Disclaimer: Dolfin Swim of the Week is not meant to be a conclusive selection of the best overall swim of the week, but rather one Featured Swim to be explored in deeper detail. The Dolfin Swim is an opportunity to take a closer look at the context of one of the many fast swims this week, perhaps a swim that slipped through the cracks as others grabbed the headlines, or a race we didn’t get to examine as closely in the flood of weekly meets.
COVID-19 and the worldwide pandemic is slowing the sport of swimming to halt – so we’re temporarily repurposing our “swim of the week” to highlight a great swim from history.
Today is March 27 – that’s a very fast day in history, considering it was the Friday of 2009 Men’s NCAAs. The height of the super-suit era smashed up the record books, including some swims that still rank among the best in history. Stanford’s Austin Staab owns one of them.
As of 2003, no one had ever been under 45 seconds in the 100-yard butterfly. Ian Crocker did so in 2004, and by 2007, the NCAA record stood at 44.57 from Albert Subirats.
In 2009, the Stanford sophomore Staab blew out both times, going 44.18 for American, NCAA, and U.S. Open records. In fact, his time still ranks as the #3 all-time NCAA performer behind Caeleb Dressel (42.80) and Joseph Schooling (43.75).
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Really cool photo if you zoom in around his head
2009, so it was done in a “flotation” suit. His time is irrelevant and not comparable to current sub 45 flyers.
He went 44mid without the body suits his senior year. So still pretty legit.
What happen to his career after that?
He was a short course specialist, he graduated in 2011 and got on with his life. Think he swam 2012 trials but he was never a major player long course.
Amazing underwaters, one of his high school records only just got broken: https://swimswam.com/ohio-state-commit-khouzam-breaks-austin-staabs-100-fl-record-at-ohio-d1-states/
His pool record was beat by Cody Bybee 3 years ago. But he is D2 so Staab’s D1 state record stood until this year. Bybee still holds D2 state and pool record. 46.97
42.8 is so hard to wrap my head around. Same race Schooling goes the 2nd fastest time ever. I do want to make a note that Tom Shields was the first under 44 with his 43.84, making Staab the 4th fastest man.
Out in 19.99?!?!? I heard someone say long ago that Dressel swims videogame times hahaha
Staab’s time is not 3rd, but 4th all time— Tom Shields first broke 44 with a 43.84 at 2016 Winter Nats. People really always be sleepin on Tom smh
I think it meant just in the NCAA, however, Caelebs been faster than that twice. So it should read as the #3 performer not performance