This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discussed the crazy fast swims we’ve seen this October from NCAA dual meets and the first stop of the World Cup in Berlin. See full list of topics below:
- 0:00 SwimSwam Breakdown Introduction
- 1:49 Is this the fastest October in the NCAA Ever?
- 20:03 Top 3 Swims from Berlin World Cup
SINK OR SWIM
- 29:20 Would the NCAA be more exciting if it was formatted like college football?
- 35:08 Will USC or Stanford place higher at 2024 Women’s NCAA Championships?
- 38:43 Which sport would you most like to see in the LA2028 Olympics? (Flag Football, Baseball/Softball, Cricket, Squash, or Lacrosse)
Years ago everyone swam tired in season and no one wore speed suits until mid season meets or championships meets at the end of the season.
Then a few teams started suiting up for their intrasquad meets.
Then a few teams starting suiting up for all meets.
Now teams are training at race pace or faster more often throughout the season and don’t seem to be as broken down as in the past.
Couple all these things together and you’ll get faster swimming early on in the season.
you say NCAAs should be duel meet tourney style due to the unpredictable nature and potential more upsets. then you overwhelmingly pick the finalists of UVA, Texas, ASU and Cal. Same top teams in current format.
USC beats Louisville in duel meet, but it doesn’t count because Louisville doesn’t swim fast until championship season. yet Gabi Albiero has posted the fastest 50/100 free times in the country each week
Dual Meet upsets can happen due to a team’s stars out performing the other team’s since a team winning the event means that team coming out ahead no matter 2nd 3rd 4th etc.
I think the issue is that those top teams have stars that will still win against since stars congregate together on the same team.
Swimming is just too skill based over luck based to have truly unpredictable results and upsets.
Championship style meets can arguably be more unpredictable (after the top 2 teams) since it relies more on the depth of a team over its top swimmers.
Peanut Gallery:
NCAA-You say that ASU was off the charts…but you should say ASU men were off the chart! Why don’t you talk about the men and women discrepancy? They wore tech suits too! I don’t think two programs have been at such opposite ends of spectrum!
Before the UGA//ASU dual meet, I said Leon should swim backstrokes vs UGA. I got blowback saying they had it covered. Well UGA won both backstrokes (1-2 in 100 I think) and ASU went 1-4 in the breastrokers!
Trying to mix up the events some isn’t the answer to getting more eyes on the sport! You compare it to the “fun” of the failed ISL! What were the ratings of… Read more »
1. When I said Leon Marchand needed to be promoted (and honestly, a lot of other well known swimmers at ASU such as Regan Smith and Simone Manuel), I didn’t mean in the NIL sense—I’m well aware of the restrictions on international athletes. I meant that their names needed to be marketed as a way to draw more attendance to ASU swim meets.
2. Also no one *actually* thinks Thomas Ceccon should/would swim NCAA. He literally is ineligible because he did ISL. We were clearly joking
I expect that ASU will have at least 3 swimmers in the Olympics and perhaps more. I expect at least two of those swimmers will win medals
Americans?
Well, he didn’t say just Americans or ASU grads. But even if he did, Sammon, House, Kulow, Matheson and Looney are all reasonable prospects, 30% shot or better, for the US team.
Given that 2 swimmers from ASU were individual world champions this year that seems a pretty safe bet
If you take away the open turn time from Marchand’s back split in his 200 IM, he’s around 22 flat. That’s faster than any 100 backstroker came back in the second 50. Based on that, it seems like he could probably go around 43 flat in a tapered 100 back.
Why is this getting downvoted. He went 44.7 in a dual meet he definitely coulf
Leon Marchand and ASU have made what are supposed to be boring and slow training months into exciting and fast swims.
I’m not saying teams should suit up for every dual meet and I’m hardly a fan of Bowman, but clearly swimming fast year round has its merits and more teams should take notes
Most positive and well received comment Andrew has EVER made. Yeahhhhh!
Coleman – quit drooling over the UVA women’s team. Saying they have the clear top swimmer in most events is just wrong. Even if you give Gretchen and Alex 3 each, and I think that’s very debatable when you add Bella this year, there are still 7 other events + diving. I don’t see a clear cut UVA favorite after the Walshes and Bella can possibly win 200fr-500fr-4IM and maybe a fly or back and 2IM if she went that route vs a Walsh.
Whoa whoa whoa. This was in the hypothetical situation that NCAAs came down to a team vs team dual meet (like our current SwimSwam poll says), not the normal NCAA format. So I was speaking only in terms of Texas vs UVA because at this point, they are unanimously the two best women’s teams. (So no Bella Sims)
Gretchen takes 3 events. A Walsh takes 2-3 I think (I’d slot her in 2IM, 2Free, 2Fly) competing w Kelly Pash and Emma Stick. Ella Nelson takes 4IM and can challenge Lydia/Anna in 2 Breast. Tiltmann 2Back. Plus they take all the relays and have depth…
That’s a pretty easy call for me. It’s UVA
If Leon were to swim off events at NCAAs (he won’t), I think the most entertaining lineup from a fans perspective would be if he went after Dressel’s events.
^^^^
I’m not from the digital age. What do those symbols mean as relates to NCAA swimming?
They signify arrows pointing to the comment it’s replying to. It’s a shorthand for “I agree with the above”
Gotcha. Thanks.
Those events are loaded with talent. I think Marchand could *maybe* A final in 50, A final but not win the 100 free, and *maybe* win the 100 fly.
ASU is strong enough in the IMs, I could see Marchand doing 500 free and 100 breast to give his teammates a better scoring opportunity.
100 breast over 400IM is definitely possible this year. Kos is the fastest returner behind Marchand, so if he looks good they could definitely move Marchand to the 100 breast. Considering how wide open it is he could definitely win.
I don’t think he’ll swim the 500. ASU distance has good depth, so they should get a few guys into the B final at least. If Marchand tries to duel Hafnaoui in the 500 he’ll be handing the 200 IM to Destin Lasco
And also that each of those events have the second-fastest performer ever after Dressel actively swimming in them.
Though imagine Leon taking on Hafnaoui, Hobson, Magahey in the 500.
He went 4:07.8 in the 500 in a dual meet.
He went 3:31 in the 400 I’m in a dual meet.
We know he dropped 3 seconds in the 400 IM so it’s realistic he’s be able to drop 3 seconds in the 500 as well taking him to 4:04. It’s crazy to think that but the numbers make it seem possible.
Sink or Swim: Ilya Kharun is the most likely Sandpiper to win an individual Olympic gold during their career.
I’m not sure about this one… none of the young crop of sandpipers have current times that are anywhere near an individual Olympic gold, but they’re all young and on the rise so conceivably any of them or none of them could win.
If I had to choose I’d say sink I think. I don’t think he’s particularly more likely to pick up an individual gold than Grimes is at OW.
I agree. For now the open water is the only one of their events that doesn’t have a generational talent like Milak, McIntosh, Ledecky, Titmus, O’Callaghan, or hopefully Dressel in the way. But who knows how this will shape up in 2028 or even 2032. I like the program and will be cheering for them all.
Grimes probably has the best chance right now for 2024 via open water but open water can be really unpredictable. All of them have young generational talents in their events (Milak, Macintosh, MOC, Titmus, Ledecky) for 2024 which makes it tough but not impossible.