2025 M. NCAA Previews: American Record Holder Rex Maurer Faces Off With Veteran 500 Free Field

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

Men’s 500 Freestyle  — By The Numbers 

• NCAA Record: 4:02.31 — Leon Marchand, Arizona State (2024)
• Championship Record: 4:02.31 — Leon Marchand, Arizona State (2024)
• American Record: 4:04.45 — Rex Maurer, Texas (2024)
• U.S. Open Record: 4:02.31 — Leon Marchand, Arizona State (2024)
• 2024 Champion: Leon Marchand, Arizona State — 4:02.31

The first individual event of the NCAA Championships, the 500 freestyle always brings drama. That drama can take different forms—after a couple of seasons of close wins and come-from-behind victories, Leon Marchand redefined the event last season. He blazed an NCAA and U.S. Open record of 4:02.31, not only blowing away the field but also the event’s history as he flew almost four seconds ahead of the next-fastest performer. 

As quickly as he shook up the event when he decided to swim it, Marchand’s departure from NCAA swimming redraws the lines in the event yet again. We could revert back to the close races in this race, but maybe not, as there’s once again a Bob Bowman-trained swimmer sitting seconds ahead of the field.

The Burnt Orange Wave

Rex Maurer lit up the Texas Hall of Fame Invitational. About an hour after Texas pro Carson Foster broke Kieran Smith’s long-standing American record during an unofficial time trial, the Longhorn sophomore took the record for himself. Maurer swam 4:04.45, chopping 1.36 seconds off Foster’s mark. 

The swim was the best result of Maurer’s career to date. No one expected someone to get within sight of Marchand’s record so quickly—though he’s still over two seconds off Marchand’s time. Further, the swim affirmed that Maurer, who transferred from Stanford to Texas after a disappointing freshman season, had not gotten close to his ceiling. 

Maurer did not approach that time at the SEC Championships, but still took the win in 4:07.09 after a speedy morning that saw two of his teammates unexpectedly slip to the ‘B’ final. None of the top Longhorns looked to be at full power at the SEC Championships, but they should be firing on all cylinders in Federal Way. 

Luke Hobson David Johnston (photo: Jack Spitser)

Luke Hobson swam a 4:11.68 in prelims of the SEC Championships, which would’ve secured him lane four for the 2024 ‘A’ final. Unfortunately for him, this year, that swim placed 10th. It’s his fastest time this season and ranks him 15th as he looks to reclaim the NCAA title in this race. Hobson has been on his own trajectory this season, after winning Olympic bronze he’s been unbothered by the traditional trajectory of an NCAA season, instead focusing on excelling at December’s SC World Championships—which he certainly did. 

It’s typical of Hobson not to put up head-turning times during the regular season. But, he’s proven he knows how to show up when it counts at the NCAA Championships. His lifetime best is a 4:06.93, which leaves him a lot of ground to make up on Maurer if the sophomore is at the peak of his powers in Federal Way.

Hobson’s never finished below third in this race, which seems like it’s heading toward a showdown between him and Maurer. The question is, will anyone else be able to get involved?

The Longhorns are eyeing an NCAA team title in the first year of the Bowman era and this event is one where Texas has a distinct advantage over their main rivals for the trophy. The team will try to take full advantage by stuffing the ‘A’ final with as many Longhorns as possible. 

Their best-case scenario is getting four men into the championship final with David Johnston and Coby Carrozza joining Maurer and Hobson. As it stands, Johnston is the one projected to be in the championship final with Maurer. He’s seeded 6th (4:09.41) while Carrozza is 9th (4:10.70) and Hobson 15th. Both Johnston and Carrozza made the ‘A’ final at their most recent NCAA Championships. Carrozza placed 7th last year after a lifetime best 4:10.74 in prelims, while Johnston took silver at the 2023 NCAA Championships in 4:08.79 as part of a 1-2 finish with Hobson. 

Top Pairs

But as we said, the Texas 500 freestyle agenda was stifled at the SEC Championships, though the team did still win the event title. Jake Magahey and Tomas Koski were key parts of that effort from the rest of the SEC field. The Georgia pair took second (Koski) and third (Magahey) in the conference final, with Koski swimming a lifetime best 4:08.25 and Magahey a season-best 4:08.61. 

Jake Magahey (photo: Jack Spitser)

Magahey has been about as consistent as they come in the 500 freestyle over his five-year career. While he swapped his event lineup last year, the 500 freestyle remained. He’s been a fixture in this event since his freshman season when he won the NCAA title. Magahey has never finished worse than third in the 500 freestyle at the NCAA Championships and no other swimmer has been sub-4:08 more times in his career. 

While Magahey has an established legacy in this event, his sophomore teammate Koski is in the middle of writing his own. The Finn has been dropping huge chunks of time in this event since arriving in Athens. He arrived in Georgia with a lifetime best of 4:22.35. After swimming bests during the regular season, Koski peaked with a 4:12.29 at the 2024 SEC Championships, bringing the total time drop to over ten seconds. He’s continued to hack time off this season; he broke 4:10 for the first time in prelims of this year’s SEC Championships, which he improved to 4:08.25 for silver in the final.

Last year, Koski was at his best at SECs, adding slightly in Indianapolis and missing a second swim with an 18th-place finish. Last year, it took a 4:13.00 to earn a lane in the ‘A’ final. But if the SEC prelims are a preview of what’s to come in Federal Way, everyone—including Koski—will need to be at their best in the morning or face missing out on an ‘A’ final berth. 

Texas and Georgia aren’t the only schools aiming to put multiple swimmers into the 500 freestyle finals. Last year, Gabriel Jett was Cal’s only 500 freestyle finalist. The Golden Bears added depth in this event at midseason as Lucas Henveaux returned to the NCAA roster. He wasted no time making an impression, showcasing the gains he’s made over the past two years with a lifetime best 4:08.83 at the ACC Championships. 

Gabriel Jett (photo: Jack Spitser)

Many of California’s top swimmers have played their cards close to the vest this season, but not Jett. In addition to making waves in the backstroke events, Jett swam 4:10.27 for second at the ACC Championships, less than a second off his lifetime best 4:09.66 and the 2nd fastest 500 free of his career. 

Another pair to consider is the Gator duo of Jake Mitchell and Gio Linscheer. The pair went 1-2 in the ‘B’ final last year. It was a surprise to see Mitchell miss the ‘A’ final after a fifth-place finish in 2023 but he’s back on the bubble this season. His season-best is a 4:10.72 which puts him 10th on the psych sheet. That said, effort at the SEC Championships is the fourth-fastest of his career. He’s got a lifetime best of 4:09.85. 

Meanwhile, Linscheer clocked a lifetime best in SEC prelims, swimming a 4:11.03 which ranks 12th on the NCAA psych sheet. At SEC, the swim qualified him for the ‘A’ final, where he placed 8th. Ultimately, both the Gators are potential finalists, but it’s easier to see Georgia and Cal getting both of their swimmers into the championship final. 

Returning Finalists 

The return of swimmers like Johnston, Henveaux, and Noah Millard has made an already tight field more competitive. But apart from Marchand, this event did not graduate many big names. There are three returning ‘A’ finalists from last season we’ve yet to mention, and all but two ‘B’ finalists are back. 

Charlie Hawke (photo: Jack Spitser)

The remaining ‘A’ finalists looking to book a repeat appearance are Charlie Hawke, Jack Hoagland, and Mason Mathias. Hawke likely has the best chance at another ‘A’ final swim of these three. Yes, he’s the only one of the three seeded to do just that, but he’s also shown he can handle the transition from SECs to NCAAs well. 

Last year he placed 5th at NCAAs and swam a lifetime best 4:11.02, improving from the bests he swam the month before at the 2024 SEC Championships. He’s lowered his 500 free best twice this season. First, he swam 4:10.95 in prelims at SECs, then broke 4:10 in the final with a 4:09.75 that placed 4th. 

Mathias isn’t too far down the psych sheet after a 4:11.03 that ties Linscheer for 12th overall. He could challenge for an ‘A’ final spot but it’s harder to see Hoagland vaulting into a crowded top 8 from the 38th seed (4:15.74), even though he owns a 4:11.11 lifetime best he swam at last year’s NCAA Championships. 

The list of ‘B’ finalists back in action is even longer as Bar Soloveychik (20th, 4:12.83), Zalan Sarkany (14th, 4:11.62), Rafael Miroslaw (54th, 4:18.54), and Daniel Matheson (30th, 4:14.37) will all swim in Federal Way. 

From a team race perspective, the two swimmers to watch here are Sarkany and Miroslaw. Miroslaw was Indiana’s only finalist in this event last year, placing 14th. Sarkany was 12th for the Sun Devils. The Hoosiers need these two swimmers to both score as Texas and Cal are set to earn big points. It would be huge if one could earn an ‘A’ final lane, but the 500 is neither’s sweet spot, as Miroslaw tends towards the 200 free and Sarkany specializes in the 1650 free. The Hoosiers will happily take a pair of ‘B’ finalists and look to exploit their strength in other disciplines. 

The Noah Millard Question 

Two years ago, Millard put himself on the radar with a 4:10 at the Ivy League Championships. The swim seeded him to score, but he did not handle the transition from the conference championships—which were surely his focus meet—to NCAAs. He added about five seconds and finished 23rd. 

Noah Millard. Photo courtesy David Silverman/Ivy League

Millard has been a revelation for the Bulldogs since his return to NCAA competition, putting up lifetime bests in the 200/500/1650 freestyle that rank in the top 10 performances all-time by a mid-major swimmer. The 4:07.68 he swam at the Ivy League Championships is the fastest 500 free by a mid-major athlete; no one else has broken 4:11. The swim ranks him second on the NCAA psych sheet behind only the American record holder.

But, it was clear that Millard would likely return to the NCAA Championships after a 14:33.47 1650 freestyle at mid-season. Did that swim change the way he approached the second semester? His lifetime bests in the 200/500 freestyle don’t necessarily suggest so, as Yale needed him to swim well as they were hunting for an Ivy League title. 

But, if Millard can handle the transition well, he could earn his first NCAA final appearance. Multiple mid-major swimmers performed well at the women’s NCAA Championships; Millard could help that wave continue this week. 

SwimSwam Picks 

Dark Horse: Lorne Wigginton, Michigan — This event is an upperclassmen’s game. We haven’t mentioned any freshmen yet; none are seeded to score, with Northwestern’s Joshua Staples the highest-seeded first-year in the event at 22nd (4:13.28). Only four sophomores are seeded to score: Maurer, Koski, Carson Hick, and Jovan Lekic. Henry McFadden is on the bubble at 17th. Is there any room in this event for freshmen this year? We’re curious if the Michigan freshman Wigginton has a big swim in him. The Wolverine women performed well at the women’s NCAA Championships last week. A Canadian Olympian, Wigginton dropped to a 4:15.25 for 4th at the Big Ten Championships—will yards swimming further click into place once he’s fully rested?