Road back, breakthrough and rise: Indiana’s Olympic swim contenders make waves

One year ago, they weren’t even on the U.S. team at the World Championships. Now, less than two years ahead of the Olympic Games, swimmers Van Mathias, Aaron Shackell and Will Modglin have a lane to Los Angeles. Last week’s Pan Pacific Championships were an international meet for non-European countries. Mathias and Modglin became world record-holders there, and Shackell nearly did so. Mathias, a former Indiana University swimmer, left Irvine, Calif., with five medals and three golds. Shackell, an IU swimmer from Carmel, took gold and bronze. Modglin, of Zionsville, had two relay golds among his four medals. Mathias, 25, retired after the 2023 NCAA Championships and took a job as director of operations for IU’s swim program. He resumed competing last year, and now he is one of the best swimmers in the world. “He might be the best story that we have” ahead of the Olympics, longtime NBC analyst Rowdy Gaines said. More: How Indiana swimming’s Van Mathias balances a full-time job with record swims Best U.S. outcome at Pan Pacs was in Wednesday’s 4x100-meter mixed medley relay. Modglin, Mathias, Gretchen Walsh and Kate Douglass combined for a world record of 3:36.70. Previous record was 3:37.43 by another U.S. team at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Mathias set American records in the 50- and 100-meter breaststrokes at Indianapolis in June, He won Pan Pacs gold in the 100 breaststroke in 58.02, just .01 off his American record, which happens to be the world’s top 2026 time. He added another gold Saturday in the 4x100 medley relay – again with Modglin – and silvers in the 50 breaststroke and 50 butterfly. After Mathias quit the sport, he went home to Portland, Ore., and started powerlifting with his mother, Nancy. Now the breaststroker does “super sprint training,” Hoosier coach Ray Looze said, combining weightlifting with fewer than 1,000 meters of swimming a day. “His practice takes under an hour to do,” Looze said. “He can do his full-time job with this. “He doesn’t think a lot about swimming any more. He doesn’t do social media. He’s busy. He’s got stuff to do.” Mathias’ mustache has added to his appeal, prompting fans to mimic him by wearing fake mustaches. Others were calling this meet the “Van Pacs.” The swimmer said he didn’t celebrate or call anyone after the relay world record. Just straight to bed. “But I got a lot of texts in the morning,” Mathias said. “A lot of gratitude to those people, staying up and watching.” Shackell was on the U.S. team that set a Pan Pacs record of 6:59.37 in the 4x200 freestyle relay Thursday. The Americans nearly broke one of the oldest world records in the sport – 6:58.55 by the USA in 2009, during the supersuit era. Shackell’s second leg of 1:44.23 was nearly as fast as teammates Luke Hobson (1:44.13) and Gabriel Jett (1:44.09), the gold and silver medalists from the 200 freestyle. Shackell’s leg was “spectacular,” Gaines gushed. Then, in Friday’s 400 freestyle, the sixth-seeded Shackell took bronze in 3:43.44, missing the American record by 0.66 seconds and climbing to No. 5 in the world this year. Shackell, after leaving University of California and then Texas, transferred to Indiana. He was seventh in the 500-yard freestyle at the NCAA Championships. Yet he concentrates on long course – not collegiate 25-yard pools – and trains at Carmel in an unconventional arrangement. Looze has been a “steadying influence” on the swimmer, Carmel coach Chris Plumb said. Plumb said Shackell is doing “all the right things,” from motivation to nutrition. Although Shackell was eighth in the 400 freestyle at the Paris Olympics, he is relatively new to the global stage. “Just getting reps at this level will help him,” Plumb said. Modglin, who helped Texas win the NCAA team title in March, led off the world record in 53.40 in his third 100 backstroke that day. He clocked 53.17 in prelims and won the silver medal in 53.37. He was bronze medalist in the 50 back in 24.66. Elsewhere: >> IU’s Alex Shackell, sister of Aaron and winner of two Paris relay medals, was fifth in the 200 butterfly after posting the top prelim, 2:06.68. She won the “B” final of the 100 fly in 57.12, her best since the 2024 Olympic Trials. >> Former Notre Dame swimmer Chris Guiliano, also a double medalist at Paris, did not make the “A” final of the 100 freestyle because only two per nation advanced. But Guiliano won the “B” in 47.16, a Pan Pacs record, No. 3 on the all-time U.S. list and No. 6 in the world this year. (Jack Alexy subsequently broke the Pan Pacs record by winning the “A” in 47.14.) Guiliano won Pan Pacs gold in the 4x100 free relay. >> Plumb is head coach for the U.S. team at Junior Pan Pacs, which are this week at Vancouver, British Columbia. Three Carmel swimmers made the team: Yi Zheng (400 individual medley), Trent Allen (400 free), Ellie Clarke (200 backstroke). Contact David Woods at dwoods1411@gmail.com This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Road back, breakthrough and rise: Indiana’s Olympic swim contenders make waves