Rex Maurer Repeats as 400 IM National Champion, Breaks Nine-Year-Old American Record in 3:32.96

2026 NCAA Division I Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships

• Dates: Wednesday, March 25–Saturday, March 28
• Location: McAuley Aquatic Center, Atlanta, GA
• Defending Champions: Texas (1x)
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  • Prelims: Day 1 | Day 2
  • Finals: Day 1 | Day 2

Men’s 400 Individual Medley – Final

• NCAA Record: 3:28.82 – Leon Marchand, ASU (2023)
• Championship Record: 3:28.82 – Leon Marchand, ASU (2023)
• American Record: 3:33.42 – Chase Kalisz, Georgia (2017)
• U.S. Open Record: 3:28.82 – Leon Marchand, ASU (2023)
• 2025 Champion: Rex Maurer, Texas – 3:34.00
• 2025 8th/16th Prelims Times: 3:38.56/3:40.38

Top 8 Finishers

1. Rex Maurer (TEX) — 3:32.96 **New American Record
2. Baylor Nelson (TEX) — 3:35.28
3. Tristan Jankovics (OSU) — 3:35.40
4. Lorne Wigginton (MICH) — 3:35.63
5. Ryan Erisman (CAL) — 3:36.32
6. Cooper Lucas (TEX) — 3:36.87
7. Josh Bey (IU) — 3:37.23
8. Joshua Staples (NU) — 3:43.95

After nine years, we finally have a new American Record holder in the 400 IM as Texas junior Rex Maurer became the first sub-3:33 American ever, winning his 2nd consecutive 400 IM NCAA title in 3:32.96, taking down Chase Kalisz‘s 2017 American record of 3:33.42.

Maurer’s time was more than a full second faster than what he went to win this event in 2025 as a sophomore, touching in 3:34.00, which previously made him the 5th fastest performer in history.

This swim moves him up two spots to #3 all-time in the event, only trailing NCAA record-holder Leon Marchand‘s 3:28.82, and Cal’s Hugo Gonzalez de Oliveira‘s 2022 NCAA championships swim of 3:32.88.

All-Time Top 400 IM Performers:

1. Leon Marchand – 3:28.82 (2023)
2. Hugo González de Oliveira – 3:32.88 (2022)
3. Rex Maurer – 3:32.96 (2026)
4. Chase Kalisz – 3:33.42 (2017)
5. Carson Foster – 3:33.79 (2022)

Maurer was in control of this race from start to finish, opening in 48.22 on the butterfly, giving him more than half a second of cushion between himself and the rest of the field. That momentum was carried through to the backstroke as Maurer then opened up to a near two-second cushion at the halfway mark, turning in 1:41.28.

Though his weakest stroke, Maurer held strong on the breaststroke, as he would split 1:01.76, a near second faster than his 2025 breaststroke split of 1:02.72. By the 300, Maurer still held a decent lead, but nobody would catch the Longhorns mid-distance ace as he would storm home in 49.72 to put the finishing touches on a record-breaking swim.

Splits Comparison (Maurer 2026 v. Kalisz 2017 v. Maurer 2025)

Maurer was one of three Longhorns in that championship final, as his teammate Baylor Nelson wound up finishing just behind in 3:35.28 to finish runner-up. Cooper Lucas was 6th in the final in 3:36.87.