Tennessee vs. UGA
- Saturday, January 25th, 2025
- Allan Jones Aquatic Center, Knoxville, TN
- SCY
- Dual Meet Format
- Streaming on SEC+
- Results on Meet Mobile as “Tennesee vs. Georgia”
The oldest men’s all-time yards record in an NCAA championship event finally fell, as Georgia’s Luca Urlando took down the all-time mark in the 200 fly today in Knoxville.
The 22 year-old Urlando started the day off with a relatively-unremarkable 19.94 fly split on the Bulldogs’ 200 medley relay, but he let it loose on the 200 fly, ripping a 1:37.17 that breaks the previous record of 1:37.35 that Texas Longhorn Jack Conger set at the 2017 NCAA Championships.
Comparative Splits
| Urlando, 2025 | Conger, 2017 |
| 22.03 | 21.65 |
| 24.15 (46.18) | 24.13 (45.78) |
| 24.93 (1:11.11) | 25.09 (1:10.87) |
| 26.06 (1:37.17) | 26.48 (1:37.35) |
The biggest difference between the two swims came on the opening and closing 50s — Conger went out substantially faster on the first lap, while Urlando closed on Conger’s record on the final lap, outsplitting him by 0.42s.
All-Time Top Performers, 200 Yard Butterly
- Luca Urlando (Georgia), 2025 – 1:37.17
- Jack Conger (Texas), 2017 – 1:37.35
- Nick Albiero (Lousivlle), 2022 – 1:37.92
- Ilya Kharun (Arizona State), 2024 – 1:37.93
- Joe Schooling (Texas), 2016 – 1:37.97
Urlando now owns the U.S. Open, American, and NCAA records in the 200 fly. Of course, that’s also the fastest dual meet swim ever. Heading into today, it seemed like if the record was going to fall this year, it might come at the hand of ASU’s Ilya Kharun. He’s been 1:37.93 before, his season-best time is a 1:38.74, and he was competing in an electric atmosphere at the Eddie Reese Showdown in Austin. But Kharun was “only” 1:39.18 today, so he’ll have to wait for another chance to tackle the record.
Urlando, meanwhile came into today with a personal best of 1:38.82 from the 2022 NCAA Championships. There was a time about five years ago when it seemed like Urlando would become the next big US swimmer in the 200 fly, as he broke several National Age Group records in both the yards and LCM versions of the event between 2018 and 2020.
He’s struggled with some shoulder issues over the last few years, but largely seems to have regained his butterfly form. He made the US Olympic team in the event last year, finishing 17th in prelims in Paris. So, while today’s swim may have been something of a surprise in the short term, in another sense it seems like the fulfillment of the promise he showed five or six years ago. He hasn’t set a long course personal best in the event since 2019, but surely that’ll be in the sights this summer.
This is the second time that Urlando has popped an unexpected all-time record. At those same 2022 NCAA championships, he led off the Bulldogs’ 400 medley relay in 43.35, setting the U.S. Open, American, and NCAA Records in the 100 back in the process.
Urlando appears to be the first male swimmer ever to set all-time yards records in the 100 back and 200 fly. Natalie Coughlin owned the American Records in the 200 fly and the 100 back from 2002 to 2009.
Clark Smith still holds the oldest men’s yards U.S. Open Record with a 8:33.93 in the 1000 free from 2015, although the 1000 free is not regularly contested at college championship meets. Among standard NCAA Division I championship events, the oldest men’s American Record remains Will Licon‘s 200 breaststroke time of 1:47.91, set minutes before Conger’s swim at the 2017 NCAA Championships.
The male contingent of USA Swimming need “a shot in the arm”.
Luca and Shaine are arguably the two most talented American swimmers of their generation so a great sight to see them do well this weekend
What an if when it comes to Luca. He could have had Olympic and World medals in the 200 fly. Hopefully he can still do in LA 2028.
Looks like he’s doing well
Awesome to see Luca back in a big way in 200 fly. Can’t wait to see what he does at NCAAs and LC later this year. Bodes well for Team USA.
Just saw Jordan Crooks split a 17.66 on the medley relay 😳😳😳
Amazing! Well done Luca!
Leon could kick his way to a 1:35 in a dual meet.
Leon did swim it at an invitational and didn’t kick his way to a 1:35.
Don’t devalue this swim with Marchand glaze.
I’ll confess I’m very guilty of sneering and thinking “we all know Marchand can destroy that”
But actually – no we don’t. Nothing in life is guaranteed and this sport is really damn hard, if it was that easy we wouldn’t all be here on this site.
Jingleberry — you are off by about 4.5 seconds. I felt his blowing by Milak over the last portion of the Paris 200 fly would haved ended suggestions, like your post, that Leon is a one-trick pony underwater specialist.
Leon swam multiple 200 SCY Butterfly races in his college career, including two fall invitation’23, where he was at least quasi-rested; he is #3 (1:39.57; ’22 NC State fall invite ) on the ASU rankings, behind Kharun (1:37.93; ASU @ Stanford, ’24) and Alex Colson (1:39.55; 2nd in ’23 Pac-12).
Marchand arrived at ASU after being 14th in the 200 Fly in Tokyo in both prelims (1:55.85) and semis (1:55.68).
His SCY 200 Fly swims included:
#1 1:43.76 1st Southern Cal… Read more »
“invitation’23” = “invitationals”
Since this article is a well-deserved homage to a great day of swimming by Mr. Urlando, wherein Marchand was raised in the comments, it may be relevant to mention that for a goodly portion of the last training cycles before Luca made his first Olympic Team, he was training with Marchand, Colson and Kalisz in Tempe, Arizona.
I mean do the math here…
50.mid and he’s a 48 high tapered
=3-4 second in a 200 so 1:35-1:36
3:37.9 to 3:28 tapered
= 4-5 second in 200 so 1:34-1:35
Read between the lines and ur looking at 1:34-1:36 in back and fly tapered (I’d predict 1:34 high on back and 1:35 mid fly if he hypothetically swam them both at 2025 NCAAs) And don’t gimme bs about a double go watch the olympics to see how that one ends.
One of the most impressive swimmers I’ve witnessed in the flesh. Amazing swim.