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 stroke/discipline has seen the most change over the past 10 years in short course yards:
Question: Which discipline do you feel has evolved the most over the past decade in SCY swimming?
RESULTS
- Sprint free – 50.1%
- Breaststroke – 20.8%
- Butterfly – 13.3%
- Backstroke – 9.1%
- Distance free – 6.7%
With the NCAA postseason in full swing and jaw-dropping performances being delivered across the conference meets, we asked SwimSwam readers which discipline they believe has progressed the most over the past decade in short course yards.
The top selection with more than half of the votes was sprint freestyle, and when we look into the numbers, that checks out.
Below, check out the U.S. Open Record in each individual championship SCY event, excluding IM, at the end of the 2014-15 NCAA season, and where the record stands today.
Individual medley was not included in the poll due to it essentially being a mix of free, back, breast and fly combined—if you disagree and think it should have been included, let us know in the comments.
WOMEN’S RECORDS
| Event | Record – 2015* | Record – 2025 |
% Improvement
|
| 50 free | 21.27 | 20.37 | 4.23% |
| 100 free | 46.09 | 44.83 | 2.73% |
| 200 free | 1:39.10 | 1:39.10 | 0.00% |
| 500 free | 4:26.58 | 4:24.06 | 0.95% |
| 1650 free | 15:13.30 | 15:01.41 | 1.30% |
| 100 back | 49.97 | 48.10 | 3.74% |
| 200 back | 1:47.84 | 1:46.87 | 0.90% |
| 100 breast | 57.23 | 55.73 | 2.62% |
| 200 breast | 2:04.06 | 2:01.29 | 2.23% |
| 100 fly | 49.81 | 47.42 | 4.80% |
| 200 fly | 1:49.92 | 1:48.33 | 1.44% |
MEN’S RECORDS
| Event | Record – 2015* | Record – 2025 |
% Improvement
|
| 50 free | 18.47 | 17.63 | 4.55% |
| 100 free | 40.76 | 39.90 | 2.11% |
| 200 free | 1:31.20 | 1:28.81 | 2.62% |
| 500 free | 4:08.54 | 4:02.31 | 2.51% |
| 1650 free | 14:23.52 | 14:12.08 | 1.32% |
| 100 back | 44.07 | 43.35 | 1.63% |
| 200 back | 1:36.77 | 1:35.37 | 1.45% |
| 100 breast | 50.04 | 49.51 | 1.06% |
| 200 breast | 1:48.66 | 1:46.35 | 2.13% |
| 100 fly | 44.18 | 42.80 | 3.12% |
| 200 fly | 1:39.31 | 1:37.17 | 2.15% |
*As of end of 2014-15 NCAA season
Getting this glimpse into which records have progressed the most over the past 10 years, it’s clear the sprint events have seen the biggest jump.
The event that’s seen the biggest improvement is the women’s 100 fly, where Gretchen Walsh‘s mark of 47.42 set last March is a two-and-a-half second drop from the 49.81 record set by Kelsi Dahlia in 2015, an improvement rate of 4.80%.
The only other events that have dropped more than 4% is the men’s and women’s 50 free, while the women’s 100 back, men’s 100 fly, and women’s 100 free are next up.
EVENTS RANKED BY % IMPROVEMENT
| Rank | Event |
% Improvement
|
| 1 | 100 fly (W) | 4.80% |
| 2 | 50 free (M) | 4.55% |
| 3 | 50 free (W) | 4.23% |
| 4 | 100 back (W) | 3.74% |
| 5 | 100 fly (M) | 3.12% |
| 6 | 100 free (W) | 2.73% |
| 7 | 100 breast (W) | 2.62% |
| 8 | 200 free (M) | 2.62% |
| 9 | 500 free (M) | 2.51% |
| 10 | 200 breast (W) | 2.23% |
| 11 | 200 fly (M) | 2.15% |
| 12 | 200 breast (M) | 2.13% |
| 13 | 100 free (M) | 2.11% |
| 14 | 100 back (M) | 1.63% |
| 15 | 200 back (M) | 1.45% |
| 16 | 200 fly (W) | 1.44% |
| 17 | 1650 free (M) | 1.32% |
| 18 | 1650 free (W) | 1.30% |
| 19 | 100 breast (M) | 1.06% |
| 20 | 500 free (W) | 0.95% |
| 21 | 200 back (W) | 0.90% |
| 22 | 200 free (W) | 0.00% |
It’s notable that four of the top six records belong to Walsh, showing just how dominant she’s been over the past few seasons at the University of Virginia.
However, despite sprint free coming out on top in the poll, the men’s 100 free has still only dropped 2.11% past over the past decade (and not at all since Caeleb Dressel set the record in 2018), while the women’s 200 free is the only event that hasn’t improved, with Missy Franklin‘s marker standing at 1:39.10 from 2015.
Earning the second-most votes in the poll was breaststroke, which saw a new record in the men’s 100-yard event fall just last week. The records in both women’s events and the men’s 200 have all improved at least 2%, while the record set by Julian Smith at SECs (49.51) is only 1.06% faster than Kevin Cordes was in 2014 (50.04).
Butterfly was third in the poll with 13% of votes, followed by backstroke and distance free.
The development of underwater kicking in the sport as a whole, along with explosiveness off the blocks and the implementation of backstroke ledges, has seemingly led the sprints to take a bigger leap forward than the longer events in short course yards.
Outside of the individual events, we also saw that on display last week in the relays, with Tennessee in the men’s 200 free relay, Virginia in the women’s 400 medley relay and Florida in the men’s 400 medley relay all blowing the doors off the previous all-time records.
Below, vote in our new A3 Performance Poll, which asks: What was the best swim of the Men’s SEC Championships?
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ABOUT A3 PERFORMANCE
The A3 Performance Poll is courtesy of A3 Performance, a SwimSwam partner.
Women’s 100 fly is actually crazy.
Gretchen aiming for 45.9