The SwimSwam Podcast

Podcast: Ryan Lochte Talks Coaching, Gregg Troy, And His Next Chapter In Swimming

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.

Team USA Going for Gold at 2026 FISU America Games

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.

Rachel Stratton-Mills Talks Northwestern Development, CSCAA Changes to NCAA Championships

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.

Lochte Starts Coaching, Bowman's Pro Group Growing | SWIMSWAM BREAKDOWN

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.

Chris Ballard on Ice Swimming, Cold Water, and The Plunge

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.

Ft. Lauderdale Open, Kreitler Out at Pitt, & NCAA Transfers | SWIMSWAM BREAKDOWN

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

Transfer Portal, New NCAA Format, & Ft. Lauderdale Open Preview | SWIMSWAM BREAKDOWN

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.

Mitch Dalton Explains Leaving Texas, Lays Out Vision for Brown Swimming & Diving

Yesterday, Mitch Dalton was announced as the new head coach for Brown University women's swimming and diving. Dalton has spent the last 6 seasons at Texas, where he will leave as the associate head coach for the women's team. During his tenure with the Longhorns, they finished in the top-3 at the NCAA Championships every season. We spoke with Dalton about his move and his vision as a first-time head coach in the NCAA.

Is This the Drama College Swimming Always Needed?

This past weekend, Olympic champion Matt King swam a lifetime best in the 100m Free, touching at 47.7. Then he posted a screenshot to his Instagram story of a text that was sent about him...

David Johnston's 3 Reasons Why He Transferred to Florida

2024 Olympian David Johnston recently announced his transfer from Texas to the University of Florida. The NCAA Champion explained there were 3 big reasons why he chose to leave Austin for Gainesville. One was plain and simple: the money. Johnston acknowledges that he didn't plan to be competing in the NCAA this long and sees why some would call it unfair. However, with the rules being what they are and new NIL opportunities sprouting up, Johnston wanted to go somewhere that could offer him income that could potentially supplement his future as he strives to qualify for the 2028 USA Olympic team, and it just so happened that UF was that place. In this conversation, Johnston is exceedingly honest about the fact that he is doing what is best for his career with this move, not only in the short term but moving toward LA28. In Gainesville, he will be training with arguably the best distance group in the world, swimming alongside Katie Ledecky, Bobby Finke, Ahmed Jaouadi, and Ahmed Hafnaoui, to name a few. He also opens up about dealing with the shoulder injury that sidelined him for the entire 2025-26 NCAA season.