Tampa’s Jacob Hamlin Completes Distance Trifecta With Another NCAA D2 Record

Tampa Spartans (D2) vs. Florida State Seminoles (D1)

• January 24, 2025
• Morcom Aquatics Center, Florida St. University, Tallahassee, Florida
• Short Course Yards (25 yards), college dual meet
• Results on Meet Mobile: “2025 FSU vs. Tampa”

University of Tampa sophomore Jacob Hamlin has completed the distance-record trifecta, breaking his third NCAA Division II Record of the season in a dual meet on Friday.

Hamlin swam 8:53.99, which broke the old record of 8:54.10 that was set at the 2021 NCAA Division II Championships by McKendree’s Fabio Dalu.

Hamlin’s previous best time of 8:56.76 from a tri meet in December ranked 5th all-time in Division II.

Splits Comparison By 100

Splits Comparison By 500

Hamlin finished 3rd in the 1000 free at last year’s NCAA Division 2 Championships in 8:58.32 – the 1000 free is not a championship-level event in Division 1 or Division 3, but it is for Division 2.

He is now the best swimmer in D2 in the 1000 free this season by more than five seconds ahead of UIndy’s Cedric Buessing, the defending champion.

Hamlin ranks 22nd this season across all NCAA divisions; the collegiate leader this year is Texas’ David Johnston, who swam 8:39.25 in the team’s dual meet against Indiana.

Hamlin hit a mixed taper for NCAAs last season, swimming best times in the 500 and 1000 freestyles in March, but adding almost 15 seconds in the 1650 free. At the team’s mid-season invite, he swam 4:16.84 in the 500 and 14:55.02 in the 1650 – the latter of which also broke Dalu’s old record by a tenth. There was no 1000 yard free at that meet.

In spite of a pair of Hamlin wins in the meet against the sprint-oriented Seminoles (he also won the 500 in 4:20.96), Florida State won the meet comfortably by a score of 153-73.