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 if Josh Liendo will finally take down Caeleb Dressel‘s 100 fly record in his senior year:
Question: After breaking the SCM world record, will Josh Liendo take down Dressel’s 42.80 100 fly record this season?
RESULTS
- Yes (or ties) – 78.6%
- No – 21.4%
When Josh Liendo first announced he was heading to the University of Florida in the summer of 2022, he was vocal about how he was aiming to break Caeleb Dressel‘s vaunted program records, as the two swimmers specialize in the same three events: 50 free, 100 free and 100 fly.
Now in his senior year, Liendo has had a phenomenal college career thus far. Through nine events at three NCAA Championships, his worst individual finish is…2nd.
After winning the 100 free and finishing as the runner-up in both the 50 free and 100 fly in his freshman year in 2023, Liendo swept all of his events at the 2024 NCAAs, repeating in the 100 free while adding the 50 free and 100 fly titles to his resume.
Last season, he made it three-for-three in the 100 free, defended his title in the 100 fly, and settled for 2nd behind Tennessee’s Jordan Crooks in the 50 free.
However, despite winning six individual NCAA titles, along with six relay titles, Liendo has still yet to take down one of Dressel’s records.
When Liendo joined the NCAA, Dressel’s records at Florida also stood as the NCAA and U.S. Open Records in the 50 free (17.63), 100 free (39.90) and 100 fly (42.80).
Since then, only one of them has been broken, with Crooks knocking off the 100 free mark last season in 39.83.
For Liendo, he became the third man in history to break 40 seconds in the 100 free at the 2025 NCAAs (39.99) en route to winning the title, and in the 100 fly, he clocked 43.06 to mark the second-fastest swim in history behind Dressel’s 42.80.
In the 50 free, he’s been as fast as 18.07.
Dressel v. Liendo Best Times
| Event | Dressel | Liendo |
| 50 free | 17.63 | 18.07 |
| 100 free | 39.90 | 39.99 |
| 100 fly | 42.80 | 43.06 |
Though he’s swept the 100 free at three straight NCAAs, the 100 fly would probably be regarded by most as his best event. He won the Olympic silver medal last year, joining the elite sub-50 club in long course, and most recently, he broke the world record in short course meters at the Toronto leg of the World Cup series in October. Liendo’s time of 47.68 lowered the previous record of 47.71, set by Switzerland’s Noe Ponti last December, which knocked off Dressel’s previous mark of 47.78.
In short course yards, Liendo has consistently churned out sub-44 swims. He owns nine of the 25-fastest performances in history, and even more impressively, six of the top nine.
All-Time Performances, Men’s 100 Fly (SCY)
- Caeleb Dressel (Florida), 42.80 – 2018
- Josh Liendo (Florida), 43.06 – 2025
- Josh Liendo (Florida), 43.07 – 2024
- Youssef Ramadan (Virginia Tech), 43.15 – 2023
- Josh Liendo (Florida), 43.23 – 2025
- Josh Liendo (Florida), 43.30 – 2024
- Ilya Kharun (ASU), 43.38 – 2025
- Josh Liendo (Florida), 43.40 – 2023
- Josh Liendo (Florida), 43.42 – 2025
- Ilya Kharun (ASU, 43.43 – 2025
Based on his year-by-year progression, it looks like he’s on track to be under 43 seconds by the time the 2026 NCAAs roll around, possibly lowering Dressel’s longstanding record, which will be eight years old at that point.
In his freshman year, Liendo only went sub-44 at NCAAs. Then, in the past two seasons, he’s gone 43-point at both SECs and NCAAs.
So far in his senior year, he’s already been under 44 twice, clocking 43.87 at the Florida v. Georgia dual meet on Oct. 31 and then getting down to 43.40 at the midseason UGA Fall Invtational last weekend.
Liendo’s 100 Fly Progression
| Freshman (2022-23) | Sophomore (2023-24) | Junior (2024-25) | Senior (2025-26) | |
| Pre-Invite Time | 47.05 | 46.30 | 46.31 | 43.87 |
| Invite Time | 45.79 | 44.39 | 44.60 | 43.42 |
| SECs | 44.11 | 43.89 | 43.23 | ? |
| NCAAs | 43.40 | 43.07 | 43.06 | ? |
Although it’s possible Liendo has performed so well early this season due to his time spent racing the World Cup in October, when he was likely more focused on staying sharp rather than putting in heavy yardage (which he may have been doing in prior seasons), there’s no doubt he’s looking incredible so far in 2025-26.
And while that 42.80 mark by Dressel looks formidable, especially given Liendo has never cracked the 43-second barrier from a flat start, he has done so three times with a relay takeover, including a mind-boggling 42.12 split last season at SECs.
In our latest SwimSwam poll, 78.6% of readers said they believe Liendo will break Dressel’s record this season (or tie it), with the other 21.4% being non-believers.
However, it’s not a forgone conclusion that Liendo wins the 100 fly at NCAAs, either, given that ASU’s Ilya Kharun holds the top time in the nation so far this season at 43.38.
Below, vote in our new A3 Performance Poll, which asks: Which swim from last week’s invitationals surprised you the most?
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The A3 Performance Poll is courtesy of A3 Performance, a SwimSwam partner.
First event plus no prelim relays has to be a significant reason why.
He is absolutely good enough to do it even with the old format but the new format makes it feel more likely than not.