2023 NCAA DIVISION I MEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
- March 22-25, 2023
- Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center | Minneapolis, MN
- SCY (25 yards)
- Meet Central
- Psych Sheets
- SwimSwam Preview Index
- SwimSwam Pick ’em Contest
- Live Results
- Day 1 Finals Live Recap
- Day 2 Prelims Live Recap |Day 2 Finals Live Recap
When leading off Florida’s US Open and NCAA record-breaking 200 free relay, Josh Liendo clocked a time of 18.22, which has him passing Bjorn Seeliger to become the third-fastest performer of all-time in the men’s 50-yard free. Liendo dropped 0.13 seconds from his previous best time of 18.35 that had him ranked #5 all-time, and was also faster than Jordan Crooks‘ NCAA title-winning time of 18.32 from earlier on in the session.
All-Time Top Performers, Men’s 50-Yard Freestyle
- Caeleb Dressel, Florida — 17.63 (2018)
- Jordan Crooks, Tennessee — 17.93 (2023)
- Josh Liendo, Florida — 18.22 (2023)
- Bjorn Seeliger, Cal — 18.27 (2022)
- Ryan Hoffer, Cal — 18.33 (2021)
In addition, Liendo also broke Jordan Crooks‘ 2022 freshman record time of 18.53 by 0.31 seconds, making him the new fastest freshman of all-time. Liendo was born on August 20, 2002, which makes him 20 years, 7 months, and 1 day old and a little under a year older than Crooks when he set the previous freshman record (Crooks had been 19 years, 9 months, and 19 days old). That being said, Liendo is still only a year older than the typical freshman.
With two freshmen being faster than Caeleb Dressel was at the the same point in his college career, it is possible that 17.63 could be on borrowed time at this point.
All-Time Top Freshman Performers, Men’s 50-Yard Freestyle
- Josh Liendo, Florida — 18.22 (2023)
- Jordan Crooks, Tennessee — 18.53 (2022)
- Caeleb Dressel, Florida — 18.67 (2015)
- Bjorn Seeliger, Cal — 18.71 (2021)
- David Curtiss, NC State — 18.74 (2022)
Watch Liendo’s swim down below:
Hard to see a scenario where he stays at florida 4 years in the collegiate system
Not trying to equate different events, or write off either Crooks or Liendo (both of whom are mega-talents and may drop substantial time), but in terms of percentage away from the record, Crooks is like a 4:10 500 swimmer, and Liendo is like a 4:14.
Hoffer’s time was in 2021 methinks.
i don’t think the typical freshman is 19 by the time their first college class starts?
Not by their first college class, but by March a lot of freshmen who came in as 18 would have turned 19.
(Unrelated but when I typed March it autocorrected to Marchand 💀)
Fair enough, class year just starts to feel a little meaningless when Liendo at the end of his first semester a couple months ago was the same age as Douglass when she went 3/3 at NCAAs last year
on the other hand, Dressel at Liendo’s current age had an 18.20 PB so Liendo is doing very well even by age, especially considering he’s new to SCY (although Dressel’s PB at that age was set at NCAAs a year ago)
Yeah but Douglass is really young for her class too. I’m pretty sure Alex Walsh is a few months older than her and she’s in the grade below her
I think discussions of someone’s times as a freshman can have more meaning than just age. Freshmen are newly navigating an entirely new environment, first time doing college classes, often first time living away from home, training with a new coach/teammates, etc. It can be a lot and many freshmen don’t perform their best due to all those factors. Add in more layers for Liendo with swimming yards this year for the first time and moving to a new country. His transition to NCAA has been very impressive, even if he is older than the typical freshman.
He is 20. Bjorn was older too. It’s not really worth mentioning the freshman thing for the older foreigners, age is a big factor for guys, especially around 18-21.
I was responding to the “That being said, Liendo is still only a year older than the typical freshman.” part cuz it seems that Liendo is more than a year older than the average freshman
Liendo was born on August 20, 2002, which makes him 20 years, 7 months, and 1 day old … That being said, Liendo is still only a year older than the typical freshman.
Sorry, guys, but the typical freshman is NOT turning 20 this summer.