CSL, World Cup, & WORLD RECORD Flurry | SWIMSWAM BREAKDOWN

In the fight to keep the Indian River State College Swimming and Diving Teams afloat, a battle was won on Tuesday. At the Board of Trustees' meeting, with dozens showing up in support of the IRSC S&D teams and many giving speeches to appeal to the Trustees, the BOT voted to table the vote until the next meeting on November 17. Freshman Diver Tessa Sims was among those who spoke to the Trustees and joined SwimSwam to share her perspective on the matter as well as how IRSC Swimming and Diving are carrying momentum after this win for the teams.

Today on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we are going through every event for the upcoming first-ever edition of the SCM US World Trials.

This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we are discussing Xu Jiayu's 50 Back World Record, Matt Richards going to Florida, CSL, ISL, and SCM US Trials.

News broke earlier this week that the famed Indian River State College Men's and Women's Swimming and Diving teams may be getting cut by the school after this year. According to the agenda for the college’s Board of Trustees Governance & Legislative Affairs Committee meeting scheduled for Oct. 27, the committee will consider a request to approve recommendations from President Timothy Moore and his cabinet that would eliminate both the men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs. SwimSwam spoke with current IRSC Swim team athlete Kalaa Hall about what this news meant to the team and how they're dealing with it. An alum of the team has started a Change.org petition that has garnered over 10,000 signatures as of publication of this article.

Johannes Liebmann was a distance swimming revelation this summer. After breaking the European record in the 800 free in April, Liebmann came to the European Champs in Paris and absolutely dominated. After winning the 800 Free and breaking his own European record in the event (7:37.59), he smashed the world record in the 1500 Free, breaking it by over 4 seconds (14:26.79). Liebmann joined the SwimSwam Podcast to discuss his meteoric rise this year. The 19-year-old explains what training has been like with Bernd Berkhan's legendary distance crew and how he has dealt with the overnight success.

This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we are discussing the SCM Pro Meet at Virginia, the last stop of the World Cup, and the 5th match of the CSL.

In this GMM takeover of the SwimSwam Podcast, we sit down with Kristen Linehan Omli, VP of Competitor Swim, one of the most recognizable equipment brands on pool decks across the United States. Competitor’s history in swimming runs deep. The company has been producing lane lines for decades, going back to 1968, with its products becoming a fixture at major meets, college programs, clubs and aquatic facilities around the country. Linehan brings a swimmer’s perspective to that business. If you know your history, you know the Linehan sisters dominated swimming from the late 1970s through 1999.

In this GMM takeover of the SwimSwam Podcast with have Virginia Head Coach Todd DeSorbo and Virginia Associate Head Coach Tyler Fenwick. Virginia is hosting what could be the most talent-dense swim meet of the fall outside of U.S. Short Course Worlds Trials and the World Championships. The UVA Pro Elite SCM Worlds Prep Meet, set for October 15-16 in Charlottesville, will bring together a loaded field of Olympic champions, world champions and world record holders for three fast sessions of short course meters racing. SwimSwam will livestream the meet, with Kevin Cargill on the call. Expected names include Kate Douglass, Gretchen Walsh, Alex Walsh, Katie Ledecky, Caeleb Dressel, Bobby Finke, Leon Marchand, Regan Smith, Hubert Kos, Katharine Berkoff, Simone Manuel, Chris Guiliano and Jordan Crooks, among others.

This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we are discussing the first two stops of the World Cup, Matches 3&4 of the CSL, and generally the insane amount of fast swims we've seen in October so far.

In this GMM takeover of the SwimSwam podcast we have 3-time Pan Pacific Championships gold medalist, Katharine Berkoff. Berkoff is coming off a huge summer, sweeping her individual events at the 2026 Pan Pacific Championships with gold in the 50 back and 100 back, then adding another gold as part of Team USA’s 4x100 medley relay. Her 50 back was the headline swim. Berkoff ripped a 26.90, lowering her own American Record. In the 100 back, she touched first in 57.93, beating a stacked field that included Regan Smith, who averaged 57.8 across multiple races in 2026. We unpack those swims and the rapidly changing landscape of women’s backstroke.