2026 NCAA Division I Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships
- Dates: Wednesday, March 25–Saturday, March 28
- Location: McAuley Aquatic Center, Atlanta, GA
- Defending Champions: Texas (1x)
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Louisville freshman Nikita Sheremet kicked off his debut NCAA Championships with a bang on Wednesday morning, firing off one of the fastest 50 freestyle relay splits ever from a first-year swimmer.
Sheremet anchored the Cardinals in 18.06, moving them up from 8th at the final exchange (among teams in the early heats in this morning’s relay) up to 3rd in a time of 1:22.22.
The split marks the second-fastest we’ve ever seen from a freshman, only trailing Josh Liendo‘s 18.02 leg on Florida’s 200 free relay at the 2023 SEC Championships. He also anchored the Gators in 18.03 in the 200 medley relay at the 2023 NCAAs.
However, it’s worth pointing out that Liendo was 20 when he started his freshman year with the Gators, meaning he was eligible to start competing collegiately two years earlier (though he didn’t officially defer or take a redshirt year since he’s Canadian and didn’t commit until a month prior to his first season), while Sheremet is still just 18.
Other notable relay splits from freshmen in recent years include Jonny Kulow‘s 18.31 in 2023, Leon Marchand (18.41) and Jordan Crooks (18.43) in 2022, and Bjorn Seeliger (18.37) in 2021. Seeliger was 21 during his freshman year, while Crooks and Marchand were both 19.
Caeleb Dressel, the fastest man ever in the 50 free, had his fastest split as a freshman come in at 18.59 at the 2015 SEC Championships, which was less than a tenth faster than his best from a flat start that season (18.67).
Two-time Olympic relay medalist Jimmy Feigen notably split 18.41 for Texas at the 2009 NCAA Championships.
All-Time Freshman Performers, Men’s 50 Free Relay Split
- Josh Liendo (Florida), 18.02 – 2023 SEC Championships
- Nikita Sheremet (Louisville), 18.06 – 2026 NCAA Championships
- Jonny Kulow (Arizona State), 18.31 – 2023 NCAA Championships
- Bjorn Seeliger (Cal), 18.37 – 2021 NCAA Championships
- Jimmy Feigen (Texas) / Leon Marchand (Arizona State), 18.41 – 2009 NCAA Championships / 2022 NCAA Championships
*Note that Quintin McCarty split 18.16 in 2024 while listed as a freshman, though he started competing collegiately the season prior, before injury forced him to take a redshirt year.
Sheremet, a Ukrainian native, is the reigning World Junior champion and co-World Junior Record holder in the boys’ 50 free in long course meters, having clocked 21.75 in the semis at last year’s championships to match the mark set by Michael Andrew in 2017.
Sheremet recently set a new Louisville program record of 18.71 in the 50 free at the ACC Championships, placing 2nd in the final while adding an 18.45 anchor leg on the 200 medley relay that was previously his fastest relay split prior to this morning.
That swim in the individual final ties him for 4th among freshman all-time in the 50 free from a flat start.
All-Time Top Freshman Performers, Men’s 50-Yard Freestyle
- Josh Liendo (Florida), 18.22 – 2023 NCAA Championships
- Jordan Crooks (Tennessee), 18.53 – 2022 NCAA Championships
- Caeleb Dressel (Florida), 18.67 – 2015 NCAA Championships
- Bjorn Seeliger (Cal) / Nikita Sheremet (Louisville), 18.71 – 2021 NCAA Championships / 2026 ACC Championships
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Earlier this month, Sheremet set a new lifetime best of 21.62 in the long course 50 free at the Westmont Pro Swim, ranking him 6th in the world this season.
