Leon Marchand Becomes First NCAA Champion to Complete Excellent Season Since Natalie Coughlin

Shout out to SwimSwam commentator jeff for the inspirational a part of this text.

Leon MarchandThe 2022-23 NCAA season has been glorious.

No, Marchand’s season wasn’t good simply due to the way in which he dominated the competitors to comb their occasions within the NCAAs, or all of the information he is damaged in many alternative occasions. its season Actually It is glorious as a result of it hasn’t misplaced a single particular person race all season, and it is 26-to-26 in a timeframe spanning from ASU’s first doubles match with Georgia in September 2022 to the NCAA Championship in March 2023.

In actual fact, Marchand grew to become the primary Division 1 NCAA champion swimmer since Cal’s dying. Natalie Coughlin Coughlin did this 20 years in the past within the 2002-03 season, to have an undefeated particular person season.

In comparison with Marchand, Coughlin received extra particular person races in his glorious season, going 35v35 in 13 matches, in comparison with Marchand’s 26v26 in 9 matches. As well as, Coughlin has received 11 completely different occasions whereas Marchand has 7 extra wins in quite a lot of occasions.

Nevertheless, Marchand’s glorious season included extra NCAA record-breaking swims as he broke the NCAA document six completely different instances in three completely different races (200 IM, 400 IM, 200 chest) and sped up the quickest ever relay splits within the different three races. (50 nozzles, 100 nozzles, 200 free). In the meantime, Coughlin broke the NCAA document thrice in three completely different occasions (200 frees, 200 flies, 100 frees) nevertheless it’s vital to notice that he is already an NCAA document holder at 100 backs, 100 flies and 200 backs. this level in his profession.

Word: For the needs of this text, we’ve solely taken under consideration the ultimate races within the official competitors.

Leon MarchandWins, Season 2022-23:

• ASU – Georgia – Missouri: 200 udders (1:57.67), 200 flies (1:43.21), 2o0 IM (1:44.32)
• ASU – Wisconsin: 200 backs (1:42.82), 100 breasts (53.16), 400 IMs (3:41.59)
• ASU and USC: 100 nozzles (52.75), 200 nozzles (1:53.34), 200 IM (1:42.55)
• NC State Invitation: 200 flights (1:39.57), 200 IMs (1:39.28), 400 IMs (3:33.65)
• ASU and Stanford: 100 nozzles (51.15), 200 IM (1:38.89), 200 nozzles (1:49.16)
• ASU and Cal: 100 breasts (51.01), 200 breasts (1:48.82), 400 IMs (3:31.84 – NCAA document)
• ASU – Arizona: 100 again (44.77), 500 free (4:07.81)
• Pac-12 Championship: 200 IM (1:37.81), 400 IM (3:31.57 – NCAA document), 200 Chest (1:47.67 – NCAA document)
• NCAA Championship: 200 IM (1:36.34 – NCAA document), 400 IM (3:28.82 – NCAA document), 200 Chest (1:46.91 – NCAA document)

Natalie CoughlinTheir wins, Season 2002-03:

• Cal vs. Pacific: 1000 free (9:55.25), 100 again (55.41), 100 flights (53.21)
• SMU Basic: 100 golf equipment (52.99), 100 backs (54.53), 200 backs (1:57.38)
• Cal – Georgia: 100 again (53.62), 100 free (48.06), 100 ahead (51.90)
• Cal – Clemson: 400 IM (4:11.76), 200 again (2:04.48)
• Cal vs. Rice: 200 free (1:50.99), 100 again (56.09)
• Auburn Invitational: 500 free (4:37.62), 200 free (1:42.65 – NCAA document), 200 fly (1:51.91 – NCAA document)
• Cal – ASU: 200 free (1:47.88), 100 free (49.29), 200 IM (2:00.62)
• Cal – Arizona: 200 IM (1:59.03), 200 again (1:57.86),
• Cal – USC: 200 free (1:47.24), 200 flights (1:56.04), 100 flights (51.88)
• Cal – UCLA: 100 again (52.22), 100 free (48.65), 100 ends (51.96)
• Cal vs. Stanford: 200 free (1:49.26), 200 golf equipment (1:55.03), 100 golf equipment (52.82)
• Pac-10 Championship: 50 free (22.05), 100 fly (51.10), 100 free (47.42 – NCAA document)
• NCAA Championship: 100 fly (50.62), 100 again (50.92), 200 again (1:53.53)

Earlier than the beginning of the mid-season invitations within the 2022-23 season, we counted a complete of 17 swimmers who’re nonetheless individually undefeated from the 25 greatest applications of Division I. That quantity dropped to 5 after mid-season invitations, and as duo season ended and conferences started, Marchand and LSUs Maggie MacNeil They have been the final individuals standing. And though MacNeil was undefeated when she received 50 free on the primary day of the NCAA girls’s championship, she finally misplaced 0.05 seconds to Kate Douglass within the 100 fly, breaking her streak. He additionally completed third after Torri Huske and Gretchen Walsh within the free 100.

Marchand and Coughlin’s glorious seasons are outstanding as a result of a few of the greatest NCAA swimmers of this technology have by no means completed what the 2 of them did. In whole, there have been 20 completely different swimmers who’ve gone 3-on-3 at NCAA Championship meetups since 2003, a lot of whom have ruined their glorious seasons with “unlikely” races at duos. Being undefeated all yr requires a mixture of all-year versatility, dominance and quick swimming; these are issues that just one technology of swimmers can exhibit at a time.

Record of Three-on-Three NCAA Championship Swimmers (2003–current) And Their First Losses Of The Season:

• 2002-03 Natalie Coughlin: none
• 2004-05 Kristy Coventry: 2nd place in 100 breasts at Auburn Invite, December 2004
• 2005-06 Kara Lynn Joyce: #4 within the free 50 on the Georgia Fall Invitational, December 2005
• 2005-06 Ryan Lochte: #2 out of 100 within the Dallas Morning Information traditional, January 2006
• 2010-11 Katinka Hosszu: fifth in 100 races and seventh in 100 flights at USC Dash Invite, October 2010
• 2014-15 Missy Franklin: third in 100 IMs on the King/Queen of the pool invite, September 2014
• 2016-17 Caeleb Dressel: 2nd place in 100 flights and third place in 100 turns in opposition to Georgia, October 2016
• 2016-17 Katie Ledecky: 200 fly vs. third place in Texas, November 2016
• 2016-17 Will Licon: 4th vs. 50 free Texas Christian, February 2017
• 2017-18 Caeleb Dressel: 2nd place in 100 breasts at All-Florida Invite, September 2017
• 2017-18 Ella Eastin: 2nd vs. 200 fly NC State, November 2017
• 2018-19 Beata Nelson: third place on 200, free in opposition to Purdue and Tennessee, November 2018
• 2018-19 Andrew Seliskar: 2nd in 100 races, third in 100 chests, sixth in 100 backs on the King/Queen of Pool invitation, September 2018
• 2020-21 Ryan Hoffer: 2nd in 100 flights at Stanford Invitational, November 2020
• 2020-21 Shaine Casas: #2 on 400 IM at Texas First Probability Invitational, October 2020
• 2020-21 Paige Madden: 50 Free vs. 2nd Place in Navy, October 2020
• 2021-22 Alex Walsh: 50 breasts vs. 2nd Cal, Oct 2021
• 2021-22 Kate Douglass: ninth in 200 free races, 4th in 100 chests at Tennessee Invitational, November 2021
• 2022-23 Kate Douglass: 2nd in 100 IMs, third in 200 breasts, third in 100 freestyles and many others. Texas, November 2022
• 2022-23 Leon Marchand: none

As Marchand and Coughlin wrap up glorious seasons, the query of who is best will inevitably come up. The straightforward reply is that that is up for debate. Each swimmers have completed one thing in their very own extraordinary methods, and completely different generations of swimmers may have completely different views. Moreover, in NCAA swimming, the place some are extra vital than others, being undefeated is not the last word measure of greatness. Who the true NCAA GOAT is is a subject for dialogue at one other time, so for now, let’s take this second to understand how we have been handled to 2 glorious seasons that happened precisely 20 years aside.