2025 U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Tuesday, June 3 – Saturday, June 7, 2025
- Indianapolis, Indiana
- Indiana University Natatorium
- LCM (50 meters)
- Meet Central
- World Championship Selection Criteria
MEN’S 200 BUTTERFLY: BY THE NUMBERS
- World Record: 1:50.34, Kristof Milak (HUN) – 2022
- American Record: 1:51.51, Michael Phelps – 2009
- 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials Winner: Thomas Heilman, 1:54.50
- World Aquatics ‘A’ Cut: 1:56.51
Ever since Michael Phelps‘ epic Olympic gold medal victory in his career curtain call in 2016, the U.S. men have had an extended drought from the podium in the 200 butterfly at major international meets.
Since Rio, the Americans have not won a medal in the men’s 200 fly at the Olympics or World Championships (LC), including having no finalists in the event last summer in Paris.
However, based on what we’ve seen in the past few months, that could very well change this year.
URLANDO RIDING TIDAL WAVE OF MOMENTUM
It was a slow build for Luca Urlando in his return to top form after three shoulder dislocations led to surgery at the end of 2022, but the University of Georgia star is finally firing on all cylinders.
Luca Urlando (photo: Jack Spitser)
After missing the 2022-23 NCAA season with injury and then redshirting the 2023-24 campaign, Urlando qualified for the U.S. Olympic team in the 200 fly last summer, a redemption swim of sorts after he placed 3rd at the 2021 Trials and missed a spot at the Tokyo Games by nine one-hundredths of a second.
At the 2024 Trials, Urlando clocked 1:54.64 in the semis, his fastest swim in two years, before placing 2nd in the final (1:55.08). In Paris, he failed to earn a second swim, finishing 17th in 1:56.18.
Since then, however, he’s been on fire.
Returning to Athens for his first full NCAA season since 2021-22, Urlando reeled off the four fastest swims in history in the 200 fly in a two-month span from January to March, culminating with his stunning American Record of 1:36.43 in the NCAA final.
He carried that momentum directly over to the long course pool, racing at the Pro Swim Series in Sacramento and smashing his personal best in the 200 fly, bringing his 2019 PB of 1:53.84 down to 1:52.37 to launch him into #4 all-time in the historical rankings.
While that performance brings plenty of excitement regarding Urlando’s medal prospects at Worlds, the first step is getting there at Nationals. Based on what we’ve seen in 2025, he’ll have no problem getting the job done.
HEILMAN, FOSTER PRESENT BIGGEST CHALLENGES FOR URLANDO
There have only been six Americans ever under 1:54 in the 200 fly, and along with Urlando, two others are active: Carson Foster and Thomas Heilman.
The two are at very different stages of their career, with Foster having competed for three years in college before turning pro in May 2023, while Heilman is scheduled to begin his NCAA career this coming fall.
The 200 fly for Foster has always been more of a secondary focus, opting not to race it at the Olympic Trials last summer, but he’s shown flashes of brilliance over the last few years, including setting a PB of 1:53.67 in 2022 and then clocking 1:53.85 in the semis of the 2023 World Championships before finishing 6th in the final.
Thomas Heilman (photo: Jack Spitser)
Heilman already has plenty of international experience under his belt despite only turning 18 in February, tying for 4th at the 2023 Worlds in a lifetime best of 1:53.82 before claiming victory in the event at the 2024 Olympic Trials (1:54.50) to punch his ticket to his first Olympic Games.
In Paris, Heilman placed 10th, clocking 1:54.87 in the semis to miss earning a lane in the final by a quarter of a second.
Time will tell if Heilman can get to another level in the 200 fly this summer. His 1:53.82 best time is nearly two years old, and while his lofty potential leads us to believe he’ll be faster, he was only 1:58.77 in his lone long course swim so far this season. However, he did set a SCY PB of 1:38.95 in December, so with a taper, the form should be there.
Foster, on the other hand, showed strong form at the Pro Swim in Fort Lauderdale, putting up a time of 1:55.84, which marks his fastest time ever in a season prior to the month of June.
OLYMPIC TRIALS FINALISTS
Only two swimmers have featured in all four 200 fly finals at U.S. selection meets dating back to 2021: Zach Harting and Trenton Julian.
Harting said he was taking an “extended sabbatical” away from the sport in December, so we don’t expect him to be racing in Indianapolis, but Julian figures to be in the mix for a top finish once again.
Julian, 26, broke through to make the World Championship team in 2022, setting what remains his best time of 1:54.22 at the 2022 International Team Trials. He was then 4th at the 2023 Nationals and 7th at last summer’s Olympic Trials.
Trenton Julian (photo: Jack Spitser)
The thing with Julian is that he always employs a “fly and die” strategy, typically leading a race early, often through 150 meters, before fading on the last length and trying to hang on.
That’s remained the case this season, though he still ranks 3rd among Americans in 2025 after winning the Westmont Pro Swim in 1:56.02. He’ll almost definitely be in the final, but likely needs to save some gas for the last 50 if he has a chance for a top two finish.
In addition to Heilman, Urlando, Julian and Harting, the other swimmers in the Olympic Trials final last year were Mason Laur, Dare Rose, Colby Mefford and Jack Dahlgren.
All four swimmers set personal bests in the 1:55-range in the Trials semis, led by Laur at 1:55.05. He went on to place 3rd in the final (1:55.37), and though he’s much better in the long course pool, is coming off setting a PB of 1:41.70 in the SCY 200 fly at NCAAs in March.
Dare Rose (photo: Jack Spitser)
Rose, who broke through in 2023 to win bronze in the 100 fly at the World Championships, set his best time of 1:55.25 in the Trials semis and is coming off a runner-up finish at NCAAs in a PB of 1:38.04, making him a candidate to dip into 1:54 territory and challenge for a top-two finish.
Mefford has retired, while Dahlgren has been traveling around the country training out of a camper van in 2025.
The 25-year-old has shown solid form so far this year, racing at all three Pro Swim meets and most recently hitting a pair of 1:56s in Fort Lauderdale. He’s trending towards being back in the 1:55s in Indianapolis, which should put him in the final.
The status of Chase Kalisz, who was a finalist in the 200 fly as recently as the 2023 Nationals, is unknown as he hasn’t raced since November.
RISING CONTENDERS
There’s a group of four swimmers, all between 20 and 21 years old, who have yet to be in a major national final (in the 200 fly) but will be chomping at the bit this year to take that next step after strong starts to the season.
Ryan Branon (1:56.81), Mitchell Schott (1:57.23), Aaron Shackell (1:57.49) and Arthur Balva (1:57.99) rank in the top eight domestically so far this season and are the top candidates to crack the ‘A’ final with Urlando, Heilman, Foster, Julian, Laur and Rose likely taking up six of the eight spots.
Among that group, Branon might be the one to watch for the most after he dropped more than a second and a half at the Fort Lauderdale Pro Swim.
Schott was just off his PB of 1:57.15 from the Olympic Trials in Fort Lauderdale, while Balva was just over six-tenths shy of his 1:57.35 best time from last July.
Shackell, who moved back home to Carmel Swim Club after spending the early stages of last NCAA season at Texas, owns a best time of 1:55.81 from the 2022 Junior Pan Pacs, and though he hasn’t broken 1:57 since the summer of 2023, his early-season 1:57.49 in March (and then 1:58.32 in May) is promising.
SWIMSWAM’S PICKS
| Rank | Swimmer | Season-Best | Personal Best |
| 1 | Luca Urlando | 1:52.37 | 1:52.37 |
| 2 | Thomas Heilman | 1:58.77 | 1:53.82 |
| 3 | Carson Foster | 1:55.84 | 1:53.67 |
| 4 | Dare Rose | N/A | 1:55.25 |
| 5 | Mason Laur | N/A | 1:55.05 |
| 6 | Trenton Julian | 1:56.02 | 1:54.22 |
| 7 | Ryan Branon | 1:56.81 | 1:56.81 |
| 8 | Jack Dahlgren | 1:56.83 | 1:55.65 |
Dark Horse: Drew Hitchcock – Hitchcock has yet to race the 200 fly in LCM this year, but is coming off his debut NCAA season with Georgia that included a new best time in the SCY event (1:41.09). Hitchcock was a semi-finalist last summer at Trials, setting a PB of 1:57.41 in the prelims.
Why are we sleeping on Mason Laur. He swam a best time in yards at NCAA and is always much better LCM!!!!?
Side note: whats the deal with TJ? Is there not a plethora of smart people who have guided him/ been in his corner telling him the obvious with his race strategy? It looks like beating your head against a wall. How do you train so hard for so many years and not experiment with race strategy/ optimization? So baffling
Steinway is his destiny.
Urlando is swimming at the Athens Bulldogs Grandslam this weekend. Interested to see what happens in that 2 fly
Bro should be a comfortable podium lock given Leon off form and Ilya selling the 2fly away
I wouldn’t write off Ilya based on one Pro Series
Im as stoked as anyone on Luca getting to this level and fulfilling the prophecy, but “peaking at the right time” would have been last summer when there was an Olympics.
Now its about holding form for 3 more years, and as Dre said, “anyone can get it, the hard part is keepin it mothaf#%cka”
No prophecy fulfilled yet. He will need to wait 3 more years, as you mentioned.
Fair enough. I was thinking as far as times go with the prophecy cus there was 6 years where it was like ok bros never dropping from his 17 yo times and we still love him. (Says the commenter who’s almost 30 with a pb in my best event from 15 yo)
Heilman went a PB of 138.95 earlier in the season short course. The article just references his 140.
This is probably the easiest event to pick of the entire meet. I’m not expecting blazing fast times from Urlando or Heilman in the final of trials, I’m expecting they’ll take different approaches to this meet as compared to last year where they were both faster at Trials than in Paris.
We need a Luca Urlando world title run 😭