The SwimSwam Podcast

SwimSwam

In the SwimSwam Podcast dive deeper into the sport you love with insider conversations about swimming. Hosted by Coleman Hodges and Gold Medal Mel Stewart, SwimSwam welcomes both the biggest names in swimming that you already know, and rising stars that you need to get to know, as we break down the past, present, and future of aquatic sports.

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999 episodes
Updated Monday

Episodes999

Newest first

May 28 · 1 hr 12 min
GAINswim’s Chris Webb & Vern Gambetta On What Good Dryland Actually Looks Like For Swimmers
In this GMM takeover of the SwimSwam Podcast we have Vern Gambetta, founder of GAIN (the Gambetta Athletic Improvement Network) and Chris Webb, Director of GAINswim. Vern Gambetta is widely regarded as one of the founding fathers of functional sports training, a movement that helped shift athletic development away from isolated machine-based strength work and toward training the whole athlete.
May 25 · 1 hr 1 min
Enhanced Games, Sacramento, Monaco, and AP Race Int'l | SWIMSWAM BREAKDOWN
Today on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss last night's Enhanced Games, the Pro Swim stop at Sacramento, and international meets in London and Monaco.
May 20 · 1 hr 2 min
From Near Retirement to Topping the World Rankings, Isabelle Stadden is BACK
Isabelle Stadden had been a child protege in the pool, representing the USA on the international stage multiple times over, accruing numerous accolades well before she even reached college. Attending Cal Berkeley, Stadden continued to rake in awards and honors, becoming an NCAA All-American many times over during her 5 seasons with the Golden Bears. Weeks after completing her undergraduate degree, Stadden competed at the 2025 US World Trials. In what was supposed to be a springboard for her pro career, Stadden had what she says was one of the worst meets of her life. Her performances in Indianapolis were lackluster and resulted in her first time missing the USA National Team in 7 seasons. After that, Stadden took a long time away from the pool. 6 months removed from her last competition, the Minnesota native decided to give it one more go around, this time doing it for herself rather than feeling the external pressures of performing for a team or to satisfy others' expectations. She moved to arguably the top women's program in the country, the University of Virginia, to train under the 2024 Olympic women's head coach, Todd DeSorbo. Just 4 months into training in Charlottesvillle, she went a 2:05.9 in the 200 back in early March, dropping over a second off of her previous PB of 2:07.28 set in May of 2021. 7 weeks later at the Ft Lauderdale Open, Stadden struck gold again, touching in 2:04.37, becoming the #4 performer in history and #1 in the world this year. Listen to Stadden as she shares her perspective on returning to her sport refreshed, reenergized, and ready for more, looking towards the end of the summer and beyond.
May 18 · 1 hr 17 min
Sacramento Pro Swim Preview, Milak Racing, & Enhanced Paying Out | SWIMSWAM BREAKDOWN
Today on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we preview the Sacramento Pro Swim, Kristof Milak racing at Mare Nostrum, and the inaugural Enhanced Games on Sunday.
May 16 · 32 min
Podcast: Ryan Lochte Talks Coaching, Gregg Troy, And His Next Chapter In Swimming
12-time Olympic swimming medalist Ryan Lochte is making his coaching debut as an assistant coach at Missouri State, joining Dave Collins’ staff for the 2026–27 season. It is a measured move. Lochte is not jumping straight into a head coaching position. He admits he has a lot to learn. For Ryan, coaching is not some far-flung idea. His father, Steve Lochte, coached for 44 years, and both Steve and Ryan’s mother, Ileana “Ike” Lochte, coached him when he was young. Swimming was not just what Ryan did, it was the language of the house. In this GMM Podcast, Lochte talks about why he is taking this path slowly, why the assistant role matters, and how he hopes to develop into a head coach over time. He also reflects on the influence of longtime Florida coach Gregg Troy, whose program was built on honest work and the kind of discipline that leaves no room for shortcuts. Lochte says he wants to channel that influence now, not as a copy of Coach Troy, but as someone shaped by it.
May 14 · 28 min
Team USA Going for Gold at 2026 FISU America Games
The fourth installment of the FISU America Games is set for this summer, July 24-26, in Lima, Peru, and Team USA has assembled a highly competitive team to take to South America. Among the USA's 44-strong roster are NCAA scorers, All-Americans, and former international roster members. Led by FGCU's Dave Rollins (Head Coach) and Oakland's Molly Hebzynski (Team Lead), Team USA will look to lead the medal table at this competition that will provide valuable international experience for athletes and coaches alike.
May 13 · 44 min
Rachel Stratton-Mills Talks Northwestern Development, CSCAA Changes to NCAA Championships
SwimSwam sat down with Rachel Stratton-Mills, the Director of Swimming & Diving at Northwestern and the new President of the CSCAA Board of Directors. Northwestern had a promising season this year, especially on the men's side, which saw them place 4th at the B1G conference champs and score a relay at the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2008. Stratton-Mills discusses the development of her team as their 3rd-year leader and is hopeful that there's much more to come. On the CSCAA side of things, the new president sheds light on the reasons changes were made this year to the NCAA Championship format and why specific changes were implemented, such as eliminating B-Finals and adding a new diving format for finals. Stratton-Mills recognizes that not all these changes were hits, but also talks us through how the new CSCAA NCAA DI Working Group of coaches is moving forward with more meaningful change to the NCAA Championships format.
May 11 · 1 hr 18 min
Lochte Starts Coaching, Bowman's Pro Group Growing | SWIMSWAM BREAKDOWN
Today on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss Ryan Lochte starting his collegiate coaching career at Missouri State, Bob Bowman's Pro Group getting numerous additions, and what Van Mathias' ceiling is for this summer.
May 7 · 52 min
Chris Ballard on Ice Swimming, Cold Water, and The Plunge
Ice swimming is a strange outpost on the edge of our sport. It’s real, growing, and intense, but still outside the formal World Aquatics structure. In this GMM takeover of the SwimSwam Podcast, we sit down with Chris Ballard, author of THE PLUNGE: Maverick Swimmers, an Unlikely Quest, and the Transformative Power of Cold Water. The book drops June 9th from Simon & Schuster.
May 4 · 1 hr 11 min
Ft. Lauderdale Open, Kreitler Out at Pitt, & NCAA Transfers | SWIMSWAM BREAKDOWN
Today on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss the Ft. Lauderdale Open, Chase Kreitler resigning from Pitt, and movement in the NCAA
April 28 · 1 hr 4 min
Transfer Portal, New NCAA Format, & Ft. Lauderdale Open Preview | SWIMSWAM BREAKDOWN
Today on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss the potential change to the NCAA format, big moves in the transfer portal, and the Ft Lauderdale Open.
April 21 · 13 min
Mitch Dalton Explains Leaving Texas, Lays Out Vision for Brown Swimming & Diving
Yesterday, Mitch Dalton was announced as the new head coach for Brown University women's swimming and diving. Dalton has spent the last 6 seasons at Texas, where he will leave as the associate head coach for the women's team. During his tenure with the Longhorns, they finished in the top-3 at the NCAA Championships every season. We spoke with Dalton about his move and his vision as a first-time head coach in the NCAA.
April 20 · 21 min
Is This the Drama College Swimming Always Needed?
This past weekend, Olympic champion Matt King swam a lifetime best in the 100m Free, touching at 47.7. Then he posted a screenshot to his Instagram story of a text that was sent about him...
April 14 · 25 min
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.
March 23 · 37 min
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.
March 17 · 59 min
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.
March 15 · 35 min
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.
March 11 · 46 min
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.
March 10 · 50 min
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.
March 9 · 31 min
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.

The SwimSwam Podcast

GAINswim’s Chris Webb & Vern Gambetta On What Good Dryland Actually Looks Like For Swimmers

Enhanced Games, Sacramento, Monaco, and AP Race Int'l | SWIMSWAM BREAKDOWN

From Near Retirement to Topping the World Rankings, Isabelle Stadden is BACK

Sacramento Pro Swim Preview, Milak Racing, & Enhanced Paying Out | SWIMSWAM BREAKDOWN

Podcast: Ryan Lochte Talks Coaching, Gregg Troy, And His Next Chapter In Swimming

Team USA Going for Gold at 2026 FISU America Games

Rachel Stratton-Mills Talks Northwestern Development, CSCAA Changes to NCAA Championships

Lochte Starts Coaching, Bowman's Pro Group Growing | SWIMSWAM BREAKDOWN

Chris Ballard on Ice Swimming, Cold Water, and The Plunge

Ft. Lauderdale Open, Kreitler Out at Pitt, & NCAA Transfers | SWIMSWAM BREAKDOWN

Transfer Portal, New NCAA Format, & Ft. Lauderdale Open Preview | SWIMSWAM BREAKDOWN

Mitch Dalton Explains Leaving Texas, Lays Out Vision for Brown Swimming & Diving

Is This the Drama College Swimming Always Needed?

David Johnston's 3 Reasons Why He Transferred to Florida

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

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

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

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

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

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