Florida Men’s Sprinters Remain a Force This College Season
For three consecutive season, the University of Florida men have been victorious in at least two relays at the NCAA Championships, a run that began before the arrival of Josh Liendo in Gainesville. Yes, Liendo has been the best male swimmer in the college ranks outside of Leon Marchand during his career, but the ability of Florida to produce talented, versatile relay swimmers who come through in big moments has provided the difference in these relay wins.
The first was in 2022, when Florida defeated NC State by two tenths in the 200 medley relay. There was one Olympic veteran competing on that team, with Eric Friese having previously represented Germany in relays at the Tokyo Games. The next day, Florida won the 200 free relay with a contribution from Kieran Smith, known far better for Olympic bronze in the 400-meter free than his raw speed.
One year later, with Liendo added to the mix, Florida recorded the fastest times ever in the 200 free, 400 medley and 400 free relays, and the Gators again won both 200-yard relays this past season. Only the presence of a Marchand-led Arizona State squad (and an unfortunately-timed disqualification) prevented two more 400-yard Florida wins.
Adam Chaney — Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
There is one swimmer who has taken part in all seven of those relay wins: Adam Chaney has become entrenched as the backstroker for all of Florida’s medley relays while making huge improvements in sprint freestyle throughout his college career. Chaney is coming off an Olympic Trials in which he finished fourth in the 100-meter back and eighth in the 50-meter free. Chaney actually tied for eighth in the semifinals with Jonny Kulow, and in the ensuing swim-off, the two tied again, prompting a second tiebreaking swim in which Chaney came out on top.
Now, Chaney returns for one final college season, joining Tokyo Olympian Jake Mitchell as the only fifth-year swimmers on Florida’s roster. Liendo returns after winning three individual NCAA titles last year and then winning Olympic silver in the 100-meter fly, becoming only the fifth man ever to break 50 seconds in the event. Julian Smith is in his senior season, still capable of big swims in sprint and mid-distance freestyle as well as breaststroke, and junior Aleksas Savickas is another breaststroke option for head coach Anthony Nesty’s medley relays.
However, Florida did lose one key contributor from the last two seasons as Macguire McDuff has stepped away from the team. McDuff was a member of all five Gators relay teams at last year’s NCAAs and four squads the year before, but after finishing eighth in the 100-meter free final at the U.S. Olympic Trials, he opted not to compete his senior season. That leaves a hole, but younger options are available for Nesty to deploy.
Ed Fullum-Huot, another native of Canada, finished 13th in the 50 free at last year’s national meet but did not take part in any relays thanks tohis team’s depth. Jonny Marshall, who qualified for the semifinals in the 100-meter back at the Paris Games while representing Great Britain, could take over for Chaney on the backstroke leg of one or both medley relays while national-high-school-record holder Scotty Buff will have his chances to contribute after a solid freshman season when he swam in two individual B-finals.
Among the Gators’ freshman class, Luke Whitlock is unlikely to contribute much on relays after he represented the U.S. in the 800-meter free in Paris, but Alex Painter should. Painter, a native of Somerton, England, already made his way onto Florida’s top relays in the team’s win against Virginia last week.
Sprinters drive point-scoring at the NCAA Championships, and it has been Liendo and these relays that have kept the Gators in the elite ranks. Florida finished third nationally in 2022 and 2024, missing out on second place last season only because of the aforementioned 400 medley relay DQ. Florida fell to sixth in 2023 but only 16.5 points behind third place.
Expect another competitive race for the national title, with longtime contenders Cal, Texas, Indiana and NC State in the mix along with defending national champion Arizona State, but if Florida’s current roster can replicate the team’s recent sprint success, with Chaney in his final ride as the team’s go-to swimmer, the Gators will be in the hunt.