By Mark Wild on SwimSwam
2025 U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Tuesday, June 3 – Saturday, June 7, 2025 Indianapolis, Indiana Indiana University Natatorium LCM (50 meters) World Championship Selection Criteria SwimSwam Preview Index Meet Central Psych Sheets (Updated 6/02) Live Results Recaps Prelims: Day 1 Finals: Day 1Day 2 Prelims Heat Sheet
Good Morning, Swim Fans! The second of five days at the 2025 U.S. Nationals is nigh upon us. Its an action-packed morning with four events on tap for both the men and the women, and with three of them being 200s, be sure to clear your morning schedule.
After finishing 1-2 in the 800 free last night, Singapore-bound Katie Ledecky and Claire Weinstein return to the pool in the 200 free. It is the more junior of the two, Weinstein, who holds top seed as her 1:54.88 makes her the only entrant under 1:55. Ledecky has of late swam the event at trials but opted not to compete in the event individually. Her withdrawal last year let Erin Gemmell compete in the individual event in Paris, and this morning, as the #3 seed, Gemmell has a strong chance of improving her chances of earning a spot to Singapore as her 5th place finish last night in the 100 is not a guarantee.
With the exception of Paige Madden, who is not competing this week, all of the US silver medal-winning members of the 4×200 free are entered in the field as Anna Peplowski, Alex Shackell and Simone Manuel are the 4th through 6th seeds.
The men’s silver medal-winning 4×200 free relay also sees a majority of the members return. Leading the way is Olympic bronze medalist Luke Hobson. Hobson’s 1:44.79 entry time is the only sub-1:45 time in the field, but training partner Chris Guiliano, who punched his ticket to Singapore with a 3rd place finish last night in the 100 free, will be looking to add an individual event to his relay berth. However, fellow Olympians Kieran Smith, Brooks Curry, and Jake Mitchell will not be so easily beaten. The same can be said for Carson Foster, who is already on the roster courtesy of his finish in the 200 fly.
Defending Olympic Gold medalist Kate Douglass, already on the team by way of her 4th place finish in the 100 free, will look to add an individual event in the 200 breast. The American record holder leads the field by over three seconds and may be in a race against the clock as she broke the SCM World Record in Budapest last December. UVA dominates the event as four of their swimmers occupy the top eight seeds, with Alex Walsh and Leah Hayes, the 2nd and 3rd seeds, the most likely to surround Douglass in the final tonight. However, Lucy Bell, the NCAA champion in the event may have something to say about that.
Olympic Finalist Josh Matheny will look to cement his status as the premier American 200 breaststroke but first must catch AJ Pouch, whose 2:08.00 leads the heat sheet. Pouch, who was .19 away from making the Olympic team last year, will be looking to make his first long course Worlds team after having swum at Short Course Worlds last year. It won’t be a cakewalk, however, as despite Pouch and Matheny being the only two entrants under 2:11, the field is filled with young swimmers like Josh Bey, Jordan Willis, and Gabe Nunziata, all of whom are eager for the limelight. So too is Jassen Yep, who in March surprised the nation and himself with a brilliant win in the event at NCAAs.
One of the deepest fields on the US side, the Women’s 200 back may be the hardest events to final in. Regan Smith, Olympic Silver medalist, and American record holder leads the pack, but fellow Olympians Phoebe Bacon (#2) and Rhyan White (#6) are close behind. So, too, are Claire Curzan, 15-year-old Audrey Derivaux, and Kennedy Noble. With the 8th seed, Teagan O’Dell entered at 2:07.97, one could expect this prelim to be faster than at the Olympics, where the 8th place into finals was nearly a second slower.
The men’s 200 back will see some new faces as three-time Olympian Ryan Murphy has opted not to compete. However, fans of the Cal Bear should take heart as fellow Bear and 2024 Olympian Keaton Jones (1:54.61) leads the charge. Jones and the 2nd seed Jack Aikins (1:54.78) are the only two sub-1:56 entrants, but that doesn’t mean the going will be easy, especially as fellow Cal bear Destin Lasco lurks dangerously as the #32 second seed. Entered with a yards time of 1:36.40, Lasco could find himself with plenty of clean water this morning and throw down something quick in the early heats.
Fans of sprinting don’t worry, as we end the session with the 50 fly. After placing 2nd in the 100 free last night, Gretchen Walsh will look to add another individual event to her line-up. After recently breaking the American record, Walsh appears to be the easy favorite. The second seed, Kate Douglass, and 4th seeded Torri Huske could challenge for the 2nd spot, but with both having doubles this morning, it may be Beata Nelson, the 3rd seed, who will be closest behind Walsh.
On the men’s side, Shaine Casas will occupy lane 4 in the final heat. The only entrant with a 5o time, Casas, who placed 6th last night in the 100, will look to sure up his chances to be on the plane to Singapore. He, like Huske, will have already swum the 200 free, so it may be Thomas Heilman, who came so close to earning a berth, placing 3rd in the 200 fly last night, that may come out in front this morning. The #2 seed, Heilman, sits just .04 ahead of Dare Rose, so they will have little margin of error over an event that will take less than 25 seconds, especially as Michael Andrew is dangerously outside of the top 8, as he is seeded 9th overall.
WOMEN’S 200 Freestyle – Prelims
World Record: 1:52.23 – Ariarne Titmus, AUS (2024) American Record: 1:53.61 – Allison Schmitt (2012) U.S. Open Record: 1:54.13 – Summer McIntosh, CAN (2023) 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials Winner: Katie Ledecky – 1:55.22 World Aquatics ‘A’ Cut: 1:58.23Top 8
Katie Ledecky (GSC) – 1:55.49 Claire Weinstein (SAND) – 1:55.95 Erin Gemmell (TXLA) – 1:56.06 Anna Peplowski (ISC) – 1:56.39 Torri Huske (AAC) – 1:57.03 Simone Manuel (TXLA) – 1:57.29 Bella Sims (SAND) – 1:57.54 Isabel Ivey (GSC) – 1:57.88Heat 3 saw a strong swim as Amelia Bodenstab was just shy of her PB as she took over the top of the leaderboard with her 2:00.96. The Louisville Cardinal, who finished 13th at NCAA this past March, has a PB of 2:00.91 dating back to May of 2024.
Bodenstab’s time didn’t last long, however, as Amy Riordan, in the very next heat, nearly cracked 2:00 as she stopped the clock at 2:00.25. The South Carolina swimmer finished 35th in the event at the Olympic Trials in a time of 2:00.71, her former best.
Bodenstab’s teammate Summer Cardwell brought the top time back to the ACC as she dropped .85 from her seed to stop the clock in 1:59.36. Out in 57.84, Cardwell had a strong start but had to fend off a late charge from Marie Landreneau, who also broke 2:00, stopping the clocking 1:59.54.
With two sub-2:00 times already, the first of the circle-seeded heats was a fast affair. Erin Gemmell, who placed 5th last night in the 100, wasted no time getting out to an early lead, opening in 56.25, a pace near her lifetime best. She was closely tailed by Bella Sims, who was 56.41, and Simone Manuel, who was 56.55. Gemmell, who trains at Texas, was the only one of the three to split under 30 on the 3rd 50. She continued to build her lead and closed in a swift 30.08 to stop the clock in 1:56.06, just .09 off her PB. Manuel, who dropped her fastest 100 time since 2019, passed Sims on the back half to out touch her 1:57.29 to 1:57.54.
Katie Ledecky wasted no time in the penultimate heat of the 200 free as she jumped out to an early lead, splitting 56.17. The winner of last night’s 800 free, the third-fastest performance of all time, Ledecky had open water to both sides as she led the heat from start to finish. Closing in 59.32, the only sub-60 last 100 so far, Ledecky stopped the clock in 1:55.49, just .27 off her time from the Olympic Trials. Fellow Paris Olympian Alex Shackell was about half as second back at the 100 turn, flipping in 56.59, but couldn’t keep up with Ledecky’s pace, and she faded a little over the last 100 to finish in 1:58.06 to sit 6th with one heat remaining.
The last heat saw a great race between Claire Weinstein, Anna Peplowski, and Torri Huske. Weinstein led the trio at the halfway point, flipping in 56.67, with Huske not far behind at 56.73. Over the course of the 3rd 50, Huske and Peplowski edged ahead, and the pair passed last night’s 2nd-place finisher in the 800, with Huske having a lead of .13 over Peplowski and .14 over Weinstein. The trio surged towards the finish, but it was Weinstein getting the edge as she dropped the fastest last 50 in the field (29.43) to take the win in 1:55.95 and secure the 2nd seed tonight. Peplowski, too, was sub-30 as her 29.88 pulled her ahead of Huske to finish in 1:56.39, a result that knocked .65 off her seed time.
MEN’S 200 Freestyle- Prelims
World Record: 1:42.00 – Paul Biedermann, GER (2009) American Record: 1:42.96 – Michael Phelps (2008) U.S. Open Record: 1:44.10 – Michael Phelps (2008) 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials Winner: Luke Hobson, 1:44.89 World Aquatics ‘A’ Cut: 1:46.70Top 8
Luke Hobson (TXLA) – 1:44.78 Rex Maurer (TXLA)/Gabe Jett – 1:45.46 Luke Mijatovic (PLS) – 1:45.92 Kieran Smith (RAC) – 1:46.05 Henry McFadden (JW) – 1:46.13 Carson Foster (UN) – 1:46.18 Chris Guiliano (TXLA) – 1:46.20Up through the start of the circle-seeded heats, the top time belonged to Wisconsin’s Chris Morris. Morris, who placed 30th in the event at Olympic Trials last year, guaranteed himself a better placing as his 1:47.90 was nearly a second better than his performance 12 months ago.
Heat 6, the first of the circle seed, saw a no-show from Lane 1’s Dylan Felt, but the action was in the middle of the pool as the #3 seed, Kieran Smith, won the heat in 1:46.05. Smith, who at Short Course Worlds helped set the World record in the 4×200, was out in 51.38, trailed fellow relay member Carson Foster, who flipped in 51.22. A little way back at 51.56 was Henry McFadden. After a strong finish in the 100 last night, McFadden, swimming out lane 2, pounced on the back half, closing in 54.57, and passed Foster in the last few meters to finish in 1:46.13, taking 2nd by just .05.
With three swimmers under 1:46.50, and Aaron Shackell sitting at 1:46.50, the 2nd to last heat was under pressure to perform. US Olympian Chris Guiliano was out in 51.42, leading Daniel Diehl by just .03. However, the early speed of the heat started to waiver as Guiliano closed in 54.78 to finish in 1:46.20, .82 off his seed and more worryingly just the 4th fastest in the field with one heat remaining. Diehl held off a late charge from Jake Mitchell to outtouch him for second by .17 as the NC State swimmer stopped the clock in 1:46.70.
Whelp, that certainly woke up the building. Olympic bronze medalist and top seed Luke Hobson attacked the race from the get-go, taking an early lead and never looking back. Out in 50.29, Hobson had a slight edge on fellow Olympian Brooks Curry, who was 50.60 at the 100 turn. The only two under 51.00 at the halfway point, the pair seemed to be in control of the race, but whereas Hobson kept up his speed, coming home in 26.73/27.76, Curry couldn’t and paid for his early speed by closing in 28.54 to finish in 1:46.33.
Hobson stopped the clock in 1:44.78, .01 ahead of his personal best and bronze medal-winning performance from Paris. While he was the only sub-1:45 swimmer, heat 8 did not lack the speed as the next three fastest finishers all came from the same heat. His training partner, Rex Maurer, caught Curry on the last 50 and looked to be good for second, but Cal Gabe Jett dropped a 26.86 last 50, making up more than half a second on Maurer to tie with him at 1:45.46. While Jett’s last 50 was impressive, it was nothing compared to 16-year-old Luka Mijatovic, whose 26.63 brought the swimmer from 7th at the 150 into 4th place. His final time of 1:45.92, erasing the old NAG Record.
2024-2025 LCM Men 200 Free
LukasGER Märtens05/031:44.252LukeHOBSONUSA1:44.7806/043Hwang SunwooKOR1:45.0310/154DavidPOPOVICIROU1:45.0704/105JamesGUYGBR1:45.0804/20View Top 26»WOMEN’S 200 Breaststroke- Prelims
World Record: 2:17.55 – Evgeniia Chikunova, Russia (2023) American Record: 2:19.24 – Kate Douglass (2024) U.S. Open Record: 2:19.24 – Kate Douglass (2024) 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials Winner: Kate Douglass – 2:19.46 World Aquatics ‘A’ Cut: 2:25.91Top 8
Kate Douglass (NYAC) – 2:23.32 Alex Walsh (NYAC) – 2:26.24 Katie Christopherson (SA) – 2:26.96 Leah Hayes (CA) – 2:27.62 Emma Weber (CA) – 2:28.14 Kayda Geyer (MSA) – 2:28.79 Abigail Herscu (CAL) – 2:28.89 Lucy Bell (ALTO) – 2:29.06After finishing 37th at NCAA in the 200 breaststroke, UVA’s Katie Christopherson shook off that disappointment as the 9th seed dropped a massive new PB in the 200 breast to win the first of the circle-seeded heats. Out in 1:11.58, the SwimAtlanta product closed in 1:15.38 to stop the clock in 2:26.96, taking over as the top time of the morning. Christopherson, who only swam the 100 breast at trial last year, sliced 2.09 off her seed, with her time representing her first best in the event since 2022. Taking 2nd behind her was her UVA teammate, Leah Hayes. The 3rd seed, Hayes, was .22 back at the 100 turn and couldn’t close the gap, finishing in 2:27.62, just .02 off her seed.
Their teammate and the #2 seed Alex Walsh was out a little faster as she opened in 1:10.45. The NCAA champion in the 100 breaststroke, ;2Walsh entered the meet with a seed time of 2:22.38 courtesy of her 3rd place finish at Trials last summer. Walsh, who at this point had clear water to both the left and right of her, backed off her early pace and closed in 1:15.79 to overtake Christopherson as the top seed, as she stopped the clock in 2:26.24, with Abigail Herscu the next closest finisher in the heat as the Cal Bear stopped the clock in 2:28.89.
While half the field in the men’s 200 free train in Texas, Olympic Gold Medalists Kate Douglass and Emma Weber overtook that stat as they made it five UVA-based swimmers in the A-Final of the 200 breaststroke. In fact, the pair’s results made it so that the top five swimmers all train in Charlottesville as Kate Douglass overtook Walsh’s top time and Weber slotted into 5th behind Hayes. It was a controlled swim for the Olympic champion, as she was out in 1:09.50, the only sub-1:10 split, but started to slow things down, hitting the wall in 2:23.32. For Weber, the runner-up last year in the 100 breast, her time of 2:28.14 was a .68 drop from her seed.
NCAA champion Lucy Bell took things out a little slower, opening in 1:12.46, but used a strong last 100 to secure a spot in the A-final as her 2:29.06, while 1.34 off her seed time was good enough for 8th.
Men’s 200 Breaststroke – Prelims
World Record: 2:05.48 – Qin Haiyang, CHN (2023) American Record: 2:06.54 – Matt Fallon (2024) U.S. Open Record: 2:06.54 – Matt Fallon (2024) 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials Champion: Matt Fallon – 2:06.54 World Aquatics ‘A’ Cut: 2:10.32Top 8
AJ Pouch (PRVT) – 2:08.96 Gabe Nunziata (ODAC) – 2:10.22 Ben Delmar (NCAC) -2:10.39 Josh Matheny (ISC) – 2:10.61 Josh Bey (HHSC) – 2:11.78 Jassen Yep (ISC) – 2:12.18 Campbell McKean (BEND) – 2:12.36 Andy Dobrzanski (SUN) – 2:13.09A lot of new faces appear in the 200 breaststroke field, which shows as the first four heats where all swimmers entered with yards times. The early leader from those heats was Kyle Bumgardner, whose 2:15.23 from lane 1 of heat 4 was a PB by nearly two seconds. The Cincinnati Bearcat’s time didn’t last long atop the leaderboard, however, as Heat 5 saw three swimmers surpass him.
Foremost among them was future Texas Longhorn Campbell McKean. A soon-to-be first-year McKean, who hails from Oregon, was out in a swift 1:03.34 but trailed Will Sholtz for over half a second as his future teammate was out in 1:02.71. McKean made his move, and on the 3rd 50, he out split Sholtz by over a second, and never looking back, McKean sliced 4.49 off his seed time to take the heat win in 2:12.36.
Heat 6, the first of the circle-seeded heats, saw two swimmers surpass McKean, as Ben Delmar and Josh Bey stopped the clock at 2:10.39 and 2:11.78, respectively. Delmar, the 6th seed, was out fastest in 1:02.62 and continued to build his lead over Bey as the North Carolina-based swimmer closed in 1:07.77 to drop 1.44 from his seed and record a new best. Bey, the 3rd seed overall, could track down Delmar and finished with a last 100 split of 1:08.54 to add about 3/4 of a second to his seed.
Much like in the previous heat, it was lane 5 who got the win as the teenager Gabe Nunziata stopped the clock in 2:10.22. A drop of 1.56 from his seed Nunziata’s time not only overtook Delmar’s atop the leaderboard but also clocked in as the 3rd fastest in the 17-18 age group. Nunziata trailed the #2 seed Josh Matheny, 1:02.88 to 1:02.61 at the 100, but his 33.83 last 50 easily outpaced the 34.39 from Matheny and ensured the win.
AJ Pouch showed why he was the one to beat as he easily won the last heat of the event. Last year’s 3rd place finisher, Pouch, opened up in a swift 1:01.91 and never looked back. The former Virginia Tech Hokie, Pouch who finished 6th at Short Course Worlds this past December closed in 1:07.05 to stop the clock in 2:08.96, his third fastest time ever. With the win, Pouch vaulted himself up into 8th in the world rankings.
WOMEN’S 200 Backstroke – Prelims
World Record: 2:03.14 – Kaylee McKeown, AUS (2023) American Record: 2:03.35 – Regan Smith (2019) U.S. Open Record: 2:03.80 – Regan Smith (2023) 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials Winner: Regan Smith – 2:05.16 World Aquatics ‘A’ Cut: 2:11.08Top 8
Charlotte Crush (LAK) -2:07.05 Leah Shackley (WOLF) – 2:07.12 Phoebe Bacon (WISC) – 2:07.27 Regan Smith (TXLA) – 2:08.00 Kennedy Noble (WOLF) – 2:08.33 Teagan O’Dell (PLS) – 2:08.57 Claire Curzan (TAC) – 2:08.63 Rhyan White (WOLF) – 2:08.85Up through the start of the circle-seeded heats, it was home crowd favorite Mya Dewitt who led the rankings. An Indiana native and IU swimmer, Dewitt used a strong backhalf to take heat 4 in a time of 2:11.56, a nearly two-second drop from her PB of 2:13.26, which dates back to the 2023 US Open.
Heat 5 saw a brave and inspired swim from lane 2’s Catie Choate. The Florida Gator and 16th seed was out in the only sub-1:03 in her heat as she flipped in 1:02.89. However, National Team veterans Claire Curzan and Rhyan White used their experience to reel her in and passed the early leader to finish 1-2 in the first of the circle-seeded heats. Curzan got the slight edge as she stopped the clock in 2:08.63, with White not far behind at 2:08.85. Choate held on to place 3rd overall as she dipped under 2:10 for the first time as she stopped the clock in 2:09.32.
If heat 5 was a tactical affair, heat 6 brought the speed as it saw three swimmers overtake Curzan’s time. Kennedy Noble, who trains with White, opened up with a slight lead as the first swimmer to flip in sub-30 (29.94). With Phoebe Bacon (30.01) and Leah Shackley (30.04) close behind, however, no lead was safe as Bacon flipped first at the 100 (1:02.18). Noble and Shackley, back by less than .2 at the halfway point, kept up the pressure on Bacon and Shackley, who negative split her last 100, going 32.44 and 32.31, past the two-time Olympian to take the win in 2:07.12, .15 ahead of Bacon.
May have typed too soon, as Charlotte Crush certainly had something to say about the speed from Heat 6. The 11th seed and a rising high school senior from Florida, Crush “crushed” the opening stages of the race, splitting 29.72 at the 50 and 1:01.70 at the 100. A Tennessee commit, Crush never looked back as she closed in 32.57/32.78 to take over the top time as she hit the wall in 2:07.05, slicing 2.66 seconds off her nearly two-year-old PB. It’s a bit of an odd statement to say, but Crush’s early speed was the deciding factor as it gave her enough of a lead to hold off Olympic Silver medalist and American record holder Regan Smith.
Smith, who booked her ticket to Singapore in the 200 fly last night, was out in 1:03.03 but employing a 32.82 3rd 50 and an outstanding 32.15 last 50 closed the gap to come with a second of Crush as she stopped the clock in 2:08.00 to qualify into tonight as the 4th seed.
MEN’S 200 Backstroke- Prelims
World Record: 1:51.92 – Aaron Peirsol, USA (2009) American Record: 1:51.92 – Aaron Peirsol (2009) U.S. Open Record: 1:53.08 – Aaron Piersol (2009) 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials Winner: Ryan Murphy – 1:54.33 World Aquatics ‘A’ Cut: 1:58.07Top 8
Jack Aikins (SA) – 1:55.49 Daniel Diehl (WOLF) – 1:57.12 Tommy Hagar (BAMA) – 1:57.23 Michael Hochwalt (SUN) – 1:57.25 Keaton Jones (CAL) – 1:57.73 David King (CA) – 1:57.78 J T Ewing (SUN) – 1:58.16 Caleb Maldari (FLOR) – 1:58.21Up through the start of the circle-seeded heats, the early lead belonged to SMU’s Jack Berube. The 34th seed entered with a yards time; Berube won heat 2 with a 1:59.25, a massive new PB as his previous best from just last month was 2:03.51.
A tight race in the first of the circle-seeded heats saw Alabama’s Tommy Hagar stand atop the leaderboard. Notre Dame’s Tommy Janton had the early lead as he opened in 55.91 with Hagar nearly a second back at 56.82. But the Crimson Tide swimmer used some strong turns and a great backhalf to go 29.86 and 30.55 on the backhalf to go over the top of Janton, who was 30.76 and 31.72 over the same interval. Hagar hit the wall in 1:57.23, a drop of over half a second for the #6 seed. Janton just barely held off a fast-charging Gavin Keogh, who, despite being 57.54 at the 100, closed on Janton to finish just .01 back at 1:58.40.
Heat 5 saw both the 5th seed Kieran Smith and 21st seed Luke Ellis not compete, but that didn’t seem to bother Jack Aikins. The #2 seed, Aikins, with clean water to one side was out in 56.14, a little slower than Janton, but a 200 specialist, Aikins, held sub-30s throughout the race, closing in 29.78 and 29.57 (59.35) to stop the clock in 1:55.49. While .71 off his seed, the time skyrockets, Aikins into the 2nd spot in the world, trailing only Apostolos Siskos.
2024-2025 LCM Men 200 Back
ApostolosGRESISKOS05/181:54.662JackAIKINSUSA1:55.4906/043HubertKOSHUN1:55.5005/164Oliver MorganGBR1:55.5504/205RomanMITYUKOVSUI1:55.6404/05View Top 26»While Aikins held sway over his heat, the last heat saw multiple lead changes. Daniel Diehl of Wolfpack Elite opened up in 57.14 to lead top-seeded Keaton Jones (57.36) and David King (57.37). King was .4 seconds faster on the 3rd 50 and flipped in front with just a 50 left, but his ACC rival Diehl powered through with a strong last 50 of 29.33 to take the heat win in 1:57.12 and earn lane 5 tonight. Michael Hochwalt, who was over nearly a second back at the 100 (58.10) dropped the only sub-29 last 50 in the field (28.81) to surge past King and Jones and take 2nd in the heat overall and is 4th into tonight’s final.
Of note, the #32 seed Destin Lasco, the NCAA runner-up in the event was a N0-show.
Women’s 50 Butterfly – Prelims
World Record: 24.43 – Sarah Sjöström, Sweden (2014) American Record: 24.93 – Gretchen Walsh (2025) U.S. Open Record: 24.93 – Gretchen Walsh (2025) 2023 U.S. National Champion: Gretchen Walsh – 25.11 World Aquatics ‘A’ Cut: 26.23Top 8
Gretchen Walsh (NYAC) – 24.98 Kate Douglass (NYAC) – 25.59 Brady Kendall (MICH) – 25.90 Mena Boardman (CS) – 26.29 Caroline Larsen (UOFL) – 26.48 Ella Welch (UOFL) – 26.52 Leah Shackley (UOFL) – 26.59 Beata Nelson (WISC) – 26.68Well, the speed of the event was too much to do heat-by-heat recaps, as Gretchen Walsh‘s blistering 24.98 leads the way. The American record holder in the event, Walsh, was just .05 off her time from the Fort Lauderdale Pro Swim Series. Her time this morning was not without note as not only did it mark her 2nd time under the 25.00 barrier, but it also rewrote the championship record of 25.11 that she set in this same pool back in 2023.
Walsh’s performance this morning easily leads the field as she stands .61 ahead of the next nearest swimmer, her training partner, Kate Douglass. Such is the versatility of Douglass that in addition to being the 2nd seed in this event, she is the top seed in the 200 breaststroke final. While Douglass had two swims this morning, so too did Leah Shackley and Charlotte Crush. Shackley, the #2 seed in tonight’s 200-back final, touched exactly one second behind Douglass in heat 5 to take 2nd place with a time of 26.59, making it two back-to-back finals for the NC State swimmer. Crush, the top seed in the 200 back, fell just short of achieving the same accolade as her 26.73 placed her 9th overall. .05 back of Beata Nelson‘s 26.68.
Olympic Champion in the 100 fly, Torri Huske opted not to race, no-showing, likely to best prepare for the finals of the 200 free, where she is 5th seed. Taking the most of her absence was Mena Boardman. The 21st seed and Texas commit from Oregon jumped all the way up to the 4th seed to trail only Walsh, Douglass, and Brady Kendall, whose 25.90 appears to be a new PB by over a second.
MEN’S 50 Butterfly- Prelims
World Record: 22.27 – Andriy Govorov, UKR (2018) American Record: 22.35 – Caeleb Dressel (2022) U.S. Open Record: 22.84 – Caeleb Dressel, USA (2022) 2023 U.S. National Champion: Michael Andrew – 23.11 World Aquatics ‘A’ Cut: 23.36Top 8
Shaine Casas (TXLA) – 23.10 Dare Rose (CAL) – 23.12 Michael Andrew (SUN) – 23.34 PJ Foy (NCAC) – 23.48 Will Hayon (VT) – 23.58 Thomas Heilman (CA) – 23.61 Jonny Kulow (SUN) – 23.74 Kamal Muhammad (SPAC) – 23.84It will be interesting to see how this event (and others) changes in the lead-up to the Olympics as more swimmers begin to target and train the 50s of stroke, but before we get to that, we have to see how tonight’s final plays out.
With just .02 separating the top two seeds its likely going to come down to who can master the little things tonight, as any letdown in the start, breakout or finish could spell doom. Shaine Casas, who is on the bubble of making the team, as his 6th-place finish in the 100 free is not a guarantee, will occupy lane 4 tonight courtesy of his 23.10 performance this morning. Casas was the only swimmer who entered with a 50 time, using his 23.25 from the Fort Lauderdale PSS. Casas, who before this morning had a PB of 23.22, reset that mark in heat 7 this morning beating out Luca Urlando, the #4 seed, whose 23.85 left him on the outside looking in, just .01 off 8th place.
With all but one entrant using 100 times, there were bound to be some big jumps. Of the eight finalists, PJ Foy made the biggest move from seed as he entered the event seeded 30th using a 100-yard fly time, but now the 16th place finisher at NCAA for UNC finds himself as 4th seed in tonight’s final trailing only Casas, Dare Rose and Michael Andrew.
Two heats before Casas swam, Dare Rose posted the fastest time of the morning as he stopped the clock in 23.12. Rose was the US’s highest-placed finisher in the event at the 2023 Worlds in Fukuoka as he finished 6th in the final with a time of 23.01, but the Cal Bear owns a PB of 22.79 from the semifinals of that same meet, so he could pose a threat to Casas hold on the event.
So, too, can Michael Andrew. Andrew, a long-time 50 specialist, is the 3rd seed into tonight’s final as he won heat 6 in 23.34. Andrew missed making the 2023 Worlds team due to the selection procedures being different, but with the event now becoming an Olympic event, Andrew’s chance have improved. The now ASU-based swimmer, too, owns a PB of 22.79, which ties him with Rose as the 15th fastest swimmer in the world.
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