Jordan Ellis discovered swimming late compared to many competitive athletes—his high school in Ann Arbor, Michigan, didn't have a strong program, and his early teens were spent trying soccer, basketball, and track before landing on the pool during sophomore year.

A friend dragged him to a tryout for the club team, and something clicked immediately. The structure appealed to his analytical mind: technique breakdowns, pace clocks, interval training. He wasn't naturally the fastest, but ...