The Top 10 Men’s NCAA Mid-Major Swimmers In Every Event Through 2024-25

As we reflect on the 2024-25 NCAA season, which wrapped with the 2025 Men’s NCAA Division I Championships in Federal Way, Wash., it’s time to take a look at the all-time top 10 mid-major men in each event.

We last checked in with these rankings after the midseason invitationals and there’s been plenty of change since then as mid-major swimmers–aka Division I swimmers not in the ACC, Big 10, Big 12 or SEC–threw down fast times at the NCAA Championships and their conference meets. As the rankings stand at the end of this season, there are 42 new times on the board.

Note: Due to a lack of reliable data, these rankings are potentially missing swims from the 2000s and earlier. If you notice a swim missing, please let us know in the comments. 

General Notes On The Updated Rankings

• Every men’s event saw at least one update this season.
• The men’s event with the most new entries is the 100 breaststroke with five. This was also the event at the men’s NCAA Championships that had the most mid-major entries.
  • The 200 freestyle, 100 backstroke, 200 butterfly, and 200 IM followed close behind with four new entries at season’s end.
• Four swimmers set mid-major records this season. Noah Millard improved his mark in the 500 freestyle at Ivies, then broke the 1650 free record at NCAAs. His Yale teammate Nicholas Finch swam 44.57 in the 100 butterfly twice to cement his place at the top of the event rankings. Princeton’s Mitchell Schott swam 1:40.42 in the 200 fly, breaking Jack Saunderson‘s record by two-hundredths. Cal Baptist’s Remi Fabiani tied the all-time mark in the 50 freestyle.
• Yale wasn’t the only school to have multiple swimmers improve their standing in the rankings or break in for the first time. Army (Johnny Crush and Kohen Rankin), Brown (Jack Kelly and Marton Nagy), and Cornell (Pietro Ubertalli and Joseph Gurski) each had two. Princeton paced the way with three swimmers (Schott, Patrick Dinu, and Arthur Balva).
• Schott and Ubertalli are tied for most new entries this season with four. Schott put up new marks in the 200 freestyle (1:31.63), 200 butterfly (1:40.42), 200 IM (1:41.44), and 400 IM (3:40.69). Ubertalli’s swims came in the 200 freestyle (1:33.01), 100 backstroke (45.29), 200 backstroke (1:38.99), and 200 IM (1:42.60).

Men’s 50 Freestyle

The day where it takes a sub-19 seconds 50 freestyle to make this list is inching closer, thanks to three new marks in the top 10 this season. Cal Baptist’s Remi Fabiani cracked 19 seconds with an 18.82, tying Alex Righi‘s mid-major record from the 2008-09 season.

The Yale freshman Finch tied UNLV’s Dillon Virva for 7th on the list at 19.07, while Matej Dusa logged a 19.11 for 9th. Dusa sits .01 seconds ahead of SIU’s Alex Santiago.

Men’s 100 Freestyle

Fabiani, a 100 freestyle NCAA ‘B’ finalist this season, sped past Righi in the 100 freestyle, swimming a 41.23. The swim makes him the second-fastest mid-major swimmer in event history and the fastest since Dean Farris.

Meanwhile, Santiago and Vili Sivec also cracked the 42-second barrier. Santiago swam a 41.95 for 5th on the list, one spot ahead of Sivec’s 41.98 for sixth. Princeton freshman Patrick Dinu rounds out this season’s 100 freestyle updates with a 42.16.

Men’s 200 Freestyle

Though there’s still a considerable gap between him and the mid-major record, Schott paces this season’s updates to the 200 freestyle rankings. He clocked 1:31.63 for 3rd overall, but Millard is right behind in 1:31.86. Cornell’s Ubertalli has the first of his four entries in this event as well after clocking 1:33.01 for 7th.

Ubertalli just missed breaking 1:33, but Davidson’s Dylan Felt achieved the feat, swimming 1:32.96 while leading off his program’s relay at the A-10 Championships.

Men’s 500 Freestyle

Millard’s 4:07.86 from the Ivy League Championships is the only update to the men’s 500 freestyle rankings this season. He’s the first mid-major swimmer to break the 4:10 barrier, as Jack Hoagland sits 2nd with the 4:11.11 he swam last season, when SMU was still a mid-major program.

Men’s 1650 Freestyle

Similarly, Millard’s swim is the only update in the men’s 1650 freestyle. Millard turned in a 14:33.47 at the Ohio State Invitational in his first time swimming the race since 2023. He dropped over five seconds at the NCAA Championships, swimming 14:28.43 to place 4th and break Chris Swanson‘s mid-major and Ivy League record (14:31.54).

Men’s 100 Backstroke

Johnny Crush had an excellent first season in an Army cap. Crush swam multiple lifetime bests in the 100 backstroke this season, steadily climbing the mid-major all-time ranks. He swam 44.52 in prelims at the NCAA Championships, qualifying for the ‘A’ final and knocking .01 second off his lifetime best. The swim improved his standing as the 3rd fastest mid-major swimmer in event history.

Ubertalli’s 45.29 slotted him in 6th, while Fabiani swam 45.40 this season, making this his third entry in the mid-major rankings this season.

Ben Irwin, Crush’s fellow Patriot League swimmer, swam two lifetime bests in his first appearance at the NCAA Championships. His first, a 45.66 in the 100 backstroke, ties him for 9th all-time.

Men’s 200 Backstroke

In the fastest 200 backstroke since the 2017-18 season, Ubertalli swam 1:38.99 at the Ivy League Championships. With the swim, Ubertalli tied Farris for the conference record and the 2nd fastest mid-major swimmer in history. He went on to ‘B’ final at NCAAs.

Irwin’s second lifetime best in Federal Way was his 1:39.79 in the 200 backstroke. The swim was his first time under 1:40, improving on the 1:40.04 he swam to win the Patriot League title.

Crush’s 1:40.28 from the Star Meet holds to make him the 10th fastest mid-major swimmer.

Men’s 100 Breaststroke

It was a banner year for the men’s 100 breaststroke in the mid-majors. By season’s end, the all-time rankings were halfway rewritten. Brown’s Jack Kelly lead the way with a 50.60, just missing the mid-major record Brian Benzing swam for 2nd at the 2024 NCAA Championships by a hundredth. After swimming 50.60 at the Ivy League Championships, Kelly placed 8th at this year’s NCAAs.

2nd through 4th on the list are all from this season. After swimming 51.63 earlier this season, Delaware’s Matvei Namakonov shot to 3rd all-time with a 51.16 at the CAA Championships. Rankin, Army’s second swimmer to have an entry this season, moved up to 4rd all time with a 51.26 at the ECAC Championships, which confirmed his second NCAA appearance.

Daniel Nicusan and Watson Nguyen, are separated by three-hundredths. They all swam in the 51-mid range and now occupy the 6th, 7th, and 8th spots on the list. Nguyen is approaching Matt Fallon‘s 51.45 school record in the event, with three more years to try to take it down.

Men’s 200 Breaststroke

Kelly was on fire at the Ivy League Championships. In addition to his 50.60 100 breaststroke, he blazed a 1:49.80 200 breaststroke. He broke 1:50 for the first time and moved to 2nd on these rankings behind Fallon. He repeated as the 8th place finisher in this event at the NCAA Championships.

Nicusan makes his second appearance in these rankings with a 1:52.27 200 breaststroke in Federal Way. He nearly earned a second swim with the effort, placing 17th at NCAAs. Joshua Corn, another NCAA qualifier, took 3rd at Ivies with a 1:52.89. The swim makes him the 10th fastest mid-major swimmer and gives Columbia two athletes in the 200 breaststroke top 10.

Men’s 100 Butterfly

Finch and Felix Jedbratt first entered the mid-major top 10 at midseason invites. Finch took over the mid-major record with a 44.57 at Ivies, which he hit again to win the ‘B’ final at the NCAA Championships.

Jedbratt lowered his lifetime best at the A-10 Championships, swimming 44.97 to win and go sub-45 for the first time. His swim means the top four in this event are all under the 45 second barrier. Santiago approached that barrier at the NCAA Championships, swimming 45.11 for 20th.

Men’s 200 Butterfly

Two swimmers got under Raunak Khosla‘s Ivy League record this season. Schott, his fellow Princeton Tiger, took over the conference record and the mid-major record with a 1:40.42 at Ivies, winning a thrilling race with Harvard’s David Schmitt by a tenth. Schmitt’s 1:40.52 improved his standing in the mid-major ranks as well, moving him to 3rd all-time.

Behind them, Princeton’s Balva and Cornell’s Joseph Gurski made their way into the top 10, as Balva swam 1:41.99 and Gurski 1:42.24.

Men’s 200 IM

Schott narrowly missed Khosla’s Princeton, Ivy, and mid-major record in the 200 IM. He won his conference championship in 1:41.44, coming .33 seconds from Khosla’s standard of 1:41.44.

On the first day of NCAAs, Ubertalli swam a lifetime best in the 200 IM, clocking 1:42.60 to better the 1:43.88 he swam at Ivies. The time edged him ahead of Brown’s Marton Nagy for 4th in the mid-major rankings, so the freshman’s 1:42.69 from Ivies is now 5th.

UCSB’s Kyle Brill swam a 1:43.02 at the Bulldog Last Chance Invite, breaking into the top 10 as the 9th fastest performer.

Men’s 400 IM

Schott did not contest this event at the Ivy League Championships, but his 3:40.69 from his midseason invite makes him the 4th fastest mid-major performer in the event. Instead, it was Nagy who claimed this year’s Ivy League title with a 3:42.64 that makes him the 7th fastest in these rankings.

Brill followed his 200 IM at the Bulldog Last Chance meet with a 3:42.81 in the 400 IM. It’s another lifetime best that breaks him into the mid-major top 10, this time at 10th.