SwimSwam Sims Transfers To Michigan, Lindauer Hired At Stanford & Marchand Logs 4:07.11 400 IM In Austin

Sims Heads To Ann Arbor: One of the best female swimmers in the NCAA is headed to the Big Ten as Bella Sims announces she's transferring to Michigan after spending two seasons with the Florida Gators.

Also: Chris Lindauer takes over as the head coach of the Stanford women, Leon Marchand shows impressive form at the Longhorn Elite Invite, and Luka Mijatovic sets a National High School Record at the CIF State Championships.

Bella Sims Transfers To Michigan After Two Seasons At Florida

U.S. Olympian and three-time NCAA champion Bella Sims has transferred to the University of Michigan after spending the first two seasons of her career at the University of Florida.

Sims, who entered the transfer portal shortly after the conclusion of the 2025 Women's NCAA Championships, will have two years of eligibility with the Wolverines.

As a freshman, Sims won a pair of individual NCAA titles in the 200 free (1:40.90) and 500 free (4:32.47) while placing 3rd in the 200 back (1:48.47). She also led off the Gator women's 800 free relay that won the national title.

After missing the U.S. Olympic team last summer, Sims rebounded with a solid sophomore campaign at Florida, earning a pair of runner-up finishes in the 100 back (49.12) and 200 back (1:47.11), with her time in the 200 back marking the third-fastest swim in history.

The addition of Sims comes as the Michigan women's team has been on a steady rise under new head coach Matt Bowe, who took over the reins prior to the 2023-24 season. After the Wolverines placed 23rd at the 2023 NCAA Championships, they improved to 12th in 2024 in Bowe's first year and then moved up to 9th in 2025.

Read more here.

Chris Lindauer Announced As New Head Coach of Stanford Women's Team

Chris Lindauer has been named the new head coach of the Stanford women's team, taking over for Greg Meehan, who moved on to take over as USA Swimming's National Team Director in April.

Lindauer joins the Cardinal after spending the last three seasons as the head coach at Notre Dame, where he led the men's team to back-to-back program-record NCAA finishes before the entire men's swim team was suspended for the 2024-25 season after an investigation into gambling allegations and other team culture issues.

Lindauer takes over a stacked Stanford roster that is coming off a breakthrough 2nd-place finish at the NCAA Championships, and the team will return the most individual points of any squad in the nation outside of the four-time defending champion Virginia Cavaliers.

“It is an absolute honor and privilege to have the opportunity to lead the most successful women’s swimming & diving program in NCAA history,” Lindauer said.

“The standard for academic and athletic excellence at Stanford is second to none, and provides a platform for greatness well beyond the student-athlete experience. I’d like to thank Alden Mitchell, Angie Jabir and Richard Zhu for believing in me and giving my family and I this amazing opportunity. It is my absolute mission to continue the excellent tradition of bringing NCAA Championships to The Farm, and I cannot wait to get started.”

Prior to Notre Dame, Lindauer served as an associate head coach at Louisville.

Read more here.

Marchand Rips 4:07.11 400 IM To Highlight Longhorn Elite Invite

Leon Marchand reminded everyone who the best male medley swimmer in the world is over the weekend at the Longhorn Elite Invite, as the Frenchman threw down a blistering time of 4:07.11 in the 400 IM.

Marchand was using the competition as a qualifier for the French World Championship team, and his performances in the 400 IM and 200 breast (2:08.25) solidified his spot at Worlds. Now that he's qualified, he'll be able to add additional events to his schedule in Singapore provided there is room on the French roster.

Marchand's time in the 400 IM ranks him 1st in the world this season by more than two seconds, and is notably quicker than he was in-season prior to the 2023 World Championships (4:10.57) or the Paris Olympics (4:10.57).

Other standouts at the meet included Simone Manuel, who won the women's 100 free (53.11), Regan Smith, who won the women's 100 back (58.34), 100 fly (57.51), 200 fly (2:07.18) and 200 IM (2:11.36), and Hubert Kos, who rolled to victories in the men's 100 back (53.51), 200 back (1:55.50), 200 fly (1:56.07) and 200 IM (1:59.18).

Full Longhorn Elite Invite Recaps (Day 1 was a timed final 1500 free with one swimmer):

• Day 2 Recap
• Day 3 Recap
• Day 4 Recap

Mijatovic Sets NHS Record As Santa Margarita Girls, Northwood Boys Win CIF State Titles

Foothill High School sophomore Luka Mijatovic continued his history-making ways on Saturday at the 2025 CIF State Championships in Fresno, setting a new National High School Record in the boys' 500 freestyle while adding a second win in the 200 free.

Mijatovic put up a time of 4:11.91 in the 500 free, lowering the NHS Record of 4:12.70 set by Rex Maurer in 2023. Despite breaking the record, the swim is still just under one second off Mijatovic's personal best, which is the 4:10.96 he produced in April to break the boys' 15-16 National Age Group Record.

The 16-year-old also won the 200 free in a personal best and CIF State Championship Record of 1:33.52, moving him into 6th all-time in the boys' 15-16 age group. His previous best stood at 1:34.10, set in April.

In the team race, the Santa Margarita Catholic girls claimed their fourth straight title with 229.5 points, with San Ramon Valley (170.5) the distant runner-up.

Santa Margarita was led by senior Teagan O'Dell, who won titles in the girls' 100 back (51.27) and 200 IM (1:53.96), having posted slightly quicker times in the prelims (50.82/1:53.72). O'Dell reclaimed the titles she won in 2023 after skipping last year's meet.

On the boys' side, Northwood High School claimed the title after finishing 2nd last year, scoring 180 points to top runner-up Clovis West High School (16o). Derek Hitchens (35) and Andrew Maksymowski (34) led the Northwood boys in individual points.

Santa Margarita won last year's boys' title but fell to 15th this season.

Find a full recap of the CIF State finals here.

Quick Hits

• Keller High School, the reigning Texas UIL 6A state girls' and boys' champions, is under investigation for reportedly allowing members of the high school team to train with the Lakeside Aquatic Club during school hours and at a school facility, which would violate UIL rules.
• Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched an investigation into U.S. Masters Swimming after it allowed a transgender swimmer to compete in women's events at the 2025 Spring Nationals last month in San Antonio.
• There have been a number of standout swims over the first four days of the 2025 Chinese National Championships, including Li Bingjie setting an Asian Record in the women's 400 free, cracking the elusive sub-4:00 barrier in 3:59.99. Li has also set personal bests in the 200 free (1:55.52) and 1500 free (15:43.94) so far at the meet, while Pan Zhanle impressed in the men's 200 free (1:45.45) and 12-year-old Yu Zidi has been producing some stunning times, including a 2:10.63 in the women's 200 IM and 2:08.52 in the 200 fly. Find full meet coverage here.
• 2024 U.S. Olympian and former Florida Gator Luke Whitlock has announced he's transferring to Indiana University beginning this fall, having moved back home to the Fishers Area Swimming Tigers (FAST) last December after competing with Florida in the early months of the 2024-25 season. Whitlock also announced he's been dealing with a shoulder injury that will keep him out of the 2025 U.S. Nationals.
• Olympic champion Ruta Meilutyte is one of 12 swimmers who have spoken out about a toxic training environment under coach Jon Rudd at Plymouth Leander Swimming, where Meilutyte trained in the early 2010s during her breakout years that included winning Olympic gold in 2012 at the age of 15.
• The University of Kentucky has transitioned its athletic department into an LLC in preparation for approval of the House settlement, which is a move that will increase the school's flexibility in generating new revenue.
• Stanford women's assistant coach Kim Williams has taken on a new role as the Senior Manager & Coach with the USA Swimming National Team, following former Stanford head coach Greg Meehan, who took over as National Team Director at USA Swimming last month.
• Ilya Kharun recorded his third sub-51 100 fly in two weeks at the SunDevil Open last weekend in Tempe, clocking 50.93 while also nearing his Canadian Record with a 23.09 clocking in the 50 fly.
• USA Swimming released dates and host locations for the Winter 2025 and 2026 domestic calendar last week, including announcing that the 2025 U.S. Open will be held in Austin, Texas, which will be the first time the city hosts a major senior-level national meet since 2018.
• Ukrainian world record holder Andrii Govorov has announced his retirement from competitive swimming at the age of 33. Govorov remains the world record holder in the men's LCM 50 fly (22.27).
• David Curtiss, a former member of the NC State Wolfpack and a Pan American Games gold medalist, has announced his retirement from competitive swimming after being sworn in as a law enforcement officer in Cary, North Carolina on Monday.

Two-Time NCAA Champion Bella Sims Transferring to Michigan

Longhorn Elite Day 3 Finals: Marchand’s 4:07.11 Puts World on Notice, Gemmell & Maurer Shine

Stanford Hires Chris Lindauer (Notre Dame) as New Head Women’s Swimming & Diving Coach

Luka Mijatovic Fires Off 4:11.91 To Break National High School 500 Free Record

Texas UIL 6A Champions Keller High School Under Investigation For Rule Violations

Olympian Luke Whitlock Announces Commitment To Indiana As He Returns To The NCAA