This week on the DFL Swimming Podcast, we break down all the major storylines from last weekend’s midseason meets. We open with the Tennessee Dual Meet Challenge — a promising but still unfinished product — and dive into how timeouts, scoring confusion, and UVA’s strategy shaped the meet’s overall optics. From there, we take a full tour through midseason action: We highlight standout performances across Minnesota, SMU, UGA, and OSU, including big swims from Luca Urlando, Elliot Woodburn, and Ethan Ekk. We also reflect on broader trends: are midseasons are becoming intentionally low-key, and Herbie’s vision for a more meaningful midseason format sparks real conversation.

Casey and Dez break down all the key midseason invites, the top teams to watch, and the swimmers primed for big drops heading into the fastest stretch of the fall. We debate whether the current midseason format has gotten stale, look at Tennessee’s bracket-style meet, and hit the biggest storylines on both the men’s and women’s sides. We wrap with our DFL of the Week picks and the swims that have impressed us most so far.

Casey and Dez dive into the action from the Raleigh Rumble and a packed weekend across college swimming. From the new dual-meet format to standout performances in Cal-Stanford Pt. 2, Louisville-Kentucky, and ASU-USC, they debate whether these changes are improving or confusing the sport. Plus, thoughts on the new NCAA meet structure and why Caleb Dressel might actually be on board.