A total of 54 swimmers have earned 79 ‘A’ cuts through the midseason invite portion of the 2023-24 NCAA season, meaning they’ve secured a berth at the NCAA Championships in March.
Not surprisingly, Gretchen Walsh leads all swimmers with five ‘A’ cuts under her belt—leading the nation in all five events—while the men’s side is head up by Arizona State’s Hubert Kos, who has earned four ‘A’ cuts after a dominant showing at the NC State Invitational.
WOMEN’S ‘A’ CUTS
In addition to Walsh, Texas’ Kelly Pash and NC State’s Katharine Berkoff are the only other female swimmers with at least three ‘A’ cuts, while five others have two: Jasmine Nocentini, Alex Walsh, Emma Sticklen, Isabelle Stadden and freshman Bella Sims.
In terms of how the events stack up, the 500 free leads with six swimmers having hit the ‘A’ cut, while the 100 back and 100 fly both have five. The 200 breast has proven to be the toughest to hit, with Alex Walsh the only to do so thus far.
| Event | A’ Cut | Rank | Swimmer | Time |
| 50 Free | 21.63 | 1 | Gretchen Walsh (Virginia) | 20.79 |
| 2 | Jasmine Nocentini (Virginia) | 21.45 | ||
| 3 | Katharine Berkoff (NC State) | 21.52 | ||
| 100 Free | 47.18 | 1 | Gretchen Walsh (Virginia) | 46.42 |
| 2 | Jasmine Nocentini (Virginia) | 46.75 | ||
| 3 | Katharine Berkoff (NC State) | 47.18 | ||
| 200 Free | 1:42.84 | 1 | Gretchen Walsh (Virginia) | 1:41.32 |
| 2 | Minna Abraham (USC) | 1:41.38 | ||
| 3 | Kelly Pash (Texas) | 1:42.64 | ||
| 500 Free | 4:37.89 | 1 | Bella Sims (Florida) | 4:32.53 |
| 2 | Rachel Stege (Georgia) | 4:32.87 | ||
| 3 | Dune Coetzee (Georgia) | 4:35.29 | ||
| 4 | Emma Weyant (Florida) | 4:35.71 | ||
| 5 | Aimee Canny (Virginia) | 4:36.26 | ||
| 6 | Aurora Roghair (Stanford) | 4:37.10 | ||
| 1650 Free | 15:52.41 | 1 | Ching Hwee Gan (Indiana) | 15:48.70 |
| 2 | Abby McCulloh (Georgia) | 15:51.93 | ||
| 100 Back | 50.88 | 1 | Gretchen Walsh (Virginia) | 49.17 |
| 2 | Katharine Berkoff (NC State) | 50.03 | ||
| 3 | Isabelle Stadden (Cal) | 50.26 | ||
| 4 | Berit Berglund (Texas) | 50.77 | ||
| 5 | Kennedy Noble (NC State) | 50.79 | ||
| 200 Back | 1:50.50 | 1 | Isabelle Stadden (Cal) | 1:49.21 |
| 2 | Phoebe Bacon (Wisconsin) | 1:50.36 | ||
| 100 Breast | 58.02 | 1 | Mona McSharry (Tennessee) | 56.87 |
| 2 | Kaitlyn Dobler (USC) | 56.99 | ||
| 3 | Anna Elendt (Texas) | 57.75 | ||
| 4 | Hannah Bach (Ohio State) | 57.78 | ||
| 200 Breast | 2:05.73 | 1 | Alex Walsh (Virginia) | 2:04.73 |
| 100 Fly | 50.69 | 1 | Gretchen Walsh (Virginia) | 49.11 |
| 2 | Emma Sticklen (Texas) | 50.36 | ||
| 3 | Kelly Pash (Texas) | 50.37 | ||
| 4 | Olivia Bray (Texas) | 50.47 | ||
| 5 | Isabel Ivey (Florida) | 50.60 | ||
| 200 Fly | 1:52.86 | 1 | Emma Sticklen (Texas) | 1:50.31 |
| 2 | Kelly Pash (Texas) | 1:52.17 | ||
| 200 IM | 1:53.66 | 1 | Alex Walsh (Virginia) | 1:52.59 |
| 2 | Kelly Pash (Texas) | 1:53.18 | ||
| 400 IM | 4:03.62 | 1 | Bella Sims (Florida) | 4:01.47 |
| 2 | Lucy Bell (Stanford) | 4:03.25 | ||
| 2 | Justina Kozan (USC) | 4:03.25 | ||
| 4 | Caroline Bricker (Stanford) | 4:03.49 | ||
| 5 | Ella Nelson (Virginia) | 4:03.61 |
MEN’S ‘A’ CUTS
Trailing Kos with three ‘A’ cuts for the men are fellow sophomore, Florida’s Josh Liendo, and Cal senior Destin Lasco, who both showed themselves as true three-event threats at the 2023 NCAA Championships as the second and third-highest point scorers behind Leon Marchand.
After only racing the 400 IM at the NC State Invite, sitting out most of the meet due to illness, Marchand has “only” earned two ‘A’ cuts thus far, having done so in the 400 IM and 200 fly.
ASU freshman Ilya Kharun has notched ‘A’ cuts in both fly events early in his debut NCAA campaign, while fellow first-year Will Modglin has done the same out of Texas in the backstroke events.
The other male swimmer with multiple ‘A’ cuts is Tennessee junior Jordan Crooks, who holds the top time in the 50 free as the two-time defending NCAA champion and also sits second behind Liendo in the 100 free.
The 200 back leads all events with eight swimmers having hit the ‘A’ cut of 1:39.13, while no one has got under the standard in either the 1650 free (14:37.31) or 100 breast (51.10)
USC freshman Krzysztof Chmielewski leads the national rankings in the 1650 free at 14:37.74, while the 100 breast has had 11 swimmers sub-52 thus far, with a surprise name, Utah graduate senior Jaek Horner, leading at 51.32.
| Event | A’ Cut | Rank | Swimmer | Time |
| 50 Free | 18.82 | 1 | Jordan Crooks (Tennessee) | 18.40 |
| 2 | Josh Liendo (Florida) | 18.61 | ||
| 3 | Quintin McCarty (NC State) | 18.80 | ||
| 100 Free | 41.50 | 1 | Josh Liendo (Florida) | 40.90 |
| 2 | Jordan Crooks (Tennessee) | 41.03 | ||
| 3 | Chris Guiliano (Notre Dame) | 41.23 | ||
| 4 | Jack Alexy (Cal) | 41.41 | ||
| 5 | Jonny Kulow (ASU) | 41.44 | ||
| 200 Free | 1:31.74 | 1 | Charlie Hawke (Alabama) | 1:31.30 |
| 500 Free | 4:10.74 | 1 | Jake Magahey (Georgia) | 4:10.60 |
| 1650 Free | 14:37.31 | None | ||
| 100 Back | 44.71 | 1 | Destin Lasco (Cal) | 44.28 |
| 2 | Hubert Kos (ASU) | 44.37 | ||
| 3 | Kacper Stokowski (NC State) | 44.48 | ||
| 4 | Will Modglin (Texas) | 44.49 | ||
| 5 | Ruard van Renen (Georgia) | 44.50 | ||
| 200 Back | 1:39.13 | 1 | Hubert Kos (ASU) | 1:36.54 |
| 2 | Destin Lasco (Cal) | 1:38.34 | ||
| 3 | Jonny Marshall (Florida) | 1:38.52 | ||
| 4 | Aidan Stoffle (Auburn) | 1:38.57 | ||
| 5 | Bradley Dunham (Georgia) | 1:38.80 | ||
| 6 | Ian Grum (Georgia) | 1:38.88 | ||
| 7 | Will Modglin (Texas) | 1:38.99 | ||
| 8 | Nate Stoffle (Auburn) | 1:39.01 | ||
| 100 Breast | 51.10 | None | ||
| 200 Breast | 1:51.09 | 1 | Jassen Yep (Indiana) | 1:50.71 |
| 100 Fly | 44.64 | 1 | Luke Miller (NC State) | 44.17 |
| 2 | Ilya Kharun (ASU) | 44.33 | ||
| 3 | Josh Liendo (Florida) | 44.39 | ||
| 200 Fly | 1:40.16 | 1 | Ilya Kharun (ASU) | 1:38.11* (a) |
| 2 | Leon Marchand (ASU) | 1:39.65 | ||
| 3 | Dare Rose (Cal) | 1:39.76 | ||
| 200 IM | 1:41.03 | 1 | Hubert Kos (ASU) | 1:39.26 |
| 2 | Destin Lasco (Cal) | 1:40.16 | ||
| 400 IM | 3:38.90 | 1 | Hubert Kos (ASU) | 3:35.82 |
| 2 | Leon Marchand (ASU) | 3:37.96 | ||
| 3 | David Schlicht (ASU) | 3:38.16 | ||
| 4 | Baylor Nelson (Texas A&M) | 3:38.33 |
*Kharun’s time is altitude-adjusted but that factors into NCAA qualification.
Wow! ASU is going to run away with the title this year!
Leon, Jonny, Hubert and Ilya. Will be interesting to see if they have the depth to fill that out, but sheeeessh thats an outrageous top 4.
4 im relay of Hubert, Leon, llya, Jonny is filthy
43.5, 49, 43, 40.5 maybe a fraction higher on some of those
What are the splits of the current NCAA record?
Well done to you all, congratulations on your great swims
All of these familiar names and then you get the men’s 200 breast….I’m pretty sure nobody had IU’s Jassen Yep being the lone A cut qualifier at this year’s mid-season. Impressive.
Men’s breaststroke (particularly the 100) is pretty thin this year. Backstroke looks stronger than the past year though
Nice to already see 6 A-cuts in the women’s 500 this year after 0 last year.
As a tag team the walsh sisters could finish top 10 at NCAA’s
Crazy to think how dominate UVA would be if Kate stayed a Covid year
Any converted lcm cuts from US Open or Pan Ams?
The only LCM times that were popping up in the rankings were from Claire Curzan, so any active NCAA swimmer who hit a cut with an LC swim was faster in yards than their conversion.
For example Berkoff’s 58.61 100 back at the U.S. Open converts to 50.58 but she’s been 50.03 in SCY, and Alex Walsh’s 2:08.96 200 IM converts to 1:53.10 but she’s been 1:52-mid.
Those conversions are waaaaay off. 208.9 is more like 1:51.9. 58.6 is sub 50 all day.
The big one I was thinking was Michal Chmielewski’s 200 fly prelim from US Open, but the conversion factor “only” gets him to 1:40.63. Would be good enough for an invite but not quite an A cut.