2025 M. NCAA Previews: Can Liendo Go 3-For-3 in the 100 Free?

2025 Men’s NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships

• March 26-29, 2025
• Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatics Center, Federal Way, Washington
• SCY (25 yards)
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheets
• SwimSwam Pick ‘Em Contest
• SwimSwam Preview Index

Men’s 100 Free – By The Numbers

• U.S. Open Record: 39.90 – Caeleb Dressel, Florida (2018)
• American Record: 39.90 – Caeleb Dressel, Florida (2018)
• NCAA Record: 39.90 – Caeleb Dressel, Florida (2018)
• 2024 NCAA Champion: Josh Liendo, Florida – 40.20

Excitement is brewing for the 100 free at the Men’s NCAA Championships this week. A typically close race, the event boasts a stacked roster heading into the competition.

Defending champion Josh Liendo from Florida is back in the mix and looks to be in good shape to make a strong play for the gold again, although he is not the top seed. Currently sitting in the top spot is world champion Jordan Crooks, while Olympians Jack Alexy and Chris Guiliano trail just behind. A number of other finalists from last season’s championship are back in action this year, which should help make for an interesting race.

Battle of the J’s

Battling it out at the front of the pack are Josh Liendo, Tennessee’s Jordan Crooks and Cal’s Jack Alexy.

Crooks has enjoyed a strong season this year; after throwing a lifetime best time of 40.26 at the Tennessee Invitational back in November, he is the top seed in the event heading into the meet. His performance at the Tennessee Invite was faster than his time at the 2024 NCAAs (40.61), where he placed 4th overall, and gives him about a .2 lead over runner-up seed Liendo.

Crooks has been getting progressively faster and climbing the rankings at each of the past three NCAA Championships, and this one could turn out to be his best one yet by far.

As the two-time defending champion, Liendo will be coming in hot on a quest to hold on to his title. The junior has been dominating the 100 free since his first year on the collegiate scene, and he doesn’t seem to be loosening that grip anytime soon. While his times tend to dip up and down during the middle of the season, Liendo’s season-best time of 40.45 at the SEC Championships a few weeks ago was almost .4 faster than where he was at the same time last year just before winning the NCAA Championships in a best time of 40.20.

Liendo and Crooks tied for 1st at the SECs, both touching in 40.45, so NCAAs will make for an exciting rematch between the pair as they vie for the top spot.

Alexy is nothing short of a powerhouse in the sprint free events. The Olympic gold medalist won the 100 free in a season-best time of 41.19 at the ACCs a few weeks ago and is the #3 seed heading into NCAAs. His performance at ACCs saw him beat out several competitors he will face again this week, including Brendan Whitfield, Kaii Winkler and Bjorn Seeliger.

Last season, Alexy took 3rd at the NCAA Championship in a personal best time of 40.59, but he hasn’t been sub-41 at all this season. However, a similar progression took place last year, so he shouldn’t be counted out as a significant threat for the podium; Alexy has been sub-41 five separate times, all of which took place at NCAA Championship meets.

While not quite as big as the three above, there are a few other J-names with ‘A’ final potential in the mix.

Arizona State’s Jonny Kulow is the #5 seed with his best time of 40.97, set back in November at the Wolfpack Invite. Kulow placed 13th at last year’s NCAAs in 41.61, but has improved his performance since then. Two of his most recent races were low 41s, including his winning performance (41.07) at the Big 12 Conference Championships in February. Kulow should land comfortably in the top eight and could even make a push for one of the top podium spots.

Right on the cusp of the ‘A’ final is LSU’s Jere Hribar, who is the #8 seed in 41.25. Hribar just posted that time at the SEC Championships, throwing down a lifetime best performance to place 5th, showing he is in top form at the moment. The sophomore has made huge strides in his race since last year, when he finished 21st at NCAAs in 41.96. Hribar is experiencing something of a breakthrough season, as he has consistently been posting faster times this season than he was a year ago, so he’ll have to maintain that momentum to secure a spot in the ‘A’ final.

The Returning Threats

Two more of last season’s top performers are back in the pool and ready to make waves once again this year. Tennessee’s Gui Caribe was the runner-up in 2024, posting a lifetime best 40.55, and comes into the meet this week as the #4 seed. Caribe posted a season-best time of 40.85 at the Tennessee Invite back in November before replicating that exact time again at the SEC Championships a few weeks ago. His performance at SECs saw him take 3rd behind Crooks and Liendo, putting him in good shape to be right in the thick of the racing at NCAAs.

Not far behind Caribe is Texas’s Chris Guiliano, who placed 4th at SECs in 41.15. Guiliano heads into the competition as the #6 seed with a season-best time of 41.13, posted during the prelims of the SEC Championships. His performance at the conference championship was a bit slower than where he was this time a year ago, as he turned in a lifetime best time of 40.62 at the 2024 ACCs.

Last year’s NCAAs saw the Olympic freestyle star place 5th overall in 40.66, just off of that personal best he had posted a few weeks prior, showcasing his consistency from one meet to the next. With Giuliano’s races at this year’s SECs also being very consistent but slightly slower, it’s perhaps a bit more debatable if he will bring his times back down to that mid-40 range at the NCAA Championships.

More familiar names from the 2024 NCAAs include Texas A&M’s Connor Foote and NC State’s Quintin McCarty. Last season saw them finish 12th (41.49) and 19th (41.87), respectively, with them jumping up the rankings this season. Foote threw down a lifetime best time of 41.38 as the leadoff of the 400 free relay at the SEC Championships, bumping him up to the #10 seed, while McCarty turned in a personal best of 41.45 at the ACC Championships the same weekend and is now the #14 seed.

If Foote can turn in a similarly strong performance this week, he could very well break into the ‘A’ final. McCarty would likely have to push a bit more and lower his time even further, but it could also be possible for him to squeeze his way into the ‘A’ final or at least closer to that top eight cutoff.

Patrick Sammon is poised to make a splash this year. After placing 28th at NCAAs last season, the Arizona State senior has shot up the rankings and is now seeded 11th heading into the meet. He posted a lifetime best time of 41.39 at the Big 12 Championships, taking 2nd behind teammate Kulow and shaving almost .4 off of his previous best. The performance was Sammon’s fastest race of the season by .41, showing him to be in top form in the lead-up to NCAAs.

Also worth noting are Cal’s Bjorn Seeliger and Virginia Tech’s Youssef Ramadan; the pair have contested the 100 free at the NCAAs before but could see dramatically different results this year.

Seeliger placed 8th in 41.80 at the 2024 NCAA Championships and recently posted a season-best time of 41.77 at the ACCs, which is faster than the swims he was posting around the same time last year. With a best time of 40.75 from back in 2022, Seeliger has strong potential to be one of the top competitors in this race, although he would have to make huge leap forwards in prelims; he is currently the #21 seed.

Ramadan placed 12th last year in 41.16, just .01 off of his lifetime best set in 2023, but has not been anywhere close to that time since then. He is entered with a time of 41.89, making him the #25 seed; while his times tend to take big swings throughout the season, they normally start an upward trend heading into the championship season which hasn’t happened this year. All of Ramadan’s most recent performances have been in the 42 range, meaning he’ll have to make a huge jump if he wants to make it back for finals.

New Names on the Block

Two of the biggest ‘A’ final threats are new to the 100 free at NCAAs this year. After not competing at the NCAA Championships last season, Cal Baptist’s Remi Fabiani has returned to the lineup and is the #7 seed in the event.

Fabiani enjoyed a tremendous season, turning in eight personal best times and sweeping the sprint free events at the WAC Championships in late February. He threw down a time of 41.23 as the leadoff on the 400 free relay, knocking almost a full second off of his previous best time (42.21) from two years prior. Fabiani should be one of the top contenders for the ‘A’ final, but his times do have a tendency to peak then dip again, so he could be harder-pressed to turn in another top performance.

Florida’s Julian Smith did not contest the 100 free at last season’s championship; the last time he raced the event at NCAAs was in 2023, when he placed 21st. Smith is currently the #9 seed after turning in a lifetime best time of 41.34 at the SEC Championships to take 6th overall. All five of those who beat him are set to race the 100 free at NCAAs, meaning Smith will face tough competition as he fights to edge his way into the ‘A’ final.

Smith has only swam the 100 free twice this season, at SECs and back in November, so it is hard to say exactly how his season stacks up to all of the competitors, but both performances were faster than any he posted last year. If he can hold onto that upwards momentum, Smith could make a breakthrough to secure a spot in the ‘A’ final, although it should be noted that this is very much his third event behind the 100 breast and 200 IM.

A handful of freshmen will be looking to make a name for themselves in their NCAA Championship debut. NC State’s Kaii Winkler is the #11 seed, tied with Sammon in 41.39, while Florida’s Alexander Painter sits just behind him at #13 in 41.41. Meanwhile, European champion Tomas Lukminas of Arizona rounds out the group as the #16 seed, entered with a time of 41.56.

Winkler, a national age group record holder, has been incredibly consistent in his races this season, turning in low 42s across the board before moving into that 41 range at the UNC Invite in early February. He posted a lifetime best 41.39 as the leadoff on the 400 free relay at the ACCs a few weeks ago and placed 5th in the individual event with a time of 41.76 behind the likes of Alexy, McCarty and Whitfield. If Winkler can pull off a similar swim to his relay performance, he should be right on the cusp of breaching the top eight.

Originally from England, this is Painter’s first season racing SCY, so there isn’t as much history to compare. His times ranged from 42.6 to 44.7 throughout the regular season before culminating in a top performance of 41.41 at the SEC Championships in February. Painter finished 7th overall, just .07 behind Smith; unless he pulls off another significant time drop at NCAAs, it isn’t too likely that he’ll land himself in the ‘A’ final, but he should be safely in the ‘B’ final.

Lukminas posted his lifetime best time of 41.56 during prelims at the Big 12 Championships before taking 3rd in 41.97 in finals. With Whitfield seeded just .04 behind him, he’ll need to turn in a strong performance to secure a spot in finals.

SwimSwam’s Picks

Dark Horse: Brendan Whitfield, Virginia Tech – Whitfield finished 27th in 42.07 at the 2024 NCAA Championships but is currently the #17 seed heading into the meet this week. The sophomore threw down a lifetime-best performance of 41.60 at the ACC Championships a few weeks ago and looks to be in top form for NCAAs. While he may not make it all the way into the top eight, Whitfield has a solid shot at securing a spot in the ‘B’ final.