Douglass, Walsh Sisters Head To Budapest: The U.S. has announced a stacked lineup of 32 swimmers set to compete at the Short Course World Championships in December, headlined by Kate Douglass and Alex and Gretchen Walsh.
Also: USA Swimming adds recognition to stroke 50 for 13-14s, top-ranked recruit Baylor Stanton commits to Cal, and some of the highlights of the NCAA action over the weekend.
USA Swimming Names 32 To Short Course Worlds Roster
The United States is sending an impressive roster to the 2024 Short Course World Championships, which will run December 10-15 at the Duna Arena in Budapest, Hungary.
The 32-swimmer roster includes 21 Paris Olympians, with the women's squad in particular featuring a bevy of the country's top swimmers. That includes individual 2024 Olympic champions Kate Douglass and Torri Huske, world record holder and one of the greatest short course yards swimmers ever, Gretchen Walsh, and another world record holder in Lilly King.
Douglass is scheduled to take on a daunting lineup with entries in the women's 50 free, 100 free, 200 breast and 200 IM, going head-to-head with Walsh in the 50 free and Huske in the 100 free, and then in the 100 fly, it will be Huske and Walsh, the Olympic gold and silver medalists.
Other notable names on the women's team include Regan Smith, Alex Walsh and Alex Shackell, while the men's roster is headlined by Carson Foster, Jack Alexy and Michael Andrew.
Smith, like Douglass, has four events on her schedule: the women's 50, 100 and 200 back, and 200 fly.
See the full roster here.
USA Swimming Now Recognizes Stroke 50 Events In 13-14 Age Group
USA Swimming finalized a number of key items at their Annual Business Meeting at the end of September, including beginning to recognize the stroke 50 events for the 13-14 age group.
Previously, those events were only recognized for most purposes through the 10 & under and 11-12 age groups.
Now, in addition to these events for 13-14s factoring into USA Swimming's Virtual Club Championship rankings, they will also have recognized National Age Group Records.
That's 12 new NAGs coming onto the books: three per gender in short course yards (SCY), and three per gender in long course meters (LCM).
In SCY, Michael Andrew takes over all three marks for 13-14 boys, having posted times of 21.87 in the 50 back, 24.74 in the 50 breast and 21.28 in the 50 fly back in 2014.
Also gaining NAG records were Jack Alexy, Phoebe Bacon, Claire Curzan and Levenia Sim, all of whom have experience on the major international stage since graduating into the senior ranks of the sport.
The most recent NAG mark was set by Lakeside Swim Team's (KY) Wilson York, who went 28.92 in the LCM 50 breast in 2024 to establish the new boys' 13-14 record.
See all the new records here.
Swimming Australia is also in the midst of creating NAG "Establishment Records" in short course meters and for stroke 50s.
#1 Recruit Baylor Stanton Verbally Commits To Cal For 2026
Baylor Stanton, the top-ranked recruit in the boys' high school class of 2026, has announced his verbal commitment to the Cal Golden Bears.
A native of Lawrenceville, Georgia, Stanton is currently a junior at Brookwood High School and swims for Gwinnett Aquatics. He is a versatile swimmer who specializes in backstroke and IM, owning the fastest time in the class in the 100 back, 200 back, 200 IM and 400 IM.
Stanton is also the NAG record holder for 15-16 boys in the 200 back, having established a time of 1:40.58 this past March at the Northeast Divisional Championships.
The 16-year-old is also a well-rounded freestyler, meaning he'll likely be a future free relay asset at Cal in addition to his backstroke and IM prowess.
Best SCY times:
- 200 back – 1:40.58 (best in class)
- 100 back – 46.57 (best in class)
- 200 IM – 1:44.04 (best in class)
- 400 IM – 3:45.39 (best in class)
- 50 free – 20.36
- 100 free – 44.57
- 200 free – 1:36.39
- 500 free – 4:20.53
Cal also recently secured the commitment of Albert Smelzer, the 10th-ranked recruit in the boys' class of 2026, who is an elite sprint freestyler.
Jere Hribar Rips 18.30 Anchor For LSU, Sticklen Rips 1:49.77 200 Fly
The University of Texas comfortably swept LSU at a dual meet in Baton Rouge on Friday, but it was the Tigers' performance in the men's 200 medley relay that really stole the show early in the meet.
In the opening event of the competition, LSU's Stephan Goncharov (21.18), Mitch Mason (23.56), Pawel Uryniuk (21.30), and Jere Hribar (18.30) combined for a time of 1:24.34 in the men's 200 medley relay, topping the Longhorns (1:24.78) by nearly half a second.
The Texas men had strong performances in the distance events, however, led by newcomer Rex Maurer who topped the 500 free (4:14.58) and set a big personal best en route to winning the 1000 free (8:45.26).
Hubert Kos was also a standout for the Longhorn men, winning three events: 100 back (45.54), 200 back (1:41.09) and 100 fly (45.89). The backstroke times were slightly off what he went at the Texas intrasquad meet one week earlier.
On the women's side, Texas' Emma Sticklen was phenomenal in setting a new school record in the 200 fly, clocking 1:49.77 to down her previous mark of 1:49.95 in what was the fourth-fastest swim in history.
All-Time Performances, Women's 200 Fly (SCY)
- Regan Smith – 1:48.33 (2023)
- Alex Walsh – 1:49.16 (2024)
- Ella Eastin – 1:49.51 (2018)
- Emma Sticklen – 1:49.77 (2024)
- Regan Smith – 1:49.78 (2021)
Sticklen also logged a time of 50.23 in the 100 fly, just over half a second shy of her lifetime best (49.70).
See a full meet recap here.
Other NCAA Highlights
QUICK HITS
- The Sandpipers of Nevada have parted ways with coach Juan Morales after he was cited by the Las Vegas Department of Public Safety for a violent public outburst while coaching a group of young swimmers. Morales allegedly kicked a Stanley cup that hit one of his swimmers, a 12-year-old girl, in the head.
- 757Swim Club's Luke Haskin and his mother Molly Haskin were injured in a road rage shooting in James City County, Virginia.
- USA Swimming has released its time standards for the 2025 U.S. National Championships, which is expected to be the qualifying competition for the 2025 World Championships.
- Jason Zhao, the #5 recruit in the boys' class of 2026, has verbally committed to Stanford.
- Canadian age group standout Laon Kim has announced his verbal commitment to Texas for the fall of 2026.
- The #17 recruit in the girls' class of 2026, Molly Workman, has verballed to Virginia.
- The NCAA Division I Council has approved the elimination of the National Letter of Intent (NLI) program. Read more here.
- Texas Athletics announced it has surpassed the $1 billion dollar mark in its "What Starts Here" fundraising campaign which began in March 2022.
- The USA Swimming Board of Directors has approved the creation of a nine-member CEO Search Task Force, mirroring the path they took in 2017, the last time they were searching for a new CEO
By Braden Keith on SwimSwam
Gretchen Walsh (left) and Kate Douglass (right) are among the stars of the 25 yard pool who will race in the 25 meter pool in December in Budapest.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: U.S. Names 32-Swimmer Roster for 2024 Short Course World Championships
By Braden Keith on SwimSwam
USA Swimming has added the 50 back, 50 breast, and 50 fly to its list of recognized events for the 13-14 age group. The events are part of the World Championship program.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: USA Swimming Adds Recognition for 50 Fly, Back, and Breast for 13-14 Age Group
By Spencer Penland on SwimSwam
Emma Sticklen, the defending NCAA Champion in the 200 fly, broke her own school record in that event on Friday in the Longhorns' first dual meet of the season.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: LSU’s Hribar Splits 18.30 Against Texas; Longhorn Women Break School Records in Season Opener
By Anne Lepesant on SwimSwam
The highly versatile Baylor Stanton (Gwinnett Aquatics) has given a verbal commitment to Cal for the 2026-27 school year and beyond.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: Cal Snaps Up Verbal Commitment from #1 in Class of 2026, NAG Record-holder Baylor Stanton
By James Sutherland on SwimSwam
Morales, who previously swam for the Sandpipers, has been removed from the club's coaching staff.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: Sandpipers of Nevada Coach Juan Morales Cited For Assaulting Swimmer, Removed From Staff
By Braden Keith on SwimSwam
Jacob Johnson is off to a hot start as part of a good freshman class for the Minnesota Gophers. He nearly swam a best time and broke a school record on Friday.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: Freshman Jacob Johnson Sets Minnesota Record in Front of 1,000+ at Freeman Aquatic Center
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