SwimSwam Pulse is a recurring feature tracking and analyzing the results of our periodic A3 Performance Polls. You can cast your vote in our newest poll on the SwimSwam homepage, about halfway down the page on the right side.
Our most recent polls asked SwimSwam readers which marker will have the most men go under it this season in the NCAA:
Question: Which time will have the most men go under it during the 2025 NCAA postseason?
RESULTS
- 200 free – 1:30 – 46.0%
- 100 back – 44 – 26.1%
- 100 fly – 43.5 – 21.8%
- 100 breast – 50 – 6.1%
The men’s 200 freestyle has been one of the events we’ve seen get markedly faster in recent years in college swimming.
After the NCAA and U.S. Open Record stood at 1:31.20 for 10 years, with British swimmer and University of Arizona senior Simon Burnett hitting that mark in 2006, Townley Haas became the first man sub-1:31 at the 2016 NCAA Championships.
Nine years later, we’ve now seen 21 swimmers go under 1:31, with two sub-1:29, with Luke Hobson (1:28.81) and Leon Marchand (1:28.97) both doing so last year at the NCAA Championships.
In our latest SwimSwam poll, we asked readers which barrier would be broken the most during the NCAA postseason on the men’s side: 1:30 in the 200 free, 44 in the 100 back, 50 in the 100 breast and 43.5 in the 100 fly.
- The 100 fly was bumped down to 43.5 from 44-flat after three men had already broken 44 this season prior to conference meets. One swimmer had been sub-44 in the 100 back and sub-50 in the 100 breast, and no had gone under 1:30 in the 200 free, though Jordan Crooks had been 1:30.00.
Dominating the poll with 46% of the vote was 1:30 in the 200 free, which in addition to being the only event that hadn’t had anyone go under it prior to the conference championship meets beginning this week, we still haven’t seen anyone crack it.
We have seen four swimmers go 1:30-point at SECs in Hobson, Chris Guiliano, Charlie Hawke and Tomas Koski, and we also saw Koski and Julian Smith split 1:29 on the 800 free relay at the beginning of the meet.
Given those performances a month out from NCAAs, all five could realistically crack 1:30 from a flat start in March, and there are several others who could be in the hunt, led by Cal’s Jack Alexy, who did it last year, and his teammate Gabriel Jett, who was 1:30.32 last season.
At the ACC Championships, Alexy led off Cal’s 800 free relay in 1:32.98, while Jett split 1:30.66. Stanford’s Henry McFadden won the individual event in 1:31.30 after anchoring the Cardinal relay in 1:30.64.
Ranking second in the poll was the 100 back at 26.1%, and we’ll get our first glimpse of swimmers racing it in a finals setting tonight at SECs and ACCs with both the individual event and the 400 medley relay on tap.
Coming in, Texas’ Will Modglin was the lone sub-44 swimmer at 43.91. Last season, four swimmers did it.
The 100 fly picked up 21.8% of votes, and Josh Liendo became the first sub-43.5 this season at SECs last night in 43.23. ACCs was won in 44.27, and ASU’s Ilya Kharun won’t be in action until next week at Big 12s.
For the 100 breast, which only earned 6% of votes, Florida’ Smith is the only one sub-50 so far this season at 49.98, and he led the SEC prelims this morning in 50.46, with Nate Germonprez (50.66) the only other swimmer under 51 seconds.
Last season, Cal’s Liam Bell, who has graduated, was the sole swimmer sub-50, clocking 49.53 en route to winning the NCAA title.
Below, vote in our new A3 Performance Poll, which asks: Which discipline has changed the most over the past 10 years in short course yards?
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ABOUT A3 PERFORMANCE
The A3 Performance Poll is courtesy of A3 Performance, a SwimSwam partner.
