NCAA Men’s Championships Preview: You Can Count on Cal
Amid all the changes that have happened since last year’s NCAAs — jumpstarted by Arizona State’s national championship coach, Bob Bowman, replacing legendary Eddie Reese at Texas as head coach — some things remain the same: In March, the Cal men never miss. And that’s why Swimming World projects this team to come out on top after the final splashes of the 2025 NCAA Championships.
Last March, the Arizona State Sun Devils captured their first national title in men’s swimming and diving with a dominant performance at the NCAA Championships. Superstar Leon Marchand scored three individual victories and spearheaded two further relay wins, while Zalan Sarkany and Ilya Kharun also had individual wins, and Hubert Kos and Owen McDonald each recorded multiple individual top-three finishes. Arizona State scored 523.5 points to defeat two-time defending champion California by a 79-point margin.
Arizona State is returning a strong group for the title defense, but of the standout performers from last year’s team, only Kharun returns. Less than 48 hours after securing the win, head coach Bob Bowman departed for the University of Texas, and an exodus of high-level talent ensued. Marchand has turned professional, while Kos went with Bowman to Texas, and both Sarkany and McDonald joined the Indiana Hoosiers.
For 2025, an epic contest for the national title could be in store. Texas, which finished outside the top-three last season for the first time in a decade-and-a-half, has reloaded, while Cal never went anywhere and will be favored to finish in the top-two for a 15th consecutive NCAA Championships. Indiana might have its best team during Ray Looze’s long tenure with the program, while Florida, ASU, NC State and Tennessee should be in the chase.
Here’s a look at Swimming World’s Top 10:
1. CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS
Last Year: 2nd (444.5 points)
Coach: Dave Durden
Cal’s Jack Alexy — Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
This will be the fourth and final season in which swimmers may compete for a fifth-year under a waiver following the COVID-19 pandemic, and Durden & Co. have taken full advantage of the bonus eligibility. Fifth-year swimmers paced the Bears’ title runs in 2022 and 2023, and expect that to be the case again with Destin Lasco, Dare Rose and Bjorn Seeliger each competing in their fifth national meet.
Lasco is the defending national champion and American record holder in the 200-yard IM and 200 backstroke, while Rose is a standout butterflyer who won World Championships bronze in the 100-meter fly in 2023. Seeliger has been an individual A-finalist in the sprint events and a relay standout for Cal throughout his career. Tyler Kopp and Matthew Jensen are two further fifth-years who are returning scorers from last year.
While Lasco is the team’s most valuable point scorer, the most accomplished international performer is senior sprinter Jack Alexy, a member of the U.S. men’s gold-medal-winning 400 free relay team at the Paris Olympics and the short course world champion in the 100 free. Last season, Alexy placed second in the 200 free and third in both the 50 and 100 at the NCAA Championships. Keaton Jones also was an Olympic finalist, placing fifth in the 200 backstroke, and Gabriel Jett is a multi-time top-three finisher at NCAAs who will likely excel in the mid-distance freestyle events plus the 200 fly.
Finally, Cal has a series of additions who could make a difference. Following the graduation of Liam Bell, freshman Yamato Okadome might already be the team’s best breaststroker. Cal also has added freestyler Lucas Henveaux, the bronze medalist in the 200-meter free at the 2024 Short Course Worlds — who has range up to the 1650 — and backstroker Mewen Tomac, a finalist from the Paris Games.
Such a loaded roster combined with Durden’s track record will make this team extremely difficult to beat.
2. TEXAS LONGHORNS
Last Year: 7th (189 points)
Coach: Bob Bowman
Luke Hobson — Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
Texas without legendary coach Eddie Reese, the mastermind of 15 national titles during his career, is nearly unthinkable. But the Longhorns in the championship hunt is very normal, with last year’s drop-off to seventh place an aberration, as the program’s future was uncertain with Reese’s pending retirement. This year’s Texas team combines one established Longhorn star with a core of promising second-year swimmers and a flurry of impact transfers.
Luke Hobson is the lone star returning from a 2024 NCAA meet when he became the fastest swimmer ever in the 200 free on the way to a second consecutive national title. Hobson also won the 500 free at the 2023 national meet, and internationally, he won Olympic bronze in the 200-meter free in Paris before securing gold and a world record in the event at the Short Course World Championships in December.
Meanwhile, Will Modglin and Nate Germonprez have taken steps forward from promising freshman seasons, with Modglin looking to perform in backstroke and the 200 IM, while Germonprez has developed into a national-caliber breaststroker. Veteran freestyler Coby Carrozza could also score points in his fifth go-round with Texas.
Then consider the additions to the Texas roster: Kos is an established star, having won Olympic gold in the 200 back in Paris, and he is also elite in IM and sprint butterfly. David Johnston returns to Texas after qualifying for the U.S. Olympic team in the 1500 freestyle. Rex Maurer, who transferred from Stanford, has become a star this season, breaking the American record in the 500 free while becoming a national contender in the 400 IM and 1650 free. Finally, Chris Guiliano joined the team at midseason after a junior year at Notre Dame when he finished top-five in the 50, 100 and 200 free at the NCAA Championships and qualified for the Olympics in the long course version of all three races.
3. INDIANA HOOSIERS
Last Year: 4th (376 points)
Coach: Ray Looze
Indiana’s Caspar Corbeau — Photo Courtesy: Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto
Seven years ago, Indiana nearly broke up the Texas-Cal duopoly at the top of men’s college swimming, coming up just 27 points short of the national-champion Longhorns and ending up third overall. This year, the Hoosiers have another chance to pull off a stunner and reach the top of college swimming for the first time since 1973, when the team won the last of six consecutive titles under Hall of Fame Coach Doc Counsilman.
Indiana loses Brendan Burns, a three-time individual national champion, but returns the rest of its scoring core from last year: NCAA A-finalists Rafael Miroslaw, Tomer Frankel, Josh Matheny and Jassen Yep plus B-finalists Luke Barr and Max Reich. The Hoosiers will have a five-man punch in the breaststroke events, with Brian Benzing using his fifth year of eligibility with Indiana after placing second in the 100 breast at last year’s meet, while Caspar Corbeau has returned to college swimming with Indiana after earning Olympic bronze in the 200-meter breast. Also, Finn Brooks shockingly became the fifth swimmer to go sub-50 in the 100 breast at Big Tens.
Indiana also adds two huge transfers from Arizona State: Zalan Sarkany is the reigning national champion in the 1650 free, while Owen McDonald took second in the 200 IM and third in the 200 back at the 2024 national meet. Sprinter Matt King joins the team after qualifying for the U.S. Olympic team and winning gold in the 400 free relay. Freshman Miroslav Knedla makes his Hoosier debut after placing 12th in the 100-meter back at the Paris Olympics. And in diving, Indiana returns a whopping 121 points from last year’s meet among defending 3-meter and platform champion Carson Tyler and national second-place finishers Quinn Henninger and Maxwell Weinrich.
4. FLORIDA GATORS
Last Year: 3rd (378 points)
Coach: Anthony Nesty
Florida’s Josh Liendo — Photo Courtesy: Michael P. Hall/Swimming Canada
The Gators have said good-bye to numerous contributors in recent years, including the unexpected departures of relay national champions Macguire McDuff and Adam Chaney during the season. But thanks to Josh Liendo, Florida is a good bet for a return trip to the top five. Liendo won NCAA titles in the 50 and 100 free plus the 100 fly last year while providing the strongest leg on a pair of winning 200-yard relays before winning Olympic silver in the 100-meter fly. For his junior season, expect similar speed — perhaps even efforts that challenge Caeleb Dressel’s seven-year-old NCAA records in those events.
Additionally, Julian Smith is excelling in his senior season, having become the fastest 100 breaststroker in history at the SEC Championships. Florida has the second- and third-fastest milers from last season, with Gio Linscheer and Andrew Taylor returning. Linscheer was also a 400 IM A-finalist alongside Mason Laur. Also, Florida crushed the NCAA record in the 400 medley relay at SECs and also swam the second-fastest 800 free relay ever.
Jonny Marshall is a good bet to build on his strong freshman season in which he finaled in both backstroke events. Florida’s other returning scorers are breaststroker Aleksas Savickas, sprinter Ed Fullum-Huot, backstroke and butterfly specialist Scotty Buff and freestyler Jake Mitchell, a Tokyo Olympian hoping to finish his college career in style.
5. ARIZONA STATE SUN DEVILS
Last Year: 1st (523.5 points)
Coach: Herbie Behm
Arizona State’s Ilya Kharun — Photo Courtesy: Michael P. Hall / Swimming Canada
Even with the exodus of star swimmers following the coaching change, the Sun Devils return some impressive pieces, indicating a strong chance at a third consecutive top-five finish at the national meet.
At the center of ASU’s title defense is Ilya Kharun, who followed up an NCAA title in the 200 fly with Olympic bronze medals in both butterfly events at the Paris Games. He will be tough to beat over 100 and 200 yards, and he has also elevated his sprint freestyle to become a contender in the 50. Moreover, he will take on a larger role on ASU’s relays.
Speaking of relays, the Sun Devils return much of the depth that propelled them to national top-three finishes in all five relays last season, including a sprinter in Jonny Kulow, who has recorded splits as fast as 17.94 and 40.54. Patrick Sammon returns for his senior season after a key sprint relay role at the national meet along with a B-final appearance in the 200 free. Daniel Matheson and Cale Martter are both returning multi-event B-finalists from last year’s meet, and Filip Senc–Samardzic provides sprint depth.
Breaststroker Andy Dobrzanski is set to take over from Leon Marchand as the team’s top breaststroker, and Lucien Vergnes, a freshman from France, entered the team as a breaststroke specialist, but has handled the leadoff leg for ASU’s medley relays all season. Additionally, Tommy Palmer has transferred from in-state rival Arizona to provide additional sprint punch.
6. NORTH CAROLINA STATE WOLFPACK
Last Year: 5th (318 points)
Coach: Braden Holloway
Even with the departure of NCAA champion Kacper Stokowski, a strong group of returning scorers gives the Wolfpack a real chance at cracking the national top-five in March.
Two swimmers on the roster have previously won national titles, both in 2023: Aiden Hayes won the 200 fly, and Will Gallant has returned following a redshirt year to try to back up his 2023 NCAA title in the 1650 free. Gallant is joined in the distance events by Owen Lloyd and Lance Norris, both scorers in the mile at last season’s NCAAs.
Medley specialist Arsenio Bustos is out for the season with injury, but NC State is expecting big things from Daniel Diehl, who made a pair of B-finals in his abbreviated freshman season before sixth- and ninth-place finishes at Olympic Trials. Freshman sprinter Kaii Winkler made the Trials final in the 100 fly before opting to represent Germany at the Olympics, and now he joins with a loaded sprint crew, including Luke Miller, Quintin McCarty and Jerry Fox. Miller placed third in the 100 fly at last season’s national meet. Also returning is Kyle Ponsler, a 2024 NCAA B-finalist in the 400 IM.
7. TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS
Last Year: 6th (231 points)
Coach: Matt Kredich
Jordan Crooks — Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
Sprint stars can wrack up points at the national championships, and Tennessee has two of those in Jordan Crooks and Gui Caribe. Crooks is the second-fastest 50 freestyler ever — the only man aside from Dressel to crack 18 — and he recently became the first man ever under 20 in the short course meters 50 free on his way to his second consecutive short course world title. Caribe has also racked up numerous top-three finishes on the collegiate and international level, and those two plus Nikoli Blackman and Lamar Taylor could score big relay points. At SECs, those four men combined to crush the NCAA records in both the 200 and 400 freestyle relays.
The only other returning individual scorer on the Tennessee roster is butterflyer Martin Espernberger, who was 11th nationally in the 200 fly last season, while Bjorn Kammann and Harrison Lierz were medley relay contributors in 2024 who hope to score individually this year.
8. GEORGIA BULLDOGS
Last Year: 11th (116 points)
Coach: Neil Versfeld
Of the five individuals who scored for Georgia at last season’s NCAA Championships, three of them were fifth years, with Ian Grum, Dillon Downing and Bradley Dunham all moving on. The returning swimmers are Ruard Van Renen, who placed seventh in the 100 back, and freestyle specialist Jake Magahey, who has finished top-three in the 500 free at the past four NCAA Championships with a win in the event as a freshman.
But the key swimmer for Georgia is Luca Urlando, who missed the last two NCAAs with a shoulder injury and then a redshirt, but has returned in grand style this season. Urlando swam the fastest time ever in the 200 fly this season, and he is also atop the all-time list in the 100 back and a serious national contender in the 100 fly and 200 IM. Georgia’s relays will go as far as Urlando takes them, with Tomas Koski and Reese Branzell as key depth pieces.
9. STANFORD CARDINAL
Last Year: 8th (177 points)
Coach: Dan Schemmel
Stanford’s Andrei Minakov — Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
The Cardinal have only one returning individual scorer from last season’s NCAA Championships: Ron Polonsky, who placed eighth in the 100 breast and 12th in the 200 IM. Brothers Rex Maurer and Luke Maurer departed the program, and Rex has quickly blossomed into a star at Texas. But Stanford could return to the top-10 provided Andrei Minakov has a strong meet. Minakov placed ninth in the 200 fly and a shocking 20th in the 100-yard event last year, but he is a previous NCAA champion, having won the 100 fly as a freshman in 2022.
Meanwhile, Stanford could also get some points in the freestyle events: Henry McFadden has posted a strong sophomore season in the 200- and 500-yard races, as has Liam Custer in the 1650.
10. VIRGINIA TECH HOKIES
Last Year: 9th (172 points)
Coach: Sergio Lopez Miro
While the Hokies lose AJ Pouch, a breaststroker who placed third in the 200-meter race at the U.S. Olympic Trials, they have a very good chance to return to the top-10 with the team’s two primary stars returning for a fifth championship season. Youssef Ramadan was the NCAA champion in the 100 fly in 2023, and last year, he took fourth in his signature event while winning the consolation finals of both the 50 and 100 free. Carles Coll Marti took third in the 200 breast and fifth in the 100 breast at last year’s meet, and he recently won a short course world title in the-200 meter breast.
Virginia Tech also returns every relay swimmer from five top-10 relays at the 2024 NCAA meet, and the freestyle trio of Brendan Whitfield, Luis Dominguez Calonge and Mario Molla Yanes should be valuable swimmers once again.
OTHERS TO WATCH
MICHIGAN (last year: 14th, 87.5 points) has the best chance of any other team of cracking the top-10, with Gal Cohen Groumi as a returning three-event A-finalist from last season, when he placed fifth in the 200 IM and seventh in both butterfly events. The Wolverines also have Eitan Ben-Shitrit, Tyler Ray and Colin Geer as returning consolation finalists. Their Big Ten rival, OHIO STATE (13th, 92), also could contend, with IMer Tristan Jankovics, freestyler Tomas Navikonis and distance swimmer Sam Campbell their best scoring bets.
LOUISVILLE (15th, 84) can never be discounted, and the Cardinals have returning A-finalists in Murilo Sartori (200 free) and Denis Petrashov (100 breast). AUBURN (12th, 100) has distance swimmer Mason Mathias, IMer Danny Schmidt, backstroker Nate Stoffle and sprinter Kalle Makinen as scoring threats.
