The Three Most-Dominant NCAA Male Swimmers Of Recent Years
The last 10 years in NCAA swimming have changed the sport tremendously. In the last decade, there have been a plethora of athletes who have made their mark individually on the sport. This article will focus on males, specifically. When thinking about NCAA dominance, names like Dean Farris, Townley Haas, and Joseph Schooling may come to mind. While all of these swimmers have set either individual or relay NCAA records, there are several swimmers whose achievements enter them further into this discussion. Caeleb Dressel, Ryan Murphy, and Shaine Casas are arguably three of the most dominant swimmers in recent history.
Let’s take a look at their achievements.
Caeleb Dressel
In terms of the golden standard of NCAA success, Caeleb Dressel is the one to chase. Dressel was the NCAA champion in the 50-yard freestyle all four of his years at the University of Florida. This statistic alone would put any swimmer in elite company, as there is a very short list of people who have swept an event throughout their NCAA careers. On top of this, Dressel went on to win the 100-yard freestyle on three occasions, all in American-record fashion. In his junior year at Florida, he won his first title in the 100-yard butterfly, and repeated during his senior year in 2018. Dressel’s senior-year performance was incredible, as he broke American records in all three of his races. The records that Dressel set in 2018 are considered some of the fastest in history. He broke the 18-second barrier in the 50 free, as well as the 40-second barrier in the 100 free. Both are barriers that seemed untouchable before Dressel shattered them. His records have been standing ever since.
Ryan Murphy
Ryan Murphy. Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
Ryan Murphy showcases what excellence in backstroke is. In his four years at the University of California, he never lost the 100 and 200 yard backstrokes at the NCAA championships. He is another swimmer who won an event every year. While only a few have swept a single event at the NCAA championships, even fewer have swept both distances in a stroke event. When Murphy won the 200-yard backstroke at the 2017 NCAA championships, he became the first man in history to sweep the backstrokes all four years. Murphy’s record in the 200 back stands four years old and is the oldest current NCAA record.
Shaine Casas
Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
Shaine Casas is coming off of a tremendous 2021 NCAA championships, where he won all three of his events for Texas A&M. His freshman year at Texas A&M University, he was an honorable mention All-American in two of his three events. Since, his growth has been exponential. During his sophomore year, he found stardom at the 2020 SEC championships, winning both the 200 individual medley and 200 backstroke. His win in the 200 back was extremely impressive, as he broke a 15-year old meet record that was previously held by Olympic champion Ryan Lochte. His 2019-2020 season, however, was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of the Coronavirus, he was not able to compete at the NCAA championships, where his success was bound to continue. In 2021, Casas was ready for another breakout year. At the 2021 NCAA championships, he featured in one of the best races of the meet. Casas raced Cal freshman Destin Lasco in the 200 back, the two battling head-to-head for the entire race, with Casas edging Lasco and just missing Ryan Murphy’s American record.
Who else belongs on this list? Drop your thoughts into the comments section.
Very good ! Now I see how competitive is swimming in US.
Don’t sleep on Semuede andreis
That man FAST FAST
Bro this kid Jonathan edwards is highkey on the coke up too tho
Fantastic article! This kid should write more!
ken shimi
ken shimi approves of this message
How about Cesar Cielo?
Great article
I mean I think Andrew Seliskar won three individual at his senior NCAAs and made A-Finals in like all his events during his career.
correct. great person too.
Can’t believe you didn’t mention Charles Clark. You’re a total sellout and I will never read another article from you again.
This is a stunning piece of literature
Artur Wojdat