On one of the biggest stages in American swimming, Carson Hick found himself racing against some of the sport’s most decorated athletes in the 1,500-meter freestyle.
Hick placed fourth in the nation at the 2025 Toyota USA Swimming National Championships, breaking the Kentucky program record with a time of 15:05.87.
He finished behind two-time Olympic gold medalist Bobby Finke, eight-time All-American and U.S. Olympian David Johnston along with top-ranked recruit Aidan Hammer.
Just behind Hick, Levi Sandidge finished eighth, making Kentucky the only program to place two swimmers in the A final of the 1,500.
However, that was only the beginning of the dynamic duo’s success throughout the week.
Hick, a rising junior out of New Mexico, carried his momentum into the 800-meter freestyle, finishing eighth in the nation with a time of 7:56.16. He also broke another Kentucky program record in the 400 freestyle, placing third in the B final with a time of 3:50.11.
Sandidge, a senior and three-time All-SEC honoree, added his own mark to the record books in the 400 individual medley. He won the B final in 4:16.10, the fourth-fastest time overall in the event and a new school record.
Hick’s performance earned him a spot on Team USA for the 2025 FISU World University Games in Germany, where he will compete among the world’s best in the 1,500 freestyle. Incoming sophomore diver Avery Giese also qualified for the Games and will be competing in both the 1-meter and 3-meter springboard.

The games, held July 17-23, are a global competition organized by the International University Sports Federation (FISU), where student-athletes from around the world compete in 18 different sports, including swimming, diving, basketball and volleyball.
The qualifying meet took place in Indianapolis, bringing together the top swimmers in the country to compete for spots on Team USA ahead of the World Aquatics Championships, set for July 11 through Aug. 3 in Singapore.
Alongside Hick and Sandidge, Ryan Merani, Maddy Hartley, Grace Frericks and Devin Naoroz competed for their potential spot on the team.
Merani, a surging senior and two-time NCAA qualifier, competed in three events: the 100 and 200 butterfly and the 200 individual medley. His top performance came in the 200 fly, where he posted a 1:59.02 to finish second in the C final.
Naoroz made his Nationals debut in both the 50 and 100 backstroke, finishing seventh in the C final of the 50 back with a time of 25.92 and placed in the top 30 in the 100.
On the women’s side, Hartley competed in the 200 butterfly and finished 37th overall, while Frericks swam in the 200 backstroke and finished 45th.
The 2025 Toyota USA Swimming National Championships capped off a historic stretch for Kentucky swimming.
The men’s team went from the program’s highest placement since 2010 by finishing 20th in the nation at the NCAA Championships to defeating Tennessee for the first time in 77 years, the Wildcats have already rewritten parts of the record book.
Add in a wave of elite coaching hires during the offseason, and the message is becoming clear: Kentucky is not just rebuilding, it is rising.