\t\t\t\t\t2026 U.S. National Championships<\/p>\n
Day 1 Finals Prelims Heat Sheet<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Outside of the swimming world, it\u2019s been a pretty slow couple of days for professional sports. But swim fans have a bounty of riches because not only are the Commonwealth Games on, but today the 2026 U.S. Nationals began, meaning that you could have watched almost 24 hours of swimming.<\/p>\n Whether you got up early or stayed up late, welcome to the first night of finals at the 2026 U.S. National Championships in Irvine, California. Tonight, we\u2019ll see finals of the 200 butterfly and 100 freestyle, along with the fastest heats of the women\u2019s 800 freestyle and men\u2019s 1500 freestyle.<\/p>\n The men\u2019s 100 freestyle was the highlight of the morning session. Four swimmers broke 48 seconds in the heats, led by\u00a0Brooks Curry<\/strong><\/a><\/strong>\u2018s 47.56, which was just off his lifetime best.\u00a0Patrick Sammon<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>(47.83),\u00a0Maximus Williamson<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>(47.93), and\u00a0Caeleb Dressel<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>(47.98) all joined Curry under the 48-second threshold. Dressel\u2019s time was significant as it marked his first sub-48 second outing since the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials, while Williamson\u2019s time broke his three-year old lifetime best. With these four in the middle of the pool, there should be fireworks again in the final.<\/p>\n American record holder\u00a0Anna Moesch<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>cruised to the top time of the morning in the women\u2019s 100 freestyle (53.10). She\u2019ll be surrounded by a field filled with fellow NCAA swimmers, including\u00a0Camille Spink<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>(53.26) and\u00a0Liberty Clark<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>(53.46). World junior record holder\u00a0Rylee Erisman<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>is the lone swimmer in the \u2018A\u2019 final who has yet to suit up for her collegiate team. She\u2019s seeded fourth with a 53.62, rounding out the group that broke 54 seconds this morning.<\/p>\n The top six swimmers in the women\u2019s 200 butterfly this morning are all within a second of each other.\u00a0Bella Sims<\/strong><\/a> <\/strong>leads after clocking a 2:08.39 lifetime best, putting her slightly ahead of Lindsay Looney<\/strong><\/a> <\/strong>(2:08.53) and Audrey Derivaux<\/a> <\/strong>(2:08.68). Derivaux is aiming for a Junior Pan Pacs berth so we\u2019ll see her in the 18&under final this evening, which will likely give her clear water but does take some of the firepower out of the \u2018A\u2019 final.<\/p>\n The men\u2019s 200 butterfly heats were a competitive affair as well.\u00a0Jack Dahlgren<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>ran down former world champion\u00a0Luca Urlando<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>in the last heat to earn lane four with a 1:55.16. The men\u2019s side is an even closer affair than the women\u2019s 200 fly was this morning; Dahlgren is seeded first with a 1:55.16 and\u00a0Logan Robinson<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>secured lane eight in 1:55.95. With the likes of Urlando,\u00a0Ilya Kharun<\/strong><\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0Tyler Ray<\/a><\/strong>, and\u00a0Mitchell Schott<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>in the mix, it feels like the win could come from anywhere in the pool.<\/p>\n WOMEN\u2019S 200 FLY \u2013 Finals<\/p>\n Final:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n The women\u2019s 200 butterfly has been full of surprises for years now on the national scene. We got another surprise in the event tonight, as Michigan\u2019s\u00a0Hannah Bellard<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>swam her second lifetime best of the day for the win.<\/p>\n Bellard led the open championship final from start to finish. She was out in 1:00.09 at the halfway point, about four-tenths ahead of Tennessee\u2019s\u00a0Emily Brown<\/a><\/strong>. Bellard maintained her lead with a 33.21\/33.56 back-half, stopping the clock for her national title in 2:06.86. The time ranks her sixth in the world in the event this season, just ahead of Australia\u2019s\u00a0Brittany Castelluzzo\u00a0<\/strong>(2:06.95) from the Australian Trials.<\/p>\n Bellard came into the day with a lifetime best of 2:09.92 from 2023. She undercut that with a 2:08.95 in prelims. That means she dropped 3.06 seconds over the course of the day.<\/p>\n Bella Sims<\/strong><\/a><\/strong>, the top seed from this morning, was running fourth for the first 150 meters. She found another gear down the final stretch, splitting a field-best 32.89 over the final 50 meters to go from fourth to second at the touch. Her swim marked her second lifetime best of the day as well, improving on the 2:08.39 she swam in prelims.<\/p>\n Audrey Derivaux<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>punched her ticket to the 2026 Junior Pan Pacific Championships by winning the girls\u2019 18& under 200 butterfly final. Derivaux was in control the whole time but used the third 50 meters to really put distance between herself and the rest of the field. She touched in 2:07.86, just off the 2:07.41 season-best she swam at the AP Race International Meet in May.\u00a0 Zara Kocak\u00a0<\/strong>swam a 2:10.07 to narrowly snag second-place and will likely be confirmed to the Junior Pan Pac team as a Priority #3 swimmer later.<\/p>\n MEN\u2019S 200 FLY \u2013 Finals<\/p>\n Final:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Logan Robinson<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>grabbed the early lead in the men\u2019s 200 butterfly championship final, kicking off with a 25.11 opening split. Urlando took over at the 100-meter mark with a 53.97 split ahead of\u00a0Jack Dahlgren<\/a><\/strong>\u2018s 54.54.<\/p>\n Urlando and Dahlgren were still in first and second at the final turn. Urlando looked like he was in a strong position, but began to tighten up down the stretch. Meanwhile,\u00a0Ilya Kharun<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>was charging. After turning at the 150-meter mark in 7th place, he fired off a 29.49 final 50 split. That was nearly enough to catch Urlando, but the world champion dug in and held off the Paris Olympic bronze medalist, 1:54.45 to 1:54.59. Those are season-bests for both of them, and make them the third and fourth fastest in the world this season.<\/p>\n Enzo Solitario<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>swam his second lifetime best of the day to sneak into third. His 1:54.99 marks his first sub-1:55 outing of his career. He came into the meet with a 1:57.17 lifetime best, which he\u2019d brought down to 1:55.45 in prelims.<\/p>\n The boys\u2019 18 & under 200 butterfly final was a close one. It was a three person race coming out of the final turn.\u00a0Ewan Dalrymple\u00a0<\/strong>got his hands on the wall first with a personal best 1:56.56 to secure his spot on the Junior Pan Pacs roster. David Sammons\u00a0<\/strong>grabbed second in 1:57.14.<\/p>\n WOMEN\u2019S 100 FREE \u2013 Finals<\/p>\n Final:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n The women\u2019s 100 freestyle championship final was all about\u00a0Anna Moesch<\/a><\/strong>. The Virginia star came into the meet as the heavy favorite after her breakthrough swim at the AP Race International Meet, where she broke the American record with a 51.94.<\/p>\n She reset the American record for the second time this season in tonight\u2019s final, powering to a 51.88 that improves her standing as the third-fastest woman in event history. Moesch was out under her record pace, splitting a 25.07 to her feet at the halfway point. That put her more than a half-second ahead of the field, as\u00a0Camille Spink<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>turned second in 25.60.<\/p>\n Moesch continued to put distance between herself and the field on the second 50 meters. Her 26.81 split also kept her ahead of her own record pace; 51.88 shaves six-hundredths off her time from May.<\/p>\n Top 3 Performers, Women\u2019s 100 Freestyle (LCM)<\/strong><\/p>\n Rylee Erisman<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>grabbed second in the final with a 52.92. The time is just off her lifetime best of 52.79 from last season. Meanwhile,\u00a0Liberty Clark<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>moves into the top-10 among American women with a 52.97 PB. She swam a 53.46 lifetime best in prelims this morning after arriving in Irvine with a 53.51 best from last month. In the last 12 months, she\u2019s improved her best from the 54.41 she swam at last year\u2019s Junior National Championships.<\/p>\n Gabi Britto\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Aria Grossenbach\u00a0<\/strong>tied for the win in the girls\u2019 18 & under final. They both stopped the clock in 54.85. Priority #1 for selecting the Junior Pan Pacs roster is the top two finishers in the 100\/200 freestyle events, so there\u2019s no need for a swim-off and both will be confirmed to the team.<\/p>\n MEN\u2019S 100 FREE \u2013 Finals<\/p>\n Final:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n The prelims heats promised an action packed final, and the swimmers in the men\u2019s 100 freestyle final delivered.\u00a0Brooks Curry<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>narrowly missed his lifetime best this morning and he attacked the race tonight. He split a 22.26 on the opening 50 meters, turning under American record pace and getting the fans hyped for the potential of two American records in back-to-back championship finals.<\/p>\n The final could not hold onto\u00a0Jack Alexy<\/strong>\u2018s American record pace, but it was still an exciting race as Curry,\u00a0Caeleb Dressel<\/strong><\/a><\/strong>, and\u00a0Patrick Sammon<\/a><\/strong> stormed to the wall. It was Dressel who got his hand on the wall first, stopping the clock with a 47.70. His time this morning was his best since the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials and he did even better tonight, dropping .28 seconds from his prelims swim.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been a long time since I\u2019ve seen a one next to my name,\u201d he said after the race. \u201cIt feels like freshman year again,\u201d he continued as he spoke about the journey that he\u2019s been on in the sport over the past five years.<\/p>\n Curry got his hand on the wall for second in 47.81, a few tenths off his morning swim. He touched .06 seconds ahead of Sammon. These three along with\u00a0Maximus Williamson<\/strong><\/a><\/strong>, made up the quartet of swimmers sub-48 seconds this morning. All four got back under that threshold in the final, with Williamson swimming 47.99. The 47.93 he swam in prelims was a lifetime best.<\/p>\n Cal\u2019s Jordan Ragland<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>won the 18 & under final in 49.19 ahead of a tie for second between\u00a0Micah Tennison\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Mike Rice\u00a0<\/strong>(49.53).<\/p>\n Women\u2019s 800 Free \u2014 Fastest Heat<\/p>\n Final:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Texas\u2019 Kate Hurst<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>pulled away from the fastest heat of the women\u2019s 800 freestyle to win the national title. In a final heat crowded with NCAA swimmers, Hurst got the better of them with an 8:28.33. The swim is a lifetime best for Hurst, bettering the 8:28.92 she swam at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials.<\/p>\n Nebraska\u2019s\u00a0Gena Jorgenson<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>swam a lifetime best as well, grabbing second with an 8:31.18. She was in a close battle with\u00a0Brinkleigh Hansen\u00a0<\/strong>for much of the final heat, but was able to pull away from her in the final laps. Her swim betters her previous lifetime best of 8:32.01 which she swam about a month ago.<\/p>\n Sydney Schoeck<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>finished third overall with a 8:32.44. There was no separate 18 & under event but as the top placed junior swimmer, Schoeck, a Texas commit, earned the title of junior national champion and a spot on the junior Pan Pacific roster. Shoeck\u2019s swim cut 4.84 seconds off her lifetime best (also a month old).<\/p>\n Men\u2019s 1500 Free \u2014 Fastest Heat<\/p>\n Final:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
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