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 poll asked SwimSwam readers which swimmer will score the most at the Men’s NCAA Championships, excluding last season’s leading scorer:
Question: Outside of Hubert Kos, who will score the most individual points at Men’s NCAAs?
RESULTS
- Josh Liendo – 48.6%
- Ilya Kharun – 21.6%
- Rex Maurer – 13.7%
- Luca Urlando – 6.5%
- Will Modglin – 2.0%
- Maximus Williamson – 1.8%
- Gui Caribe – 1.7%
- Thomas Heilman – 1.5%
- Zalan Sarkany – 0.9%
- Nate Germonprez – 0.8%
- Other – 0.7%
- Owen McDonald – 0.2%
- Ahmed Jaouadi – 0.2%
After Hubert Kos scored a perfect 60 points at the 2025 Men’s NCAA Championships, and showed incredible form during the fall by breaking a pair of backstroke world records in the short course pool on the World Cup circuit, we figured he would be the slam-dunk winner if he was included in this poll (likely even more dominant than Torri Huske was last week).
For a more competitive poll, we omitted Kos, asking SwimSwam readers which male swimmer outside of Kos would score the most points at NCAAs in less than two months.
Last season, trailing Kos’ 60 points were Josh Liendo and Rex Maurer, who scored 57 points apiece, and then the next-highest scorer who is active this season was Ilya Kharun, who put up 48 points.
Those were the three names that dominated last week’s poll, though in a slightly different order.
Liendo, who, like Kos, had a phenomenal showing in the fall at the World Cup circuit and set a new world record in the 100 fly, picked up nearly half of the votes at 48.6%.
The Florida senior has a near-flawless record in his NCAA Championship career, having finished no lower than 2nd in an individual event through three seasons. Liendo won the 100 free and was the runner-up in the 50 free and 100 fly as a freshman, then swept all three events as a sophomore, and the last year as a junior, three-peated in the 100 free, repeated in the 100 fly and was 2nd to Jordan Crooks in the 50 free.
In three NCAA Championship appearances, Liendo has scored 171 out of a possible 180 points.
This season, he’ll be the favorite to go three-for-three again, just like he did in 2024, though there will be no shortage of challengers.
Liendo’s biggest threat may come from Kharun, the Arizona State junior who was the runner-up last season in the 100 fly in a time of 43.43 (to Liendo’s 43.06).
Kharun leads the NCAA this season with his time of 43.38 from November’s CSCAA Dual Meet Challenge, doing so the same weekend that Liendo went 43.42 at the UGA Fall Invite.
Kharun ranked 2nd in the poll with 21.6% of votes, as he’ll also be a national title threat in the 200 fly, having won the NCAA crown as a freshman in 2024 and then following up by winning the short course world title that year. However, defending champion Luca Urlando will be the big favorite after setting the all-time record in last year’s final (1:36.43) and then re-lowering it earlier this season (1:36.41). Kharun, meanwhile, owns a PB of 1:37.56, set this past November.
Kharun will also be a threat to score big points in the 50 free after placing 4th last year in a best time of 18.31.
Maurer was the only other swimmer to earn more than 10% of votes in the poll, picking up 13.7% despite coming just three points shy of a perfect score last season.
The Texas junior hasn’t approached his personal best times yet this season, but perhaps he’s saving it all for the big dance. Last year, he won national titles in the 500 free and 400 IM, and was the runner-up in the 1650 free.
Urlando received 6.5% of votes as the favorite in the 200 fly and a likely top-three finisher in the 100 fly. With the new schedule, and his usual third event (200 IM) clashing with the 200 fly, maybe we’ll get to see Urlando in the 100 back this year after he stunningly broke the American Record in 2022 leading off Georgia’s 400 medley relay.
Below, vote in our new A3 Performance Poll, which asks: Which conference race will be most intriguing this season?
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ACC men will undoubtedly the most competitive, hence the most interesting.
If Maurer is firing on all cylinders for NCAAs, he faces virtually 0 competition in the 500 free/400 IM, the only one he’s still at risk in is the 1650. Liendo/Kharun overlap with one another, plus other sprint free/fly swimmers. Even if either of them is peaking, neither of them is guaranteed any of their event wins.
Is he even doing the mile? He hasn’t registered a time
I think that’s the issue, his third event isn’t certain. Meanwhile, Liendo’s got tighter competition but a clear 3 events where he’s a favorite
Would be a sick strategic play to register a mile time fast enough to swim at NCAAs but slow enough to be outside top 8 so he could swim 1650 in the morning and 800 free relay at night on day 1. He seems to have his best races when he’s able to go out and swim his own race regardless of competition, too.
Ironically, if Kos chooses the 400IM as his third event, Rex won’t be facing zero competition in it… (also, Jankovics was 3:34 last year as well, and so was Baylor Nelson). I kinda wanna see a showdown between these four; last year Rex was the clear favourite, and the two years before that we had Marchand. My money would be on Rex, but I reckon it would be close.
I would want to see a 400 IM between them, but I’m thinking Hubert is in the 100 fly
Insider info? I’d think he swam the 400IM for a reason a couple days ago.
no insider info. but he also swam 100 fly a couple of days ago
Kos isn’t beating Liendo, Kharun, or Urlando in the 100 fly, so the best he’s getting is 4th. If Heilman swims well, he may beat him too. Buff was 43.9 last year. Last year Kos was 43.4 on the relay, so that’s around 43 high/44 low flat start.
Recovering from a two 1 flys is a lot easier than two 4 IMs.
Since he’s needed for the fly legs of their relays, I get the sense he’s doing more sprint fly than 4 IM work.
On the other hand, he was aerobically very strong at the US Open (around PB in the 200IM and his fastest in season 200 back ever; small PB in the 200 fly), and his 100 fly was relatively weak.
Maybe now that Masiuk is there he could be relieved of (some) fly duties? Or maye you are right, and that was just the conclusion of his quasi-pro fall season.
I don’t think there’s any chance Bob leaves Hubert off of any relay except the 800 free.
I selfishly want to see what his current 200 free split would be. But that’s probably the relay they don’t put him on.
Kos was 44.0 100 fly at the same meet he was 44.6/1:38.9. Not saying he’s the one to break Dressel’s record but don’t think his fly should be downplayed.
I think 400 IM with Rex/Baylor/Cooper/David (?) is already stacked. I guess if Johnston is out, 400 IM makes mroe sense but I would trust the 400 IM guys having that event covered then the 100 fly guys having that event under control. 100 fly is Masiuk, Gould and Peck.
You know what? Scratch everything I’ve said. I wanna see 6 up in the 200 IM. Hubert/Nelson/Modglin/Germonprez/McKean/Taylor
That would be such a power move.
I think I’ve got 2 things I wanna see happen at men’s NCAAs. Wimberly/Maurer/Bailey win the 200 free then 6 up from Texas in the 200 IM.
He won’t beat Liendo and Kharun but I do think he could beat Urlando and definitely Heilman. Also Texas doesn’t really have any scorers in the 100 Fly, so Kos in the event would make a lot of sense over the 400 IM
I agree that don’t think Heilman will be much competition for Hubert and 100 fly is a very bare event for Texas compared to the 400 IM.
Rex may not even be the fastest 400 IMer on his own team. And lets see how Jaoudi at UF does in the 500/1650. He’s a stud in LCM. It doesn’t look like he has the best turns but no one should be surprised if he puts up some super fast times at SECs.
Rex would still have to get by Sarkany even if the Tunisians are off
I think it’s way simpler than you put it out to be. He’s more a favorite in the 2 free as of now than in the mile
So he would maybe do the 200/500 Free and what else? 200 IM maybe?
or 200 Back. Texas will likely have 6 200 IMers but 200 back is just Hubert and Kyle Peck, I think. Maybe Masiuk and Modglin but not 100% sure