U.S. Nationals: Men’s Team Seeking New Standouts in 2025 (Men’s Predictions)
The Olympic swimming competition in Paris brought disappointment for the American men, with only six individual medals throughout. Bobby Finke claimed the team’s lone individual gold on the final individual event of the meet, and he also snapped a streak of four full days of competition where no American men won a medal aside from the mixed medley relay.
Now, the rebuilding process begins for a team hoping for significantly improved results on home soil at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles. But unlike the U.S. women, who return almost all their major contributors from the Paris team, the American men will head to this summer’s World Championships without key veterans Ryan Murphy, Nic Fink, Caeleb Dressel and Hunter Armstrong, who comprised the entire silver-medal-winning men’s medley relay in Paris. Murphy and Fink also were responsible for an individual medal each, one-third of the team’s total.
The returning medal-winners from the Olympics are include, Carson Foster and Luke Hobson while sprinters Jack Alexy and Chris Guiliano, the versatile Shaine Casas and rising star Thomas Heilman are among the swimmers aiming to build upon their Olympic performances and claim larger roles for the team next month in Singapore.
Tuesday, June 3
200 Butterfly
- Luca Urlando
- Thomas Heilman
Urlando is looking to build on a phenomenal spring, in which he swam the fastest 200-yard fly ever before clocking 1:52.37 in the meters event to become the second-fastest American ever. Foster could also factor in here.
100 Freestyle
- Jack Alexy
- Chris Guiliano
- Brooks Curry
- Shaine Casas
- Destin Lasco
- Maximus Williamson
Alexy and Guiliano are the favorites, but there are a dozen or more swimmers capable of making a run for a relay spot.
1500 Freestyle
- Bobby Finke
- Luke Ellis
Anyone’s game behind the Olympic champion, and the teenage Ellis looks poised for a drop.
Wednesday, June 4
200 Freestyle
- Luke Hobson
- Carson Foster
- Kieran Smith
- Rex Maurer
- Chris Guiliano
- Jack Dahlgren
Once again, the relay spots are up for grabs, but Hobson is the clear standout.
200 Breaststroke
- Josh Matheny
- AJ Pouch
Pouch qualifies for his first senior-level national team while NCAA champion Jassen Yep makes a push. Teenagers Josh Bey, Jordan Willis and Gabe Nunziata could factor in.
200 Backstroke
- Jack Aikins
- Keaton Jones
These two swimmers plus Lasco have all clocked 1:54s in their career.
50 Butterfly
- Shaine Casas
- Michael Andrew
Expect Andrew to contend in most of the 50-meter events as he plots his international return following a two-year absence. He won bronze in this event at the 2022 World Championships.
Thursday, June 5
400 IM
- Carson Foster
- Bobby Finke
With Chase Kalisz absent, Finke, Smith and Maurer could add the medley to their Worlds schedule.
100 Butterfly
- Dare Rose
- Shaine Casas
Don’t sleep on Heilman or Urlando here, but Rose is in position to return to the World Championships after narrowly missing the Paris team.
50 Breaststroke
- Michael Andrew
- Brian Benzing
Andrew was the 2022 Worlds bronze medalist in this race as well, and with Fink absent, he is the clear favorite.
50 Backstroke
- Shaine Casas
- Quintin McCarty
McCarty could be a major beneficiary of the addition of 50-meter races to the Olympic program.
Friday, June 6
400 Freestyle
- Rex Maurer
- Carson Foster
This is Maurer’s best chance to emerge internationally following his breakout college season. If Foster passes on this event, Smith is in position to take advantage.
100 Breaststroke
- Josh Matheny
- Campbell McKean
The quickly-improving McKean has the top time by an America thus far in 2025 entering Nationals.
100 Backstroke
- Jack Aikins
- Shaine Casas
The U.S. men are eagerly seeking standouts here without Murphy and Armstrong in the mix. Will Modglin and Tommy Janton are also well-positioned entering the meet.
Saturday, June 7
200 IM
- Carson Foster
- Shaine Casas
This is one of few events where the Americans could have two legitimate medal contenders in Singapore.
800 Freestyle
- Bobby Finke
- Rex Maurer
Anyone getting under the 7:50-barrier will be well-positioned to capture a Worlds spot.
50 Freestyle
- Jack Alexy
- Chris Guiliano
Alexy did not make the Olympic team in this event, but he won silver at the 2023 Worlds. Andrew, the global runnerup a year earlier, should be right there as well.
