David Nolan came out of Hershey High School in Pennsylvania with 3 National High School records, including a time in the 200 IM that would’ve won NCAAs in 2011. But with that kind of success comes some pretty intense expectations. At the 2012 NCAA Championship, as a freshman at Stanford, he was top three in the 200 IM, 100 Back, and 200 Back. He went best times in two of those three events, but in his mind it wasn’t a successful meet. This year he says he’s coming off of a great year of training in Palo Alto where there’s a new staff and a happier environment.

In this interview with Garrett McCaffrey, Nolan discusses the new program in Palo Alto, taper time, his confidence going into championship season, and what he learned in his first run at this collegiate championship season.