Andrei Minakov Will Return for Senior Season at Stanford

Stanford swimmer Andrei Minakov will return for his senior season with the Cardinal in what should be his final year of collegiate eligibility.

Minakov was the NCAA Champion in the 100 fly in his first season of competition and is the Stanford record holder in the 100 free (41.09), 200 free (1:31.49), 100 fly (43.71). and swam a leg of four school record holding relays.

At the 2024 NCAA Championships, Minakov scored 9 individual points via a 9th place finish in the 200 fly. He also swam on four Stanford relays, all of which placed in the top nine at NCAAs.

In the 100 fly, he finished 20th in 45.11 – about a second off his season of 44.16 that ranked him 5th in the NCAA last season overall. He also had the second-fastest 200 fly overall (1:38.61 – tied).

“I just want to take maximum out of college swimming for the last ride and have fun, show best times and contribute to the team’s success,” Minakov told SwimSwam of his reasons for returning. “Especially because Russian athletes are not allowed to participate anywhere.”

Russian athletes have been barred from competing under the Russian flag at most international competitions, including the Olympics, since the country’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. There have been pathways established for neutral participation, though those pathways have been used sparingly.

Minakov swam 50.86 at the Russian National Championships in 2024 in the 100 meter fly. That was his best time since going 50.83 at the 2019 World Championships – his lifetime best.

His return is big for Stanford, which placed 8th at last year’s NCAA Championships. He was one of only four Stanford athletes who scored individually at NCAAs last season, in addition to a good performance from their relays.

Stanford’s NCAA Scorers Last Season

• Jack Ryan – 31 (diving)
• Ron Polonsky – 16
• Andrei Minakov – 9
• Henry McFadden – 6

Now all four return: Ryan and Polonsky are both seniors, like Minakov, while McFadden, a member of the American World Championships team in 2023, is a sophomore. They also only lost two relay legs: brothers Rex Maurer (transfer to Texas) and Luke Maurer (transfer to swim for his mom Lea at USC).

Minakov redshirted what would have been his freshman year at Stanford, 2020-2021, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and while training for the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Prior to last season, he entered the NCAA Transfer Portal before ultimately deciding to stay at Stanford.

Minakov is studying Science in Technology and Society and is still working on finishing up his undergraduate studies.