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WHAT WAS THE BEST NCAA RACE YOU EVER WITNESSED?

BY ANDY ROSS

BRETT HAWKE

Former Head Coach, Auburn

[PHOTO BY PETER H. BICK]

Olivia Scott’s 100 fly in 2013 jumps out to me. Olivia was not the favorite, nor was she in Lane 4 in the final. And it won’t go down as the fastest win

in history.

She didn’t particularly have a great morning swim, and her warmup was terrible. She told me right before the race she felt terrible as well. My last piece of advice to her was, “Well, you have nothing to lose.”

But the thing that sticks out the most is she only took six breaths the whole 100—one on the first lap, two on the second and third laps, and one the last lap. She swam like she had nothing to lose.

It’ll go down as one of the gutsiest swims I’ve ever seen!

BRIDGETTE ALEXANDER

Former Swimmer, Kentucky; Assistant Coach, Buffalo

[PHOTO BY PETER H. BICK] The best race I got to witness at NCAAs during my time at Kentucky was my teammate at the time, Danielle Galyer’s 200 yard backstroke race in 2016. She was right next to Courtney Bartholomew. I did not make the final that year and was bummed about that, but watching her duke it out with Courtney—with it coming down to the finish—was something I knew I would never forget.

When her hand touched the wall first, the sense of pride I felt was unmatched. She was my training mate, and she just won an NCAA title. By far the best race I got to watch.

BOB BOWMAN

Head Coach, Arizona State It’s a tie between Kevin Cordes’ 200 breaststroke in 2013 when he went 1:48...and Caeleb Dressel’s 17.6 in the 50 in 2018. Both took their events to a new level.

ELAINE BREEDEN

Former Swimmer and 4x NCAA Butterfly Champion, Stanford My favorite NCAA race to watch was the women’s 400 IM in 2010, my senior year. My teammate, Julia Smit, won that race at three NCAAs in a row, and she made the race look so easy every time. She broke the American record at Pac-10s her senior year and was named NCAA and Pac-10 Championships Swimmer of the Meet. It was always so fun to watch her swim that race because she seemed so invincible!

SWIM MART

JASON CALANOG

Associate Head Coach, Texas A&M

[PHOTO BY ANDY RINGGOLD, ARINGO PHOTOS] I’m a little biased, but to see the 17.6 in person from Caeleb (Dressel)—because I coached him at Bolles. I was standing with his mother (Christina) and Sherridon (Caeleb’s sister), so that was a touching memory for me.

One of the best races I remember was Chris Swanson’s mile in Atlanta in 2016. I didn’t have any dogs in that race, but I had coached Swanson a little at Bolles Swim Camp, so I kind of knew him. So to see him win with five guys in the hunt for that national title...it was amazing to watch!

He just sprinted his last 50 to beat Akram (Mahmoud) from South Carolina. To watch that race was my favorite—to see the changes and to know that anybody could win...and then the underdog won!

REACH LONG KICK STRONG

KATIE ROBINSON

Director, Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving, Northwestern

[PHOTO BY HOPE CARPINELLO, NORTHWESTERN ATHLETICS]

Without going back too far in my memory archives, I specifically remember watching Missy Franklin break the 1:40 barrier in the 200 free at the 2015 NCAA Championships in Greensboro (going a 1:39.10). I remember thinking that a glass ceiling for women had truly been broken.