Championships saw nine national records fall last weekend in Indianapolis as that speed should bleed over into long course as the Paris Olympics approach.
The Arizona State Sun Devils captured their first ever NCAA Division I men’s swimming and diving title last week in Indianapolis, Indiana, taking down their conference rivals, the California Golden Bears, in the process. Arizona State broke the stranglehold held by California and the Texas Longhorns, who have traded every NCAA men’s swimming title since 2014.
Arizona State won the meet with 523.5 points over second place finisher California (444.5) and the Florida Gators (378), who finished third, with the Indiana Hoosiers (376) in fourth. Texas finished a distant seventh (189) in legendary coach Eddie Reese’s final NCAA championships.
It was a near-perfect week for the Arizona State men, led by coaches Bob Bowman and Herbie Behm, as the school won five individual events on the backs of Leon Marchand, Ilya Kharun and Zalan Sarkany. Arizona State also won its first ever NCAA relay titles in men’s swimming with victories in the 400 medley and 400 freestyle relays.
With the meet being held in short course yards, it holds a special importance in the American swimming culture, and the excitement of the meet has brought some of the best from around the world to come to the United States to take part. Out of the 13 individual events in the swimming pool, eight of the events were won by non-Americans last week.
Many have used the NCAA meet as a springboard to success on the international level. The likes of Joseph Schooling, Cesar Cielo, and Oussama Mellouli won NCAA titles before winning individual Olympic gold medals, bringing home the first ever swimming gold medal to their respective nations.
Now the attention shifts to the long course venue, as many of these NCAA swimmers will fight for spots on their respective Olympic rosters. Many of the NCAA swimmers have already made their names known in long course on the international stage as preparation for the Paris Games intensifies.
Below are six names to watch as we get closer to this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris, France.
Leon Marchand - Arizona State
Marchand had a brilliant week in Indianapolis, winning all three of his individual events in Indianapolis, including the fastest times ever in the 500 freestyle (4:02.31) and the 200 breaststroke (1:46.35). Marchand’s 500 was perhaps the best swim of the entire weekend, as he came in with the fastest time ever from the Pac-12 Championships (4:06.18), lowering the mark set by Kieran Smith in 2020 at 4:06.32. Marchand won the final on Thursday by over four seconds, and nearly became the first person to break 4:00 in the event, a barrier that seemed almost mythical until Marchand’s 4:02.
Marchand cruised through the 400 IM final to win at 3:32.12, over three seconds off his 3:28.82 mark from 2023. He then finished off the meet with a 1:46.35 in the 200 breaststroke, lowering his own record mark set in 2023 at 1:46.91. Marchand was equally clutch on relays - splitting 48.73 on the breaststroke leg, the fastest ever, of the winning 400 medley relay, and leading off the 400 free relay at 40.28, moving himself up to third all-time in the 100 freestyle.
Excitement has been building around Marchand since he won the IM double at the 2022 World Championships. Now in 2024, he has a long course world record attached to his name, along with three individual World titles from 2023, as well as four individual all-time records in short course yards. In the grand scheme of things, short course yards success doesn’t mean much to many outside of the United States, but based on this past weekend, Marchand is going to be tough to beat this summer in Paris in any event he swims.
Marchand continues to get faster, and his record-breaking speed is gaining more and more attention from swimming fans as he looks to be France’s best chance for a gold medal this summer at a home Paris Olympics at age 22.
Joshua Liendo - Florida
Liendo was the other swimmer to win all three of his individual events in Indianapolis as he won the 50 freestyle (18.07), 100 butterfly (43.07), and 100 freestyle (40.20), the latter two in which he became the second fastest performer all-time behind fellow Florida Gator Caeleb Dressel.
Liendo had been aiming for Dressel’s short course records this season, ultimately falling short, but he was able to win two relay titles in Indianapolis - swimming the butterfly leg on the record setting 200 medley relay team (1:20.15), and leading off the winning 200 freestyle relay team (1:13.49). In the 200 medley relay, he became just the second swimmer to break 19 seconds in a 50 butterfly on a relay, as Liendo was instrumental in Florida finishing third in the team standings.
This sets Liendo, age 21, up well for this summer, where he will be a medal favourite for Canada in the 100m butterfly if he is to make the Olympic team in Montreal this May. Liendo won the silver medal at last year’s World Championships in Fukuoka in the 100m butterfly and also won the bronze in the 100m freestyle at the 2022 Worlds in Budapest.
Liendo had a breakout 2022, but couldn’t quite replicate that in 2023 while he was in his first year with Florida coach Anthony Nesty. This short course season proved that Liendo is stronger than ever and ready to take on the world in the sprint events. The 50 and 100 freestyle were perhaps the most stacked races of the competition, with Liendo taking down the likes of Tennessee’s Jordan Crooks, Notre Dame’s Chris Guiliano, California’s Jack Alexy, and Tennessee’s Gui Caribe.
Luke Hobson - Texas
Perhaps the best American swimmer at the meet, Texas junior Luke Hobson swam the fastest 200 freestyle ever on Friday night in Indianapolis with a 1:28.81, taking down Leon Marchand’s record from the relay lead-off on Wednesday at 1:28.97. Hobson had earlier set the fastest time ever in leading off Texas’s 800 freestyle relay on the first night, swimming 1:29.13 before Marchand broke it in the next heat.
Two nights later, Hobson set the record straight, winning his second straight individual 200 freestyle title to give head coach Eddie Reese a nice retirement gift as heads off into the sunset after this summer’s Olympics. Hobson was a finalist at the last two World Championships in the 200m freestyle, placing fifth in Fukuoka last year before winning bronze in Doha earlier this year in February.
Hobson follows a long lineage of great 200 freestylers for the University of Texas with the likes of Drew Kibler, Townley Haas, and David Walters winning NCAA titles and making the Olympic team.
If Hobson is to make the U.S. team this June in Indianapolis, he will be a key piece to the USA’s pursuit of winning back the 4x200m freestyle crown from Great Britain after the Americans finished a disappointing fourth in Tokyo.
Ilya Kharun - Arizona State
Kharun was one of the most exciting freshman swimmers this season, putting up fast times all season for Arizona State, and he finished off his rookie year with an NCAA title in the 200 butterfly (1:38.26). The time was slower than his best time (1:37.93) that he set earlier this season in a dual meet with Stanford, but it was enough to win the title over the likes of individual Worlds medalist Dare Rose of California and defending champion Aiden Hayes of North Carolina State.
Kharun also finished fifth in the individual 100 butterfly as he will look to make his first Olympics this summer for Swimming Canada. Kharun, age 19, finished tied for fourth at last year’s World Championships in the 200m butterfly, and adapted well to his new life in Arizona with coach Bob Bowman. There doesn’t appear to be a heavy favorite for the men’s 200m butterfly right now, and Kharun has put his name in the hat for a medal this summer in that event as he is in one of the top training groups in the entire world alongside Leon Marchand and Luca Urlando.
Jack Alexy - California
Although Alexy did not win an individual title for California at NCAAs, he swam the third leg of the winning 800 freestyle relay team on the first night, the first in the event for the Golden Bears since Matt Biondi anchored in 1986. Alexy finished second in the individual 200 freestyle (1:29.75) in a huge best time, and third in the 50 (18.38) and 100 freestyle (40.59) in two of the most stacked races of the entire meet.
The 200 freestyle swim is a promising sign for the Cal junior as he joined the exclusive sub-1:30 club in the process, showing he can hold and carry a lot of speed, which bodes well for his long course 100m freestyle.
Since winning silver in both the 50m and 100m freestyle at last year’s World Championships, Alexy has become the face of sprint freestyle in the United States as he hopes to make his first Olympic team this summer at age 21. Alexy anchored the winning 4x100m medley relay last summer at the World Championships, and will play a big role in continuing the Olympic winning streak in both the 4x100m freestyle and medley relays this summer in Paris. And who knows? Maybe a 4x200m relay berth is in the cards for Alexy as well.
Jordan Crooks - Tennessee
The Tennessee junior out of the Cayman Islands swam an identical schedule to the aforementioned Alexy, as Crooks finished second in the 50 freestyle (18.09), fourth in the 100 (40.61) and sixth in the 200 (1:31.03). Crooks was beaten to the wall by Liendo in the 50 final on Thursday, but wound up beating the Canadian later on in the night in leading off the 200 freestyle relay with an 18.14 to Liendo’s 18.25.
Since winning the World Short Course title in the 50m freestyle in 2022, Crooks finished sixth in the 50m freestyle and seventh in the 100m at last year’s long course World Championships, and became just the second man after Dressel to swim under 18 seconds in the 50 yard freestyle at this year’s SEC Championships.
Crooks should be a factor this summer in the sprint freestyle events by virtue of his 200 freestyle speed this season in short course. His turns are as strong as anyone’s in the entire world, and if he can hold that speed in the long course venue, he will be a medal favourite this summer in Paris.