SwimSwam Pulse: Guiliano, Grimes Poised To Make Biggest Impact As Second Semester Additions

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 swimmer that recently joined an NCAA roster will have the biggest impact in March:

Question: Which second semester addition will have the biggest impact at NCAAs?

RESULTS

We’ve seen an inordinate number of game-changing additions to some of the best teams in the NCAA for the second half of the 2024-25 season, headlined by four Olympic and two World Championship medalists.

Paris Olympic medalists Chris GuilianoKatie Grimes, Caspar Corbeau and Matt King, along with 2024 World Championship medalists Lucas Henveaux and Mewen Tomac, have joined NCAA rosters for the second semester, leading us to our latest poll: Which of them will make the biggest impact?

Of course, the question is open to interpretation. Is it who will score the most individual points? Who will boost their team’s relays the most? Or which swimmer will do the most for their team, possibly moving them up a spot or two in the final standings?

The poll results give us a mix of all of the above, and leading the way with nearly half of the votes was Guiliano, who transferred to Texas in the wake of Notre Dame’s season-long suspension.

Guiliano received 47.3% of the vote as a proven NCAA performer, having scored 45 individual points for the Fighting Irish last season, which tied for 7th-most among all swimmers at the meet.

In addition to that, Guiliano gives the Longhorns a true ace in the free relays, having split sub-18 in the 50 free, and produced multiple 40-point and 1:30-point flat start swims in the 100 and 200 free.

Texas has quickly evolved into the men’s NCAA title favorite this season, and although Indiana and Cal pose significant threats, Guiliano could end up being the difference-maker for the Longhorns.

Ranking second in the poll was Katie Grimes, who made her long-awaited college commitment in October and has now raced two meets for the University of Virginia.

With Cavalier teammate Alex Walsh opting not to race the 400 IM this season as the three-time defending champion, Grimes immediately becomes the favorite to win the national title, having produced an NCAA-leading time at the Eddie Reese Showdown last weekend.

Grimes is also a title contender in the 500 and 1650 free, if she chooses to contest those events (she might opt for the 200 back or 200 fly instead of the mile), so she may well score the most individual points among the second-semester additions. However, the Virginia women are winning the NCAA title this season with or without her, which could be used as an argument against her making the biggest impact.

The only other swimmer receiving more than 10% of votes was Corbeau, the former Longhorn who has joined the enemy, Indiana, for championship season.

Corbeau lasted raced at NCAAs in 2023, placing 2nd in the 200 breast, 4th in the 100 breast and 14th in the 200 IM for Texas. Since then, he’s won silver at the 2024 World Championships in the 200 breast, and then claimed bronze in the event at the Olympics. He was also 5th in the 200 breast and 7th in the 100 breast at Short Course Worlds in December, showing he was on good form heading into his Indiana debut in January.

Corbeau not only gives Indiana yet another elite breaststroker who can score, but he can contribute on the free relays, which should give the Hoosiers a boost in the team standings.

Also joining the Hoosiers for the second half is Matt King, the former Alabama Crimson Tide and Virginia Cavalier who made the U.S. Olympic team last summer and swam a prelim leg on the men’s 4×100 free relay that won gold.

King will be a key piece of IU’s 200 and 400 free relays, and should provide some individual points in the 50 and 100 free.

The other two options are Lucas Henveaux and Mewen Tomac, who both surprisingly joined Cal for the second semester by appearing in the Bears’ dual against USC.

Both having won medals at Worlds, they should be impactful in terms of individual points, but based on the poll, not as much as Guiliano, Grimes or Corbeau.

Heneveaux raced for Cal in 2022-23, scoring 18 points at the 2023 NCAAs after a pair of 9th-place finishes in the 500 and 1650 free. He’s clearly improved since then based on what he’s done in meters.

Tomac is a backstroker, and recently won bronze at SC Worlds in the 200 back, so he’ll be one to watch there. However, with how dialed in the NCAA’s best backstrokers are to the short course yard format, one has to wonder if Tomac will have enough time to get up to speed this season.

Below, vote in our new A3 Performance Pollwhich asks: Which women’s conference title is most up for grabs:

Which women's conference championship title race is most wide open?

View Results

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ABOUT A3 PERFORMANCE

A3 Performance is an independently-owned, performance swimwear company built on a passion for swimming, athletes, and athletic performance. We encourage swimmers to swim better and faster at all ages and levels, from beginners to Olympians.  Driven by a genuine leader and devoted staff that are passionate about swimming and service, A3 Performance strives to inspire and enrich the sport of swimming with innovative and impactful products that motivate swimmers to be their very best – an A3 Performer.

The A3 Performance Poll is courtesy of A3 Performance, a SwimSwam partner.

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saltie
7 days ago

Maybe it’s Chris, maybe it’s Katie…all i want to know is who the f*** are the 6% who said women’s ACC’s is wide open lmao.

Ohio Swimmer
Reply to  saltie
6 days ago

A++ Tier comment

Tani
7 days ago

I’m tired of hearing about grimes.

Andrew
7 days ago

I agree CG is most impactful transfer, but think Corbeau is a little underrated here. 50.4/1:49.1 breaststroker is at worst 32+ points and his 200 IM PB would have been 5th coming out of 2024 prelims which was set 2 years ago.

And his free relay contributions (18.4/41.7) are more important to IU than his breaststroke splits when they already have Benzing

CG’s events are much more competitive than Corbeau’s but Texas was in dire need of a sprint freestyle guy since they haven’t developed a blue chip sprinter since Krueger/Kibler/Auchinachie days

About James Sutherland

James Sutherland

James swam five years at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario, specializing in the 200 free, back and IM. He finished up his collegiate swimming career in 2018, graduating with a bachelor's degree in economics. In 2019 he completed his graduate degree in sports journalism. Prior to going to Laurentian, James swam …

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