NCAA Programs With The Most Athletes On The 2022 US World Championships Team

by Ben Dornan 34

May 02nd, 2022 College, National, News

2022 U.S. WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TRIALS

Following the 2022 US World Championships Trials, USA Swimming announced its 41-strong roster for the 19th World Swimming Championships. The meet will take place in Budapest, Hungary from June 18th – July 25th, 2022.

As always, the roster consists almost entirely of current and past NCAA swimmers, along with a couple of future NCAA swimmers. At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Georgia was the NCAA program with the most past, present, or future swimmers on the team with 7: Allison Schmitt, Hali Flickinger, Olivia Smoliga, Chase Kalisz, Nic Fink, Gunnar Bentz, and Jay Litherland.

This year, only Flickinger, Kalisz, and Fink are back on the team, but Luca Urlando got on the squad as well, bringing the school’s total to 4 for Budapest. That ties Georgia with Virginia and Stanford for the 2nd-most swimmers on the World’s roster. Notably, both Stanford’s and Virginia’s 4 swimmers heading to Budapest are women.

Other notable drops for schools this year include Cal and Indiana. At the Tokyo 2020 Games, Cal had 6 swimmers on the roster and this year only Ryan Murphy and Trenton Julian will rep that school in Budapest. Additionally, Indiana sent 4 swimmers in Lilly King, Zach Apple, Blake Pieroni, and Michael Brinegar, but only Lilly King made it back onto the team this year.

The school with the most people on the team this year is freestyle-centric Florida with 6. Natalie Hinds, Caeleb Dressel, Bobby Finke, Trey Freeman, and Kieran Smith qualified for the team. Future Gator Bella Sims, who will join the school in the fall of 2023, brings the total to 6. Notably, Katie Ledecky, who swam collegiately for Stanford, is now a part of Florida’s pro group, meaning that there are actually 6 people who are currently training at Florida on the team.

After Florida, Georgia, Virginia, and Stanford, 3 schools have 3 swimmers on the team: Ohio State, Texas, and NC State. There’s a slight asterisk next to Ohio State, however, because Annie Lazor only raced 1 season there before transferring to Auburn. Two Ohio State freshmen made the team in Hunter Armstrong and Charlie Clark, which is a strong showing for the school.

Several of the 2022 NCAA Championships qualified for the Worlds team this year including LSU’s Brooks Curry who won the 50/100 free at NCAAs and will race the 100 freestyle individually in Tokyo. Other NCAA Champs who made the team are Drew Kibler, Bobby Finke, Kate Douglass, Katharine Berkoff, Regan Smith, and Alex Walsh.

The lists below are based on where swimmers attend or attended college, not where they are currently training.

2022 FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ROSTER BY SCHOOL
Women
Name Event(s) College Affiliation*
Natalie Hinds 4×100 FR-R Florida, ‘16
Caeleb Dressel 50/100 FR; 50/100 FL Florida, ‘18
Bobby Finke 800/1500 FR Florida, ‘22
Trey Freeman 400 FR; 4×200 FR-R Florida, ‘23
Kieran Smith 200/400 FR Florida, ‘22
Bella Sims 4×200 FR-R Florida, ’27
Kate Douglass 200 BR; 4×100 FR-R Virginia, ‘23
Leah Smith 400/800 FR; 4×200 FR-R Virginia, ‘17
Alex Walsh 200 IM; 4×200 FR-R Virginia, ‘24
Emma Weyant 400 IM Virginia, ‘25
Claire Curzan 100 FR; 50/100 FL; 100 BK ^Stanford, ‘26
Torri Huske 50/100 FR; 100 FL Stanford, ‘25
Katie Ledecky 200/400/800/1500 FR Stanford, ‘20
Regan Smith 100 BK; 200 FL Stanford, ‘25
Chase Kalisz 200/400 IM Georgia, ‘17
Hali Flickinger 200 FL; 4×200 FR-R Georgia, ‘17
Luca Urlando 200 FL Georgia, ‘24
Nic Fink 100/200 BR Georgia, ‘15
Hunter Armstrong 50/100 BK; 4×100 FR-R Ohio State, ‘24
Annie Lazor 100 BR Ohio State/Auburn, ‘16
Charlie Clark 800/1500 FR Ohio State, ‘24
Coby Carrozza 4×200 FR-R Texas, ‘24
Carson Foster 200/400 IM; 4×200 FR-R Texas, ‘24
Drew Kibler 200 FR; 4×100 FR-R Texas, ‘22
Katharine Berkoff 50 BK NC State, ‘23
Ryan Held 4×100 FR-R NC State, ‘18
Justin Ress 4×100 FR-R NC State, ‘19
Trenton Julian 200 FL; 4×200 FR-R Cal-Berkeley, ‘21
Ryan Murphy 100/200 BK Cal-Berkeley, ‘17
Charlie Swanson 200 BR Michigan, ‘21
Mallory Comerford 4×100 FR-R Louisville, ‘19
Rhyan White 200 BK Alabama, ‘22
Brooks Curry 100 FR LSU, ‘23
Lilly King 50/100/200 BR Indiana, ‘19
Erika Brown 50 FR; 4×100 FR-R Tennessee, ‘20
Phoebe Bacon 200 BK Wisconsin, ‘24
Shaine Casas 200 BK Texas A&M
Michael Andrew 50 FR; 50/100 BR; 100 FL N/A
Claire Weinstein 200 FR N/A
Leah Hayes 200 IM N/A
Katie Grimes 1500 FR; 400 IM N/A

^ indicates commitments listed with their expected graduation years.

SWIMMER TALLY BY UNIVERSITY

Note: we know that not all of the swimmers listed above are currently training with the universities listed. While this is an important detail for coaches, for most swim fans, and especially for casual sports fans who might pick up the meet, the excitement around the tribalism of collegiate programs trumps that. The tallies below include current, future, and former collegiate programs.

  • Florida – 6
  • Georgia – 4
  • Stanford – 4
  • Virginia – 4
  • Texas – 3
  • Ohio State – 3
  • NC State – 3
  • Cal – 2
  • Indiana – 1
  • Michigan – 1
  • Tennessee – 1
  • Louisville – 1
  • LSU – 1
  • Wisconsin – 1
  • Alabama – 1

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Travis
1 year ago

Isn’t Shaine Casas with Texas now? Putting them up to 4?

Admin
Reply to  Travis
1 year ago

As far as we know, he is not attending classes at Texas. He is definitely never going to be on the varsity team there.

tnp101
1 year ago

How come Stanford men’s swim team didn’t enter any swimmers during the world trial at all?

CanSwim13
1 year ago

Armstrong and Clark aren’t freshman

KFred23
1 year ago

Bella Sims is headed to Florida. Announced that a while ago.

HOO love
Reply to  KFred23
1 year ago

she hasn’t signed her NLI yet so she could always change verbal commitments… assuming that’s why she is not included in the Florida group

Dan
1 year ago

What would a list like this look if it included all the swimmers at World Champs (all former and current college swimmers regardless of nationality)?

Admin
Reply to  Dan
1 year ago

It would be very, very long as many countries’ Olympians train in the US. It would include a lot of colleges that most people haven’t heard of, too.

ForTheLoveOfSwimming
1 year ago

Why doesn’t Charlie Swanson count as swimming for Texas since that is who he trained with to prepare for Trials?

Ghost
Reply to  ForTheLoveOfSwimming
1 year ago

I think it is strictly where they went or go to college and not where they train!

Admin
Reply to  ForTheLoveOfSwimming
1 year ago

The list is based on where they went to college, not where they are training.

????
Reply to  Braden Keith
1 year ago

Good thing Zach Apple is being credited to Indiana then! Not like he spent 3 years at auburn

Admin
Reply to  ????
1 year ago

Zach Apple didn’t make the World Championship team.

Lucas Knapp
1 year ago

I think Bella Sims is commited to Florida in the class of 2027

IM/BR/FLY
1 year ago

If Stanford gets to count Curzan then shouldn’t Florida get Sims?

Also Clark and Armstrong aren’t freshmen for OSU…

Last edited 1 year ago by IM/BR/FLY