Student-Athletes Starting To See Payment Estimates: NCAA student-athletes have started receiving the estimated payments they'll receive following the pending settlement in the House case. Also: Reigning Olympic champion Sarah Sjostrom says she won't compete in 2025, an overview of the NCAA roster changes as we head into the second semester, and Indiana and Florida split an early January dual meet showdown. House Settlement Payment Estimates Higher Than Most Swimmers Expected With the landmark settlement in the House v. NCAA case set to come to a head in the next three months, student-athletes are now able to see the estimated payments they'll earn as a result of the $2.7 billion paid to athletes in backpay damages. In order to gauge the compensation swimmers are projected to receive, SwimSwam asked NCAA student-athletes to share their experiences with the process by filling out a Google Form. Out of 34 responses, 18 swimmers reported that their estimated total payout was “more” than they expected. Six athletes reported the payout to be “less” than expected while eight reported it to be “around the same” as expected. Based on the responses, the payment estimations are generally more than expected for lower-level swimmers, and less than anticipated for elite swimmers. One of the first athletes to share their estimated compensation with SwimSwam was an NCAA champion, who said their athletic compensation was similar to their teammates who were not as successful in the pool. In addition to their payment estimations for athletic performance, which have ranged from $286 to $600 from the few swimmers SwimSwam has heard from, there are also Alston payments made for academic achievements (though it appears only for Power Conference athletes), which have been significantly higher, some in the $3,000 range. None of the mid-major swimmers who filled out the Google Form reported Alston payments. Additionally, the responses indicate that in order for student-athletes to receive compensation for "lost NIL," they had to have earned NIL money as a student-athlete. The final approval hearing for the House v. NCAA case is scheduled for April 7, 2025. The claims period for student-athletes is open until January 31. Read more here. Sarah Sjostrom Doesn't Plan On Racing In 2025 After a dominant year that included winning two world titles and two Olympic gold medals, Sarah Sjostrom is taking a break from competing in 2025. The 31-year-old Swede recently said she isn't planning on racing this year, but will continue to train in the pool. “I have no competitions planned," she told Swedish newspaper Dagen Nyheter. "I will train, but at a low load and then slowly increase. I think that is the best way to last in the long run.” Although retiring after the Olympics would've been a natural stopping point for the all-time great, Sjostrom said she's “still curious” about what she can do. If she sticks true to her word, Sjostrom won't defend her world titles in the women's 50 free and 50 fly, having won her third straight in the former and sixth straight in the latter at the 2024 Worlds in Doha. She didn't rule out returning to the Olympics in 2028, which would be her fifth appearance at the Games. She is a six-time Olympic medalist, winning gold in the women's 50 and 100 free in Paris after claiming the first gold of her career at the 2016 Games in Rio. Read more here. Nichols, Connery Missing From Virginia Roster For Second Semester There have been several updates to NCAA rosters as we enter the second half of the 2024-25 season, with the most notable change being the departure of two key members of the Virginia men's team. Fifth-year Noah Nichols and senior Tim Connery have both dropped off the roster, and SwimSwam has confirmed they won't return, though neither has responded to a request for comment. The loss of Nichols is a particularly big blow for the Cavaliers, as he was their top NCAA scorer last season (28 points) and is the team's fastest breaststroker by a wide margin. With his departure, Virginia's medley relays take a big hit. The Virginia women, on the other hand, bring in freshman Katie Grimes and return fifth-year Alex Walsh for the second semester. Grimes announced her commitment to UVA in October and Walsh was dealing with an injury that kept her out of competition in the fall. Both swimmers represented the U.S. at the Short Course World Championships in December. Other notable names joining rosters for the second semester include Mona McSharry (Tennessee), Matt King, Rafael Miroslaw and Caspar Corbeau (Indiana), and Chris Guiliano (Texas). Ksawery Masiuk, who was originally slated to join the Texas men's team this month, won't be arriving in Austin until the fall. On Tuesday, it was announced that NC State seniors Aiden Hayes and Arsenio Bustos will both miss the second semester due to injuries. Read more here. Florida Women, Indiana Men Post Early January Wins Florida and Indiana kicked off the second semester by locking horns in Gainesville on Friday, with the Gator women and Hoosier men emerging victorious. In a rare matchup—reportedly just the fifth time the two teams have gone head-to-head—the Florida women outscored Indiana, 164-136, while the Hoosier men downed the Gators by a similar score, 163-137. Florida sophomore Bella Sims went three-for-three individually, winning the women's 100 back, 200 back and 100 fly, as did Indiana's Anna Peplowski (100/200 free, 200 IM) on the women's side. For the men, junior Owen McDonald led the Hoosiers with wins in the 100 back, 200 back and 200 IM, while Florida's Josh Liendo went wire-to-wire with victories in the 50 free, 100 free and 100 fly. See the full meet recap here. QUICK HITS
By Nicole Miller on SwimSwam NCAA athletes have started to receive their estimated settlement payments from the House v. NCAA class action lawsuit, with athletes reporting mixed reviews. Read the full story on SwimSwam: NCAA Student-Athletes Receive Estimates of House Settlement Payouts; To Mixed Reviews
By Madeline Folsom on SwimSwam Sarah Sjostrom announced today that she will not be competing in 2025, foregoing the 2025 World Championships in Singapore. Read the full story on SwimSwam: Sarah Sjostrom Will Not Compete in 2025
By Sophie Kaufman on SwimSwam Olympic medalist Katie Grimes' arrival at the University of Virginia is one of the biggest mid-season roster updates in the NCAA. Read the full story on SwimSwam: Top DI NCAA Teams Make Roster Updates For Second Semester
By Sophie Kaufman on SwimSwam Alex Shackell won the 200 freestyle and 100 backstroke at Carmel High School's Holiday Invite, its first meet in its new pool. Read the full story on SwimSwam: Alex Shackell Wins Twice as Carmel High School Sweeps First Meet In New Pool
By Braden Keith on SwimSwam Mayo, 23, was briefly listed on the roster at one NCAA Power 5 program before dropping out of school. He has now been accused with conning investors out of more than $22 million. Read the full story on SwimSwam: Former D1 Swimming Commit Gavin Mayo Indicted in Massive NFT Fraud Scheme
By Madeline Folsom on SwimSwam WADA unanimously approved the recommendations based on the report from the investigation into the Chinese Doping Scandal in April. Read the full story on SwimSwam: WADA Unanimously Approves Recommendations Based on Chinese Doping Investigation
By Sophie Kaufman on SwimSwam The Indiana men were without Caspar Corbeau but added Matt King and Rafael Miroslaw as they beat Florida. The Gator women took down the Hoosiers. Read the full story on SwimSwam: Indiana Men, Florida Women Claim Wins To Kick Off Second Semester Of NCAA Season
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NCAA athletes have started to receive their estimated settlement payments from the House v. NCAA class action lawsuit, with athletes reporting mixed reviews.
Sarah Sjostrom announced today that she will not be competing in 2025, foregoing the 2025 World Championships in Singapore.
Olympic medalist Katie Grimes' arrival at the University of Virginia is one of the biggest mid-season roster updates in the NCAA.
Alex Shackell won the 200 freestyle and 100 backstroke at Carmel High School's Holiday Invite, its first meet in its new pool.
Mayo, 23, was briefly listed on the roster at one NCAA Power 5 program before dropping out of school. He has now been accused with conning investors out of more than $22 million.
WADA unanimously approved the recommendations based on the report from the investigation into the Chinese Doping Scandal in April.
The Indiana men were without Caspar Corbeau but added Matt King and Rafael Miroslaw as they beat Florida. The Gator women took down the Hoosiers. 
