2025 Males’s NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships
Males’s 1650 Freestyle — By The Numbers
NCAA Document: 14:12.08 — Bobby Finke, Florida (2020)
Championship Document: 14:12.52 — Bobby Finke, Florida (2021)
American Document: 14:12.08 — Bobby Finke, Florida (2020)
U.S. Open Document: 14:12.08 — Bobby Finke, Florida (2020)
2024 Champion: Zalan Sarkany, Arizona State — 14:30.57
NCAA Group Title Contenders Duke It Out
All three of the primary contenders for this yr’s title—Texas, Indiana, and Cal—intention to make an announcement on the final evening of the meet with a finals-opening win within the 1650 freestyle. After swimming constantly quick all through the season, the Longhorns are projected to select up large factors on this occasion as they’re seeded extremely on the psych sheet. That’s true in lots of occasions and in this one, it’s David Johnston and Rex Maurer hoping to engineer a Texas 1-2 end.
Johnston returned to NCAA motion this season after an Olympic redshirt season and a Paris berth. He’s improved his 1650 free placement at every of his three NCAA Championships, going from Seventh in 2021 to fifth in 2022, then fourth in 2023. He’s in a powerful place to proceed that development this season. After turning into the SEC champion in a lifetime greatest 14:26.00, Johnston leads the psych sheet by 3.74 seconds with a time that may’ve gained NCAAs the final two years.
Maurer, Johnston’s sophomore teammate, has reached one other stage of his profession this season. The transfer from Stanford to Texas has labored for him; he ripped an American file within the 500 freestyle at midseason and has vaulted up the all-time rankings in a number of occasions. Maurer didn’t swim the 1650 freestyle in a Cardinal cap so his time has improved from a 14:54.71 on the 2022 Winter Juniors to a 14:30.47 on the Texas Corridor of Fame Invitational. That marks a 24.24-second drop for Maurer and places him on the cusp of breaking the 14:30 barrier; he additionally out-split Bobby Finke’s NCAA file tempo over the ultimate 250 yards.
Maurer regarded largely unrested on the SEC Championships however nonetheless walked away with two occasion titles and a third-place end within the 1650 freestyle (14:32.78). Like most of the Longhorns, his focus is mounted on peaking for NCAAs, the place he goals to make a triumphant return after a disappointing outing his freshman season.
The 1650 freestyle has been considered one of California’s few weaknesses in latest seasons. The workforce has rectified that this yr by including Olympian Lucas Henveaux again to the roster. Henveaux noticed main enhancements throughout his stint with the Bears and continued to enhance within the interim, making him an much more precious prospect than he was when he was first on the roster.
Lucas Henveaux (photograph: Jack Spitser)
Henveaux threw down a lifetime greatest 14:29.74 at Cal’s twin towards Stanford in January, which shot him to the highest of the NCAA rankings on the time. He didn’t break 14:40 on the ACC Championships, as an alternative taking this with a 14:40.09. His swim at ACCs was solely his fourth time swimming the race, and it seems like if there’s a wildcard on this race, it’s him. He positioned Ninth within the 1650 freestyle on the 2024 NCAA Championships in his second time swimming the occasion.
Indiana made distance freestyle strikes of its personal within the offseason, including the reigning 1650 freestyle champion, Zalan Sarkany, to the Hoosier ranks. This was an vital choose up for Indiana among the many high-powered names the workforce added this yr as equally to Cal, Indiana has lacked 1650 freestyle factors lately. The final time they scored on this occasion was in 2022.
Sarkany’s greatest occasion within the yards pool is the 1650 freestyle and including the defending champion in the occasion does lots to mitigate ceding many factors to Indiana’s rivals within the workforce race. The Indiana ladies swam effectively at their NCAA Championships, which may point out large issues to come back for the lads. Sarkany simply gained the 1650 freestyle on the Massive Ten Championships in 14:38.01 which secured him the Seventh seed and an out of doors lane within the high warmth at NCAAs.
Sarkany gained his NCAA title in 14:30.57 however has been as quick as 14:23.01, which makes him the sixth quickest performer in historical past and the quickest on this subject. Johnston’s 14:26.00 ranks him thirteenth, the following greatest amongst these contenders.
The Relaxation Of The High Warmth
In fact, it gained’t simply be swimmers from groups concerned within the title hunt within the remaining warmth of the 1650 freestyle. Kentucky’s Levi Sandidge, NC State’s Owen Lloyd, Yale’s Noah Millard, and Stanford’s Liam Custer have additionally earned a lane within the fastest-timed remaining.
Sandidge interrupted a Longhorn 1-2 end on the SEC Championships, swimming a lifetime greatest 14:30.61 to outpace Maurer by over two seconds. Now a junior, Sandidge gained the 1650 freestyle SEC title as a freshman. The convention meet is the place he’s had his greatest performances within the mile over the past two seasons; he positioned sixth at NCAAs in 2023 then didn’t rating final season. He’ll be aiming for a return to the highest 8 however to attain that aim, he gained’t have the ability to achieve an excessive amount of from his seed time as the sector’s been reinvigorated after a quiet 2023-24.
Millard has been a part of the crew injecting vitality into this occasion this season. He was an Olympic redshirt final season however turned heads two years in the past with a 4:10.62 on the Ivy League Championships. Millard has been lighting it up since his return to the Bulldogs within the 200/500/1650 freestyle, together with dropping a 14:33.47 on the Ohio State Invitational. Finally month’s Ivy League Championships, he backed that up with a 14:34.72 after swimming lifetime bests within the 200/500 freestyle.
Owen Lloyd (photograph: Jack Spitser)
Two years in the past, Millard didn’t transition effectively from Ivies to NCAAs, falling out of scoring place within the 500 freestyle. But when he’s realized from that have, he may put some large factors on the board for Yale. He gained’t be the workforce’s solely swimmer on the meet with yr both; the Bulldogs certified one other swimmer (Nicholas Finch) individually, plus relays.
Owen Lloyd had probably the greatest tales of this yr’s convention championship season. He rebounded from a troublesome disqualification for his post-mile successful celebration a yr in the past, swimming a lifetime greatest 14:31.64 and eventually standing on high of the ACC podium.
That effort might have been the end result of years of labor, however Lloyd’s season isn’t over but. His swim landed him the fifth seed at NCAAs, precisely the position Lloyd earned final season, bettering from eleventh the yr earlier than. In 2023, Lloyd’s eleventh place time was a lifetime greatest 14:46.16. He’s dropped 14.52 seconds over these two years and the massive query can be if he’s saved something for NCAAs or whether or not his focus was that redemptive title in Greensboro.
Lastly, Stanford’s Custer has been quietly chugging alongside this season. He was an enormous pick-up for the Cardinal as a recruit and it looks like he’s lastly able to contribute his first NCAA factors for Stanford. Custer touched second on the ACC Championships, breaking 14:40 for the primary time in 4 years and swimming a lifetime greatest 14:36.44. The swim lower 1.42 seconds off the lifetime greatest he swam earlier than arriving at college. It was an enormous second for him he’ll be hoping to translate to a profitable second NCAA look. Final yr, Custer completed thirtieth on this occasion.
Might A Win Come From The Early Heats?
All timed finals of the mile will swim within the afternoon between prelims and finals besides the final warmth, which options the highest 8 seeds. Whereas the ultimate eight swimmers can be effectively conscious of what’s already been executed, the format forces us to contemplate whether or not the highest 8 will slip up and a swimmer from the early heats will win the day.
It doesn’t appear doubtless this season given the seed instances. However, for those who’re scanning the psych sheet trying to see if anybody may transfer up into All-American standing from the morning there are a few sturdy candidates together with former champion Will Gallant. The NC State swimmer gained this race in 2023, breaking the 14:30 barrier with a 14:28.94 and main a 1-2 end for the Wolfpack. Gallant has been quiet this season since getting back from his Olympic redshirt season—he owns a season-best 14:48.80 that ranks twenty ninth on the psych sheet. Nevertheless, somebody with a sub-14:30 lifetime greatest is all the time an individual to control at NCAAs.
Daniel Matheson (photograph: Jack Spitser)
In the same vein, three-time top-8 finisher Jack Hoagland is second from final on the psych sheet. Hoagland is in his remaining yr at SMU and was a part of an extremely profitable 2024 NCAA Championship workforce for the Mustangs, the place Hoagland was a three-time ‘A’ finalist. His lifetime greatest within the mile, 14:31.83, comes from the 2021 ACC Championships. He brings a season-best of 15:01.06 into NCAAs this yr however has damaged 14:40 in his final three NCAA appearances. So, even when he doesn’t crack the highest 8, it appears like he’s received a variety of room to maneuver up.
Oh, you want extra swimmers to look at from the early heats?
Effectively, Arizona State’s Daniel Matheson is one other sturdy contender to interrupt into the highest eight. He’s sitting tenth general after a lifetime greatest 14:43.46 on the Wolfpack Elite Invitational. Matheson gained the Massive XII Championship within the occasion too (14:46.53) and goals to maneuver up from eleventh final season. Arizona State’s dash group has been attracting a variety of consideration this season as their relays excel. However, Matheson is a stable wager to select up factors for the Solar Devils on this occasion as they intention to again up their 2024 title by sustaining a spot within the high 5 applications.
Round Matheson’s entry at eleventh is the place you begin seeing groups be part of Texas with a number of swimmers in scoring place. NC State has Lance Norris Ninth (14:38.69) and Kentucky’s Carson Hick is eleventh (14:43.70). Norris specifically has potential to maneuver up; final yr, he dropped ten seconds from midseason to NCAAs and has already swum a lifetime greatest at this season’s Wolfpack Elite Invitational.
In the meantime, final yr’s runner-up Giovanni Linscheer is seeded fifteenth (14:45.25), whereas Seventh-place Bar Soloveychik and Ninth-place Charlie Clark are seeded twenty seventh and twentieth, respectively. Florida’s distance group, together with Linscheer, is an fascinating case. The Gators are referred to as a powerhouse freestyle program and have routinely flexed their distance freestyle depth on the convention and nationwide stage. However this yr, Linscheer is the workforce’s highest seed, with Jake Mitchell tied for twentieth, Josh Guardian at twenty fifth (14:48.46), Oskar Lindholm thirty second (14:56.64), and Eric Brown thirty third (14:56.84). Will the Gators explode in Federal Method or can they not depend on this occasion as a large factors increase anymore?
SwimSwam Picks
Darkish Horse: Tomas Koski, Georgia — The make-up of this occasion required us to scan additional down the psych sheet than we usually do in these previews, which has eaten into the potential darkish horse candidates. However, for those who want another reason to tune into the afternoon session, we submit Georgia’s Tomas Koski. The sophomore has carved his area of interest within the 200/500 freestyle and swam lifetime bests in each on the SEC Championships that put him in NCAA scoring vary. After SECs, Koski swam the 1650 free at Georgia’s Final Probability Meet. It was unsurprising to see him pop a lifetime greatest (14:47.73) after the strides he’s made in freestyle since arriving in Athens. Nevertheless, it was a little bit of a shock to see that point motivated him to enter the occasion at NCAAs reasonably than the 100 freestyle. However, the 100 free is a crowded and chaotic occasion. Koski should really feel he’s in a greater place to attain on this race, and it makes us marvel if he feels he’s received a greater swim within the tank that may push him up from his twenty second seed.
