I sat down with Brazilian Olympian Brandonn Almeida , who at the time was training at an altitude camp in Mexico. Almeida takes us through the bulk of his career, including his experience at a home Olympics in 2016 and competing in the NCAA at the University of South Carolina. Almeida has found, especially over the past 3 years, that his swimming really benefits if he is in the right environment with a coach who understands him. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotif...
Mar 30, 2021•48 min•Ep. 495
Michael Andrew shocked us all at the San Antonio Pro Swim opting out of the 50m free to focus on the 200m IM. He was out fast in 200 IM final, touching in 54.75 at the 100. He built his lead with 33.29 breast split, closing in a 1:58.05–enough for the win over Abraham DeVine and Andrew Seliskar. Michael Andrew (Race Pace), 1:58.05 Abrahm DeVine (Team Elite), 1:59.65 Andrew Seliskar (Cal Aquatics), 2:00.59 Michael’s personal best is 1:56.83 from the 2019 Des Moines Pro Swim Series, one of the las...
Mar 29, 2021•7 min•Ep. 494
Cal’s Trenton Julian was first at the halfway mark at 46.64 while Louisville’s Nicolas Albiero was 5th at 47.40. Yet Albiero’s strong underwaters allowed him to catch Julian on the last 25, sealing his first individual NCAA title at 1:38.64. That time knocked 0.01s off his own 2020 Greensboro pool record from the 2020 ACC Championships. He remains the 5th-fastest swimmer all-time and 3rd-fastest American ever. Julian settled for second place at 1:38.85, dropping eight-tenths from this morning. S...
Mar 29, 2021•7 min•Ep. 493
Finke won his second NCAA title in as many days on the final day of competition, blowing away the field and registering his 3rd 14:12 in history, a mark no other competition has gotten near. The Florida gator tells us of his disappointment in not going a best time, but also of the good feeling in winning 2 national titles. He also explains the meetings that the men's team has had in order to open up to one another and really learn how to communicate with one another. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click...
Mar 28, 2021•9 min•Ep. 492
In the final heat, Florida freshman Adam Chaney led off in a 20.55 backstroke split, which is the 9th-fastest lead-off all-time. In the same heat, Louisville’s Evgenii Somov came in hot with a 22.87 breast split, the 13th-fastest split all-time, to put the Cardinals in the lead. Senior Nicolas Albiero held on to the narrow lead with his 20.07 fly split. Cal’s Ryan Hoffer (19.70) and Florida’s Eric Friese (19.87) were sub-20 on their fly legs, yet still could not catch Cardinal Albiero. Hoffer’s ...
Mar 28, 2021•9 min•Ep. 491
NCAA champions Kieran Smith (200 free) and Bobby Finke (400 IM) describe what training was like for the weeks in between the SEC Championship and NCAAs. They also take us through each of their respective winning races and what it meant to be crowned champion for the year. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to ...
Mar 27, 2021•13 min•Ep. 490
Cal’s Ryan Hoffer was out like a rocket, flipping to a 8.90 at the feet off of the first 25. Hoffer couldn’t be stopped, defending his NCAA 50 free title by 0.38 seconds with a new Greensboro pool record time of 18.33. Hoffer shaved a tenth off his lifetime best of 18.43 from this morning, remaining the second-fastest swimmer ever in the 50-yard free behind Caeleb Dressel (17.63). Hoffer’s 18.33 tonight cracks the top-10 performances in history, which were all formerly held by Dressel, ranking 1...
Mar 26, 2021•6 min•Ep. 489
Texas A&M senior Shaine Casas was on Dressel’s American record pace during the first 100, taking the race out in 21.13/24.89 (46.04). Casas maintained his lead into the breaststroke, yet his 29.16 did not match Dressel’s 28.3 record split. Only Cal senior Hugo Gonzalez challenged Casas in the breast leg with his strong 29.13 split. Heading into the freestyle, Casas was able to hold off Gonzalez Cal freshman Destin Lasco for his first NCAA 200 IM title at 1:39.53, breaking Lasco’s morning poo...
Mar 26, 2021•6 min•Ep. 488
We sat down with UVA head coach Todd DeSorbo fresh off of his first NCAA title in team history. DeSorbo reflects on the performance his team put up throughout the weekend as well as his coaching style of being conscious to not put pressure on his athletes. He also comments on the historic 1-2 finish for the ACC, saying it was a goal of his for his team to be disruptive at this meet, knowing that only 3 teams had finished in the top 2 at NCAAs over the past decade. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click he...
Mar 23, 2021•16 min•Ep. 487
12-time Olympic medalist Ryan Lochte looked a little rough at the recent San Antonia Pro Swim, swimming 2:02.03 in the 200m IM, but he always swims slowly in-season, and Caeleb Dressel swam slowly, and they're both in Coach Gregg Troy 's clutches. In sum, we know they're doing hard work--certainly broken down at this point in their training cycle. "If there was an 800 IM at the Olympics, I would be swimming it," Ryan Lochte said in his last Gold Medal Minute back in October 2020 . He also reveal...
Mar 23, 2021•4 min•Ep. 486
We sat down with the University of Cincinnati's NCAA qualifier in the 200 backstroke, Blake Hanna . Looking at Blake's times, specifically his 1:40 in the 200 backstroke, you'd think that he was highly recruited coming out of high school. Turns out, he was barely recruited at all and therefore didn't end up swimming for a team straight out of high school, as he was set on going to Cincinnati for academic reasons. However, he did swim with the colleges club team and ended up winning the national ...
Mar 22, 2021•56 min•Ep. 485
1650 FREE TIMED FINAL NCAA Record: Katie Ledecky (Stanford), 15:03.31 – 2017 American Record: Katie Ledecky (Stanford), 15:03.31 – 2017 U.S. Open Record: Katie Ledecky (Stanford), 15:03.31 – 2017 Meet Record: Katie Ledecky (Stanford), 15:07.57 – 2018 2019 Champion: Ally McHugh (Penn State), 15:39.22 2020 Top Performer: Molly Kowal (Ohio State), 15:43.17 Top 8 (final) Paige Madden (Virginia) – 15:41.86 Evie Pfeifer (Texas) – 15:46.41 Sierra Schmidt (Michigan) – 15:51.09 Kristen Stege (Tennessee) ...
Mar 22, 2021•10 min•Ep. 484
1-METER DIVING FINALS Meet Record: 363.20, Sarah Bacon (Minnesota) – 2019 2019 Champion: Sarah Bacon (Minnesota), 363.20 Top 3 Sarah Bacon (Minnesota) – 357.20 Aranza Vazquez-Montano (UNC) – 348.45 Brooke Schultz (Arkansas) – 335.85 Minnesota gets some points on the board here with Sarah Bacon defending her 2019 crown, scoring 357.20. Bacon won silver in this event at 2019 Worlds and won the Pan Am gold. 3-METER DIVING FINALS NCAA Record: Christina Loukas (Indiana), 437.75 – 2009 Meet Record: Ch...
Mar 22, 2021•8 min•Ep. 483
200 BACK FINALS NCAA Record: Beata Nelson (Wisconsin), 1:47.24 – 2019 American Record: Regan Smith, 1:47.16 – 2019 U.S. Open Record: Regan Smith, 1:47.16 – 2019 Meet Record: Beata Nelson (Wisconsin), 1:47.24 – 2019 2019 Champion: Beata Nelson (Wisconsin), 1:47.24 2020 Top Performer: Rhyan White (Alabama), 1:48.06 Top 3 Phoebe Bacon (Wisconsin) – 1:48.32 Rhyan White (Alabama) – 1:48.99 Isabelle Stadden (Cal) – 1:49.66 This was a fantastic race, as Katharine Berkoff of NC State, Rhyan White of Ala...
Mar 21, 2021•8 min•Ep. 482
For the first time in program history, the Virginia Cavalier women are NCAA team champions, earning at least one A-finalist in every individual event. Taking team runner-up was the NC State Wolfpack, making the team rankings an ACC 1-2 finish. No ACC team, men’s or women’s, has ever finished higher than third place at NCAAs. Before this meet, Virginia’s best team finishes were a pair of 5th-place scores in 2015 and 2016. NC State’s best finish before 2021 was 7th place, achieved between 2017-201...
Mar 21, 2021•10 min•Ep. 481
After the 200 fly/back of the 400 IM final, Stanford’s Brooke Forde was running 4th heading into the breaststroke. Forde then pulled ahead of the field into the 100 free, easily winning her first 400 IM NCAA title with a Greensboro pool record of 4:01.57. That was just four one-hundredths off her 2020 season best of 4:01.53. In 2018, Forde placed 4th in the final as a freshman followed by a third-place finish in 2019. Her title today is Stanford’s 5th-straight 400 IM title, following Ella Eastin...
Mar 20, 2021•5 min•Ep. 480
Hansson (100 Breast) and Berkoff (100 breast) of NC State each won 2 NCAA titles last night, one in their individual events and 1 as a member of the winning 200 medley relay. They each explain how their training in Raleigh this season has led to this moment at the NCAA Championships. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Cl...
Mar 20, 2021•11 min•Ep. 479
Freshman Alex Walsh is coming off a successful 2 days of competition, where she's been crowned NCAA champion twice in the 200 IM and as a member of the winning 800 free relay for Virginia. Walsh explains why mid-distance freestyle training has helped her reach the next level this season. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Googl...
Mar 20, 2021•8 min•Ep. 478
The women of NC State clocked a new US Open and American record in the 400 medley relay of 3:24.59. Katharine Berkoff (50.07), Sophie Hansson (57.01), Kylee Alons (49.29), and Julia Poole (48.22) combined to win the Wolfpack's first-ever relay title in program history. The 4 women talk through the lead-up to this relay and how they were able to get the job done. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to...
Mar 19, 2021•12 min•Ep. 477
The Virginia women took home their first-ever NCAA relay title in the 800 free relay, clearing the rest of the field by over 4 seconds to put on a dominant display. The team comprised of senior Kyla Valls, senior Paige Madden, sophomore Ella Nelson, and freshman Alex Walsh. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here t...
Mar 18, 2021•10 min•Ep. 476
We sat down with world record-holder Sarah Sjostrom , who is on the road to recovery after breaking her elbow . Sjostrom gave us an update on her status, saying she's back in the pool and kicking about 3-3.5 kilometers daily. However, Sjostrom is also going to the gym and doing a heavy leg lift, then getting in a cycling workout daily as well, making her legs very tired by the end of the day. Sjostrom says she's never focused this much on her legs before and normally she just relies on her upper...
Mar 17, 2021•29 min•Ep. 475
With the 2021 Women's NCAA Championships on the horizon, University of Virginia head coach Todd Desorbo sat down with the media to preview the meet. We asked about UVA's event lineup choices for 2 of their more versatile stars, Kate Douglass and Alex Walsh . For both swimmers, DeSorbo said the event choices came down to what they wanted to swim and what events excited them the most. Douglass will be taking on the 50 free, 100 fly, and 100 free while Walsh will swim the 200 IM, 200 free, and 200 ...
Mar 16, 2021•13 min•Ep. 474
I sat down with SwimSwam writers and swimming aficionados Robert Gibbs and Karl Ortegon to discuss and predict every event in the upcoming 2021 Women's NCAA Championships. From a team perspective, it looks like Virginia's year to finally take a women's crown. However, as Robert pointed out, they have a lot of points to lose from the psych sheets, and NC State and Cal also have very strong teams coming into the meet that could make a title run. It also still doesn't seem like we've seen what Stan...
Mar 16, 2021•37 min•Ep. 473
Olympic and World Champion distance swimming icon Katie Ledecky swam well at the San Antonio Pro Swim, but she was her own biggest critic unpacking her swims in the post race interviews. I thought Ledecky looked great considering she hasn't really traveled and competed in a year. Suiting up at home and running an elite meet schedule isn't the same experience. I think Ledecky knocked off some rust in San Antonio. What do you think? If you missed the meet coverage, see her times: Ledecky - 2021 Sa...
Mar 15, 2021•8 min•Ep. 472
We sat down with NCAA Champion and American record holder Ian Finnerty , who just announced his retirement from swimming. Finnerty explains that staying in swimming an extra year for the 2020-21 season was a challenge in itself, as he had been ready to move on to other pastures after the 2020 Olympic Trials (and Games if applicable). After leaving Indiana University and training with Energy Standard, he wasn’t able to return to Turkey after the ISL season in Budapest, so went to train with Coley...
Mar 15, 2021•27 min•Ep. 471
We sat down with 13x Paralympic champion Jessica Long , who was just featured in an ad for Team Toyota that ran during the 2021 Super Bowl . Long takes us through the process of being featured as a subject of an ad of that caliber and getting to see the different iterations of her own story coming to life on screen. Long also takes us through training through COVID in the last year and staying motivated for what could be her 5th Paralympic Games. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and s...
Mar 14, 2021•35 min•Ep. 470
We sat down with NCAA Champion, World University Games Champion, and now Swammer Reed Malone . Malone announced his retirement after sustaining a concussion in practice one day, which gave him time to reflect on his career. Reed said the realization that he came to is he was chasing this Olympic dream because, without it, he thought his career would be a failure. Malone was able to reflect on all that he's accomplished, and more importantly all the relationships he was able to foster through swi...
Mar 12, 2021•43 min•Ep. 469
2-time Olympian, 3-time Olympic medalist, and the author of BLUEPRINT Katie Hoff drops in on the SwimSwam Podcast . Katie talks about her hardcore training, her business, and her new life post-swimming--which she is loving. Check her out here on IG @KTHoff7. Interested in BLUEPRINT, her book? See what Michael Phelps has to say about it: “I have so much respect and admiration for Katie Hoff as a person and an athlete. She helped push the progression of women’s swimming and now courageously shares...
Mar 11, 2021•33 min•Ep. 468
After reinstating men and women’s swimming and diving and 3 other varsity athletic programs , Dartmouth Athletic Director Harry Sheehy held an evening Zoom call with the returning teams – a Zoom call that the college newspaper described as “hostile.” The teams went into the hour-long call hoping for an apology and accountability for the decision to cut their sports which negatively affected recruiting efforts and potentially violated Title IX compliance. “It was chaos,” former Dartmouth swimmer ...
Mar 11, 2021•25 min•Ep. 467
We sat down with Kaitlyn Dobler , the freshman from Southern California who walked away from the Pac-12 championships with wins in the 100 and 200 breast. Dobler takes us through her freshman year, emphasizing that knowing she had an extra year of eligibility was a huge stress-relief. Dobler had felt pressure coming into USC to get back down to the times she had registered pre-COVID and with that extra time, she could work on having fun and learning in the pool, which showed at Pac-12s. SWIMSWAM...
Mar 10, 2021•12 min•Ep. 466
