The SwimSwam Podcast

2024 Olympian and recent Pan Pacs silver medalist in the 200 Breast Josh Matheny has announced he's leaving Indiana University in search of a new training home. In June, after having a rough first season as a pro swimmer and not performing how he'd hoped at the Pro Swim in Indianapolis, Matheny decided he needed a change. He asked USA Swimming National Team Director Greg Meehan if he could train at the Olympic Training Center until Pan Pacs, to which Meehan agreed. After discussing this change with Indiana coach Ray Looze as well, Matheny spent his last 6 weeks of summer preparing for Pan Pacs in Colorado Springs. In Irvine at Pan Pacs, Matheny neared his best time in the 100 breast, 59.2, making the final and ultimately finishing 4th, and set a PB in the 200 Breast at 2:08.2, earning silver. In the coming weeks, Matheny will talk with numerous teams throughout the country and hopes to find a good training fit for the next two years in the lead up to LA2028.

Hungary's Hubi Kos had a triple-crown performance in Paris at the European Championships. Winning the 200 Back and 200 IM individually, Kos also swam on Hungary's winning 4x100 free relay. Kos' Hungarian teammate, fellow superstar swimmer Kristof Milak, anchored that relay in a historically fast split, 46.2. Before the meet, Kos had publicly voiced his frustrations about Milak sitting out of the relays in the past. Kos wanted to earn a medal for Hungary in a relay badly and knew that Milak would be key to that success. However, to Kos' surprise, Milak ended up swimming on Hungary's free relay, netting not just a medal, but gold. Kos reflects on what winning a relay gold means to him and the historic times he posted in both the 200 Back and 200 IM.

Jack Alexy joins this GMM takeover of the SwimSwam Podcast to break down his Pan Pacific Championships performance and where those swims place him in a very elite, very crowded global sprint field. Alexy won the 100 freestyle in a Pan Pac Championship Record of 47.14, took silver in the 50 free in 21.42, and delivered a pair of sub-47 relay anchors for Team USA. He split 46.78 on the winning 4x100 freestyle relay and 46.97 on the winning 4x100 medley relay. And, of course, Alexy owns the 100 free American Record at 46.81, set at the 2025 World Championships. But the international competition has only gotten faster.

2x Olympic medalist Carson Foster returned to the SwimSwam Podcast to debrief the recent Pan Pacific Championships and the 2025-26 season. At Pan Pacs, Foster hauled in 3 silver medals, taking 2nd in the 200 Fly, 200 IM, and 400 IM. He was notably left off of USA's 4x200 free relay, a relay he's been a big part of for Team USA for the last 4 years. He isn't shy about his desire to be on the relay, but also defends Team USA's decision. Foster also speaks on tapering with Bob Bowman and what the mood of the Texas Pro Group was like when not everyone was having the meet they had hoped for in Irvine. 

Sam Short had a historic summer that saw him break numerous barriers and top the podium nearly every time he got in the pool. At the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Short swept the 400-800-1500 freestyles and led off Australia's winning 4x200 free relay. Two weeks later, at the Pan Pacific Championships, he swept the same three events, breaking Ian Thorpe's 400 free meet record from 1999 and Grant Hackett's Australian record in the 1500 from 2001.  Today, Short sits down with SwimSwam to reflect on his remarkable consistency throughout the season and dissect his best races. We also speak about Johannes Liebmann's newly minted 14:26 world record in the 1500 and which world record Short would break if he could pick one. 

Join as we go IN DEPTH and discuss everything European and Pan Pacific Championships.

Join as we go through the psych sheets event-by-event and preview the 2026 Pan Pacific Championships that start this Wednesday, August 12, in Irvine, California

Join us as we compare the 2026 US National Championships and Commonwealth Games in detail.

Join us as we discuss the stars to watch in the upcoming US National Championships, including Anna Moesch, Ilya Kharun, Isabelle Stadden, and Caeleb Dressel.

In this GMM takeover the SwimSwam podcast we have Chris Plumb, Head Coach and CEO of Carmel Swim Club and Chris Webb, Director GAINswim. Our podcast topics are dryland and the 2026 GAINswim Annual Clinic, but we start with the genesis of the Plumb-Webb relationship, diving into their deep history. It extends back to 2006 when Plumb took over as head coach of Carmel.  Plumb and Webb were in their late 20s, trying to figure out how to build a top club in the country. That drive set them on an adventure around the United States and the world, seeking out the best practices, systems and dryland education.

Join us as we discuss the stars to watch in the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, starting this Friday, July 24. 

In this GMM takeover of the SwimSwam Podcast, we sit down with 10-time Olympic medalist Gary Hall Jr. to discuss his new venture, Anchor Line Sports, a sports data company that supports betting in the Olympic ecosystem. Earlier today, SwimSwam published the news that Anchor Line Sports had entered into an exclusive partnership with ALT Sports Data, positioning the company to provide betting data, analytics, and market infrastructure for Olympic-category sports, beginning with swimming.

Ohio State Director of Swimming & Diving Bill Dorenkott joins this GMM takeover of the SwimSwam Podcast for a recruiting conversation built for swimmers, swim parents and club coaches trying to understand what college coaches value. 

This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we are discussing how Bob Bowman's Texas pros swam at the Austin Sectionals, Mollie O'Callaghan announcing a stress fracture in her back, and Shayna Jack retiring after this summer.

This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we are discussing how many world records Summer McIntosh can break at Pan Pacs, Kaylee McKeown pulling out of major meets, and recapping the European Jr Champs.

In this GMM takeover of the SwimSwam Podcast, we are going deep on one of the biggest questions in the sport: college recruiting. What do college coaches actually look for? What matters beyond the time on the board? How should swimmers handle the jump from club swimming to a major NCAA program? And what should parents understand before, during, and after the commitment post?

SwimSwam breaks down Summer McIntosh's revolutionary 2:01.65 200 Fly World Record from Montreal last night.

SwimSwam sat down with Hannah Saiz, the first-year head coach for Youngstown State University. Saiz was an NCAA DIII National Champion, Olympic Trials finalist, and member of the US National Team before her coaching career. She's coached DIII, DI, high school, and now is in her first foray as a DI head coach. She gives great insight into being yourself during recruiting, balancing student-athlete life, and why excellence isn't the norm.

Today on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss the insanity that occurred at the Sette Colli Trophy, Leon Marchand's swims at French Trials so far, and the IOC announcing a $10k per athlete grant.

Today on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss the Pro Swim in Indianapolis, Chinese Nationals, and the new *new* NCAA Championship meet format.

Today on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss the Australian and Russian Trials, Cal Poly's new $45M Football Facility, and preview the Indy Pro Swim.

In this GMM takeover of the SwimSwam Podcast, we sit down with Mike Orn, Olympic medalist, NCAA champion, and CEO of Malmsten Inc., the U.S. division of Malmsten AB. Mike was an NCAA champion in the 200 freestyle, going 1:36.02 in 1983, and later won Olympic hardware as part of Sweden’s 4x100 freestyle relay at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Now, more than four decades later, he is preparing for a very different kind of return to LA.  This time, Mike won’t be racing between the lane lines. He’ll be helping put them in. Malmsten is the official lane supplier for World Aquatics, European Aquatics, and PanAm Aquatics, which means its lane lines sit in the water for many of the biggest meets on earth. That includes the road to LA 2028, where Mike returns to the Olympic stage 44 years after his medal-winning moment (this time helping install Malmsten lane lines in the Olympic pool at SoFi Stadium).

Today on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss the ongoing Australian and Russian Trials Meets, the Longhorn Invite, and last week's many episodes of the SwimSwam Podcast. 

Greece's Apostolos Siskos is on a roll right now. At the 2026 Acropolis Open in May, Siskos dropped the #1 time in the world (1:54.12) in the 200 back this year so far and broke an 11-year-old Greek record in the 200 fly (1:56.13). We sat down with the 20-year-old and talked about his approach to racing, training on his own, and his decision to forego coming to Harvard to stay and train in Greece.

Jack Kelly has been making waves in the pool since graduating from Brown University last year. The 3x NCAA finalist in the breaststroke events decided he would give pro swimming a go and moved to Austin to train with Bob Bowman. Since making the move, Kelly has progressed immensely, not only going best times in all 3 breaststroke distances, but showing a ton of consistency throughout the last year. He broke the 1:00 barrier for the first time in December, but has since dipped under it on 6 different occasions. He's also been under the 27-second barrier in the 50 breast twice and the 2:10 barrier once in the 200. He's qualified to swim all 3 events at the European championships in August. Kelly discusses what it's been like training with Bowman, racing in the Ivy League, and being a lifelong New York Knicks fan.

Olympic gold medalist Hunter Armstrong left the inaugural Enhanced Games with $375,000 in prize money after two podium finishes, but the bigger story may be what happened before, during, and after the meet. Armstrong, who competed as a clean, non-enhanced athlete, won the men’s 50 backstroke in 24.21 while racing in a polyurethane “super suit.” The swim earned him $250,000, though it was about half a second off his American record of 23.71. He returned in the 100 freestyle, finishing 2nd in 48.0 behind Kristian Gkolomeev, who won in 46.6. Armstrong’s lifetime best is 47.59. The runner-up finish added another $125,000, bringing Armstrong’s total Enhanced Games payday to $375,000.

NCAA Champion Anna Moesch turned heads last weekend when, at the AP Swim International, she clocked a 51.94 100 Freestyle. This was not only a new American record, but it was the first time a woman had dipped under the 52-second barrier since the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (in 2021) when Emma McKeon won gold in 51.96. This made Moesch the #2 performer all-time in the event at the time, a position she has since ceded to Marrit Steenbergen, who went 51.86 just days later in Canet, France. Moesch came on the SwimSwam Podcast and revealed what her last year has looked like. Last summer, Moesch missed qualifying for the US National team by one place and subsequently told her coach, Todd DeSorbo, that she never wanted that to happen again. Moesch has been putting a much bigger emphasis on threshold and middle distance training this year, even going into longer IM groups once or twice per week, in favor of just focusing on sprint training. This appears to have shown up in the back half of her races, specifically in her 51.9 100 free, where she came home in 26.7.

Today on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss Marrit Steenbergen and other star athletes from Canet and Barcelona, the IOC president saying she doesn't believe in paying athletes, and Caeleb Dressel training with Virginia.

In this GMM takeover of the SwimSwam Podcast we have Vern Gambetta, founder of GAIN (the Gambetta Athletic Improvement Network) and Chris Webb, Director of GAINswim. Vern Gambetta is widely regarded as one of the founding fathers of functional sports training, a movement that helped shift athletic development away from isolated machine-based strength work and toward training the whole athlete.

Today on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss last night's Enhanced Games, the Pro Swim stop at Sacramento, and international meets in London and Monaco.

Isabelle Stadden had been a child protege in the pool, representing the USA on the international stage multiple times over, accruing numerous accolades well before she even reached college. Attending Cal Berkeley, Stadden continued to rake in awards and honors, becoming an NCAA All-American many times over during her 5 seasons with the Golden Bears. Weeks after completing her undergraduate degree, Stadden competed at the 2025 US World Trials. In what was supposed to be a springboard for her pro career, Stadden had what she says was one of the worst meets of her life. Her performances in Indianapolis were lackluster and resulted in her first time missing the USA National Team in 7 seasons. After that, Stadden took a long time away from the pool. 6 months removed from her last competition, the Minnesota native decided to give it one more go around, this time doing it for herself rather than feeling the external pressures of performing for a team or to satisfy others' expectations. She moved to arguably the top women's program in the country, the University of Virginia, to train under the 2024 Olympic women's head coach, Todd DeSorbo. Just 4 months into training in Charlottesvillle, she went a 2:05.9 in the 200 back in early March, dropping over a second off of her previous PB of 2:07.28 set in May of 2021. 7 weeks later at the Ft Lauderdale Open, Stadden struck gold again, touching in 2:04.37, becoming the #4 performer in history and #1 in the world this year. Listen to Stadden as she shares her perspective on returning to her sport refreshed, reenergized, and ready for more, looking towards the end of the summer and beyond.

Today on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we preview the Sacramento Pro Swim, Kristof Milak racing at Mare Nostrum, and the inaugural Enhanced Games on Sunday.

12-time Olympic swimming medalist Ryan Lochte is making his coaching debut as an assistant coach at Missouri State, joining Dave Collins’ staff for the 2026–27 season. It is a measured move. Lochte is not jumping straight into a head coaching position. He admits he has a lot to learn. For Ryan, coaching is not some far-flung idea. His father, Steve Lochte, coached for 44 years, and both Steve and Ryan’s mother, Ileana “Ike” Lochte, coached him when he was young. Swimming was not just what Ryan did, it was the language of the house. In this GMM Podcast, Lochte talks about why he is taking this path slowly, why the assistant role matters, and how he hopes to develop into a head coach over time. He also reflects on the influence of longtime Florida coach Gregg Troy, whose program was built on honest work and the kind of discipline that leaves no room for shortcuts. Lochte says he wants to channel that influence now, not as a copy of Coach Troy, but as someone shaped by it.

The fourth installment of the FISU America Games is set for this summer, July 24-26, in Lima, Peru, and Team USA has assembled a highly competitive team to take to South America. Among the USA's 44-strong roster are NCAA scorers, All-Americans, and former international roster members. Led by FGCU's Dave Rollins (Head Coach) and Oakland's Molly Hebzynski (Team Lead), Team USA will look to lead the medal table at this competition that will provide valuable international experience for athletes and coaches alike.

SwimSwam sat down with Rachel Stratton-Mills, the Director of Swimming & Diving at Northwestern and the new President of the CSCAA Board of Directors. Northwestern had a promising season this year, especially on the men's side, which saw them place 4th at the B1G conference champs and score a relay at the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2008. Stratton-Mills discusses the development of her team as their 3rd-year leader and is hopeful that there's much more to come. On the CSCAA side of things, the new president sheds light on the reasons changes were made this year to the NCAA Championship format and why specific changes were implemented, such as eliminating B-Finals and adding a new diving format for finals. Stratton-Mills recognizes that not all these changes were hits, but also talks us through how the new CSCAA NCAA DI Working Group of coaches is moving forward with more meaningful change to the NCAA Championships format.

Today on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss Ryan Lochte starting his collegiate coaching career at Missouri State, Bob Bowman's Pro Group getting numerous additions, and what Van Mathias' ceiling is for this summer.

Ice swimming is a strange outpost on the edge of our sport. It’s real, growing, and intense, but still outside the formal World Aquatics structure. In this GMM takeover of the SwimSwam Podcast, we sit down with Chris Ballard, author of THE PLUNGE: Maverick Swimmers, an Unlikely Quest, and the Transformative Power of Cold Water. The book drops June 9th from Simon & Schuster.

Today on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss the Ft. Lauderdale Open, Chase Kreitler resigning from Pitt, and movement in the NCAA

Today on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss the potential change to the NCAA format, big moves in the transfer portal, and the Ft Lauderdale Open.