2025 M. NCAA Previews: 800 Yards in the Pool – The Bear, The Gator, and The Longhorn

2025 Men’s NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships

• March 26-29, 2025
• Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatics Center, Federal Way, Washington
• Short Course Yards (25 yards)
• SwimSwam Pick’Em Contest
• SwimSwam Preview Index
• Psych Sheet
• Eligible Relays

MEN’S 800 Free Relay – BY THE NUMBERS

• NCAA Record: 6:02.26 – California (G. Jett, D. Lasco, J. Alexy, R. Hanson) 2024
• American Record: 6:03.24 – Texas (L. Hobson, R. Maurer, C. Guiliano, C. Carrozza) 2025
• U.S. Open Record: 6:02.26 – California (G. Jett, D. Lasco, J. Alexy, R. Hanson) 2024
• 2024 NCAA Champion: California (G. Jett, D. Lasco, J. Alexy, R. Hanson) – 6:02.26

The days of stroke specialization are now officially over.

When the fastest 50 breaststroker in all the land post the fastest 200 free split for their team on their winning 800 Free Relay at Conference Champs, we really know it’s over. And no, we’re not talking about Gretchen Walsh.

Florida’s Julian Smith, the newly minted NCAA record holder in the 100 breaststroke, was 1:29.67 at SECs last month, helping the Florida Gators to a time of 6:02.50, a result which sits less than a quarter of a second off the NCAA record set by California last year at NCAAs. However, unlike Walsh, we haven’t seen an interview stating Smith’s intentions about which relay he will not swim, nor have we about his teammates.

However, before we jump into the preview, let us remind ourselves what happened last year. If you don’t want to read about it, feel free to relive the action below.

Video Courtesy of Pac-12

Luke Hobson of Texas set an NCAA and American Record in the 200 free, leading off his team’s relay in 1:29.13.

Unfortunately for him, the record, at least the NCAA one, didn’t last long as ASU’s Leon Marchand went 1:28.97 in the next heat.

Yet neither of their teams won the event, as it was Cal’s strength as a team that saw Gabriel Jett, Destin Lasco, Jack Alexy, and Robin Hanson set a new NCAA record of 6:02.26.

It was, for lack of a better expression, One Heck of a Race (and to be honest, so is trying to pick a winner now)

While that quartet all return to the NCAA and would warrant consideration for the top spot, Smith’s improvement this season jumps Florida back into the conversation. While Texas returns all of their swimmers as well, they have brought in two new swimmers that may give them the edge they need to win this relay after last year’s disappointing 3rd place finish after having won this relay at every NCAAs dating back to 2019. A disappointment may be only to Texas fans, however, so in the words of Braden Keith when I complained about not being able to watch Women’s NCAA due to being on vacation in Aruba, “Nobody feels bad for you, Mark.”

Wuthering Heights

Looking to re-catch the wind that swept them to the NCAA record last year, Cal enters these Championships with an entry time of 6:06.66, and while that time won the Bears their first ACC title, it ranks just 4th on the psych sheets.

However, compared to last year’s entry time of 6:09.13, they are miles ahead of it. Much of that can be reasoned to the fact that from PAC-12s to NCAA, Cal swapped out all but one swimmer, Hanson. In looking at this year’s results, however, Dave Durden looked to have used his A-line up, tapping Lucas Henveaux, who has made a return to collegiate swimming, to replace Hanson and keeping Jett, Lasco, and Alexy.

In the individual 200 free, Henveaux tied for 3rd with a new personal best of 1:32.04, with Hanson placing 11th in 1:33.05. However, Hanson time-trialed the event, swimming 1:31.87, a new personal best, so each warrants consideration on the relay. Alexy, Jett and Lasco all were slower at conferences, but Cal has traditionally held their cards close to their chest, often not showing everything at conferences, and with the jump to the ACC, these results might just reinforce past precedence.

Luke Hobson (photo: Jack Spitser)

Texas, too, might have too many options to sort through. They return Hobson, who took back the record in the individual event, swimming a blistering 1:28.81. The three other legs from last year return as well, but only Coby Carrozza joined Hobson on the American Record setting 800 free relay at SECs.

The additions of transfers Rex Maurer, the American record holder in the 500 free, and Chris Guiliano, a 2024 Olympic Gold Medalist and last year’s 3rd place finisher at NCAAs in the individual 200 free give the Longhorns a plethora of options. Maurer and Guiliano jumped into the relay at SECs, splitting 1:31.70 and 1:30.04 to help the team go 6:03.24, a time that easily beats out their 6:05.33 from last year. If Hobson can get back into the 1:29s, and the other three legs equal their times, then Texas could easily challenge the NCAA record. If Hobson revisits the 1:28 territory on the relay, then the sky’s the limit. Yet Texas doesn’t lead the rankings this season. That honor falls to their now SEC rival, the Florida Gators.

Florida entered last year’s NCAAs as the top seed with an entry time of 6:06.36 and will do so again but with a time of 6:02.50. Much of that difference can be attributed to Smith, who was 1:32.10 at last year’s SEC and 1:32.78 at the 2024 NCAAs but has matched his explosiveness in the breaststroke with a 1:29.67 split at SECs this year. Britain’s Alexander Painter helps shore up the loss of Macguire McDuff, but Josh Liendo‘s 1:30.19 from SEC will be hard to replace if he opts not to swim this relay.

Liendo’s versatility, like Gretchen Walsh‘s, gives him the ability to improve any relay he is on instantly. Last season, the Canadian Olympian was on this relay at SECs but jumped over to the 200 medley. This season at SECs, Liendo was on the 800 free and not the medley, so history would dictate that Liendo may again choose the medley, but with Florida being so close to the NCAA record, and could have broken in by a wide margin had Jake Mitchell (1:31.43) replicated his 1:30.89 from last year, Coach Anthony Nesty may stack the 800 free relay again.

Liendo’s participation is the big question. Texas’s Hobson doesn’t figure into all the relays, and he and Guiliano will likely be off one of the two medley relays and thus avoid the issue.

Great Expectations

After finishing 5th and 11th last year, Georgia and Alabama will certainly be looking to improve, especially considering their performances at SECs. Such is the depth of the conference that the top three finishers from that meet rank as the top three in the event, as Georgia’s 6:05.43 slots them ahead of Cal in the pysch sheet. The Bulldogs will look to avoid a repeat of last year, where they were the 3rd seed but fell two spots, finishing 5th in 6:08.13, despite entering with a seed of 6:06.79.

Luca Urlando (photo: Jack Spitser)

Much of their over-a-second improvement from last year’s SEC to this year can be attributed to Tomas Koski, who led off in 2024 with a time of 1:32.12 but slid to the 2nd leg this year, where he had a flying start time of 1:29.64. Koski’s removal from lead-off was made easier by the return of Luca Urlando. Urlando, the NCAA record holder in the 100 back and 200 fly, is also a strong 200 freestyler, holding a PB of 1:31.81 from the 2025 SECs, a time that would rank 16th in the psych sheets.

Whereas Georgia hopes to not have a repeat from last year, SEC rival Alabama is hoping for a repetition of last year’s results, but with greater expectations. Last season, Bama entered NCAAs with a seed of 6:11.27 and dropped over half a second to place 11th in a time of 6:10.72.

This season, after placing 4th at SECs with a 6:06.77, the Crimson Tide enter NCAAs as the 5th seed and just .11 off the defending champs, Cal. From the 2024 NCAAs to the 2025 SECs, Bama returned their front three legs, led by senior Charlie Hawke. Hawke finished 3rd in the 200 at SEcs to only Hobson and Guiliano and holds a PB of 1:30.44 from his lead-off leg of this relay. Last season, Toni Dragoja won the 200 free at the Atlantic 10 Championships in 1:33.25, but since transferring from George Washington, he has recorded a new PB of 1:32.19 and split 1:31.35, anchoring their 800 free relay.

While the two teams above find themselves seeded much faster than their finish last year, Indiana has seen its status in this event tumble, but perhaps they have their sights set on something different, targeting not a high finish in the event but rather a high finish in the team standings.

The Hoosiers placed 6th last year in a time of 6:08.26, dropping 2.6 from their seed. This season, they enter as the 14th seed, on the outskirts of scoring with a time of 6:11.39 from their 4th place finish at Big Tens. That said, only 1.1 seconds separate 9th from 16th, so Indiana certainly has room to move up (and down)

Lead-off Rafael Miroslaw returns and will be looking to repeat the 1:30.76 from NCAAs as opposed to the 1:32.81 he was at Big Tens last month. Indiana loses Brendan Burns, who had their fastest flying start at NCAAs of 1:32.00, but ASU transfer Owen McDonald‘s at 1:31.32 helps fill the gap left by Burns.  At Big Tens, Indiana opted to use Caspar Corbeau, the Dutch Olympic medalist-winning breaststroker, on this relay. He split 1:34.28, which is much faster than his PB of 1:35.85, but he is unlikely to get the nod at NCAAs, likely meaning Kai Van Westering will return to the relay. Van Westering wasn’t on the relay at Big Tens but did time trial a PB of 1:33.54.

Brave New World

After the departure of their coach, Bob Bowman, and three-quarters of their runner-up relay from last year, senior Patrick Sammon finds himself as the lone returner for ASU. The Sun Devils enter NCAAs as the 6th seed with their time of 6:08.54 from the Big XII championships.

Sammon’s 1:31.89 anchor is an improvement upon his 1:31.91 from last season, but the loss of Marchand’s 1:28.97 is too much to fill. Swiss Olympian Tiago Behar‘s 1:32.25 lead-off was a PB and is faster than one of their flying starts from the 2024 NCAAs, but 1:32 lows aren’t going to be enough to break into the upper echelon.

Fellow former Pac-12 programs, Stanford, Arizona, and USC, all had strong swims in their new conferences as well. Stanford finished 2nd behind Cal at ACCs, bumping NC State and Louisville off the top spots of the podium. Arizona claimed second behind ASU in the Big 12 and USC claimed victory in their debut at the Big Tens.

Henry McFadden (photo: Jack Spitser)

Of the three, Stanford ranks highest, sitting 7th in the psych sheet with a time of 6:08.70, .07 faster than their time from last year’s NCAAs. Henry McFadden‘s anchor of 1:30.64 is a large improvement upon his 1:31.45 from last year, and Andrei Minakov‘s lead-off of 1:32.38 is a strong sign, as he was 1:32.14 with a relay start last year. If the pair can continue to drop time, Stanford likely has a shot to remain in the top eight but will face pressure from their new ACC rivals.

Arizona and USC rank 9th and 11th in the psych sheets with times of 6:10.62 and 6:10.85. Both times stand as NCAA A-cut times, which, on the face of it, may seem commonplace, but neither team fielded a relay last year (Arizona did qualify, though).

Arizona has a strong one-two punch from Ralph Daleiden and Tomas Lukminas, with the pair splitting 1.31s, but the Wildcats drop off from there and had splits of 1:34 and 1:33 to bring them home. Similarly, USC had two 1:31 splits, with Krzysztof Chmielewski‘s 1:31.80 leading them to victory at Big Tens. If Luke Maurer, who was 1:32.28 last season for Stanford, can get back down to that time (he led off in 1:33.07 but has a PB of 1:32.40), then USC may find itself going from not qualifying to the A-final.

For Whom the Bells Toll

Despite beating Stanford at NCAAs last year, Louisville found itself just 4th at ACCs this season, finishing behind the former Pac-12 interlopers, Cal and Stanford, as well NC State, who they beat at NCAAs.

The Cardinals, note the plural, so we are talking about Louisville, return all four of their legs from NCAAs. The quartet, who were 6:08.32 last March, were a little off at ACCs and combined for a time of 6:11.53. Of note, Murilo Sartori was 1:31.68 leading off last year and managed just a 1:33.02 on the 2nd leg at ACCs. The Brazilian Olympian and Louisville coaching staff could have opted not to target ACCs as a taper meet, as he has a season-best of 1:31.87, but the time is a little worrying if Louisville wishes to return to the podium.

NC State, like Louisville, has been slower this year than they were at NCAAs last year, having gone 6:09.18 at ACCs, as compared to their 6:08.78 last year. The Wolfpack lost lead-off Kacper Stokowski and Arsenio Bustos to graduation and injury but bring in Kaii Winkler, a US-based German Olympian, onto the relay. Luke Miller split 1:31.78 last year at NCAAs but was absent from the relay at ACCs, instead opting to swim the other four relays. Winkler’s 1:32.59 was a good lead-off, but he’ll need to be closer to (or under) his PB of 1:32.23 and some assistance from Daniel Diehl (1:31.93) and Jerry Fox (1:32.97) to each drop a few tenths if NC State wishes to remain on the podium.

The Verdict

Much like the women’s preview of this event and the women’s medley relay preview, much of the prediction hinges upon the team’s superstars and their choice of relays. If history repeats itself, Liendo will not swim the 800 free and instead take on the 200 medley. That said, even if he were to swim the 800 free, The Texas juggernaut, if at full strength, seems maybe too much to overcome. Maurer’s PB is faster than his flying split from SECs, and Hobson’s has been over 1.5 seconds faster than his lead-off at SECs. We aren’t saying that Florida can’t win, but Liendo’s uncertainty gives pause, especially considering they will be looking to defend their NCAA title and record in the 200-medley relay.

SwimSwam Picks 

Dark Horse: Michigan (13th – 6:11.10) – While seeded behind Big Ten rival Ohio State by .11, Michigan may hold the advantage and overtake the Buckeyes and USC for the top spot in the conference. The Wolverines have already been faster than they were last year, as they finished 12th at NCAAS in a time of 6:11.55. Gal Cohen Groumi and Eitan Ben Shitrit were both faster last year at NCAAs, by 1.03 and .41, respectively, so if they can get back down to those times, Michigan stands to jump from 13th into podium consideration. Michigan tapped Colin Geer to swim the relay at conferences, where he split 1:34.11, but Geer has a full load of three individual events to swim, whereas Canadian Olympian Lorne Wigginton has just the 400 IM and holds a flat start PB of 1:34.09.