2025 M. NCAA Previews: Can Defending Champion Kharun Take Down NCAA Record Holder Urlando?

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 200 BUTTERFLY – BY THE NUMBERS

• U.S. Open Record: 1:37.17 — Luca Urlando, Georgia (2025)
• American Record: 1:37.17 — Luca Urlando, Georgia (2025)
• NCAA Record: 1:37.17 — Luca Urlando, Georgia (2025)
• 2024 NCAA Champion: 1:38.26 — Ilya Kharun, Arizona State

The 200 butterfly is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated head-to-head battles at the Men’s NCAA Championships, with defending champion Ilya Kharun going up against recent NCAA record-breaker Luca Urlando.

Kharun dominated the event all season last year, ultimately winning the NCAA title in Indianapolis with a time of 1:38.26. This season, however, Urlando is back in the NCAA system after a hiatus to prepare for the Paris Olympics, and he’s swimming better than ever. Kharun is the 4th-fastest performer of all time, while Urlando sits atop the list. Given the way that both swimmers have raced all season long, they look primed to lower their current personal marks.

All-Time Top Performers, 200 Yard Butterfly:

1. Luca Urlando (Georgia), 2025 – 1:37.17
2. Jack Conger (Texas), 2017 – 1:37.35
3. Nick Albiero (Louisville), 2022 – 1:37.92
4. Ilya Kharun (Arizona State), 2024 – 1:37.93
5. Joe Schooling (Texas), 2016 – 1:37.97

Luca Urlando (Photo Credit: Jack Spitser)

After Olympic Redshirt, Urlando Clocks The Fastest Two Times In History

Georgia redshirt senior Luca Urlando has been on fire this year. The 23-year-old Sacramento native has posted the two fastest times in history: 1:37.17, breaking the NCAA record at a dual meet in January, and 1:37.18 to win the SEC title about a month later.

The Bulldog was 2nd in this event in 2022 and 4th back in 2021, and has not swam at NCAAs since, due to an injury in 2023 and the aforementioned redshirt in 2024.

Urlando came into the season with a lifetime best of 1:38.82 from the 2022 NCAA Championships. There was a time about five years ago when it seemed like Urlando would become the next big U.S. swimmer in the 200 fly, as he broke several National Age Group records in both the yards and LCM versions of the event between 2018 and 2020.

Since then, he’s battled some serious shoulder issues, but largely seems to have regained his top form. He made the US Olympic team in the 200 fly (LCM) last year, finishing 17th in prelims in Paris.

Of note, Urlando will not be racing the other event he holds the NCAA record in, the 100 backstroke, as he’ll swim the 100 fly on that day instead. His 100 back record comes from 2022, where he led off the Bulldogs’ 400 medley relay in 43.35. He is the first male swimmer to ever set all-time yards records in both the 100 back and 200 fly.

Avoiding the 100 fly/100 back double could be because he isn’t focusing much on backstroke this season, or it could be pure strategy, opting out of a double the day before the 200 fly.

Ilya Kharun (Photo Credit: Jack Spitser)

Kharun’s Consistency Could Signal An Imminent Time Drop

Arizona State sophomore Ilya Kharun has been on fire all season long for the Sun Devils. Kharun has broken the 1:40-barrier at seven different meets throughout the year, and owns a season best time of 1:38.74.

Kharun, the defending champion, has an overall best time of 1:37.93. That swim ranks him the 4th fastest performer in history, and it comes from a January 2024 dual meet with Stanford. The time is also just 0.76 off the all-time record, which Urlando set just this past January.

Kharun arrived on campus as one of the top recruits in the country last season, and had prior success at the 2023 World Championships (LCM), where he tied American junior phenom Thomas Heilman for 4th in the LCM version of this event. Then, last summer, he made a huge leap forward. He collected a pair of bronze medals at the Paris Olympics, sprinting to bronze in the 100 fly (50.45) and leaping to 3rd in the 200 (1:52.80). Kharun trained under Bob Bowman for most of last year’s season, but is now training fully under the guidance of Herbie Behm, after Bowman took the Head Coach position at Texas.

The Sun Devil also won the 2024 world title in this 200 fly distance, albeit in short course meters, this past December. At those championships in Budapest, the Canadian stopped the clock in 1:48.24 to tie the championship record and break the Americas record. His time also equaled the 2nd fastest performance in history, and he only sits behind Japanese Tomuru Honda‘s world record (1:46.85).

All-Time Top Performances, Men’s 200 Butterfly (SCM):

1. Tomoru Honda (JPN), 1:46.85 – 2022
2. Daiya Seto (JPN) / Ilya Kharun (CAN), 1:48.24 – 2018 / 2024
3. –
4. Chad Le Clos (RSA), 1:48.27 – 2022
5. Chad Le Clos (RSA), 1:48.32 – 2018
6. Chad Le Clos (RSA), 1:48.56 – 2013
7. Chad Le Clos (RSA), 1:48.57 – 2020
8. Chad Le Clos (RSA), 1:48.61– 2014
9. Alberto Razzetti (ITA), 1:48.64 – 2024
10. Tom Shields (USA), 1:48.66 – 2020

Kharun was not at his best, in terms of times, at the NCAA Championships last year, but he was still quick enough to win the title (1:38.26). This year, he will have to be better than his best to defend his championship.

His consistency throughout the season has been nothing short of exceptional, and such consistency with so many sub-1:40 performances could signal a big drop with a perfectly timed taper. The ASU women are swimming great under Behm at this week’s NCAA Women’s Championship meet, which is a positive sign for Kharun’s prospects.

Kharun’s 200 Fly Consistency During the 2024-25 Season:

• October 4 (ASU vs. UNLV) — 1:39.47
• October 26 (ASU vs. NC State) — 1:38.74 *Season Best*
• November 7 (ASU vs. Cal & Stanford) — 1:39.60
• November 23 (Wolfpack Invitational) — 1:39.00
• January 10 (ASU vs. Minnesota) — 1:40.13
• January 24 (Eddie Reese Texas Showdown) — 1:39.18
• February 8(ASU vs. Arizona) — 1:39.22
• February 25 (Big-12 Championships) — 1:39.41

The race, on paper, is clearly between Urlando and Kharun. They both swim the race quite differently, with Urlando taking it out much faster through the first half, and Kharun closing much quicker on the last 50. See a full breakdown of their best times below.

Urlando vs. Kharun Splits Comparison:

The Chmielewski Twins (Photo Credit: István Derencsény/LEN)

The Chmielewski Twins

The USC duo of Krzysztof (3rd seed) and Michal (27th) Chmielewski may prove to be dangerous in this 200-yard fly in Federal Way. They both competed at the recent Short Course World Championships (SCM) in December, where Krzysztof collected bronze and Michal missed the final by 0.04. Krzysztof is well-known for winning silver at the 2023 Fukuoka World Championships (LCM), where he bolted to the wall with a personal best time of 1:53.62. He also finished 4th at the Paris Summer Olympics, checking-in at 1:53.90, behind Kharun.

Krzysztof was 16th in this event a year ago, but that’s mostly because he swam the 1650 free final earlier in that same finals session. He’s opted to drop that event this year, signaling a major focus to his primary butterfly distance. His entry time is 1:40.72, which was done during prelims at the B1G Ten Championships, where he contested the 1650 free/200 fly double during finals. He clocked 1:41.44 for 6th in the B1G Ten final, after touching in 14:46.87 for bronze in the 1650. Without having to worry about the 1650, a big 200 fly time drop could be imminent.

Michal missed the finals altogether last season, but he’ll be dangerous if he’s able to convert his long course best of 1:54.64 to something similar in this course.

Here are the twins’ entries for the meet:

Krzysztof:

• Day 2, 500 Freestyle — 41st seed, 4:16.25
• Day 3, 400 IM — 15th seed, 3:40.57
• Day 4, 200 Butterfly — 3rd seed, 1:38.99 (Note: His actual season (and overall) best time is 1:40.72, but his entry time is a conversion for his medal-winning swim at the SCM World Championships.)

Michal:

• Day 3, 100 Butterfly — 35th seed, 45.40
• Day 3, 100 Backstroke — 39th seed, 45.83
• Day 4, 200 Butterfly — 27th seed, 1:41.18

OTHER CONTENDERS

• Jake Magahey (Georgia) — Georgia graduate student Jake Magahey is ranked 8th on this year’s entry list, but he’s still relatively new to the event. After focusing on the 200, 500, and 1650 freestyles for the majority of his Georgia career, Magahey has switched to the 400 IM and 200 fly in lieu of the 200 and 1650 freestyles over the past two seasons. He finished 15th in the 200 fly at last year’s NCAAs, clocking 1:41.81, after posting a best time of 1:41.28 a month prior at SECs. This year, he comes in with a sub-1:40 performance of 1:39.91, and will be a top contender to make the 200 fly final. One can argue that he may be one of the more tired swimmers come this last individual event of the meet, given he’s swimming two of the most grueling events earlier in the meet: the 500 free and 400 IM. However, a counterargument can be made that since he’s focusing on those two longer events, his endurance will be an advantage on the final day of the meet.
• Andrei Minakov (Stanford) — While Stanford senior Andrei Minakov has focused on the sprints (50 free, 100 fly, 100 free) for most of his NCAA career, he has dropped the 100 free in favor of the 200 fly for the past two years. He recently won the ACC title in 1:39.03, just off his best time of 1:38.63 from last season. His best time comes from the same dual meet as Kharun’s, and he ultimately finished 9th at NCAAs last year in a much slower time of 1:40.13. If he’s able to replicate his ACC title time, or approach his personal best, he’s a fairly safe best to finish somewhere between the top 3-5.
• Martin Espernberger (Tennessee) — Tennessee junior Martin Espernberger is ranked 5th on the entry sheet with a time of 1:39.34, which represents his current best time. He notched that performance at the Tennessee Invitational back in November, and he went on to clock 1:39.69 for 2nd behind Urlando at the SEC Championships. If he’s under 1:40 again at NCAAs, he should safely find himself a lane for the championship final. He was 11th at NCAAs a year ago, and posted best times in both prelims and finals there, so he’s experienced at stepping up when it matters most.
• Dare Rose (California) — California fifth-year Dare Rose was 2nd at NCAAs in this event last year, where he touched the wall in his current best time of 1:38.61. Like Espernberger, Rose swam to best times in both prelims and finals of NCAAs last year. The Golden Bears are known for saving their best performances until this meet, so expect Head Coach Dave Durden to have Rose approaching his best, which would put him into the top 3 conversation.
• Bjoern Kammann (Tennessee) — Like Minakov, Tennessee senior Bjoern Kammann doesn’t have much experience in this longer butterfly distance. The German native has focused on the 100 fly, 100 back, and 100 free for most of his collegiate career, but experimenting with the 200 fly this year has paid off. After never scoring individually at NCAAs, Kammann enters the meet as the 10th seed in this event, with his best time of 1:40.18. Matching that time will ensure he gets a second swim, but will it be enough for the ‘A’ final? Time will only tell, but the ‘B’ final seems within reach at the very least.
• Colin Geer (Michigan) — Michigan sophomore Colin Geer has been dropping time all season, and he enters the meet seeded 7th at 1:39.58. He was 13th last year, clocking a best of 1:41.23 in the ‘B’ final. If he can once again swim to a best time at NCAAs, then he will find himself in the championship final.
• Gal Groumi (Michigan) — Don’t be fooled by Gal Groumi‘s entry time of 1:43.91 on the psych sheet, which ranks him last. The Michigan star hasn’t raced this event much all year, but owns a lifetime best of 1:39.60 from last year’s B1G Ten Championships. He was 7th last year in a time of 1:40.05, and has consistency performed at or near his best at these Championships. He didn’t race this event at Big Ten’s this year, instead opting for the 100 free (42.01), where he touched 5th.

SWIMSWAM’S PICKS

Darkhorse: Frank Applebaum (California) — Frank Applebaum, a two-time Division III NCAA Champion, is using his final year of eligibility with the Golden Bears. After spending his undergraduate career at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, he came into Cal with a career best of 1:43.39 in this event. Applebaum wasn’t on track to even qualify for NCAAs, but he popped a massive 1:40.39 at the SMU Last Chance meet two weeks ago, which seeds him 14th and in scoring position. Another time drop could escort him into the ‘A’ final, but it will all come down to how he responds to the double taper.