INDIANAPOLIS – Starting a pro career in swimming, Drew Kibler had options.

He could have joined Longhorn Aquatics at his college home, Texas. Or joined training groups at the University of Florida, where Caeleb Dressel and Katie Ledecky thrive, or Arizona State, where medalists flock to be coached by Bob Bowman, or Indiana University, where Lilly King has elevated all.

More on swimming:Why Indiana produces so many Olympic swimmers. 'This is just the beginning.'

Or Kibler could have gone home to Carmel to train alongside high school kids.

That’s what he did. That’s what is working. That’s why he plans to stay here ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

“It would be considered a lot more unconventional if you think of Carmel as a conventional high school team. Which it’s not,” Kibler said.

Kibler won a bronze medal Friday night in the 100-meter freestyle during the FINA World Cup stop at the Natatorium at IUPUI. He finished fourth Thursday in the 400 freestyle and is in Saturday’s 200 freestyle to close out the weekend.

Most urgently, he is preparing for next month’s short course World Championships at Melbourne, Australia, where he is in the 100 and 200 freestyles plus relays.

Kibler thought he knew what he was getting into when he returned to Carmel Swim Club to be coached by Chris Plumb. Still, it was affirming to hear from Kieran Smith, the former Florida swimmer who won bronze in the 400 freestyle at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Smith roomed with Kibler last week in Toronto, then trained with him in Carmel.

“He remarked how it has a similar professional feel of a college team or a pro team, from a culture standpoint and from a work ethic,” Kibler said. “That made me feel really good to hear something like that from Kieran, who is surrounded by an incredible pro team.”

Smith won Friday’s 200 individual medley in 1:52.98.

Kibler was uneasy about college-to-pro transition but has instead found it seamless. And the teens don’t take it easy on him, either.

“They have been absolutely humbling me,” he said. “It’s been really awesome training with them.”

More on Drew Kibler:From teen swim star to ill at trials, Olympics are just the start

Kibler has so many Carmel swimming firsts: first Olympian, first NCAA champion, first long course worlds swimmer, first world gold medalist (in a relay). Now, he is effectively the first on-site pro.

Kibler’s return is analogous to that of Jake Mitchell, who had a poor NCAA Championships for Michigan in 2021, returned to Carmel ahead of the Olympic Trials, and then made Team USA.

Certainly, Kibler has achieved so much in this sport, but a case could be made the 22-year-old is positioned for more.

After isolating in Croatia following a bout of COVID-19, he was fourth in the 200 freestyle — by three-hundredths of a second — in June’s long course World Championships at Budapest, Hungary. He called it an important step.

“Drew’s coming home has been fantastic for the program,” Plumb said. “For the athletes, and I think for Drew as well. I feel like it’s just a great fit in terms of the attention he can get, but at the same time having young people pushing him, making him better.”

Kibler has become a mentor to one of America’s rising teens, Alex Shackell, a 15-year-old Carmel girl who won bronze Thursday in the 200 butterfly. Shackell said Kibler counsels her for about 20 minutes after each practice.

“He has so much insight. He’s such a kind person,” Shackell said. “He doesn’t come back thinking he’s that cool Olympic dude. He’s like the same person he always was.”

The men’s 100 freestyle was won by Australia’s Kyle Chalmers, who won gold at that distance in the 2016 Rio Olympics and silver at Tokyo. Italy’s Thomas Ceccon was second in 46.27, followed by Kibler in 46.82.

It was a huge improvement from Toronto for Kibler, who was 18^th in prelims there in 48.08.

“Big plans for the next two years,” he said.

Night 2 highlights

>> King was beaten in the 100 breaststroke by Lithuania’s Ruta Meilutyte, who clocked 1:02.77 to the Hoosier’s 1:03.74. Meilutyte swept races at Berlin, Toronto and Indianapolis.

>> Americans set three world junior records, including two by 17-year-old Bella Sims in a span of 12 minutes. She was fourth in the 200 freestyle in 1:52.59, then won the 100 backstroke in 55.75. Earlier, Katie Grimes, 16, lowered the world junior record in the 1,500 freestyle to 15:42.05.

>> Siobhan Haughey of Hong Kong beat Ledecky to win the 200 freestyle in 1:51.19. Ledecky took silver in 1:52.10, narrowly missing Mallory Comerford’s American record of 1:51.81 from the 2018 short course worlds.

>> Nic Fink completed a sweep of the 50 breaststroke at three World Cup stops and leads the men’s point standings.

Contact IndyStar reporter David Woods at david.woods@indystar.com or dwoods1411@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: FINA Swimming World Cup: Drew Kibler returns home to prep for 2024