The SwimSwam Podcast

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.

2026 Men's DI NCAA Championships Event-by-Event Preview

Join Coleman Hodges as he goes event-by-event to preview the 2026 Men's DI NCAA Championships this week in Atlanta.

2026 Women's DI NCAA Championships Event-by-Event Preview

Join Coleman Hodges as he goes event-by-event to preview the 2026 Women's DI NCAA Championships this week in Atlanta.

Olivia Smoliga Talks Return to Racing in Westmont, Training with Coley Stickels in Dallas

Olivia Smoliga raced a LCM competition for the first time since the 2024 US Olympic Trials this past weekend in Westmont. Smoliga, 31, raced the 50 back (28.4) and 50 free (24.9), where she made the A-Final in both and placed 3rd in the latter. She also time trialed the 50 fly (26.9). The 2x Olympian gives her perspective on why she decided to return to racing, saying she feels like a whole new person now compared to when she was last competing. Smoliga hasn't been completely away from the pool, however. In the interim, she started In Depth Swim Academy, where she's been able to share what she's learned in and out of the pool with young swimmers across the country.

A3 Performance CEO Dan Meinholz on His TED Talk, Authenticity, and a Life in Swimming

Today on the GMM podcast we have Dan Meinholz, CEO of A3 Performance. For more than a decade A3 has been one of SwimSwam’s most consistent partners, and we’re especially grateful for their backing of our coverage of the NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships. That kind of long-term support helps us keep doing what we do. But Dan’s connection to the sport runs a lot deeper than a business relationship. He’s deeply chlorinated. Dan grew up in the sport, built his career as a team dealer working directly with swim clubs, and eventually made the leap to launching his own performance swimwear company, A3 Performance. Along the way, he’s stayed deeply embedded in the swimming community.

Podcast: Inside Mercersburg’s Easterns Win: Depth, Relays, and a Program Built to Win

Mercersburg Academy had a big weekend at the 2026 Eastern Interscholastic Swimming & Diving Championships, winning the boys title and coming within striking distance of a combined team sweep after the girls finished 15.5 points short of the title. On the GMM Podcast, Head Coach Matt Hurst  breaks down the meet, his team's performance, and the culture that makes Mercersburg a consistent powerhouse in prep school swimming.

How Indiana Freshman Josh Bey Dropped 8 Seconds to Win Big 10 Title in 400 IM

Coming into the B1G Championships, Indiana's Josh Bey was seeded at 3:42.61. Through prelims, he dropped a 3:36.92 PB. Then in finals, he cut another 2 seconds to touch at 3:34.90, touching .3 ahead of Michigan's Lorne Wigginton for the win. When SwimSwam sat down with Bey to discuss his monumental drop, he revealed an interesting development that occurred this season. At the beginning of the season, the 400 IM group had been doing a lot of over-distance training. When the group sat down with their coach, Luke Ryan, and asked to incorporate more race-specific work, Ryan agreed. This seemed to be a pivotal change, as Indiana had 5 scoring swimmers in the 400 IM, notably two freshmen in the A-final.

Coach Brian Schrader Does Not Support CSCAA Changes To NCAA DI Swimming and Diving Championships

The 2026 NCAA Division I Swimming & Diving Championships will very look different. The CSCAA’s proposed format changes have stirred debate across the sport, and veteran coach Brian Schrader has stepped forward publicly to say he does not support them.

16-Year-Old Luka Mijatovic on First American Record in 1000y Freestyle: "I wanted to go (Sub-8:30)"

Last week, 16-year-old phenom Luka Mijatovic turned heads with his historic performances at his CA sectionals. After clocking a 3:40 400 IM, he decimated his own 15-16 NAG in the 500 free with a 4:05.76, becoming the 3rd fastest performer in history. He followed that up with an American record in the 1000 free (8:32.83) to become the fastest ever in the event.

Hunter Armstrong: Racing Clean at the Enhanced Games and Betting on LA2028

In this GMM podcast episode, Hunter Armstrong opens up about the year after Paris, and it’s not the story most people expect. Fresh off Olympic gold and silver in 2024, Hunter assumed momentum would carry him forward. Instead, he lost his top sponsor. The financial runway tightened. Training didn’t get cheaper. And 2025 became a grind. At this point in swimming history, Olympic gold does not equal financial security. Now Hunter’s made a decision that’s making headlines on SwimSwam. Hunter will compete at the upcoming Enhanced Games, but he’s doing it clean. To be clear, Hunter will not being be geared-up using performance-enhancing drugs. He is remaining in the drug testing pool, and he’s betting on transparency, compliance, and the letter of the rules. Prize money from the Enhanced Games could help fund his training through the LA 2028 Olympic cycle. That’s Hunter’s calculus, but here’s the tension. Hunter does not have absolute clarity on how World Aquatics will interpret its bylaws. He’s read them. He believes participation without doping keeps him eligible. Yet the federation could view participation itself as grounds for sanction.