Comfortable New Yr!
Coaching journeys and vacation coaching are already properly underway for a lot of NCAA packages, however earlier than the calendar flips to 2025, we’re taking yet one more look again on the first time period.
“Swims You Might Have Missed” is a phase usually reserved for after a finals session of a national-level meet, however at the moment, we’re borrowing it. With so many invitations throughout all divisions of NCAA swimming occurring across the similar time, it’s simple to really feel overwhelmed and even simpler for a quick swim to get misplaced within the shuffle of all of the quick swims throughout the nation—and even simpler when two Division I and 4 Division II data go down in a single weekend.
So, earlier than we reset for the second time period and the fast-approaching postseason, listed below are some swims you will have missed from the primary three months of the 2024-25 NCAA season.
Bryn Greenwaldt, Augustana: 50 Freestyle, 22.11
Indy’s Kirabo Namutebi has already damaged the Division II file within the girls’s 50 freestyle as soon as this season; she broke her file as she fired off a 22.03 at an Indy Quad meet. Namutebi ran away with the DII NCAA title on this occasion final yr and is definitely the favourite once more this season, however the race must be a lot nearer. 2024 runner-up Bryn Greenwaldt made huge strides at her mid-season invite, the place she chopped .38 seconds off her lifetime greatest, hitting a 22.11. The Augustana swimmer now has the third-fastest swimmer in DII historical past per USA Swimming and has reached a brand new degree in her junior season.
Davi Mourao, Drury/Jeremias Pock, Indy: 100/200 Breaststroke
It’s troublesome to separate breaststrokers Davi Mourao and Jeremias Pock’s antics this season, so we’ll focus on them as a pair. Pock set the usual early within the males’s 100 breaststroke this season when he clocked 52.21 at his first NCAA meet. The swim stands because the fourth-fastest in Division II historical past. Mouraro is likely one of the three swimmers quicker than him; he clocked a 51.88 to win the 2024 Division II title (#2 all-time).
Pock’s October effort nonetheless stands because the quickest DII time this season, however Mourao closed the hole at midseason, checking in with a 52.28 as he goals to defend his NCAA title in March.
Each swimmers have climbed up the ranks within the 200 breaststroke. Pock swam 1:52.87 on the Denison Invitational, which makes him the second-fastest performer in DII historical past. The DII file is 1:51.71, set by Anton Lovanov in 2015. Pock’s the quicker performer on this occasion between him and Mourao. Nonetheless, Mourao clocked a lifetime greatest 1:54.38 on the SMU Invite, bettering from 1:54.75 and transferring up the ranks to fifth quickest all-time.
Giulia Carvalho, Miami: 100 Butterfly
The College of Miami girls have had their greatest season within the pool for fairly a while—due to not only one however a number of swimmers who began the season strongly. Veteran Giulia Carvalho was an HM All-American on the 2024 NCAAs and have become the primary swimmer at school historical past to interrupt 22 seconds within the 50 freestyle final season.
She had a superb midseason meet, knocking a hundredth off her college file within the 50 freestyle (21.98) and breaking the 100 freestyle file too (47.78). Her freestyle occasions are spectacular, however from a nationwide rating standpoint, her greatest occasion is the 100 butterfly. There, she ranks fifth within the NCAA this season with a lifetime-best 51.06 from the SMU invite. The swim was a .25-second drop for her. There’s a major hole between her and the fourth-fastest swimmer within the NCAA this season (Emma Sticklen, 49.60), however it must be a confidence booster for Carvalho as she seems to maneuver up from her 14th-place end on the 2024 NCAA Championships.
Brayden Morford, Carnegie Mellon: 100 Butterfly
Brayden Morford has had a superb begin to his sophomore marketing campaign. On the Tartans’ midseason invite, he swam three college data: 19.82 within the 50 freestyle, 46.96 within the 100 backstroke, and 46.44 within the 100 butterfly. He leads the division in three occasions (100 again, 100 fly, 200 IM), matching Tobe Obochi, whose final NCAA meet was MIT’s midseason invitational.
Morford’s 50 freestyle was his first sub-20-second effort—a notable achievement for any swimmer. However like with Carvalho, it’s his 100 butterfly that we expect is absolutely price circling. Per SwimCloud, Morford’s 46.44 outing was a lifetime greatest by 2.98 seconds and rocketed him up the Division III rankings right into a tie for second-fastest performer with Julien Camy. His swim scared the Division III file 46.28, which Jesse Ssengonzi swam on the 2024 NCAA Championships as he out-touched Camy. Not even a yr later, Morford’s obtained the data in his sights.
Allison Greeneway, Emory: 200 IM
Allison Greeneway is a part of a high-powered freshman class that has instantly impacted the Eagles roster. Greeneway and fellow freshman Elodie Mitchell each set program data at Emory’s midseason invite, with Greeneway taking down the 200 IM file for the second time this season.
She first took over the file in November, clocking a 2:01.23. Then, she sliced .44 seconds off that mark in December, clocking a 2:00.79. Greeneway arrived on campus with a lifetime greatest of two:04.24 from February 2024; since beginning at Emory, she’s lowered her greatest 3 times and dropped 3.45 seconds off her pre-college greatest. She’s additionally vaulted herself properly into NCAA-scoring territory. A 2:00.79 would’ve simply certified for the DIII NCAA ‘A’ ultimate and brought third total.
Nikoli Blackman, Tennessee: 200 Free
One thing appears to have clicked for Nikoli Blackman in yards throughout his sophomore season at Tennessee. On the Volunteers’ midseason invitational, he swam lifetime bests within the 50/100/200 freestyle (19.15/42.24/1:32.12). All these swims are essential markers for him as he will get extra comfy in yards. As his greatest occasions proceed to drop, he additional deepens Tennessee’s dash group, which is the crew’s biggest energy and contributes the majority of the Vols’ NCAA factors.
That’s why his 200 freestyle time is so related; the 800 freestyle relay was the weakest for Tennessee final season, and the crew didn’t swim it at NCAAs. The Volunteers took sixth on the 2024 NCAA Championships, the crew’s highest end since 2001, however to maintain rising and take care of the highest 5 groups within the division, the Volunteers want 5 scoring relays.
Blackman dropped from a better of 1:34.62 to 1:32.13 at midseason. He didn’t swim on the 800 free relay at midseason—a relay that made an enormous soar and hit an NCAA ‘A’ minimize of 6:12.33. However Blackman might have simply earned his spot; the relay had two 1:34 splits on it. The relay’s made notable strides already this season however may go even additional if the crew decides so as to add Blackman and the enhancements he’s made this season to the quartet.
