Will Modglin made a statement last weekend at the Texas Hall of Fame Invite. In his first swim, the 50 back leading off the 200 medley relay, he swam 20.00, the fastest 50y back in history. He went onto swim a 43.26 in the 100 back, breaking the American record and coming within .06 of his teammate, Hubi Kos’s, NCAA record.
Modglin also swam a 50.91 100 Breast, one of four loghorns who broke the 51-second barrier in the event. The funny thing about that: Modglin doesn’t train breaststroke. At all.
The WUG’s gold medalist from this summer gets into this and more in today’s episode.
In the SwimSwam Podcast dive deeper into the sport you love with insider conversations about swimming. Hosted by Coleman Hodges and Gold Medal Mel Stewart, SwimSwam welcomes both the biggest names in swimming that you already know, and rising stars that you need to get to know, as we break down the past, present, and future of aquatic sports.
- Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify
- Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts
- Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean
- Click here to listen and subscribe on Google
- Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube
- Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes
- Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher
- Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio
- Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon
- Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora
Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com
Opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the interviewed guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints of the hosts, SwimSwam Partners, LLC and/or SwimSwam advertising partners.
19.9/42.9 incoming
I don’t think it’s that serious
Wait a minute…. Will mentions “all of the guys who will be joining us next semester”, that sounds like there’s more than just Evan Bailey coming in. Wonder if Glivinskiy is too?
Hubert Kos. Not sure who else…
Oh, Masiuk? So I guess there’s 4 guys? The fight to make the NCAA roster will be absurd
Ksawery Masiuk, ??Glivinskiy??
Is underwater speed still in its infancy or are we almost maxed out? Genuinely curious on
Other peoples takes… and that includes pullouts
Ive been thinking there might be more room in the end phase of undies, into breakouts and first couple strokes. Really training to sprint the last 2 kicks, breakouts, and first 2-3 stroke cycles. But this would apply more to a 200+ cus sprinters already do this and thats why theres almost 20 guys going 41s in the ncaa in november
Its just so obvious that the wall especially and underwaters are the fastest you’ll be, so building everything around maintaining the velocity on the sketchiest part of swimming where most can go wrong (transitioning from underwater to surface) seems like there’s gotta be room there. We’ve all seen in practice how going a fast couple undies and 4 strokes… Read more »
I suppose you could ask this about swimming in general and swimmers/coaches seem to find ways to get faster.
Coleman, thanks for this. I’ve been waiting to see someone interview Modglin
I wonder how many swimmers can genuinely claim this level of versatility across back and breast. Phelps and Lochte of course, but anyone else?
Marchand, obviously. But it’s pretty rare.
Douglass. Thiago Periera.
Not Douglass. Alex Walsh though
Gretchen? Homegirl went a 56 last year
In the big pool though? Neither her back nor her breatstroke is very elite.
Are we not talking about Will Modglin in scy though? I don’t think he swims breast LCM…
Yeah I suppose. OP brought up Phelps and Lochte which automatically made me think of LCM.
Oops yea lol my bad
douglass is 50.9 in the 100 back and obviously an elite short course breaststroker
edit: wait she’s 50.4, that’s arguably better than 50.9 in the men’s 100 breast if you compare against recent NCAA championship placement
i don’t think Phelps or Lochte were *this* good at both back and breast. Back and fly, totally. But not breast. Although tbf neither raced it a ton
What did Phelps go in the 2 breast at US Nats in 2015? I remember it 2:12ish…pretty solid for an older GOAT in an off event.
That’s true! I forgot about that. I think Lochte was 1:02 or 1:03 100 breast actually too, he would swim it at pro swims every once in a while
Ryan was 1:02.1 at a pro swim in 2016, don’t think its crazy to say he could have been close or under 1:00 in 2011-12 while tapered.
And yeah MP was 1:02.5 at an NBAC meet in 2010 and 2:11.3 in 2015 at Nats. They both could swim near world-class breaststroke which was all they needed for their IM.
Caulkins. American record holder in the 200 yd back, multiple American records in the 100 and 200 breaststroke yards and LCM. When Caulkins was sixteen she set American records in the 100 breast and 500 free in the same session.
Michael andrew (50/100) and daiya seto (200). Shaine casas probably could do a great 100 breast as well
Baylor Nelson 1:50 200 breast 45.5 100 back. It’s no 43.2 but 45.5 is still fast
Also, a lot of these guys didn’t pan out, but this was a fun article when it came out: https://swimswam.com/arsenio-bustos-joins-rare-echelon-of-just-5-swimmers-at-connecticut-club-meet/
Luciene Vergnes (ASU)
Jordan Tiffany now too, lol
Hugo Gonzalez
David Nolan. Dude would get 2nd behind Murphy at NCAAs and split 51 low for Stanford’s medley relay
Seliskar too
Backstroke and breaststroke are two very different strokes. His versatility is quite good, perhaps consider doing IM?
He’s does do IM
Modglin has proven himself a useful 200 IMer.
SCY 1:40.45PB (7th in ’25 NCAAs prelim, but he was dq’d for going past vertical on back to breast turn); only other returners from that Final are Kos and McDonald.
LCM 1:58.44PB; 8th at US ’21 Olympic Trials; was 17th in prelims (2:00.37), advanced to semi-finals on scratch by Trenton Julian; in Semi he was 1:58.44PB for 8th; in Final he repeated both his time and place (1:58.44, 8th). Interestingly, in the OT Semi he knocked out Maximus Wiliamson, who was 9th.
Huge if true
He was state champion in IM multiple years in HS. Not to mention his HS national record in 100 back.