By Sam Blacker on SwimSwam
Having looked at the breakout swimmers of the NCAA excluding freshman earlier in the week, we now take a look at which freshmen have surpassed expectations so far this year.
There can be a big jump for swimmers going from their hometown clubs to a big college program, and while there are challenges associated with that, the change also brings opportunity.
Some of these swimmers may fully grasp that opportunity at the first chance over the next few weeks, but have already had themselves a fantastic first season in the NCAA.
A swimmer’s first season can never be measured in conference or NCAA points alone, but they can be an unexpected bonus that outlines a year of phenomenal progress.
We’ve highlighted eight swimmers who look primed to make some noise after some big drops already this season.
There will be freshmen who have made a leap this year who are not included here – if you have any others, let us know in the comments.
International Recruits Who Deserve A Mention
Calvin Fry (GBR) – Texas
50 FR – 19.25, 100 FR – 42.49, 200 FR – 1:33.08Ulisses Saravia (ARG) – Tennessee
100 BK – 44.89, 200 BK – 1:41.21Finn Hammer (GER) – Georgia
200 IM – 1:44.57, 400 IM – 3:40.99Alan Vergine (ITA) – Pitt
100 FL – 46.72, 200 FL – 1:42.15Alex Desangles (FRA) – Arizona
100 BK – 45.89, 200 BK – 1:39.11Adam Graham (AUS) – Wisconsin
200 FR – 1:34.58, 200 BK – 1:41.07Andrew Shackell – Indiana
How much of a surprise would it be if the most impactful Shackell sibling for Indiana this season was neither Alex nor Aaron, but their less-heralded brother Andrew? A BOTR recruit in the summer, he has been on an absolute tear so far with the Hoosiers, and looks like a versatile weapon at the conference level.
His ranking in the summer was mainly due to his fly times, where he has dropped a second in the 100 and three in the 200. However, he has also exploded in mid-distance free, dropping swims of 1:34.3 in the 200 and 4:15 in the 500 at midseason.
He should be a three-event scorer at Big Tens, and may well be a relay piece or more for NCAAs. His 200 fly time is under what it took to qualify last year, and he is Indiana’s #2 swimmer in the 200 free this season.
Event High School Best Time College Best Time 100 fly 47.04 45.93 200 fly 1:44.82 1:41.26 200 free 1:37.08 1:34.30 500 free 4:24.65 4:15.19Max Carlsen – NC State
Max Carlsen was a sub-15 miler out of high school, but only made our BOTR list given there were a whopping six swimmers in the class faster than him. Fast forward six months and he has made a mockery of that ranking.
He has dropped 15 seconds in the mile, currently ranking 7th in the NCAA with his time of 14:44.52. Almost more impressively, he has sliced seven seconds off in the 500, in which he has now gone from a potential conference scorer to a likely NCAA scorer.
One of the knocks we had back in the summer was the lack of an elite secondary event to pair with the 1650. That certainly is not the case now.
The only U.S.-based freshman ranked ahead of Carlsen in his two main events is Ethan Ekk. There could be a tasty ACC title battle between the two in a couple of weeks – not a prediction you would have had before the start of the season.
Event High School Best Time College Best Time 200 free 1:36.73 1:34.51 500 free 4:18.87 4:11.89 1000 free 8:56.13 8:41.12 1650 free 14:59.44 14:44.52Duncan Henderson – Arizona
Henderson did not make our recruit rankings last summer, holding best times of 48.36 in the 100 back and 1:47.37 in the 200 back. It doesn’t look like he competed during the 2024-25 season, but he still looked more like a development project than an impactful scorer as a freshman.
He has been phenomenal over the last four months. His backstroke times now stand at 45.08 in the 100 – an NCAA scoring time last season – and 1:43.94 in the 200. A 20.59 in the 50 back makes him one of the better 200 medley relay leadoffs in the country, and a handy 46.56 in the 100 fly gives him additional versatility. He has been consistent too – he has six swims under 46 seconds in the 100 back already this year, including three within the last four weeks. He has some 50 free chops too – he split 18.52 in a recent dual with ASU.
Under the radar would have been an understatement when describing Henderson coming into the season. He is now the top domestic freshman in the 100 back this season, behind only Argentine Ulisses Saravia overall among first years, and sits 14th in the nation. Adam Chaney may be the favorite for the Big 12 title, but Henderson should be close behind to make the podium at his first conference meet.
Event High School Best Time College Best Time 50 back 22.85 20.59 100 back 48.36 45.08 200 back 1:47.37 1:43.98 100 fly 49.52 46.56Hayden Meyers – Georgia
Hayden Meyers has quietly added yet more depth to Georgia’s squad, and looks primed to spring a surprise or two at SECs. He is very much a backstroke specialist, but that isn’t much of an issue given the drops he has had already this year.
Coming into the season with a best of 1:42.45 in the 200 back, Meyers has now broken 1:40 on three occasions, most recently in a dual with Tennessee in January. His best of 1:39.45 ranks him 8th in the NCAA, and he sliced a second off his 100 to go 46.27, a handy conference scorer.
With Ruard van Renen and Sam Powe on the team, Meyers seems in an ideal environment to grow without having to be the go-to backstroker for the ‘Dawgs. At least one SEC ‘A’ final seems in the offing for him.
Event High School Best Time College Best Time 100 back 47.37 46.27 200 back 1:42.45 1:39.45Noah Cakir – Indiana
How many breaststrokers have a sub-9:00 1000 free? The answer is at least one, and the versatility of Noah Cakir this season does not stop there. In addition to the two breaststroke events, he has set personal bests in the 100 free, 500 free, 1000 free, 200 fly, 200 IM and 400 IM, all before his first conference championship.
They have been big drops too. He is the #2 freshman 200 breaststroker in the class after dropping 2.77 seconds to go 1:51.68, and hacked over five seconds to 3:40.62 in the 400 IM at the Ohio State Invitational at midseason.
Those are both surefire NCAA qualification times, and he should be on track to score big points at Big Tens with his 200 IM/400 IM/200 breast lineup. Scoring in one or more of those events at NCAAs would not be a shock either.
Event High School Best Time College Best Time 100 breast 52.38 52.11 200 breast 1:54.45 1:51.68 200 IM 1:45.27 1:44.60 400 IM 3:46.29 3:40.62 200 fly 1:45.30 1:44.55 500 free 4:23.52 4:19.73 1000 free 9:33.26 8:54.58Andy Baklanov – SMU
Maybe the SMU transfer rumors from the comments section will gain some traction over the next few years? The Mustangs have had recent NCAA qualifiers in Jack Hoagland and Jack Berube, and Baklanov looks in inspired form in his freshman season.
He dropped over a second in the 200 back to go 1:41.02 at midseason, where he also dipped below 48 seconds in the 100 back. However, the biggest surprise was his 400 IM, which saw a drop of well over seven seconds as he clocked 3:44.09.
That adds another conference-final level event, and he should be a two-event scorer at ACCs. The 200 IM looks a potential third event for him, and one he has not swum tapered so far this season. Watch out for him there on Day 2 in Greensboro.
Event High School Best Time College Best Time 100 back 48.28 47.41 200 back 1:42.32 1:41.02 400 IM 3:51.95 3:44.09Enzo Solitario – Wisconsin
Enzo Solitario was our #13 recruit last year, a number which may have felt a little high but was thoroughly vindicated with his performances at Junior Nationals. He has progressed even further this year as part of a small but strong recruiting class for Wisconsin, and should be a key piece for them at Big Tens.
He has set best times this season in what look to be his three main events in college – the 200 free, 500 free, and 200 fly. He has sliced a second off in the 200 free and five in the 500 free, going 1:33.16/4:16.47 at midseason, and hacked over three seconds off his 200 fly to go 1:41.69.
Some further drops at his conference championships could easily see him book a trip to NCAAs. A 42.63 100 free split at the dual with Illinois and Purdue in December indicates he’ll be important for the Badgers’ relays too.
Event High School Best Time College Best Time 200 free 1:34.18 1:33.16 500 free 4:21.96 4:16.47 200 fly 1:45.04 1:41.69 400 IM 4:04.05 3:48.75Luke Bedsole – Auburn
Luke Bedsole is exactly the kind of swimmer you expect to have at Auburn – sprinty, versatile, and good on relays. He has been one of their best swimmers so far this season as they look to recover from a slight down year in 2024-25, and has set best times in the 50 free, 100 free, 200 free, 100 fly, and 200 fly.
He sliced three tenths off in the 100 free to go 42.62, and set bests of around a second in the 100 fly (46.33) and 200 fly (1:44.06) at midseason. Add in the 50 back leadoff of 21.18 he threw down then as well, and subsequent relay splits of 19.00/42.31 on freestyle, and he looks to have adapted seamlessly to collegiate swimming.
SECs will be the barometer for Auburn’s season, but Bedsole should be a bright spot there regardless of the overall performance.
Event High School Best Time College Best Time 50 free 19.67 19.63 100 free 42.91 42.62 200 free 1:36.06 1:34.52 50 back 21.76 21.18 100 fly 47.20 46.33 200 fly 1:44.68 1:44.06
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