Update: Because many of our commenters were curious about invites from the NCAA’s super suit era (aka 2009), we did some research and made our best comparison. The NCAA selection process changed since 2009, so the cutoff times were faster than noted below, but for comparison value, we took the 30th or 40th fastest time of the season prior to the NCAA Championships. These times will be a little faster because the athletes were not limited to their three NCAA events. If one swimmer has a top 30 time in more than 3 events, they were counted in all of their events. Interestingly, none of the times from 2009 were faster than this year’s invite times.
Now that invites have been sent out for the men’s and women’s NCAA DI Championships, we wanted to continue our analysis of what it takes to make it to the NCAA Championships.
This year is one of the fastest years ever for the men, if not the fastest ever. Last year, we saw some big drops between the 2012-13 season and the 2013-14 season. Last year, the only event that was slower than the year before was the 165o, and only by 3 tenths of a second. This year, almost every event is faster on the men’s side than it was in 2014 or 2013. The only event that is slower this year is the men’s 50 freestyle. Three swimmers tied for the final spot at 19.52.
Other than the 50 freestyle, we saw some big improvements this year across the board. The men’s 500 freestyle is more than a second faster than it was last year and a second and a half faster than in 2013. The 400 IM had a large drop from 2013 to 2014, and this year another half a second came off of that invite time. The 200 freestyle is close to being a full second faster than it was two years ago at 1:34.54.
Breaststroke dipped under 53 seconds for the first time in NCAA history. There was also a big improvement seen in the 1650 freestyle this year after getting slower in 2014. That event is now under 15 minutes at 14:59.20.
Take a look at the invited times for the last 3 men’s NCAA DI Championships:
| Men | 2012-2013 Invited Times | 2013-2014 Invited Times | 2014-2015 Invited Times |
| 500 Free | 4:18.70 | 4:18.31 | 4:17.15 |
| 200 IM | 1:45.08 | 1:44.71 | 1:44.58 |
| 50 Free | 19.67 | 19.47 | 19.52 |
| 400 IM | 3:46.72 | 3:45.64 | 3:45.34 |
| 100 Fly | 46.74 | 46.58 | 46.37 |
| 200 Free | 1:35.34 | 1:34.71 | 1:34.54 |
| 100 Breast | 53.37 | 53.23 | 52.97 |
| 100 Back | 46.95 | 46.57 | 46.46 |
| 1650 Free | 15:03.07 | 15:03.42 | 14:59.20 |
| 200 Back | 1:43.03 | 1:42.41 | 1:41.95 |
| 100 Free | 43.14 | 42.98 | 42.94 |
| 200 Breast | 1:55.97 | 1:55.64 | 1:55.04 |
| 200 Fly | 1:44.74 | 1:43.81 | 1:43.74 |
2009 30th Fastest Men’s Time Of Year Prior To NCAA’s (For Comparison)
- 500 Free – 4:17.92
- 200 IM – 1:45.71
- 50 Free – 19.53
- 400 IM – 3:47.90
- 100 Fly – 46.62
- 200 Free – 1:34.80
- 100 Breast – 53.64
- 100 Back – 47.19
- 1650 Free – 15:04.16
- 200 Back – 1:43.01
- 100 Free – 43.06
- 200 Breast – 1:56.36
- 200 Fly – 1:44.27
*Red font denotes slower than year before
**Red font from 2009 denotes slower than 2014-15
The women look more consistent than the men do. 10 of 13 events were faster than the year before, just like last year’s invites were. Most of the events were barely faster than they were last year, unlike the guys events where we saw some drops that were more than a second or very close. I thought it was interesting to note that the women’s 200 IM was exactly the same as last year, and the 50 free was only .01 seconds off.
There were a handful of large drops, however. The 400 IM dropped a half a second from last year, but it still isn’t back to the 2013 cutoff time of 4:11.92. The 100 backstroke dropped under 53 for the first time, requiring a 52.97 to make the meet. The biggest drop for the girls was the women’s 1650 freestyle. It took a 16:17.3 to make the meet this year compared to a 16:20.3 last year.
Three events did get slower this year. The 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, and 200 butterfly were all slower than the cutoff times from last year. If you compare the times, however, they stayed fairly close so it will not be noticeable at the meet.
Take a look at the invited times for the last 3 women’s NCAA DI Championships:
| Women | 2012-2013 Invited Time | 2013-2014 Invited Time | 2014-2015 Invited Times |
| 500 Free | 4:42.90 | 4:42.79 | 4:42.73 |
| 200 IM | 1:58.51 | 1:58.13 | 1:58.13 |
| 50 Free | 22.45 | 22.40 | 22.39 |
| 400 IM | 4:11.92 | 4:12.63 | 4:12.11 |
| 100 Fly | 52.99 | 52.92 | 52.79 |
| 200 Free | 1:46.10 | 1:46.03 | 1:45.94 |
| 100 Breast | 1:00.72 | 1:00.78 | 1:00.68 |
| 100 Back | 53.21 | 53.20 | 52.97 |
| 1650 Free | 16:19.32 | 16:20.32 | 16:17.36 |
| 200 Back | 1:54.79 | 1:55.19 | 1:54.63 |
| 100 Free | 49.00 | 48.82 | 48.88 |
| 200 Breast | 2:11.44 | 2:11.22 | 2:11.23 |
| 200 Fly | 1:57.49 | 1:56.79 | 1:56.92 |
2009 40th Fastest Women’s Time Of Year Prior To NCAA’s (For Comparison)
- 500 Free – 4:43.30
- 200 IM – 1:58.56
- 50 Free – 22.48
- 400 IM – 4:13.38
- 100 Fly – 52.96
- 200 Free – 1:46.19
- 100 Breast – 1:01.12
- 100 Back – 53.48
- 1650 Free – 16:21.77
- 200 Back – 1:55.45
- 100 Free – 48.98
- 200 Breast – 2:12.38
- 200 Fly – 1:56.97
*Red font denotes slower than year before
**Red font from 2009 denotes slower than 2014-15
9 or 10 years ago if you broke 53 in the breast you were probably on the podium. Not to mention in 2007 1:45 was invited in 2back and that was when they only invite top 22-23.
when do the new qualifying rules go into effect? is this the second or third year? faster times although more individual swimmers in each event. that is the crazy thing!
My guess would be that before the new qualifying rules guys that would have to rest to make the meet individually could be carried on a relay without having to guarantee an invited time. The first year this went into effect probably surprised a lot of ppl that either didn’t make it or were closer to being left home then they wanted.
In advance of the record possibly going down, this is a good opportunity to appreciate Coughlin’s 49.97 100 back for how absurd it was. If you brought that field forward in time and gave them today’s invite times, she would be swimming alone in the pool, because no one else swam fast enough to be invited.
While the time of 49.97 is impressive, it is more a reflection on the changes made to backstroke over the years and NC’s mastery of technique. The 1991 rules that allowed freestyle flip turns change the stroke forever, and allowed swimmers who barely dabbled in backstroke to excel as long as they were solid freestylers. Angel Martino’s 100 SCM record of 58.50 in ’93 comes to mind. What forever turned the backstroke into a circus was the allowance of multiple dolphin kicks combined with lengthy underwaters, leaving barely 10 yards of actual swimming. Personally, when I think of great backstroke swims from the pre-91 era, I always come back to John Naber’s 1:59.19 1976 Olympic win, and Betsy Mitchell’s 1986… Read more »
I really don’t think that the one freestyle stroke you are allowed to take into the wall means you don’t have to be good at swimming on your back, and for a period of time you can argue that the 35m underwater that Berkoff popularized and others emulated wasn’t pure backstroke and that argument has some merit (not to take anything away from him as he was simply ahead of the curve). Missy has some of the worst underwaters in the field consistently at international level meets but she is the WR holder in the 200 back.
Regarding your post, you are bringing in valid points – unfortunately, none of them pertain to what I wrote in my original post. I was lamenting the numerous changes in backstroke (especially in short course) that allow for less swimming and more dolphin kicks and front flip turns. I did not mention either Franklin or Berkoff in my post. I have enormous respect for anyone who rises to that level in national or international competition. Berkoff was “ahead of the curve” because at that time there was no curve. It took review of his innovative technique to get that rule changed. As for Franklin, if you look at her best SCY 100, she’s a full second behind Coughlin, due likely… Read more »
I’m not sure which is more mind blowing….52.9 100 breast or 1:41.9 200 back. Both are absurdly fast just to make the meet.
It would be interesting to see how these times compare to 2009 when the suits were in play…
I can only really speak to the 200 fly because that was my event and I was in college at that time, but I remember 2009 being an anomaly in that it took a high 1:43 when previous years it was closer to 1:45.0
After that in 2010 and 2011 it went back to 1:45ish and started dipping down into the 1:44s. So based on that event it looks like we are back to about the same place (1:43.74 this year)
Another thing to consider is the cut line used to be between 19-22 whereas now they are making the cut at 30ish. So not only are we taking more people, but it’s still consistently faster.
I’ve been looking all over for the 2009 psych sheets. I havn’t been able to find it, but what I could do is compare the top 30 times prior to the 2009 NCAA Championships for that season in every event. In 2009, the relay spots took up most of the invites, leaving only the top 20 lines or less for each event. Comparing back to the 30th line will give us a closer comparison, but even that will still be a little fast because I won’t be able to limit swimmers to only their 3 events.
For example, I compared the 200 fly because that was your event. The 30th best time that year prior to the 2009 NCAA… Read more »
I think I was ranked right around 31 in 2007 with a 1:46.5. Of course, back then they only took about 20 swimmers per event.
That men’s 100 breast invited time is bananas. 52 to make it in. Unreal.