The four stars of U.S. men’s swimming go into next week’s national championships in four different situations.
The top two finishers in most individual events at nationals in Indianapolis qualify for July’s world championships in Fukuoka, Japan.
Bobby Finke, who swept the 800m and 1500m freestyles at the Tokyo Olympics, remains comfortably atop those races domestically.
Ryan Murphy has been the U.S. backstroke king for the last decade, but next week could prove his toughest challenge yet at a nationals. Hunter Armstrong has consistently been faster than him in the 100m back this year, and 17-year-old Daniel Diehl is a close second to 27-year-old Murphy in the 200m. Diehl can become the second-youngest U.S. male pool swimmer at a worlds in the last 20 years. Note that Shaine Casas, the 2022 World bronze medalist in the 200m back, has not swum that event this year at a top-level meet but is entered in it next week.
Chase Kalisz bids to tie the U.S. record by making a sixth world championships. Kalisz cooled on racing the 400m individual medley since winning it in Tokyo, but that may be his best shot at making the team (plus he took bronze at last year’s worlds). In the 200m IM, Kalisz ranks third this year behind Carson Foster and Casas. Casas did not swim the 200m IM at last year’s trials after already making the team in the 200m back. At worlds, the 200m back semifinals and 200m IM final are on the same night.
Then there’s Caeleb Dressel, who withdrew during last year’s worlds on unspecified medical grounds, then took at least two and a half months off from swimming. Coach Anthony Nesty said that Dressel returned to training with him in late January or early February, ahead of his first meet back in May. Dressel plans to race all of his primary events -- 50m and 100m butterflies and freestyles -- next week, Nesty said. Dressel ranks outside the top five in the U.S. this year in his events, but he got a later start to the season and is known for making significant time drops come championship meets.
SWIMMING NATIONALS: Broadcast Schedule | Women’s Rankings
2023 U.S. Men’s Swimming Rankings (based on USA Swimming database times)50m Freestyle
1. Brooks Curry -- 21.84
2. Michael Andrew -- 21.87
3. Matt King -- 21.97
3. David Curtiss -- 21.97
5. Alberto Mestre -- 22.04
100m Freestyle
1. Brooks Curry -- 48.42
2. Jonny Kulow -- 48.70
3. Matt King -- 48.72
4. Ryan Held -- 48.74
5. Hunter Armstrong -- 48.79
200m Freestyle
1. Drew Kibler -- 1:45.82
2. Kieran Smith -- 1:46.84
3. Henry McFadden -- 1:47.23
4. Carson Foster -- 1:47.25
5. Gabriel Jett -- 1:47.41
400m Freestyle
1. Kieran Smith -- 3:48.02
2. Jake Mitchell -- 3:49.91
3. Coby Carrozza -- 3:50.90
4. Jake Magahey -- 3:50.94
5. Luke Hobson -- 3:51.71
800m Freestyle
1. Bobby Finke -- 7:53.96
2. Michael Brinegar -- 7:54.52
3. Charlie Clark -- 7:55.36
4. Will Gallant -- 7:58.99
5. Ross Dant -- 7:59.38
1500m Freestyle
1. Bobby Finke -- 15:02.54
2. Charlie Clark -- 15:04.80
3. Michael Brinegar -- 15:11.49
4. David Johnston -- 15:16.19
5. Alec Enyeart -- 15:27.16
100m Backstroke
1. Hunter Armstrong -- 52.59
2. Ryan Murphy -- 52.90
3. Justin Ress -- 53.63
4. Shaine Casas -- 53.65
5. Daniel Diehl -- 53.70
200m Backstroke
1. Ryan Murphy -- 1:56.31
2. Daniel Diehl -- 1:56.59
3. Carson Foster -- 1:56.97
4. Keaton Jones -- 1:57.04
5. Ian Grum -- 1:57.14
100m Breaststroke
1. Nic Fink -- 59.77
2. Michael Andrew -- 59.98
3. Cody Miller -- 1:00.04
4. Jake Foster -- 1:00.22
5. Tommy Cope -- 1:00.71
200m Breaststroke
1. Jake Foster -- 2:09.38
2. Will Licon -- 2:10.77
3. Matt Fallon -- 2:11.34
4. Nic Fink -- 2:11.68
5. Chase Kalisz -- 2:12.26
100m Butterfly
1. Shaine Casas -- 50.80
2. Dare Rose -- 51.47
3. Michael Andrew -- 51.80
4. Ryan Murphy -- 51.96
5. Arsenio Bustos -- 52.07
200m Butterfly
1. Carson Foster -- 1:54.68
2. Trenton Julian -- 1:55.70
3. Chase Kalisz -- 1:56.03
4. Zach Harting -- 1:56.79
5. Nicolas Albiero -- 1:56.98
200m Individual Medley1. Shaine Casas -- 1:56.062. Carson Foster -- 1:56.513. Chase Kalisz -- 1:57.51
4. Kieran Smith -- 1:59.48
5. Trenton Julian -- 2:00.08
400m Individual Medley
1. Carson Foster -- 4:09.69
2. Chase Kalisz -- 4:13.06
3. Bobby Finke -- 4:15.93
4. Jay Litherland -- 4:16.45
5. David Johnston -- 4:17.27
