Hubert Kos, Luca Urlando Shatter 200-Yard Records at NCAAs

Men’s College Performances of the Year: Hubert Kos, Luca Urlando Shatter 200-Yard Records

On the ultimate night of the 2025 NCAA Men’s Championships, two swimmers crushed their main rivals on the best way to the quickest instances in historical past of their respective occasions. For each Hubert Kos and Luca Urlando, these wins can be precursors to their career-defining world-title wins in lengthy course later within the 12 months.

Kos had by no means captured a person NCAA title previous to this season, however he was already the world’s dominant 200-meter backstroker with a world title and Olympic gold medal in his pocket. Riding the momentum from his Paris efficiency, Kos turned a dominant drive for the Texas Longhorns in his junior season, becoming a member of with Rex Maurer and Luke Hobson to steer the group to a nationwide title.

The Hungarian received all three of his particular person races in Federal Way, Wash., holding off Destin Lasco down the stretch to win the 200 IM by seven hundredths earlier than coming by way of over Florida’s Jonny Marshall within the 100 again by two hundredths, his time of 43.20 setting new U.S. Open and NCAA information. A day later, Kos would run roughshod over the sphere within the 200 again.

Lasco had received the occasion in three consecutive seasons, with the quickest time ever in 2024, however Kos blasted that mark out of the water by greater than a second along with his time of 1:34.21. In the race, Marshall gave an early problem however couldn’t maintain onto the tempo down the stretch whereas Lasco fell behind by greater than a second on the opening 100 yards and couldn’t make up floor. Kos ended up successful by greater than two seconds.

“I knew that I had a chance to do something special in that event,” Kos mentioned. “Obviously, I wanted to go 33, but it’s fine, maybe next year. And it was really a great feeling to get that second NCAA record and get the record back.”

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

Later that night, Urlando pulled off an enormous victory for the Georgia Bulldogs within the 200 fly, capping off an impressive comeback season. He had missed the earlier two years after struggling a devastating shoulder damage, however his returned to qualify for the Paris Olympics, after which he swam the quickest time in historical past in his signature occasion halfway by way of the season. In January, Urlando had gone 1:37.17 to beat the eight-year-old mark belonging to Jack Conger, and he was only one hundredth shy of that point on the SEC Championships.

On the nationwide degree, Urlando must cope with Ilya Kharun, the Arizona State swimmer who was the defending NCAA champion and Olympic bronze medalist in each lengthy course butterfly occasions. Kharun entered the competitors with a finest time of 1:37.93, inside eight tenths of Urlando’s new report.

When the duo met in Federal Way, Wash., the race wouldn’t be shut. Urlando blasted out to a lead of greater than a second by the midway level, and the margin was two seconds with 50 yards remaining. Urlando would fade down the stretch however not almost sufficient for the sphere to make inroads, and he touched in 1:36.43 to destroy his personal report. However, that report wouldn’t final too lengthy as Urlando went two hundredths earlier than the top of the 12 months on the Georgia Invite.

“It means everything. It means all the hard work I have put in the past 2-3 years, coming back from injury, has paid off. I told myself every day that I would be rewarded for going through the process,” Urlando mentioned. “I let go of years of pent-up wanting to have a moment like this. It was having the confidence to hold on. It has felt like years of setbacks to get to a moment like this. To be rewarded like this makes everything worth it.”

Honorable Mention

Two different swimmers established the quickest instances ever of their respective occasions in 2025. At the SEC Championships, Julian Smith knocked off the highest mark within the 100 breaststroke with a time of 49.51, an enormous accomplishment for a swimmer who had by no means been beneath 50 in his profession and had by no means contended for an NCAA title. Smith went on to return by way of on the nationwide meet, ending simply 4 hundredths off his finest time.

Additionally, the NCAA Championships noticed Caeleb Dressel’s long-standing report within the 100 free go down. Dressel had been the one swimmer in historical past beneath 40 seconds earlier than Jordan Crooks broke that mark with a time of 39.83 in prelims. He was unable to duplicate that within the night, however Josh Liendo blasted a mark of 39.99, the third-quickest time in historical past, to win his third consecutive nationwide title within the occasion.

The nationwide meet additionally included a pair of near-misses price mentioning. Liendo received the 100 fly in 43.06, only a quarter-second away from Dressel’s NCAA report of 42.80. One race later, Maurer was dominant within the 400 IM with a time of three:34.00, inside six tenths of Chase Kalisz’s American report.