US Record Holder Luca Urlando Will Redshirt 2023-2024 NCAA Season

World Junior Champion, American Record holder, and US National Teamer Luca Urlando will sit out the 2023-2024 NCAA swimming & diving season to prepare for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Urlando, who swims for the University of Georgia, last raced for the Bulldogs at the team’s dual meet against Florida in October 2022. Shortly thereafter, he was racing at the FINA World Cup meet in Indianapolis when he had to be helped from the pool mid-race during the men’s 100 meter IM. A month later, he announced that he would miss the remainder of the NCAA season to undergo surgery on his dislocated shoulder, which has been a recurring injury throughout his career.

Since then, Urlando, 21, has raced in a handful of meets on the west coast while wearing the cap of his native DART Swimming in California. While he has repeatedly declined to speak specifically on his training plans over the last 9 months, his return to swimming has reportedly included some time working with Arizona State (including racing at the Sun Devil Open) and an internship with Pikes Peak Athletics in Colorado Springs.

Since his return, he hasn’t swum any races butterfly nor backstroke, where he sent a surprise American Record in the 100 yard back at the 2022 NCAA Championships. Instead, he’s been focusing more on middle-distance freestyle races, which is likely to protect his shoulder at least during his recovery, if not a permanent shift in focus.

Urlando finished 10th in the 100 free (49.10), 4th in the 200 free (1:46.99), and 10th in the 400 free (3:50.97) at the 2023 TYR Pro Championships in July. Those times in the 100 and 400 were new lifetime bests, while his 200 free from that meet was about half-a-second slower than his personal best since 2019.

Urlando told SwimSwam on Thursday that a return to the NCAA in the 2024-2025 season is currently part of his plans. He will have at least two years of eligibility remaining if he returns to collegiate swimming – one regular year, plus the COVID-19 bonus 5th year. There is potential for him to get his junior season back as well if the NCAA grants him a Medical Hardship Waiver, which usually applies if an athlete participates in 30% or fewer of a team’s competition season.

While Urlando’s absence hurts the Bulldogs headed into the new season, they return four NCAA qualifiers for bonus 5th years, which helps cushion the blow. While the Bulldogs graduate NCAA qualifier Andre Abruzzo, they return:

• Bradley Dunham (10 NCAA Points)
• Ian Grum (28 NCAA points)
• Zach Hills (NCAA qualifier, 3 relays)
• Dillon Downing (NCAA qualifier, 3 relays)
• Zach Franklin

That’s in addition to key incoming freshmen Tristan DenBrok, a distance freestyler ranked #19 in the country in the class of 2023, and Tomas Koski, the younger brother of Bulldog All-American Matias Koski and himself an honorable mention best recruit in the class of 2023.

Urlando won five World Junior Championship gold medals in 2019, including individual golds in the 200 free and 200 fly. At the 2022 NCAA Championships, he placed 2nd in the 100 fly and 200 fly and 3rd in the 200 IM.

Georgia finished 12th without Urlando at the 2023 NCAA Championships. If he had repeated his 2022 NCAA Championship performance, that would have moved Georgia as high as 8th place, but likely no higher (they were 120.5 points behind #7 Tennessee).