SwimSwam’s Awards For The 2025 U.S. Nationals: Men’s Edition

2025 U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Tuesday, June 3 – Saturday, June 7, 2025
• Indianapolis, Indiana
• Indiana University Natatorium
• LCM (50 meters)
• World Championship Selection Criteria
• Meet Central
• Live Results
• Worlds Roster
• Full Results (PDF)

The 2025 U.S. National Championships came to a close on Saturday, and now that an exciting five days of racing have concluded and USA Swimming has announced its World Championship roster, it’s time for SwimSwam to hand out some electronic hardware to the meet’s top performers.

• See the women’s awards here.

MALE SWIMMER OF THE MEET: BOBBY FINKE

The only male swimmer to win three national titles, Bobby Finke was dominant, as expected, in the 800 and 1500 free, but the performance that really put him over the top came in the 400 IM.

Finke, racing head-to-head with reigning Olympic bronze medalist Carson Foster, used his patented closing speed to come from behind and claim victory in the 400 IM in a time of 4:07.46, shattering his previous best time of 4:09.55 and moving into #10 on the all-time performers’ list (and #6 among Americans).

All-Time Performers, Men’s 400 IM (LCM)

1. Leon Marchand (FRA), 2023 – 4:02.50
2. Michael Phelps (USA), 2008 – 4:03.84
3. Ryan Lochte (USA), 2012 – 4:05.18
4. Chase Kalisz (USA), 2017 – 4:05.90
5. Kosuke Hagino (JAP), 2016 – 4:06.05
6. Daiya Seto (JAP), 2020 – 4:06.09
7. Laszlo Cseh (HUN), 2008 – 4:06.16
8. Carson Foster (USA), 2022/2023 – 4:06.56
9. Tyler Clary (USA), 2009 – 4:06.96
10. Bobby Finke(USA), 2025 – 4:07.46

On the opening night of competition, Finke cruised to victory in the 1500 free, sitting on world record pace through the first 500 meters before ultimately finishing in a time of 14:48.65, ranking him 5th in the world this season as he touched first by more than nine seconds.

On the final night, Finke closed things out with a decisive win in the 800 free, clocking 7:43.13 for the 2nd-fastest swim of his career on U.S. soil and the 6th spot in the 2024-25 world rankings.

Despite the 25-year-old moving into 2nd in the world rankings this season in the 400 IM, he withdrew from the event at the World Championships due to a scheduling conflict with the 1500 free.

Honorable Mentions: 

• Jack Alexy – Alexy swept his only two entries at Nationals and set new lifetime bests along the way. In the first session of the meet, Alexy fired off a time of 46.99 in the 100 free, becoming just the sixth man ever under the 47-second barrier while breaking his own U.S. Open Record and coming within three one-hundredths of Caeleb Dressel‘s American Record. Alexy followed up by winning the stacked final in a time of 47.17, and went on to win the 50 free in a lifetime best of 21.36 after setting a PB of 21.49 in a time trial midway through the meet. The 21.36 swim from Alexy moved him from 7th to 2nd all-time among Americans, only trailing Dressel (21.04).
• Shaine Casas – Casas pulled off a pair of wins in competitive battles in the 100 fly and 200 IM, and he added a runner-up finish in the 50 back to qualify for Worlds in three individual events. After falling short of making the team early in the meet, Casas came through on Day 3 in the 100 fly, clocking 50.51 for the 2nd-fastest swim of his career and his quickest since 2022 to rank him 4th in the world this season. Later that session, he clocked 24.44 in the 50 back final to place 2nd and add a second event to his Worlds schedule. Two nights later in the 200 IM final, Casas held off Carson Foster for the victory in a time of 1:55.73, again the 2nd-fastest swim of his career and quickest since 2022 to rank 1st in the world this season.
• Campbell McKean – Also picking up multiple victories at the meet was McKean, who, at 18, upset Michael Andrew for the win in the men’s 50 breast on Day 3, clocking 26.90 to slash a half-second off his best time coming into the meet (27.40) and qualify for his first World Championship team. McKean followed up with a stunning swim in the 100 breast final, breaking 1:00 for the first time in 58.96, shattering Andrews’ 17-18 NAG record and becoming the first 18 & under swimmer to break 59 seconds in the event (by birthday, as McKean will turn 19 later this year).

MALE JUNIOR SWIMMER OF THE MEET: LUKA MIJATOVIC

Using World Aquatics’ definition of junior (18 & under by year of birth), making Campbell McKean ineligible.

Mijatovic had a pair of mind-blowing performances in the men’s 200 and 400 free, as the 16-year-old shattered the National Age Group Records for 15-16 boys while also going faster than the 17-18 records.

On Day 2, in the prelims of the 200 free, Mijatovic put up a sizzling time of 1:45.92, advancing him into the ‘A’ final while shattering Maximus Williamson‘s 15-16 NAG record of 1:47.29 and dipping under Michael Phelps‘ 17-18 NAG of 1:45.99 that’s been on the books since 2003.

After placing 8th in the 200 free final (1:46.39), Mijatovic followed up the next morning with a lifetime best in the heats of the 400 IM, clocking 4:16.18 to rank 4th all-time in the 15-16 age group before placing 5th in the ‘A’ final (4:16.75).

On Day 4, he made history in the 400 free, breaking his 15-16 NAG record by more than three seconds in the prelims (3:45.89) while also going under Larsen Jensen‘s 17-18 record of 3:46.08 set in 2004. Mijatovic re-broke the record in the final, and, most importantly, landed a spot on the Worlds team by placing 2nd in 3:45.71.

Keeping his foot on the gas, Mijatovic closed out the meet by throwing down a new best time in the 800 free, clocking 7:53.80 to place 4th and rank #2 all-time in the 15-16 age group behind Jensen (7:52.05).

Honorable Mentions: 

• Thomas Heilman – Heilman twice lowered his 17-18 NAG record in the 100 fly, first clocking 50.78 in the prelims before getting down to 50.70 in the final, placing 2nd to Shaine Casas and earning a spot on the Worlds team. Coming into the meet, Heilman held the NAG record at 50.80, set at the 2024 Olympic Trials. The 18-year-old also placed 3rd in the 200 fly in 1:54.03, just over two-tenths shy of his personal best (1:53.82), and added new lifetime bests in the 50 fly (23.57) and 50 free (22.79), placing 7th and 28th, respectively.
• Gabe Nunziata – Nunziata took more than two seconds off his personal best time in the 200 breast in Indianapolis, getting down to 2:09.71 to place 3rd, just four-tenths shy of earning a Worlds berth, to move him up to #2 all-time in the boys’ 17-18 age group. The Tennessee commit came into the meet with a PB of 2:11.78 and had gone 2:10.22 in the prelims. Nunziata also set best times en route to placing 15th in the 50 breast (28.16 prelims), 25th in the 200 IM (2:01.39) and 21st in the prelims of the 400 IM (4:23.77) before scratching the final. His swim in the 200 IM ranks him 30th all-time among 17-18s. In the 100 breast, the 18-year-old placed 7th in 1:00.86, a half-second shy of his PB set at the 2024 Olympic Trials (1:00.36) that ranks him 6th all-time in the age group.

MALE PERFORMANCE OF THE MEET: LUKE HOBSON, 200 FREE

Luke Hobson became just the sixth swimmer in history and fourth in a textile suit to break 1:44 in the men’s 200 free in Indianapolis, clocking 1:43.73 in the final to break Michael Phelps‘ U.S. Open Record of 1:44.10 set in 2008.

Hobson, who chipped .01 off his lifetime best in the prelims (1:44.78) before dropping more than a second in the final, moves to #5 all-time in the event, becoming the second American ever sub-1:44 alongside Phelps.

All-Time Performers, Men’s 200 Freestyle (LCM)

1. Paul Biedermann (GER), 1:42.00 – 2009
2. Michael Phelps (USA), 1:42.96 – 2008
3. David Popovici (ROU), 1:42.97 – 2022
4. Yannick Agnel (FRA), 1:43.14 – 2012
5. Luke Hobson(USA), 1:43.73 – 2025
6. Danila Izotov (RUS), 1:43.90 – 2009
7. Ian Thorpe (AUS), 1:44.06 – 2001
8. Lukas Märtens (GER), 1:44.14 – 2024
9. Tom Dean (GBR), 1:44.22 – 2021
10. Duncan Scott (GBR), 1:44.26 – 2021

Among textile performers, only Romanian David Popovici (1:42.96), Frenchman Yannick Agnel (1:43.14), Hobson (1:43.73) and Phelps (1:43.86) have been sub-1:44. Hobson’s swim is just the sixth textile performance in history under 1:44, with Popovici the only swimmer to have done so multiple times (three).

Among Americans, Hobson moved past Ryan Lochte (1:44.44) and Kieran Smith (1:44.74) to rank #2 all-time behind Phelps, while runner-up Gabriel Jett clocked 1:44.70 to become the fourth-fastest American ever.

Hobson also takes over the top spot in the 2024-25 world rankings, with only Germany’s Lukas Märtens (1:44.25), Jett, and Australian Edward Sommerville (1:44.93) having been under 1:45.

Honorable Mentions: 

• Jack Alexy, 100 Free – Alexy became just the sixth swimmer in history to break 47 seconds in the men’s 100 free, clocking 46.99 in the prelims to lower his U.S. Open Record of 47.08 set at the 2024 Olympic Trials. The swim ranks Alexy #6 all-time, putting him just three one-hundredths shy of Caeleb Dressel‘s American Record. Alexy went on to win the final in 47.17.
• Rex Maurer, 400 Free – Maurer produced the fastest time an American man has gone in the 400 free since the super-suits, clocking 3:43.33 to break the U.S. Open Record of 3:43.53 set by Larsen Jensen at the 2008 Olympic Trials. Maurer also puts himself just 55 one-hundredths back of Jensen’s American Record of 3:42.78, ranking #3 all-time among U.S. swimmers behind Jensen and Peter Vanderkaay (3:43.11). Maurer’s previous best time stood at 3:46.52.
• Campbell McKean, 100 Breast – McKean slashed nearly a second and a half off his lifetime best in the 100 breast over the course of one day at U.S. Nationals, completely skipping the 59s as he clocked 58.96 in the final to shatter his PB of 1:00.18 from the prelims after coming in with a best time of 1:00.40. The swim crushed the boys’ 17-18 NAG record (59.82), moved McKean into a tie for #6 all-time among Americans, and made him the first swimmer 18 & under (by birthday) to break 59 seconds in the event.

MALE BREAKOUT PERFORMER OF THE MEET: CAMPBELL MCKEAN

McKean made history on multiple counts at Nationals, headlined by his performance in the 100 breaststroke.

With Nic Fink not entering the competition, the U.S. was in dire need of someone to step up in the 100 breast, and McKean did just that. The 18-year-old Texas commit slaughtered his lifetime best time, dropping more than a second in 58.96 to break Michael Andrew‘s National Age Group Record for 17-18 boys (59.82) by 86 one-hundredths of a second.

He also tied Eric Shanteau for 6th all-time among Americans in the event, and became the fastest 18 & under swimmer ever (by birthday) and the first under the 59-second barrier, overtaking Italian Nicolo Martinenghi‘s 59.01.

All-Time U.S. Performers, Men’s 100 Breaststroke (LCM)

1. Michael Andrew, 58.14 – 2021
2. Nic Fink, 58.36 – 2023
3. Kevin Cordes, 58.64 – 2017
4. Andrew Wilson, 58.74 – 2021
5. Cody Miller, 58.87 – 2016
6. Eric Shanteau / Campbell McKean, 58.96 – 2009 / 2025

McKean, who now ranks 2nd in the world this season, came into the meet with a personal best time of 1:00.40, and had brought that down to 1:00.18 in the prelims.

One night earlier in the 50 breast, McKean put up a time of 26.90 to out-touch Andrew (26.92) and book his ticket to the World Championships, becoming the 5th-fastest American in history to bring his pre-meet best time of 27.40 down by half a second.

Honorable Mentions: 

• Rex Maurer – Maurer has been on fire ever since joining Bob Bowman at the University of Texas one year ago, and after a standout college season that included breaking the American Record in the 500 free, he followed through in the long course pool at Nationals. Maurer raced four events in Indianapolis, finishing in the top three and setting personal best times in all of them. He won the 400 free in a new U.S. Open Record of 3:43.33, and earned an individual entry at Worlds in a second event by placing 3rd in the 400 IM (4:09.65), with winner Bobby Finke dropping it from his schedule. Maurer also placed 3rd in the 200 free (1:45.13) to earn a spot on the 4×200 free relay, and he was the runner-up to Finke in the 800 free (7:49.53), missing the ‘A’ cut (7:48.66) by less than a second.
• Jack Aikins – After a pair of near misses at the 2024 Olympic Trials, Aikins came through under pressure to book his ticket to the 2025 World Championships in two events. The rising Virginia senior won the men’s 200 back in a lifetime best of 1:54.25, ranking him 5th all-time among Americans while lowering his previous best of 1:54.78. The 22-year-old also earned a Singapore berth in the 100 back, placing 2nd to Tommy Janton in a tightly contested final in a time of 53.19.

MALE TEAM OF THE MEET: LONGHORN AQUATICS/UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS

Six male swimmers training under Bob Bowman at the University of Texas qualified for the U.S. World Championship team, including three who earned berths in multiple individual events in Singapore.

Rex Maurer, as previously mentioned, won the men’s 400 free (3:43.33) and also qualified for Worlds in the 400 IM (4:09.65) and 4×200 free relay while adding a runner-up finish in the 800 free, setting new lifetime bests in all four events.

Shaine Casas was victorious in the men’s 100 fly (50.51) and 200 IM (1:55.73), swimming the second-fastest times of his career in both, and he was also 2nd in the 50 back.

Carson Foster was the runner-up in three events, placing 2nd to Casas in the 200 IM (1:55.76) while also taking the #2 spot in the 400 IM (4:07.92) and 200 fly (1:53.70). Foster added a 5th-place finish in the 200 free, putting him in a position to be used on the 4×200 free relay.

Luke Hobson had the performance of the meet in the men’s 200 free, clocking 1:43.73 to rank #5 all-time, and he also set a personal best time en route to placing 6th in the 400 free (3:47.47).

David Johnston also booked his ticket to Singapore with a runner-up finish in the 1500 free (14:57.83) while placing 3rd in the 800 free and 4th in the 400 free, and Chris Guiliano qualified in the men’s 4×100 free relay after placing 3rd in the 100 free (47.49) while adding a 5th-place finish in the 50 free and a 7th-place showing in the 200 free.

Although they didn’t make the Worlds team, Camden Taylor, Will Modglin and Nate Germonprez all had strong swims and put themselves in position to be named to the World University Games team.

Honorable Mention:

• California Aquatics/Cal – Cal sent six male swimmers to Indianapolis and five of them made the Worlds team, led by Jack Alexy‘s sweep of the men’s 50 and 100 free in personal best fashion, with both swims ranking him #2 all-time among Americans. Gabriel Jett had a breakthrough swim to earn an individual berth in the 200 free (1:44.70), Keaton Jones placed 2nd in the 200 back (1:54.85) while setting a best time and placing 4th in the 100 back, and Dare Rose landed an individual berth with a win in the 50 fly (23.06) while placing 3rd in the 100 fly. Destin Lasco also his punched his ticket to Singapore with a 4th-place finish in the 100 free, setting a lifetime best of 47.58, and he also had a strong swim in the 200 free (1:46.32) to place 9th, potentially putting him on the radar to earn a prelims swim in the 4×200 free relay in Singapore as well. Brooks Curry didn’t quite crack the roster but did get back under 48 seconds in the 100 free for the first time since 2022, clocking 47.96 to win the ‘B’ final and finish 9th overall.