Arizona State and Texas Leading the Chase for a Sub-1:20 Effort in 200 Medley Relay
Is a 1:19 performance in the 200-yard medley relay just around the corner? Since 1:20.15 (Florida) captured the 2024 NCAA title in the event and 1:20.28 (Texas) earned the 2025 NCAA crown, there is a sense that a sub-1:20 clocking is undoubtedly on the horizon. Three programs – Texas, Arizona State and Florida – seem best-positioned to take the medley relay into this unvisited territory, with the NCAA Championships in March as the likeliest of stages.
Here’s a look at the top contenders to go sub-1:20 in the 200 medley relay:
Arizona State
Arizona State has been sensational in the 200 medley throughout the season and the pieces are present to claim the NCAA title. In Adam Chaney, a transfer from Florida, the Sun Devils have the front-end speed on the backstroke leg to get off to a quick start. Chaney has been 20.20 leading off the medley relay, ability that rivals anyone on the college scene. Meanwhile, Andy Dobrzanski is a reliable option on the breaststroke leg and is likely to be in the 22.7 range during the postseason.
The hammer for coach Herbie Behm is Ilya Kharun on the butterfly leg, as the multi-time Olympic medalist has produced a handful of sub-19 fly splits during his career. The punch provided by Kharun could separate ASU from the field, and he is followed by the sprint-freestyle prowess of Jonny Kulow, who has been 17-point in previous anchor work.
Put it all together and it would be a surprise if Arizona State did not crack the 1:20 barrier.
Texas
Texas is the reigning NCAA champion in the 200 medley relay and will return the first three legs of that title squad – in better form. Already this year, Will Modglin logged the fastest 50 backstroke split in history, as he popped a 20.00 outing at the Texas Invitational. On the breaststroke leg, Nate Germonprez has been 22.59 this season, which is a quarter-second drop from what he went at last year’s NCAA Champs.
Returning on the butterfly leg is Hubert Kos, who was 19.33 at the 2025 NCAAs. The reigning Olympic gold medalist in the 200 backstroke, Kos has continually improved over the past year-plus and should have something faster in his arsenal for this season. The question mark is filling the void left by Chris Guiliano, but Garrett Gould has been strong for the Longhorns, evident in the 18.45 split he produced at the Texas Invite.
If the first three legs match their career bests at NCAAs, Gould would need an 18.07 anchor to get under 1:20.
Florida
In the final at last year’s NCAA Championships, Florida appeared to go 1:20.05, only to have an apparent title wiped out by an early takeoff. Three members of that relay are back in the fold, including backstroker Jonny Marshall. On the closing legs, Josh Liendo has 18-point marks to his credit in butterfly and Scotty Buff was 18.24 for freestyle on that disqualified relay.
The big loss for the Gators was the graduation of Julian Smith, who blistered a 22.14 breaststroke split that no one else in the field could match. In Smith’s absence, Florida will likely turn to Aleksas Savickas, who is better known for the longer breaststrokes, but is a quality option in the 50 distance.
The key for the Gators will be the middle legs, where Liendo could be a game-changer if he gets significantly under a 19-second split.
