A Tale Of Two Backstories In Men’s 100 Back Swim-Off At The 2025 NCAA Championships

2025 Men’s NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships

• March 26-29, 2025
• Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatics Center, Federal Way, Washington
• Short Course Yards (25 yards)
• Start Times: Prelims: 10 AM ׀ Finals: 6 PM (Pacific Daylight Time)
• Psych Sheet
• Eligible Relays
• SwimSwam Preview Index
• Live Results
• Live Recaps
  • Prelims: Day 2 | Day 3
  • Finals: Day 1 | Day 2

The NCAA championships are a melting pot consisting of hundreds of swimmers who come from teams across the country. And while they may be competing side-by-side in the pool, they journeys that many of them took to get here are vastly different.

These differences were especially exacerbated in the men’s 100 back swim-off. Cal graduate student Bjorn Seeliger and Northwestern sophomore Stuart Seymour raced for the final spot in the ‘B’ final, with Seeliger handily beating Seymour by 0.94 seconds. However, even with the two swimmers separated by less than a second, the implications of either swimmer’s victory contrasted greatly.

Seeliger is a veteran of the NCAA championships. He’s raced in 12 different individual finals before, finishing as high as second place. His team, Cal, is one of the most successful programs in NCAA history, and he’s won two team championships before donning the blue and gold. This year, the Golden Bears are once again contending for a title, and a swim-off win gives them another 100 back finalist alongside Destin Lasco and Mewen Tomac.

Meanwhile, Seymour is racing at his first-ever NCAA championships. Unlike Seeliger, who has finaled in the 100 back three years in a row, the Northwestern sophomore only broke out this year. Over the course of a season, he improved from 46.82 to 45.07 in the event, breaking all-time great Matt Grevers‘ 100 back team record from 2007. Ironically, Grevers’ era was the last time the Wildcats had a team close to Cal’s level, as the team recorded its highest-ever finish of sixth place in 2008. This year, Northwestern has yet to score. Seymour was the team’s best chance at individual points, being seeded 18th in the 100 back — Northwestern’s highest individual seed across all events.

Ultimately, the more experienced swimmer won. Although Seeliger and Seymour tied in prelims with a time of 45.22, Seeliger was over a second faster in finals, going a best time of 44.17 that would have easily made the ‘A’ final . The Cal swimmer led Seymour from start to finish — the race wasn’t close. Seymour did go faster than his prelims swim, clocking a time of 45.11 that would have gotten him through had he replicated it earlier.

In the finals, Seeliger will race his last-ever 100 back at NCAAs, and he’ll be in a strong position to push forth Cal as national contenders. Meanwhile, Seymour will head into his junior year with added motivation to improve in the 100 back. But the moment Friday morning when Seeliger and Seymour’s path collided is an example of how separate roads can lead two to the same place.