2026 Indiana Last Chance – Men’s
- March 6-7, 2026
- Counsilman Billingsley Aquatic Center, Bloomington, Indiana
- Short Course Yards (25 yards)
- Session 1 Results
A number of big times and potential NCAA qualifying swims went on the board in the first session of the Indiana men’s last chance meet on Friday.
While women’s invites are already out, men’s will come out next Wednesday – meaning there are still a few opportunity left for swimmers to snag last chance qualifying times for the NCAA Championships.
The host team from Indiana likely added a second qualifier in the men’s 100 breaststroke when Travis Gulledge swam 51.27 on Friday. His previous best of 51.39 ranked him 21st in the NCAA, which likely would have earned him an invite (usually 28-30 go per event). But with some uncertainty still remaining about how Automatic Qualifiers will impact the invite process, his new ranking of 16th erases all doubt.
He did bump his fellow Hoosier sophomore Alexei Avakov one spot to 19th, but they should both be solidly in for NCAA Championship invites.
The meet also saw three men go under 1:40 in the 200 backstroke.
Northwestern’s Oli Kos (1:39.51), Indiana’s David Kovacs (1:39.87), and Georgia’s Sam Powe (1:39.94) all cleared the barrier.
While a 1:39 has never been left home from NCAAs before, several will almost certainly be on the wrong side of the bubble this season. Kos moves up from 36th (out) to 24th (bubble, probably in); Kovacs moves up to 33rd (out), and Powe, who was 1:39.69 mid-season, gets bumped down a spot to 29th (bubble, probably out).
Expect some Time Trials for these guys on Saturday.
An NCAA invite for Kos, younger brother of NCAA and Olympic champion Hubert Kos from Texas, would be a crowning achievement after a very good mid-season meet in long course at the U.S. Open turned heads.
Other Notable Results
- Owen McDonald, already comfortably locked in to NCAAs, swam 1:32.11 in the 200 free. That’s just-off his best time in the event, done on a relay leadoff at NCAAs last season. He was on Indiana’s 3rd-place 800 free relay at the Big Ten Championships.
- Georgia highly touted mid-season addition Kris Mihaylov was 2nd behind McDonald in 1:34.55. He is unlikely to qualify for his first NCAA Championship meet. Josh Bey, the breakout star of the Big Ten Championships, was 3rd in 1:34.67 – a best time by half-a-second.
- Northwestern’s Diego Nosack, chasing a return trip to the NCAAs after missing last season, swam 1:41.40 in the 200 fly. That’s a small personal best, a big season best, and would have qualified last year, but he’d probably need a 1:40-something to earn an invite based on this event this year.
Go Cats!
Wonder if McDonald goes 2 free over 100 fly. 100 fly feels too packed versus a fairly open 200 free
I concur. He could win the 200 free and there is no way he wins the 100 fly. However, I think there are a few swimmers that will swim significantly faster in the 200 free at NCAA’s. Will be a competitive filed, albeit a little slower than last year.
100 fly is a pretty easy race on the body fatigue versus the 200 free which is painful!
If he is a strong mental and physical guy he will elect the 200 free.
If he is more hedonistic – 100 fly.