Breaking Down Jordan Crooks’ Historic 400 Free Relay Split

2025 Men’s NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships

• March 26-29, 2025
• Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatics Center, Federal Way, Washington
• Short Course Yards (25 yards)
• Start Times: Prelims: 10 AM ׀ Finals: 6 PM (Pacific Daylight Time)
• Psych Sheet
• Eligible Relays
• SwimSwam Preview Index
• Live Results
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  • Prelims: Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4
  • Finals: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4

Tennessee swam to a new NCAA record in the final event of men’s NCAAs, but what was maybe missed was just how dominant Jordan Crooks’ anchor leg was. He brought the relay home in 39.36, the fastest relay split in history, to overhaul Florida and give the Vols their second relay win of the week after a 29-year drought at the national level.

Crooks’ first 50 was phenomenal. With a reaction time of 0.21 – getting towards ‘safe start’ territory – he entered the water a quarter second behind Florida sophomore Scotty Buff and was already clearly ahead by 25 yards. He was 0.75 up at the 50 turn, having already outsplit the Gator anchor by over a second.

Splits by 50

To feet, that first 50 would have been the 6th fastest flying split in the 200 free relay on Day 2, quicker than Bjorn Seeliger, Alex Painter and Matt King – all of whom made the ‘B’ final in the 50 free.

This was also the fastest relay front-half in history by over a quarter of a second.

Relay first-50 splits, all-time performances

1. Jordan Crooks, Tennessee – 18.35 (NCAA 2025)
2. Jordan Crooks, Tennessee – 18.61 (SEC 2025)
3. Chris Guiliano, Notre Dame – 18.63 (ACC 2024)
4. Jordan Crooks, Tennessee – 18.64 (NCAA 2025)
5. Chris Guiliano, Notre Dame- 18.64 (NCAA 2024)
6. Jordan Crooks, Tennessee – 18.65 (Tennessee Invitational 2025)
7. Jordan Crooks, Tennessee – 18.71, (NCAA 2022)
8. Matt Targett, Auburn – 18.76 (SEC 2009)
9. Jonny Kulow, ASU – 18.77 (NCAA 2025)
10. Alex Painter, Florida – 18.78 (SEC 2025)

Crooks went out hard, and paid for it a little on the second 50. His underwater kicks dropped off slightly (but were still clearly better than those around him) and his stroke count jumped up. His second 50 was still 21.01, though, and based on our research the only swimmers to ever come home faster are Caeleb Dressel and Crooks’ teammate Gui Caribe.

Jonny Kulow was the only anchor swimmer in the final heat within 1.5 seconds of Crooks’ split. The two were way out in front on both the first and second 50s. Patrick Sammon, swimming second for Arizona State, was the only other swimmer in the entire event who went out sub-19 with an 18.98.

Crooks’ now holds four of the five sub-40 splits, with all five coming this year. His fastest split prior to the 2024-25 season was 40.57, over a second slower than his new best, and he’s rocketed up the all-time list from #12 all the way to the top spot. Five of the current top-10 performers have swum their times in the last six weeks.

400 freestyle relay splits, all-time performers

1. Jordan Crooks (Tennessee), 39.36 – 2025 NCAAs
2. Jonny Kulow (Arizona State), 39.93 –  2025 NCAAs 
3. Caeleb Dressel (Florida), 40.15 – 2018 NCAAs
4. Chris Guiliano (Notre Dame), 40.17 – 2024 NCAAs
5. Nathan Adrian (Cal), 40.23 – 2009 NCAAs
6. Gui Caribe (Tennessee), 40.26 – 2024 Tennessee Invitational 
7. Vlad Morozov (USC), 40.28 – 2013 NCAAs
8. Bjorn Seeliger, (Cal), 40.30 – 2024 NCAAs
9. Jere Hribar (LSU), 40.32 – 2025 SECs 
10. Patrick Sammon (Arizona State), 40.34 – 2025 Big-12s

He dominates the front half even compared to this list, with only Kulow and Guiliano within 0.5 seconds. Impressively, his second 50 is also the fastest.

With Crooks graduating this year, the mantle of top performer in the NCAA will fall to Jonny Kulow, who had two splits faster than third-place Caeleb Dressel’s best last week. Gui Caribe lurks dangerously however, having improved every year in this event, and LSU’s Jere Hribar has made huge strides in his sophomore season – he’s the third fastest sophomore after Jack Alexy, Bjorn Seeliger and Caeleb Dressel.