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 what battle they’re looking forward to most at the Men’s NCAA Championships:
Question: Which matchup excites you the most at men’s NCAAs?
RESULTS
- Marchand v. Record Books – 41.2%
- 50/100 FR – Crooks, Liendo, Seeliger, Guiliano etc. – 28.0%
- Kos v. Lasco – 100/200 BK, 200 IM – 20.3%
- Kharun v. Minakov – 100/200 FLY – 6.4%
- 100 BR/200 FR – Anyone’s Game – 4.2%
Leon Marchand had some real battles on his hands at his debut NCAA Championship meet in 2022, even losing to Hugo Gonzalez by more than a second in the 400 IM, but last year, it was no contest.
Marchand set U.S. Open and NCAA Records en route to obliterating the field in the 200 breast (1:46.91), 200 IM (1:36.34) and 400 IM (3:28.82), and even threw down the fastest relay splits of all-time in the 200 free (1:28.42) and 100 breast (49.23).
That dominance leads us into the 2024 NCAA Championships, where the Frenchman aims to lead Arizona State to its first-ever men’s swimming & diving national championship.
Marchand has switched up his event schedule, opting to race the 500 free over the 200 IM after swimming the fastest time in history in the 500 last month at Pac-12s.
In our latest poll, we asked SwimSwam readers which matchup they most look forward to at NCAAs. Several exciting battles will come next week, but coming out on top was Marchand…against the record books.
The 21-year-old junior already holds the existing records in everything he’ll swim (individually), and he doesn’t figure to have any close head-to-head battles as the clear-cut top seed in all three events.
He made racing the record books look easy last year, and fans are clearly chomping at the bit to see what he’ll do for an encore. There is a feeling that this meet is less about individual records and more about the team title for Marchand, but with one will likely come the other.
In addition to racing the clock in the 500 free, 200 breast and 400 IM, we could also seem him take aim at a new record in the 200 free if he’s used on the lead-off leg of ASU’s 800 free relay on Wednesday night.
At Pac-12s, Marchand logged a PB of 1:30.43 on the opening leg of the relay, and the all-time record stands at 1:29.15, set by Dean Farris in 2019.
Receiving the second-most votes in the poll was the impending showdown in the sprint free events, which will headline defending champions Jordan Crooks (50 free) and Josh Liendo (100 free).
Crooks, one of two men in history to break 18 seconds in the 50, towers over the field in that event with his entry time of 17.99, but we can’t forget he only won last year by eight one-hundredths after a poor start, so anything can happen.
The 100 free figures to be more of a nail-biter, with Notre Dame’s Chris Guiliano (40.62) leading Liendo (40.82), Crooks (40.90) and Gui Caribe (40.99) sub-41 this year. Additionally, Cal’s Jack Alexy lurks on the psych sheets in 7th after breaking 41 last season and winning silver in the long course event at the 2023 World Championships.
Cracking 20 percent of votes was the intriguing backstroke/medley matchup between Destin Lasco and Hubert Kos.
Cal and ASU will go to battle for the team title, and Lasco and Kos will go three rounds in the 100 back, 200 back and 200 IM. Kos is coming off breaking the U.S. Open Record in the 200 back, an event Lasco has won at NCAAs in back-to-back years.
Kos also ranks 1st this season in the 100 back (43.75) and 200 IM (1:38.77), but Lasco has a faster best time in the latter (1:38.10) and has been sub-44 multiple times in the former, so their trio of races should be must-see.
Below, vote in our new A3 Performance Poll, which asks: What is the most crucial skill to have in your repertoire in the NCAA?
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The A3 Performance Poll is courtesy of A3 Performance, a SwimSwam partner.
Not sure he’s gonna be breaking records this time with the surgery this season and the Olympics coming up
He is lowering that 500 free record 100%. Not sure about the others.
Prob not as excited for Marchand vs records as opposed to last year. Even if he drops time in the 400 IM/200 breast it’s prob only gonna be marginal as opposed to last year where he was obliterating barriers. Love to be proven wrong tho. Still excited to see how low he can take the 500 record
Him gone be taper fully since Olympics soon?
For me personally the races between Kos and Lasco are a “must see”! Both Swimmers have impressive resumes and are fierce competitors, and both have strong finishes. The two have already met once this year in the 200 back at the Cal v ASU dual meet in January. The weather conditions were awful and the meet was out-of-doors, neither swimmer was tapered, so the times were not impressive but the margin of victory by Kos over Lasco was only .22 seconds. Personally I think it was even closer than that. The race can be seen at: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOf11CUeLEo) so one can make one’s own judgement. I anticipate races similar to this one where the race… Read more »
Great battles ahead indeed. Jonny will not be afraid either.
Most valuable for winning a race or most valuable for winning as a team? Underwater for a race, most of the race can be swum underwater so that’s pretty clear. For winning as a team sprinting, specifically freestyle, because of the number of events that it allows you to score points in with the relays and the 50 free.