2025 U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Tuesday, June 3 – Saturday, June 7, 2025
- Indianapolis, Indiana
- Indiana University Natatorium
- LCM (50 meters)
- World Championship Selection Criteria
- SwimSwam Preview Index
- Meet Central
- Live Results
- Prelims Live Recap: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5
- Finals Live Recap: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5
Despite Kieran Smith falling victim to the 26-swimmer roster limit for the men’s Worlds team in the very final event, as Santo Condorelli qualified for his first US National Team, the American men’s 4×200 free relay looks stacked for this summer.
Kieran Smith actually ends up as the only member of the 200 freestyle ‘A’ final not to make the squad, with Luka Mijatovic (400 free) and Chris Guiliano (4×100 free relay) qualifying in other events.
The winners of the 200 freestyle ‘B’ final (Destin Lasco) and ‘C’ final (Patrick Sammon) also made the cut for Singapore through their top-four finishes in the 100 freestyle.
In total, there are 10 men on the 26-strong roster who have been 1:46.5 or better so far this season
Season-Best Performances from U.S. 2025 Worlds Team, Men’s 200 Free
- Luke Hobson, 06/04/2025 – 1:43.73
- Gabriel Jett, 06/04/2025 – 1:44.70
- Rex Maurer, 06/04/2025 – 1:45.13
- Henry McFadden, 06/04/2025 – 1:45.22
- Carson Foster, 06/04/2025 – 1:45.45
- Chris Guiliano, 06/04/2025 – 1:45.73
- Luke Mijatovic, 06/04/2025 – 1:45.92
- Destin Lasco, 06/04/2025 – 1:46.32
- Shaine Casas, 05/02/2025 – 1:46.49
- Patrick Sammon, 06/04/2025 – 1:46.54
Nine of the 10 here set best times this season, with all of those coming in the last five weeks. Chris Guiliano is the only one not to have done so as his best of 1:45.38 is from 2024 Olympic Trials, and Shaine Casas set his best at the Fort Lauderdale Pro Swim Series at the start of May.
Add in Luca Urlando, who was 1:46.98 last season, and the U.S. can go any number of ways with this relay. If this event had semi-finals, they would almost be able to trot out a unique team of sub-1:47 swimmers in each round just from the swimmers already on the team.
This is by far the strongest and deepest team the U.S. has had over the last half-decade.
| Year | Top-10 Average |
| 2021 | 1:46.85 |
| 2022 | 1:47.36 |
| 2023 | 1:46.98 |
| 2024 | 1:46.06 |
| 2025 | 1:45.52 |
That average is 1.46 seconds faster than in 2023, and whilst this is strongly affected by the makeup of the team it displays a cut-throat level of competition in the squad. It may not be an easy decision to decide who will be swimming prelims this summer.
That competition has been reflected in the projected add-up for the top four, which this year is only 0.23 seconds slower than the 4×200 World record of 6:58.55. That was set at the infamous 2009 World championships in Rome and has endured despite the close attention of the British team over the last four years.
Team GB were 6:58.58 in Tokyo for the third-fastest swim of all-time (the U.S. were 6:58.56 in 2008), but have been in the 6:59 range at the last two major international meets.
The quartet of Tom Dean, Matt Richards, James Guy and Duncan Scott own three of the top six swims all-time in this event, and will all return in Singapore. Tom Dean did take time off last fall while competing on Strictly Come Dancing (the UK version of Dancing with the Stars), so this may be the best chance for the U.S. to return to the top of the podium for the first time since 2016.
The versatility of the U.S. team does stand in stark contrast to their biggest rival for the 4×200 free relay crown this summer. Great Britain will likely have a pool of only seven men for this relay, four of whom have been under the 1:46.5 mark in 2024-25.
Season-Best Performances from GB 2025 Worlds Team, Men’s 200 Free
- Duncan Scott/James Guy – 1:45.08
- –
- Matt Richards – 1:45.35
- Jack McMillan – 1:46.40
- Evan Jones – 1:47.48
- Max Litchfield – 1:47.89
- Tom Dean – 1:48.05
The last time the British quartet of Dean, Richards, Guy and Scott were beaten was by Russia at the 2021 European Championships. However, that was evidently not a taper meet for GB and they were nearly six seconds faster in Tokyo than the 7:04.61 they went in Budapest. Tapered, they are unbeaten in their last three swims (2021, 2023, 2024)
Nevertheless, the race in Singapore this summer looks to be shaping up into a mouthwatering clash between the big-game experience of Great Britain and the youthful speed of Team USA.
Don’t count out Australia
Australia will win bronze.
Carson Foster is the big mystery right now. He’s going to pop off a 1:43 or better eventually with the Bowman training.
The remarkable thing about the US squad this summer is the glut of back-up options. Plenty of strong prelims 200s the US can use depending on which non-relay only swimmers are “on” or “off” during the meet. The challenge will be picking the correct 4 for the final, and having most or all of them perform at the right time.
Having more depths, I fancy US chances to beat GBR
Just get to use 4
What if one swimmer is having an off meet?
USA will easily replace the swimmer with the fifth swimmer who is as almost fast as to the top 4.
GBR has been lucky that all their 4 top swimmers were firing at all cylinders the past 4 years.
In 2012 Olympics, Netherlands was favored to win w4x100 free (they had Ranomi, Femke, Marleen, and Inge), but I predicted Australia to win, because Australia had more depth.
Sure thing, Marleen had an off day, and Australia beat Netherlands by 0.64s, even when Ranomi blasted 51.93 split.
In 2019, Thomas Dean was having off swim, and GBR placed 4th after winning it in 2017.
This summer it will be close, but I… Read more »
I meant “Inge had an off day (54.67)”
In 2019 Tom Dean split 1:46.1 when his PB then was only 1:46.8, definitely not an off swim. GB just didnt have a full quartet of strong swimmers back then.
They won in 2022
The main thing we need to see is Hobson hold form. As spectacular as he’s been the one gripe is that he always does a little bit worse on the relay leading off.
The central question of who’s winning this entire race revolves around one person: Tom Dean
I don’t know why people are pretending like this is gonna be close. US is gonna smash UK and it’s probably the last time it will be even kind of close. The US has many young stars while the UKs glory years in the event are fading and will be another generation before they can hope to compete again.
The Us might have 2 relays that can beat the Brit’s this year.
Something happened before when an American relay were meant to smash another country’s squad. How’d that end again…
Ian Thorpe circa 2000 is not on the GBR roster. Besides, Gary Hall Jr. is/was a clown show.
Blaming Hall for that loss is about like blaming Lezak for the 2004 loss (hint, both guys were the fastest legs on their respective relay and one of the 2 or 3 fastest splits of the entire field)
But don’t let facts get in your way
Carry on
(1) Never underestimate your opponent.
(2) Never provide bulletin board material to your opponent.
In similar fashion, it backfired for the French in 2008.
End of story.
Thorpe wasn’t the reason AUS won the relay. Some guy named Klim set a WR leading off and then USA out split AUS on the other 3 legs
Hall Jr. never actually said that. Here’s what he said (actually wrote in an article): “My biased opinion says that we will smash them like guitars. Historically the U.S. has always risen to the occasion. But the logic in that remote area of my brain says it won’t be so easy for the United States to dominate the waters this time.” Hall Jr. was saying he was afraid the US might lose. The Aussie press took the first part of this, excised the second part, which deliberately skewed the entire point Hall was trying to make. We as acutally swimming fans need to stop perpetuating this lie.
So, just like how that Americans did with “cowbell”
Double standard.
So will you smash us or will it be “kind of close”? Despite the typical bravado, you don’t seem too sure
I distinctly remember last year Carson Foster was suppose to post a sub 1:44 split. The end result was a split of 1:45.31.
Yeah. USA men would’ve won the relay in Paris if Hobson and Foster had been close to their season’s best form. They weren’t.
Richards and Dean were slower with a flyers than their flat start SBs too. That is the thing about relays, it’s very, very rare that everybody ‘hits’, particularly on a 4×2.
Coulda Woulda Shoulda
Let’s see if the male contingent of USA Swimming can hold form throughout the summer unlike last year.
Yup that was a slow race all around. Both teams could point to “could of” times that would have had USA winning or GB breaking the WR
That type of arrogance has backfired so many times in relays.The race is in the pool and I’ll look forward to it.My country ,Canada, is probably not a contender but enters 4 19 year olds.Hoping for some best times.
Beat the Brit’s what? Their 10 and unders? I am confused.
The US may beat GBR (I predicted US will win), but the USA doesn’t have a second completely different 4×200 team that beat GBR.
The M 100 FL (heats/semis) is scheduled on the same day as the M 4 x 200 FR-R (heats/final) at the World Aquatics Championships. Scratch Shaine Casas off the list.