Hubert Kos Leading 100-Yard Backstroke Improvement Toward 42-Second Swim
The past year has seen a huge surge in speed in the men’s 100-yard backstroke after the event was essentially stagnant for nine years. A lone, almost-fluky relay leadoff in 2022 was the only time anyone had broken the all-time best in the event, but the three fastest performers in history all swam their top marks in 2025. All three return to college competition this year, putting more historic efforts on the table this spring.
Ryan Murphy put together the best run of backstroke performance in college swimming history, winning four consecutive national titles in both distances from 2014 through 2017 while lowering American and NCAA records on multiple occasions. He swam as fast as 43.49 in his title-winning performance during his junior season, and no one came close until 2022.
The man to surpass that time was not a backstroke specialist but a butterflyer: Georgia’s Luca Urlando led off his team’s 400 medley relay at the 2022 NCAA Championships, a decision made not because of Urlando’s backstroke abilities but his team’s needs, and he unleashed a time of 43.35 to take down Murphy’s mark. That swim would be one-and-done, with Urlando finishing second in both butterfly events at that meet before a severe shoulder injury knocked him out of college competition for the next two seasons.
The jump would come in 2025, when Urlando was back competing for the Bulldogs but again focused on butterfly, a decision that paid off as he dominated the 200 fly at the NCAA meet with the fastest time in history. During the 2023 and 2024 seasons, Indiana’s Brendan Burns had been the country’s dominant swimmer in the 100 back with a pair of NCAA titles but never swimming faster than 43.61. But 2025 brought big jumps from Florida’s Jonny Marshall and Texas’ Hubert Kos.
Jonny Marshall — Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
Marshall, who represents Great Britain in international competition, had been an NCAA A-finalist in the event as a freshman, but he entered his sophomore-year meet as the top seed with a time of 43.73. Marshall brought sizzling speed into the event, having handled the leadoff leg of the Gators’ 200 medley relay that touched first but was disqualified for a false start. In the 100 back final, he blasted in front with a 20.70 opening split and held on to finish in 43.22, breaking Urlando’s NCAA and U.S. Open records.
Except it was not enough as Kos came back even faster. Already the Olympic and world champion in the 200-meter back, Kos covered the final 25 yards of that race in 11.06 to touch in 43.20 for the win and new record. This was the first time the Hungarian had ever won a major race over 100 yards or meters, and it came in the middle of a dominant meet as he led Texas to a national title. Kos had already won the 200 IM, and he went on to smash the 200 back record by more than a second in his third individual victory.
Since then, Kos has continued his run of impressive backstroke times. He won another world title in the 200-meter race, and in October, he lowered short course meters world records in the 100 and 200 back while winning all nine backstroke races on the World Cup circuit. Kos returned to the Texas roster in January, and he is once again the ace performer on a team favored to win another national title.
However, Kos might not be the best 100 backstroker on his team. That’s because Will Modglin took down the American record at midseason, clocking 43.26 in prelims at the Texas Invite to beat Urlando’s mark and become the third-fastest man ever, just behind Kos and Marshall. The Longhorns junior proved his performance was no fluke as he returned to swim a mark of 43.37 in the final.
Modglin currently leads a deep set of backstroke rankings entering championship season. Georgia’s Ruard Van Renen has also been below 44, going 43.92 at his midseason meet. Van Renen was third in the event at the 2025 NCAA meet behind Kos and Marshall. Just behind him in the 44-low range are Army’s Johnny Crush (44.10), Arizona State’s Adam Chaney (44.13) and Indiana’s Owen McDonald (44.13), with Florida State’s Max Wilson (44.43), Kos (44.48) and NC State’s Hudson Williams (44.49) all below 44.5.
More sizzling performances are sure to come at the various conference championship meets taking place in the coming weeks. And when all the top performers line up for an NCAA Championships showdown, a 42-second swim will be on the table. Kos will be favored given his recent track record of backstroke dominance on all levels, but he will have speedy rivals coming from all directions.