2014 Swammy Awards: United States Male Swimmer Of The Year Connor Jaeger

In more or less an off year for the United States national team without a World Championships or Olympic Games, some of the American men who’ve frequently been deemed as stars on the national team took a backseat to some great talent.

Counting down the top five for the US men wasn’t an easy task given that some of the biggest names that we’re used to seeing at the top of our lists had to settle for lower spots.

We had to make plenty of tough decisions in order to put together this list. It was changed multiple times, but finally, we settled with this order. There are no doubt arguments to be made for each swimmer to be higher or lower, but we’ve provided the evidence below to support our decision. Starting with number five, Ryan Lochte.

#5 RYAN LOCHTE

Lochte had a fairly difficult 2013-2014 season, plagued with a knee injury that greatly effected the quality of his training. There was part of the season where Lochte was very on-again off-again about his knee injury, leaving the public with no sense of how he would perform.

He swam at some grand prix meets, scratched from some events due to pain, and did significantly less IM to compensate for the knee injury not allowing him to comfortably swim breaststroke.

Despite time-off from training and very much an off season, Lochte pulled through it with some pretty great results. Atlhough they weren’t up to par with what Lochte normally swims, there’s no doubt that he was still swimming very well considering all he had gone through.

At the US Nationals in Irvine, California Lochte secured his spot on the team with a silver in the 100m freestyle (48.96), a bronze in the 200m backstroke (1:56.47), and a first place finish in the 200m IM (1:56.50). Those times secured him a spot on the Pan Pacs roster where he won three medals.

US Summer Nationals 

• 2nd 100m free (48.96)
• 3rd 200m backstroke (1:56.47)
• 1st 200m IM 1:56.50

Although Lochte swam more than one individual event, he medalled in just the 100m fly, an event that he has been working on a lot. That marked Lochte’s first international long course medal in a butterfly event, a very impressive result.

There’s no denying that the fly was impressive, however, Lochte failed to medal in more than one individual event for the first time since the 2004 Athens Olympic Games where he finished second in the 200m IM.

It was still a solid meet for Lochte and showed that his progress in the butterfly is improving. With Phelps gone, it’s also likely that Lochte could take the relay spot on the medley relay in Kazan at Worlds, giving him potential to score in more events.

Ryan Lochte, 12th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) – Day One (courtesy of FINA)

Pan Pacs

• 2nd 100m fly (51.67)
• 2nd 4×100 (48.20 split)
• 1st 4x200m freestyle relay (1:45.57 split)

Following Pan Pacs Lochte ended his season at the short course world championships where he was extremely successful. Lochte took home a gold as a member of the 4x200m freestyle relay, silver in the 200m backstroke, silver in the 200m IM, silver as a member of the 4×50 free relay, silver as the anchor of the 4x100m medley relay, bronze in the 200 freestyle, bronze in the 100 IM, and bronze as a member of the 4x200m freestyle relay.

SC Worlds

• 1st 4x200m freestyle relay
• 2nd 200m backstroke
• 2nd 200m IM
• 2nd 4×50 free relay
• 2nd 4x100m medley relay
• 3rd 200m freestyle
• 3rd 100m IM
• 3rd 4x200m freestyle relay

Lochte’s knee is now fully healed, as was evident by his stellar results at short course worlds, and he’s ready to set his sites on the 2015 World Championships where he once again my reign as one of the kings of the multi-event program.

The reason Lochte is ranked fifth on this list is based solely on individual performance at Pan Pacs. Lochte failed to make the championship final in the 200m IM, and although he tied the eventual winner, not making the final in an event where you’re the world record holder costs you major points.

Lochte also ended the season ranked top five in the world in one individual event whereas Clary was ranked top five in two events.

The decision to make long course results weighted higher also warranted Clary a better position. Lochte did have better international results based on short course worlds, however due to Clary’s three individual medals at Pan Pacs to Lochte’s one, Clary wins.

If Lochte had won that 200m IM or even medalled, Lochte would have placed much higher on this list.

#4 TYLER CLARY

Now already there’s undoubtedly a lot of people who think that Tyler Clary deserves to be higher on this list and a lot of that can be attributed to his success at the US Nationals in early August and Pan Pacs later on.

Even before nationals Clary was swimming extremely well all season. He ended up finishing the 2013-2014 Grand Prix series in fifth overall with a grand total of 30 points. Clary had the top placing in the Grand Prix standings out of everyone on this list.

At Nationals, he performed better than anyone on this list as well considering that he was the only swimmer here to take home more than one national title. Clary was very quick and established himself in multiple events. He won the 200m backstroke over a very tough field, came second in the 200m fly to an on-fire Tom Shields, came third in the 200m IM to Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps, and then wound up winning the 400m IM in a very fast time.

US Summer Nationals

• 1st 200m backstroke 1:54.73
• 1st 400m IM 4:09.51
• 2nd 200m fly 1:56.00
• 3rd 200m IM 1:57.94

Clary leads the field here in Grand Prix standings, and overall performance at nationals.

Where Clary faltered below the rest of the field was his results from the Pan Pacific Championships where he managed to take home three medals, one of which was a gold. Clary won the 200m backstroke in 1:54.91 and came second in the 400m IM final with a 4:09.03. He also came third in the 200m fly with a 1:55.42.

Pan Pacs

• 1st 200m backstroke 1:54.91
• 2nd 400m IM 4:09.03
• 3rd 200m butterfly 1:55.42

After Pan Pacs Clary represented the United States at the short course world championships in Doha, Qatar. There he earned himself a gold medal as a member of the 4x200m freestyle relay squad.

Tyler Clary, 2014 Pan Pacific Championships (courtesy of Scott Davis)

SC Worlds

• 1st 4x200m freestyle relay (1:42.86)

Now Clary could be placed much higher on the list, but there were two main factors that kept him in the fifth spot. One was the fact that he was not a member of any major long course relays. Now, only three swimmers on this list were, however when looking at the American swimmer of the year, you need to focus on who did the most for the United States team and American swimming as a whole.

Clary, although an incredible racer, wasn’t part of any of those relays. If he swam on a Pan Pac relay, he would probably move up to the second spot on this list.

#3 MICHAEL PHELPS

Michael Phelps made headlines this year with his storied return to the sport, and remarkably was able to put up some extremely impressive results, ending the 2014 Pan Pacs as the most decorated male American swimmer.

Phelps began his comeback at the Mesa Grand Prix in Arizona, and swam at two more grand prix events before heading to nationals. There, he put together a fairly strenuous program despite still working his way into his comeback, and prepared to swim four events.

In the 100m freestyle Phelps failed to qualify for the Pan Pac team finishing seventh overall in 49.17. He was a lot faster in the prelims however, heading into the race as the second seed behind Adrian with a time of 48.77.

He also failed to qualify for the team in the 100m backstroke where he was sixth overall in 53.95.

The 100m fly and the 200m IM were the remaining events on Phelps’ schedule and he managed to secure a silver medal in both earning him a spot on the Pan Pacs team. In the 100m fly he got Phelps’ed, losing the race to Tom Shields by one one-hundredth of a second. Shields was a 51.29, Phelps a 51.30.

Although Phelps lost, he put up a world leading time in prelims with a 51.17 that showed the world that he was right on track in his comeback. That time was faster than the last major 100m fly he swam which was at the 2012 Olympic Games.

Phelps finished second to Lochte in the 200m IM with a time of 1:56.55, and failed to win a single event at his first long course nationals since the 2000 Olympic Trials.

US Summer Nationals

• 2nd 100m butterfly (51.30)
• 2nd 200m IM (1:56.55)

Phelps only had one more event for the 2014 season, the Pan Pacific Championships. There he walked away with a total of five medals which included one individual gold.

The 100m fly was a big win for Phelps as he took his first individual international win since his retirement. He touched first over teammate and rival Ryan Lochte with a time of 51.29.

In the 200m IM Phelps was on fire and finished with a silver medal. He lost by just two one-hundredths of a second to Japanese star Kosuke Hagino. Phelps touched second in 1:56.04.

Lochte swam faster than him, but did so with a 1:56.02 from the ‘B’ final.

The place where Phelps was most noticeable however was the relays, filling the gaps that he left behind when he quit the sport. He split a 48.88 on the lead-off of the 4x100m freestyle relay to put them into first place.

On the 4x200m freestyle relay he went a 1:46.08, the second fastest split on the team. There’s no doubt that without Phelps on the relay they would have finished second to the Japanese, making him a crucial component to the American team.

On the 4x100m medley relay, Phelps once again took up his position swimming the butterfly and rocked a wicked 50.60 split en route to gold. That split was the fastest split of the field, and helped them break the meet record in the event.

Ryan Lochte, Michael Phelps & Hirofumi Ikebata, 100 fly, 2014 Pan Pacific Championships (courtesy of Scott Davis)

Pan Pacs

• 1st 100m butterfly (51.29)
• 1st 4x200m freestyle relay (1:46.08)
• 1st 4x100m medley relay (50.60)
• 2nd 200m IM (1:56.04)
• 2nd 4x100m freestyle relay (48.88)

Phelps could be put higher on this list based on his performances at Pan Pacs and the fact that he was the only American male ranked first in a long course event, however he was also the only swimmer out of the five to not win a single national title.

All other swimmers out-shone Phelps at nationals, and considering that Phelps only performed world-class results at two meets this season (one of which is only world-class based on his 100m fly prelims time), he finishes lower than Nathan Adrian.

He finished ahead of Lochte and Clary because of his Pan Pacs result. Phelps was an unbelievable asset to the American relays as well which makes him one of the most valued swimmers on the American National team. If it wasn’t for his relay performances, he would have most likely fallen below both Lochte and Clary.

#2 NATHAN ADRIAN

Nathan Adrian comes into the scene as a little bit of a wildcard. The reason being is that Adrian swims mainly two events only: the 50 and 100m freestyles. Every other swimmer on this list swims at last three individual events, however, looking at Adrian’s results take into account how he did in those events rather than just the overall number of medals.

Adrian was eighth overall on the Grand Prix circuit and was constantly throwing down some beautiful sprint freestyle times. Heading into nationals it seemed like a showdown between himself, and Anthony Ervin in many of the sprint events.

At US Nationals, Adrian took home two individual medals. He came second in the 50m freestyle and first in the 100m freestyle. Considering that he only raced in two events, and medalled in both, they were extremely impressive results.

In the 50m freestyle he finished second to Ervin with a time of 21.69. He was first in the 100m freestyle with a time of 48.31, winning the event over second place finisher Ryan Lochte by a very large margin.

US Summer Nationals

• 2nd 50m freestyle 21.69
• 1st 100m freestyle 48.31

As the top 100m freestyle sprinter in the United States, Nathan Adrian had one of the most important tasks: swimming on both the 4x100m freestyle and 4x100m medley relays.

At Pan Pacs, he was a huge contributor to the success of the relays. In the 4x100m freestyle relay Adrian split a 47.71, the fastest split of any US Swimmer by about half-a-second. That team finished second overall.

In the 4x100m medley relay Adrian was even faster, splitting a 47.60 to lock in the gold for team USA. That split was the fastest overall by any swimmer in the field, including the 100m freestyle gold medallist Cameron McEvoy.

In the 100m freestyle final Adrian had his hands full with up-and-coming Australian sprinter McEvoy. There was no doubt that McEvoy crushed the field, and Adrian had to settle for silver in 48.31.

He earned one more medal, a bronze in the 50m freestyle swimming a 21.80. Anthony Ervin and Bruno Fratus were both faster.

Nathan Adrian – 2014 Pan Pacific Championships (courtesy of Scott Davis)

Pan Pacs

• 1st 4x100m medley relay (47.60)
• 2nd 4x100m freestyle relay (47.71)
• 2nd 100m freestyle (48.30)
• 3rd 50m freestyle (21.80)

Adrian proved that he could swim fast at nearly any point in the season, and did just that once again at the US Winter Nationals. There he took home three golds, and broke two championship records.

In the 50 freestyle he was an absolute rocket throwing down a 18.81. In the 100 he was ridiculously fast as well with a 41.31. Adrian also swam the 200, an off event, winning it in 1:32.83.

US Winter Nationals

• 1st 50 freestyle (18.81)
• 1st 100 freestyle (41.31)
• 1st 200 freestyle (1:32.83)

Adrian ended the season ranked fifth overall globally in the 100m freestyle. His lack of an individual gold as well as the fact that Clary had more individual golds at Pan Pacs could challenge the fact that Adrian was placed ahead of Clary. The same argument could be made for Michael Phelps who had five medals at Pan Pacs, one of which was an individual gold.

Adrian beats Clary for two reasons: his value to the American relays, and his performance at Winter Nationals. There is no denying that Adrian was one of the most important pieces to the American relays this summer. He out-split the rest of the American men by a mile, and was a crucial component to their success.

Clary wasn’t on a relay, and although his individual performances better Adrian’s, Adrian’s value to the American relays is irreplaceable and played a very important role in the United States’ success. After all, this is the United States’ swimmer of the year award, an award given to the swimmer with the most value on the American national team.

If this was for world swimmer of the year, Clary would have beaten Adrian. Adrian however was more of an asset to the national team and therefore ranks higher on this list. Adrian was also able to swim world-class times on more than five separate occasions during 2014, a feat which was unanswered by Clary.

As for Phelps, the one reason that Adrian beats Phelps is due to the fact that he was successful at more meets. True, Phelps beats Adrian in medals and possibly even value to the American relays, however Phelps only got two good meets in during 2014. He didn’t earn one national title this summer, something that Adrian was able to do, making Pan Pacs his sole stance on his position on this list.

Adrian betters him in Grand Prix results and swam well at more meets this season.

#1 CONNOR JAEGER

Connor Jaeger isn’t only the youngest swimmer on this list, but had an incredible season to truly emerge as one of if not the top distance freestyler in the nation on a number of different levels.

Jaeger tops this list for several reasons. One is the fact that he was the only swimmer out of the bunch to break an American record during 2014, another is that he made history with his 1500m freestyle performance at the Pan Pacific Games, and the third is how successful and dominating he was year-round in the distance freestyle events at a variety of competitions.

Due to his age, Jaeger’s first big meet of 2014 was the NCAA Championships. There he was wicked fast winning the 500 freestyle and the 1650. In the 1650 he came within striking distance (approximately five seconds) of the American record in the event on his way to earning the title.

NCAA Championships

• 3rd 500 freestyle (4:12.67)
• 1st 1650 freestyle (14:29.27)

Jaeger was consistently good throughout the season however, and displayed that with an overall sixth place ranking on the grand prix circuit. He was clearly one of the top dogs in the freestyle events heading into summer nationals.

There, Jaeger qualified for the Pan Pac team in the 1500m freestyle. He won the 1500 with  time of 14:51.06, a time which would rank him sixth overall in the world at the end of the season.

Jaeger also took home a third place finish in the 400m freestyle with a 3:49.42, and finished second in the ‘B’ final of the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:48.41. That time would have placed seventh overall in the championship final.

US Summer Nationals

• 1st 1500m freestyle (14:51.06)
• 3rd 400m freestyle (3:49.42)

The 1500 free win secured him a spot on the Pan Pac roster where he added the 800m freestyle to his schedule. There, he surpassed all expectations and dropped some very impressive results on the world.

Jaeger took bronze in the 400m freestyle, an event which he had finished third in at the 2013 World Championships the year before. He was facing some tough competitors in the event with the likes of Park Tea Hwan and Kosuke Hagino. Jaeger clocked in at 3:45.31 to improve his time from nationals by a long shot.

In the 800m freestyle, Jaeger grabbed himself another bronze medal with a time of 7:47.75. He just narrowly missed the silver that went to Australia’s Mack Horton. Horton beat Jaeger by an extremely narrow margin, touching the wall in 7:47.73 for the silver.

It was the 1500 however that truly made waves for Jaeger. Up until this year, no American male had ever won the 1500m freestyle at the Pan Pacific Championships. It had been contested 11 times prior to 2014 with no American ever taking the top spot on the podium.

It appeared that the streak might continue as Jaeger had tough competition with Canada’s Ryan Cochrane. Jaeger was in the front pack led by Cochrane, which also included the 800m freestyle silver medallist Horton. Towards the end of the race, there was a huge surge from Jaeger as he blew past Cochrane on the final lap to just narrowly out-touch him and claim the gold medal.

Jaeger was a 14:51.79 at the touch as opposed to Cochrane’s 14:51.97.

That gold medal made Jaeger the first American in the history of the Pan Pacific Games to take home a gold medal in the 1500m freestyle.

Connor Jaeger takes the 1650 in 14:29.27 – 2014 Men’s NCAA DI Swimming & Diving Championships (courtesy of Tim Binning, theswimpictures)

Pan Pacs

• 1st 1500m freestyle (14:51.79)
• 3rd 800m freestyle (7:47.75)
• 3rd 400m freestyle (3:45.31)

After already making his mark on the world, Jaeger stepped up at the blocks at the US Winter nationals and took a hammer to the distance freestyle events.

He won the 500 freestyle in 4:13.72 showing great racing abilities by holding off all advances made by Townley Haas, however his biggest win came in the 1650 freestyle in a mirror of Pan Pacs.

Jaeger was untouchable in the 1650, and utterly dominated the race rocketing to a new American record time of 14:23.52 to take half-a-second off the previous mark. That swim was the deciding factor as to why Jaeger was the American male swimmer of the year.

US Winter Nationals 

• 1st 500 freestyle (4:13.72)
• 1st 1650 freestyle (14:23.52)

The list does get tricky here for a couple reasons. No, Jaeger was not the most clutch swimmer or important to the American national team. No, Jaeger did not earn the most medals or even have the best individual results at Pan Pacs for that matter. No, Jaeger did not have the most top five globally ranked swims. The one thing Jaeger did have, was an American record.

In an off-season without the World Championships or Olympic Games, no other male swimmer in the United States besides Kevin Cordes and Chase Kalisz broke an American record.

No swimmer on this list broke an American record, and that is why Jaeger is the swimmer of the year. In the end, he did have fantastic international results. He was able to compete successfully at multiple major championship meets throughout the season. He was able to consistently swim fast times.

When looking back at the 2014 year years from now, two of the biggest historical factors will be records, and the fact that Jaeger was the first American to ever win gold in the 1500m freestyle at Pan Pacs.