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2023 Men’s NCAA Swimming Championships Battle with Kos, Jett & Burns

2nd Annual Men’s NCAA Championship Recap Show featuring Gabriel Jett (Cal), Brendan Burns (Indiana), and Hubert Kós (Arizona State).

The dust settled after Cal’s successful title defense in the storied Minnesota pool, and some of the highest point scorers in the NCAA sat down for a cross-team chat about the meet and about college swimming. They dished on their coaches, talked about life in general, and we laughed. Brendan Burns scored 46 individual points, highlighted by his ridiculous 43.61 win in the 100 backstroke.

That’s two years in a row the Hoosier Junior has won a NCAA title - in different events and strokes! Gabriel Jett also scored 46 individual points, a byproduct of making 3 A-finals and finishing 2nd, 3rd, and 6th as a Sophomore for the defending champion Golden Bears.

Hubert (Hubi) Kós arrived at Arizona State mid-year as quite a weapon. The 19 year old Freshman walked on deck as the defending European champ in the 200IM and he backed up his reputation with 37 points at his first NCAA Championship meet and was one of many Sun Devils that delivered BIG for 2nd place ASU, the highest finish in school history!

World champion Trenton Julian has always been on a mission for greatness.

Most good swimmers get asked the same questions: How tall are your parents? Do you play basketball/volleyball? Were your parents athletes?

In Trenton Julian’s case, he has quite the validating answer: yes, my parents were both world-class swimmers. His mom Kristine (Quance) Julian was one of the best swimmers in the world in the 90s, a multi time Olympian and gold medalist, and his dad, Jeff Julian, an All-American and Pac10 conference champion (a 200 butterfly title that Trenton himself would replicate 24 years later).

Now it’s Trenton’s turn. He’s a world-class butterflier and freestyler known for going out quickly and holding on.

Trenton Julian is a veteran of Team USA relays and a key component to the US hopes of recapturing Olympic gold in the 4x200 in Paris.

With many lessons to learn from his mom’s Olympic Trials experiences, Trenton can lean on her wisdom and his own experiences as he shoots his shot a the highest-pressure meet in the world next summer in Indianapolis.

Tom Dean is intent on defending his Olympic 200 Free crown

No one has ever repeated as Olympic champion in the 200 free. Will Tom Dean be the first? Even if Ariarne Titmus defends her title, the men’s 200 final happens before the women’s.

To accomplish a feat not even the likes of greats like Ian Thorpe, Katie Ledecky, nor Michael Phelps has done, Tom Dean will need to fend off some serious challengers like super phenom David Popovici, the current 100 meter freestyle world record holder, and British countryman Duncan Scott, among many others.

But swimming fast in an Olympic final is something few people know how to do, and Tom Dean has proven he is one of those people, so you better believe that come 200 freestyle day in Paris, we’ll order up some Bangers & Mash and have a few pints to cheer on this jolly good fellow. Until then, we’ll keep up with him on his podcast, The Weekly Freestyle. Cheerio.

(They do say that, right?)

Enjoy!

Ben Proud is the reigning World, European and Commonwealth Champion in the LCM 50m Freestyle.

On the heels of the best season of his career, World and Commonwealth 50m Freestyle swim champ Ben Proud is getting his mind and body right for the next 18 months before the push to Paris.

What better place to do that than immersed in the ohana of Hawaii, with Aloha Aquatica sprint guru Elliot Ptasnik? Ben, Elliot, and 2x Olympic Champ Anthony Ervin spend their days on Oahu sprinting 8-15 meters at a time, nothing more, and building feel for the water and reducing load on their bodies by swimming in the ocean.

Now, that’s the ultimate sprinter life, and we are SO here for it. Enjoy!

 

Never Count Out Olympic Champion Roland Schoeman

In the mid 2000s, Olympic Swimming Champion Roland Schoeman was on top of his game, winning several world titles, breaking world records, and being the first person to legitimately scare the iconic 50m freestyle world record of the great Alexander Popov.

Roland Schoeman made a lengthy career as an elite sprinter, and changed the game for many others with his legendary start, a skill we go into in depth in this conversation. Roland Schoeman also tells the story of what led to the South Africans dominating win in the 4x100 freestyle relay at the Athens Olympic Games, one of the greatest moments in Olympic history.

He may not be finished yet, as he recently swam 19.2 in a 50 yard freestyle at the age of 42!

Enjoy!

World Championship Silver Medalist Phoebe Bacon Is Hungrier Than Ever

Olympian and World Championship Silver Medalist Backstoker Phoebe Bacon is after those marginal gains to win medals as one of the world’s best backstrokers.

Phoebe Bacon represented the USA at the Tokyo Olympics, finishing 5th in the 200 backstroke, then turned around the next year and nearly won a World Championship title in the same event but was barely touched out for gold, still 1.5 seconds faster than her Olympic swim. J

ust a junior in college, Phoebe Bacon is shining under the tutelage of legendary coach Yuri Suguiyama, known for developing Katie Ledecky into an Olympic champion.

No surprise to see Phoebe’s success and we expect more is on the way.

Oh, by the way… too many national teamers said we should talk to Phoebe because she’s just awesome, and they were right!

Enjoy!

Olympic Champion Lilly King Thrives Under Pressure

Not many swimmers, or athletes for that matter, are willing to speak their mind publicly. Olympic Champion Lilly King, however, has generated headlines for years, and not just based on her insane resume of swimming accomplishments as one of the best breaststrokers of all time.

Lilly has spoken openly against performance-enhancing drugs and competitors who have tested positive, unafraid of the spotlight her comments would bring upon her, and the subsequent pressure to perform well.

See, Lilly King is a straight shooter, and she thrives in the highest-pressure situations. What might faze others seems to bring out the best in Lilly King.

This is one of our favorite conversations ever on the podcast.

Enjoy!

Auburn Swimming Is Coming with Aidan and Nate Stoffle

In the late 90s and 2000s, the road to an NCAA title went through Auburn. From 2003-2007, Auburn men and women won 9 out of 10 possible team championships. While that dominant era seems like the distant past, this year’s team, led by Aidan and Nate Stoffle, is out to prove Auburn is headed back to the promised land - ahead of schedule.

Enter Ryan Wochomurka. In year two at the helm of his alma mater, Ryan’s Auburn Tiger men jumped from a 6th place finish at the Southeastern Conference Championships in 2022 to a solid 2nd place finish this year behind perennial winner Florida.

Aidan and Nate Stoffle are prime examples of just how Auburn is rebuilding - developing solid, but not superstar-level, prospects into consistent finalists in multiple events and contributing to top-3 relays.

The Stoffle brothers say Auburn is coming.

Get your popcorn ready. Enjoy!

Best college swimming & diving program ever?

The Texas men never seem to have down years - they just reload. Their legendary coach Eddie Reese continues to develop NCAA point scorers.

Jake Foster and Luke Hobson, both high school standouts that were destined to rack up points for the Longhorns, have certainly delivered on that promise. Jake Foster is a stalwart in IM finals, and in the past year has seen his breaststroke develop into a legitimate weapon, no longer just a “fun” event.

Luke Hobson is an NCAA relay champion and 2022 500 free 3rd place finisher who seems to be on a similar improvement path to so many of the great Texas freestylers - he recently swam a 1:31.8 200 yard freestyle in a dual meet!

Fast swimming is already here, and with Jake Foster and Luke Hobson, it's about to get even faster at the championship meets.

Hook ‘em!

Georgia and USA Swimming SuperStars Luca Urlando and Jake Magahey take us inside their team dynamic

Heading into the 2023 championship season, the Georgia men’s team looks very different at the top than in 2022. Gone is NCAA and Short Course World Champion Matthew Sates, and following a shoulder injury suffered mid race at the Indianapolis World Cup last fall, the Dawgs are without NCAA & American record holder Luca Urlando.

That’s a lot of points to replace, but 2021 NCAA 500 free Champion Jake Magahey will lead this UGA men’s team and both Jake and Luca Urlando are confident in the ability of the rest of the squad to step up, as evidenced by the level of training they showcase in Athens on a daily basis. Jake Magahey will look to take advantage of the absence of both Sates and Florida star Olympian Kieran Smith in the distance events.

Luca Urlando is at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado doing rehab and preparing his body for a push toward the 2024 Olympic Trials. While many miles apart, these roommates stay connected and speak of the great impact Luca Urlando still has on his UGA teammates while he’s away.

Enjoy!