In a sport built on individual times, a decision made by David King at the 2026 men's swimming and diving championships epitomized what it means to be a team player.
The final heat of the 200-yard freestyle prelims had just wrapped as King and freshman teammate Maximus Williamson waited behind the blocks, anticipating the official results. They already knew what they were about to see.
But King had already made his mind up.
The sophomore from Crozet, Virginia kicked off the morning for the Cavaliers with a blistering 1:31.17 in the penultimate heat, shaving off nearly a second from his seed time to stand fourth overall as the final race dove into the water. Williamson was in the last heat as King watched from the side to see his training partner punch the wall fifth...clocking a 1:31.17.
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"I was like, 'Hold on, wait a second. Didn't I just go a 131.17?' So I was thinking back, I'm like 'OK, I got fourth place. He got fifth. That means we just tied for eight place,' " King explained.
A tie in swimming isn't so bizarre, but it's pretty hard to do in middle-distances races like the 200 freestyle, which features eight lengths and touchpad precision down to the hundredth of a second.
Usually, a tie like this means one thing: a swim-off—especially when it’s for the last spot in the A-final heat at the NCAA championships, where All-American honors and national titles are on the line.
But instead of the traditional head-to-head joust where both swimmers race again as a tiebreaker, King sacrificed his spot and his first-ever opportunity for an A-final swim at the NCAA finals.
"I kind of just walked over and talked with our head coach, Todd [Desorbo], and I was like 'Look, his best time is .7 faster than what I just went, and that was a best time for me. He's going to ultimately score more points for the team and has a better chance to place higher,' " King said. "I didn't overthink it. Whatever was best for the team."
He had quite the trust in his freshman teammate. That and the other Virginia swimmers inquired about the results a step further at the scorer's table where the times can be seen by the thousandths of a second.
Williamson had actually bested King by 0.005 — not that it mattered. King said his decision wouldn't have been swayed either way.
But Williamson's first thoughts were different, mentally preparing for the swim-off when he saw his time on the scoreboard. Before he could talk to his coaches, King pulled him aside after his race to tell him his decision — "Bro, you got it. Go win it, I believe in you" — and his mindset shifted towards that night.
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Fast forward to the evening session.
The 200-yard freestyle heat was underway and Williamson was one of two freshmen in the A-Final field, representing Virginia in Lane 8. The other, Tennessee's Koby Bujak-Upton, was leading at the halfway point. After a scorching 23.02 third 50, Williamson grabbed the edge entering the final lap.
What does a swimmer think about when their body is on fire, fighting with all they have for a national title? For Williamson, it was King's sacrifice.
"It definitely did add more motivation; It just helped with that little extra kick at the end to just finish," Williamson said.
The two have been training together since the first-year from Keller, Texas arrived in the summer, pushing each other in each practice with friendly competition at every turn.
𝐍𝐂𝐀𝐀 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐎𝐍
— Virginia Swimming and Dive (@UVASwimDive)
WAHOOOOOWA!!!! Maximus Williamson wins the 200 Free swimming out of LANE 8!!!
"There was that little bit of extra pressure, because I knew that if I swam bad, David would give me crap about it, but that's just teammate banter. It's been like that all season."
On the Lane 8 side of the pool, Virginia swimmers watched the race unfold, waving Williamson forward.
King painted the picture.
"We were going crazy. That was probably the most energetic, I think, we've ever been watching a race at UVA. We were jumping up and down, screaming, slapping our legs."
At the touch, Williamson looked up to see a "1" by his name and a 1:30.03 on the scoreboard, edging Bujak-Upton by .08 to claim the first national title for the Virginia men since 2011 while becoming the first freshman to win the 200-yard freestyle since 2018. For a brief moment, he did not think it was real.
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His success snowballed for the Virginia team that finished 32nd last year at the same meet. Among many highlights, freshman Thomas Heilman secured silver in the 200-yard butterfly and Williamson added another gold in the 200-yard individual medley.
On the final day, King earned his own All-American honors, taking third in the 200-yard backstroke to help Virginia place ninth overall in the team standings.
In the end, King's selflessness outside the pool and sacrifice played one of the biggest roles in Virginia's historic success.
