Rex Maurer Main Veteran 500 Freestyle Subject Towards NCAA Championships Showdown
Final March, Leon Marchand made an sudden look within the 500 freestyle on the NCAA Championships, choosing that occasion as an alternative of the 200 IM due to Arizona State’s perception that he might win the race whereas clearing a path for then-teammates Hubert Kos and Owen McDonald to excel within the shorter medley. The consequence was Marchand deploying his underwater kickouts off each wall like no mid-distance freestyle specialist ever had, changing into the quickest swimmer ever by 4 seconds at 4:02.31.
Now, Marchand has departed school swimming, leaving the potential of one other record-shattering swim way more distant for this 12 months. Nonetheless, an intriguing nationwide subject is coalescing round some constant veterans of their last 12 months of eligibility, Olympians returning to the NCAA subject after a 12 months away and a College of Texas sophomore whose beautiful fall efficiency made him the second-fastest man in historical past.
The latter swimmer is Rex Maurer, who was thirty first within the 500 free throughout his freshman 12 months at Stanford after swimming as fast as 4:11.88 throughout the season. After shifting on to the Longhorns, Maurer holds the American report, having blasted a time of 4:04.45 on the Texas Invitational in November. That broke a mark set earlier that night by coaching companion Carson Foster, which in flip broke Kieran Smith’s report of 4:06.32 which was the all-time greatest earlier than Marchand got here round.
That efficiency established Maurer as a budding star, and because the calendar flipped to 2025, he held the nation’s prime instances within the 500 free plus the 400 IM and 1650 free. Within the 20-lap occasion, he’ll attempt to enhance his time on the nationwide meet in Federal Approach, Wash., and maybe make inroads on Marchand’s NCAA and U.S. Open data.
Luke Hobson — Picture Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
As for potential challengers, two shall be acquainted Texas foes: Luke Hobson and David Johnston. Hobson is the quickest swimmer ever within the 200-yard free and world-record holder within the brief course meters model of that race, and he has a historical past of success within the 500 as nicely: he was the NCAA champion within the occasion in 2023 and the runnerup to Marchand final 12 months at 4:06.93, a time that ranks him No. 7 all-time within the occasion. Hobson didn’t swim quick at midseason, however it quickly grew to become clear he was busy getting ready for the Quick Course World Championships, the place he broke the aforementioned 200 free world report.
Johnston, in the meantime, took the 2023-24 season away from school swimming to gear up for the U.S. Olympic Trials, the place he broke by way of onto an Olympic workforce for the primary time with a runnerup end within the 1500-meter free. The highest NCAA end of his profession is a second-place consequence within the 500 free in 2023 (behind Hobson), and he’s the one swimmer apart from Maurer to crack 4:10 this season, topping out at 4:09.41.
A latest entrant into competition is Cal’s Lucas Henveaux, who was ninth within the occasion in his solely earlier school season two years in the past. Since then, Henveaux has turn into a constant worldwide finalist for Belgium, and he received his first international medal with a 200 free silver at December’s Quick Course Worlds. Final Friday, Henveaux surpassed Maurer as the highest 1650 freestyler within the nation this season, and he returned shortly thereafter to swim a mark of 4:10.82 within the 500, good for third within the nationwide rankings.
That leaves a person who has completed first, second, third and third within the 500 free on the NCAA Championships throughout his undergraduate years, Georgia’s Jake Magahey. He has by no means recaptured the type of his freshman season, when he upset Smith for the title, however he has by no means fallen far behind. Historical past’s No. 6 all-time performer at 4:06.71, Magahey sits fourth nationally thus far this season at 4:10.93.
Proper now, it might be a troublesome ask for Hobson, Johnston, Henveaux, Magahey or anybody else to overhaul Maurer within the occasion, however that foursome enters with the expertise of racing and excelling in a high-stakes last whereas this would be the first second of Maurer’s profession in such a second, and he’ll convey within the standing as favourite. We could have a greater gauge on the sector following the convention championship meets this month. Nonetheless, if he meets the second, it should arrange Maurer not just for an enormous NCAA Championships however presumably a breakout summer season through which he might qualify for his first U.S. worldwide workforce.
We should always not low cost the potential of others breaking into this lead group, together with Cal’s Gabriel Jett, Florida’s Jake Mitchell, Alabama’s Charlie Hawke or Texas’ Coby Carrozza. Sure, a fourth Texas swimmer might qualify for the A-final on this occasion, which would be the first particular person last of the meet, and such a efficiency would give Texas an enormous swing within the workforce battle because the Longhorns goal to return to the nationwide pinnacle.
