2026 Men's DI NCAA Championships Event-by-Event Preview

·38 min·3 clips

The new NCAA format cut B finals, leaving an empty pool and upsetting athletes, coaches, and fans.

Coleman Hodges hosts a solo preview of the 2026 Men's DI NCAA Championships, starting with criticism of the new event format that removed B finals, leaving an empty pool during breaks. He begins with day one events, analyzing the 1650-yard freestyle where Indiana's Zolan Sarkhani is the two-time defending champion against freshmen like Ahmed Jawadi and William Mulgrew. The 200 medley relay features Florida as favorites after setting an NCAA record, while the 800 free relay sees Texas as top seeds. Day two includes the 100 butterfly, where Josh Leando is predicted to win and possibly break Caeleb Dressel's record, and the 400 IM with Texas swimmers like Baylor Nelson favored. The 200 freestyle is noted for its historic depth with 19 men under 1:31, and the 100 breaststroke has Nate Germonprez as the safe bet. Day three covers the 100 backstroke with Texas teammates Hubert Kós and Will Modglin competing, the 200 breaststroke with Yamato Okadome of Cal favored, and the 500 free where Rex Maurer is defending champion. The 50 free features a battle between Josh Leando and Ilya Kharun, and the 400 medley relay is a tight race between Texas, Florida, and Arizona State. Day four includes the 200 IM with Owen McDonald as top seed, the 100 free where Leando is predicted to win again, the 200 fly with Ilya Kharun favored after Luca Urlando's injury, and the 200 back where Hubert Kós is defending champion. The 400 free relay has Arizona State as favorites after breaking the NCAA record. The episode ends with team predictions, ranking Texas first, followed by Arizona State, Florida, and Cal, based on psych sheets and historical performance.

As heard by us

A race-by-race NCAA forecast built on psych-sheet speed, relay depth, and a pointed format critique.

The SwimSwam Podcast men's NCAA preview turns psych sheets into a race-by-race case, with Coleman Hodges choosing a winner in every event before settling on Texas, Arizona State, Florida, and Cal as his top four.

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Why you'd press play

You want the men's NCAA meet mapped before it starts, with the relay picture already sharpening.

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