Disclaimer: Blueseventy Swim of the Week is not meant to be a conclusive selection of the best overall swim of the week, but rather one Featured Swim to be explored in deeper detail. The blueSeventy Swim is an opportunity to take a closer look at the context of one of the many fast swims this week, perhaps a swim that slipped through the cracks as others grabbed the headlines, or a race we didn’t get to examine as closely in the flood of weekly meets.
Gianluca Urlando is already the best flyer nationally in his high school class. But the sophomore improved his versatility over the weekend with lifetime-bests in the 50 free, 100 free and 100 back to go along with his 100 fly.
Earlier this month, we ranked Urlando #4 in his graduating class as an NCAA prospect, based mostly on 46.9/1:43.5 butterfly speed. At the time, he was also 47.3 in the 100 back, but only 21.2/45.7 in the sprint frees, not great relative to the top of his recruiting class.
Then Urlando went out and destroyed those bests at the Sac Joaquin Section meet. Here’s a look at how his times improved in the four events he swam at sections. The freestyle times came leading off his team’s 200 and 400 free relays.
| Pre-Sections | Sections | |
| 100 fly | 46.93 | 46.70 |
| 100 back | 47.38 | 46.83 |
| 100 free | 45.73 | 44.47 |
| 50 free | 21.25 | 20.43 |
Though the top of his recruiting class is still loaded, Urlando is putting himself more and more in the top-3 conversation, especially with that rise in relay-distance freestyle ability.
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Huge SCY season for Urlando. Can’t wait to see what he can do in long course this year. He can swim in the big pool. 1.58 last summer in the 200 fly at 15. Great versatility. He will definitely play with Foster and Lasco in the future. The future of US men’s swimming is in very good hands.
Don’t forget about Brendan Burns too. He’s a beast and getting stronger each year in the same events. Ray Looze will do great things with him.