Cal standout and rising Team USA breaststroker Abby Herscu joins Social Kick fresh off a breakout season that earned her a spot at the 2025 World University Games in Berlin. We dive into Abby’s journey from an age grouper to the NCAA Championship final and her huge personal best in the 200 breaststroke at U.S. Trials—dropping nearly 3.5 seconds to post one of the fastest U.S. times of the year.

Abby shares what it’s like training at Cal, how that’s evolved with different coaches, and how creativity and trying new things led to her discovery of strengths that she has used to find continuous improvement. We also talk Olympic Trials takeaways, what drives her progression such as swimming free with no pressure, and what excites her most about competing for Team USA this summer.

He just went 58 in the 100 breaststroke! Campbell McKean, the breakout breaststroker who skipped the 59-second barrier entirely, joins us fresh off his electrifying performance at US Nationals.

This ascending American star shares the inside story of winning both sprint breaststroke events and becoming the fastest 18-year-old ever in the 100 breaststroke. We discuss grueling training sets that forged his record-breaking speed, his strategic approach to 50 breaststroke races, and what it feels like to touch the wall knowing you've just upset legends.

Campbell also pulls back the curtain on his journey from a swimming family to committing to the University of Texas under the renowned Bob Bowman. We cover everything from resistance training techniques and tech suit preferences to the unexpected realities of balancing elite training with senior year.

Get ready for an inspiring conversation with one of swimming's most exciting young talents!

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0:00 - 4:14: Welcome and Early Questions 4:14 - 8:16: US Nationals Victory and Race Strategy 8:16 - 12:47: Training Regimen and Daily Schedule 12:47 - 18:50: Specific Breaststroke Training and Techniques 18:50 - 24:25: Worlds Preparation and Post-Nationals Life 24:25 - 29:08: Swimming Journey and Family Influence 29:08 - 34:00: College Commitment to Texas and Bob Bowman 34:00 - 39:50: Swim Tech and Continuous Improvement 39:50 - 46:38: Physical Attributes, Coaching Changes, and Future Goals 46:38 - 53:50: Rapid Fire Questions and Final Thoughts

Faster everywhere she goes

It took a few attempts and many years before Ashley Twichell eventually became an Olympian at age 32, the oldest first time Olympian on the US team in Tokyo, but that wasn’t what she set out to achieve anyway. In this episode, we check in with Ashley a few weeks after giving birth to her 2nd child, which took place during the Kentucky Derby!

We cover everything from her journey from Duke to the legendary Mission Viejo workouts with distance guru coach Bill Rose, to winning the 5k World Title in 2017, to making the Tokyo Olympics, and then having her highest pool water finish with a 3rd place at the 2024 Trials.

Enjoy and don't forget to subscribe for weekly podcasts and daily shorts!