diff --git a/src/INTEL/pair_sw_intel.cpp b/src/INTEL/pair_sw_intel.cpp
index a882f8bfba..37fe19260a 100644
--- a/src/INTEL/pair_sw_intel.cpp
+++ b/src/INTEL/pair_sw_intel.cpp
@@ -1101,7 +1101,11 @@ void PairSWIntel::allocate()
 
 void PairSWIntel::init_style()
 {
+  // there is no support for skipping threebody loops (yet)
+  bool tmp_threebody = skip_threebody_flag;
+  skip_threebody_flag = false;
   PairSW::init_style();
+  skip_threebody_flag = tmp_threebody;
 
   map[0] = map[1];
 
diff --git a/src/KOKKOS/pair_sw_kokkos.cpp b/src/KOKKOS/pair_sw_kokkos.cpp
index cae0aea0e8..a3d8d11380 100644
--- a/src/KOKKOS/pair_sw_kokkos.cpp
+++ b/src/KOKKOS/pair_sw_kokkos.cpp
@@ -392,7 +392,11 @@ void PairSWKokkos<DeviceType>::coeff(int narg, char **arg)
 template<class DeviceType>
 void PairSWKokkos<DeviceType>::init_style()
 {
+  // there is no support for skipping threebody loops (yet)
+  bool tmp_threebody = skip_threebody_flag;
+  skip_threebody_flag = false;
   PairSW::init_style();
+  skip_threebody_flag = tmp_threebody;
 
   // adjust neighbor list request for KOKKOS
 
diff --git a/src/MANYBODY/pair_sw.cpp b/src/MANYBODY/pair_sw.cpp
index b615480754..034dcfaf10 100644
--- a/src/MANYBODY/pair_sw.cpp
+++ b/src/MANYBODY/pair_sw.cpp
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 
 /* ----------------------------------------------------------------------
    Contributing author: Aidan Thompson (SNL)
+   Optimizations for two-body only: Jackson Elowitt (Univ. of Utah)
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- */
 
 #include "pair_sw.h"
@@ -138,14 +139,18 @@ void PairSW::compute(int eflag, int vflag)
       }
 
       jtag = tag[j];
-      if (itag > jtag) {
-        if ((itag+jtag) % 2 == 0) continue;
-      } else if (itag < jtag) {
-        if ((itag+jtag) % 2 == 1) continue;
-      } else {
-        if (x[j][2] < ztmp) continue;
-        if (x[j][2] == ztmp && x[j][1] < ytmp) continue;
-        if (x[j][2] == ztmp && x[j][1] == ytmp && x[j][0] < xtmp) continue;
+
+      // only need to skip if we have a full neighbor list
+      if (!skip_threebody_flag) {
+        if (itag > jtag) {
+          if ((itag+jtag) % 2 == 0) continue;
+        } else if (itag < jtag) {
+          if ((itag+jtag) % 2 == 1) continue;
+        } else {
+          if (x[j][2] < ztmp) continue;
+          if (x[j][2] == ztmp && x[j][1] < ytmp) continue;
+          if (x[j][2] == ztmp && x[j][1] == ytmp && x[j][0] < xtmp) continue;
+        }
       }
 
       twobody(&params[ijparam],rsq,fpair,eflag,evdwl);
@@ -273,9 +278,12 @@ void PairSW::init_style()
   if (force->newton_pair == 0)
     error->all(FLERR,"Pair style Stillinger-Weber requires newton pair on");
 
-  // need a full neighbor list
+  // need a full neighbor list for full threebody calculation
 
-  neighbor->add_request(this, NeighConst::REQ_FULL);
+  if (skip_threebody_flag)
+    neighbor->add_request(this);
+  else
+    neighbor->add_request(this, NeighConst::REQ_FULL);
 }
 
 /* ----------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/src/OPENMP/pair_sw_omp.cpp b/src/OPENMP/pair_sw_omp.cpp
index a59922b8c4..4f579a9e90 100644
--- a/src/OPENMP/pair_sw_omp.cpp
+++ b/src/OPENMP/pair_sw_omp.cpp
@@ -134,14 +134,16 @@ void PairSWOMP::eval(int iifrom, int iito, ThrData * const thr)
       }
 
       jtag = tag[j];
-      if (itag > jtag) {
-        if ((itag+jtag) % 2 == 0) continue;
-      } else if (itag < jtag) {
-        if ((itag+jtag) % 2 == 1) continue;
-      } else {
-        if (x[j].z < ztmp) continue;
-        if (x[j].z == ztmp && x[j].y < ytmp) continue;
-        if (x[j].z == ztmp && x[j].y == ytmp && x[j].x < xtmp) continue;
+      if (!skip_threebody_flag) {
+        if (itag > jtag) {
+          if ((itag+jtag) % 2 == 0) continue;
+        } else if (itag < jtag) {
+          if ((itag+jtag) % 2 == 1) continue;
+        } else {
+          if (x[j].z < ztmp) continue;
+          if (x[j].z == ztmp && x[j].y < ytmp) continue;
+          if (x[j].z == ztmp && x[j].y == ytmp && x[j].x < xtmp) continue;
+        }
       }
 
       twobody(&params[ijparam],rsq,fpair,EFLAG,evdwl);
@@ -169,24 +171,24 @@ void PairSWOMP::eval(int iifrom, int iito, ThrData * const thr)
       delr1[1] = x[j].y - ytmp;
       delr1[2] = x[j].z - ztmp;
       rsq1 = delr1[0]*delr1[0] + delr1[1]*delr1[1] + delr1[2]*delr1[2];
-    
+
       double fjxtmp,fjytmp,fjztmp;
       fjxtmp = fjytmp = fjztmp = 0.0;
-    
+
       for (kk = jj+1; kk < numshort; kk++) {
         k = neighshort_thr[kk];
         ktype = map[type[k]];
         ikparam = elem3param[itype][ktype][ktype];
         ijkparam = elem3param[itype][jtype][ktype];
-    
+
         delr2[0] = x[k].x - xtmp;
         delr2[1] = x[k].y - ytmp;
         delr2[2] = x[k].z - ztmp;
         rsq2 = delr2[0]*delr2[0] + delr2[1]*delr2[1] + delr2[2]*delr2[2];
-    
+
         threebody(&params[ijparam],&params[ikparam],&params[ijkparam],
                   rsq1,rsq2,delr1,delr2,fj,fk,EFLAG,evdwl);
-    
+
         fxtmp -= fj[0] + fk[0];
         fytmp -= fj[1] + fk[1];
         fztmp -= fj[2] + fk[2];
@@ -196,7 +198,7 @@ void PairSWOMP::eval(int iifrom, int iito, ThrData * const thr)
         f[k].x += fk[0];
         f[k].y += fk[1];
         f[k].z += fk[2];
-    
+
         if (EVFLAG) ev_tally3_thr(this,i,j,k,evdwl,0.0,fj,fk,delr1,delr2,thr);
       }
       f[j].x += fjxtmp;