\t\t\t\t\t2026 PAN PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS<\/p>\n
Day 1 Finals Heat Sheet<\/a><\/p>\n Welcome to the first finals session of the 2026 Pan Pacific Championships!<\/p>\n The prelims session already saw a number of Championship records fall, and there are likely more to come in tonight\u2019s finals session along with a few potential world records.<\/p>\n The women\u2019s 50 fly will see Gretchen Walsh<\/strong><\/a><\/strong> as the top seed in 24.91 by just eight hundredths over Virginia teammate Kate Douglass<\/strong><\/a><\/strong>\u2018s 24.99 in 2nd. The two have been setting American and world records left and right this season, and Walsh could seriously challenge the 50 fly world record tonight.<\/p>\n In the men\u2019s 50 fly, Ben Armbruster<\/a><\/strong> is the top seed, also with a Championship record by four hundredths over Brazil\u2019s Gui Caribe<\/a>. <\/strong>Americans Van Mathias<\/a><\/strong> and Michael Andrew<\/strong><\/a><\/strong> were also within a tenth of Armbruster in prelims and the win could go to any of the four.<\/p>\n The women\u2019s 200 freestyle prelims were very close and favorite Summer McIntosh<\/strong><\/a><\/strong> qualified 4th overall and will be swimming in lane six tonight. She sits behind Australian Lani Pallister<\/strong><\/a><\/strong>, New Zealand\u2019s Erika Fairweather<\/a><\/strong>, and American Anna Peplowski<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n Luke Hobson<\/strong><\/a><\/strong> picked up the 3rd Championship record of the prelims session in the men\u2019s 200 freestyle, stopping the clock in 1:44.31 to earn the top seed by seven tenths over Gabriel Jett<\/strong><\/a>\u2018<\/strong>s 1:45.04.<\/p>\n In the women\u2019s 100 backstroke, Regan Smith<\/strong><\/a><\/strong> unsurprisingly picked up the top seed in a new meet record of 57.86. She was the only swimmer sub-58 and she will be the heavy favorite to win tonight, potentially in a new world record.<\/p>\n Canada\u2019s Blake Tierney<\/a><\/strong> and American Will Modglin<\/a><\/strong> were very close in the men\u2019s 100 backstroke prelims with Tierney earning the top seed in 53.13, four hundredths over Modglin\u2019s 53.17 in 2nd.<\/p>\n The Americans dominated the women\u2019s 200 fly prelims with Alex Shackell<\/strong><\/a><\/strong> and Tess Howley<\/a><\/strong> earning the top seeds in 2:06.68 and 2:07.13. Brittany Castelluzzo<\/a> will be the next seeded swimmer in the final after she swam 2:09.27 in prelims.<\/p>\n Luca Urlando<\/strong><\/a><\/strong> led the men\u2019s 200 fly prelims in 1:54.13, six tenths ahead of fellow American Carson Foster<\/strong><\/a> and seven tenths ahead of Australian Harrison Turner<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n The men\u2019s 800 freestyle is a timed final event, but it will see Sam Short<\/strong><\/a><\/strong> and Bobby Finke<\/strong><\/a><\/strong> race for the first time this meet as the only two favorites to win.<\/p>\n Katie Ledecky<\/strong><\/a><\/strong> is the top seed in the women\u2019s 1500 free, and while she has some races this week that could, and likely will, go to somebody else, this is not one of them. Ledecky is the heavy favorite, and she has been nipping at her 2018 world record all season.<\/p>\n The final event of the session will be the mixed 4\u00d7100 medley relay where Australia and the United States will be battling for the gold, but the full-strength United States will probably win and could break their own world record.<\/p>\n WOMEN\u2019S 50 BUTTERFLY \u2013 Finals<\/p>\n Top 8 Finishers<\/p>\n Gretchen Walsh<\/strong><\/a> picked up her 2nd championship record in as many races in the women\u2019s 50 fly final, stopping the clock in 24.65 to take a little under three tenths off her prelims record time of 24.91.<\/p>\n Walsh was a little more than a tenth off her lifetime best, American Record, and U.S. Open record time of 24.51 from the United States Nationals at the end of August, but her swim was still faster than anyone else in the world has been this season.<\/p>\n Fellow American Kate Douglass<\/strong><\/a> finished 2nd in 25.06, slightly off her prelims best time of 24.99. Her swim was just one hundredth slower than Sarah Sjostrom<\/strong><\/a> swam on the other side of the world to win the European Championships title earlier today.<\/p>\n Canada\u2019s Taylor Ruck<\/strong><\/a> took 3rd in a massive new Canadian Record time of 25.23. She took four tenths off the 25.61 mark she set in the prelims, which was a tenth faster than her pre-meet best of 25.71 from last summer\u2019s World Championships.<\/p>\n The \u2018B\u2019 final went to New Zealand\u2019s Hazel Ouwehand<\/a> in 26.13, seven hundredths ahead of American Torri Huske<\/strong><\/a>, who stopped the clock in 26.20. OUwehand has a lifetime best of 25.43 while Huske has been 25.33.<\/p>\n MEN\u2019S 50 BUTTERFLY \u2013 Finals<\/p>\n Top 8 Finishers<\/p>\n Ben Armbruster<\/a><\/strong> picked up Australia\u2019s first medal of the meet, swimming 22.75 to set the top time in the men\u2019s 50 butterfly and take down his own meet record of 22.92 from prelims.<\/p>\n Armbruster\u2019s time was just two hundredths off the Australian record of 22.73, which he holds in a three-way tie with Kyle Chalmers<\/strong><\/a> and Matt Targett<\/a>.<\/p>\n American Van Mathias<\/a><\/strong> took 2nd in 22.84, a three hundredth drop from the 22.87 mark he set in June.<\/p>\n Brazil\u2019s Gui Caribe<\/a><\/strong> finished 3rd in 22.88, a three hundredth drop from the 22.91 he swam to finish 7th in the 50 fly final at last summer\u2019s World Championships.<\/p>\n American Santo Condorelli<\/strong><\/a><\/strong> won the \u2018B\u2019 final in 23.03, which would have been 6th in the \u2018A\u2019 final, but would still have been the 3rd fastest American behind Mathias and Michael Andrew<\/strong><\/a>,<\/strong> who finished 4th in 22.99<\/p>\n WOMEN\u2019S 200 FREESTYLE \u2013 Finals<\/p>\n Top 8 Finishers<\/p>\n Lani Pallister<\/strong><\/a> had a monster swim in the women\u2019s 200 freestyle, swimming 1:53.67, coming just two hundredths off her lifetime best of 1:53.65 which she set at the Australian Trials in June.<\/p>\n Pallister took the lead early, splitting 26.71 to sit four hundredths ahead of Summer McIntosh<\/strong><\/a>\u2018s 26.75 in 2nd place.<\/p>\n McIntosh briefly took over the lead at the 100 mark , swimming 28.63 on the 2nd 50 to turn in 55.38. Pallister split 28.79 to flip in 55.50, a little over a tenth back.<\/p>\n Pallister moved back into the lead at the 150 mark, swimming 29.34 to turn in 1:24.84 just under a tenth ahead of McIntosh\u2019s 1:24.93 (29.55). On the final 50, Pallister swam 28.83, the fastest in the field, to grab the win over McIntosh, who split 28.93 to finish 2nd in 1:53.86.<\/p>\n McIntosh added two tenths from her best of 1:53.65, which she set in July of 2023.<\/p>\n New Zealand\u2019s Erika Fairweather<\/a><\/strong> stopped the clock in 1:55.05, a new National record time by one hundredth from the 1:55.06 she swam in May of 2026.<\/p>\n Australia\u2019s Inez Miller<\/a> won the \u2018B\u2019 final in a massive lifetime best of 1:55.60. This swim took almost a second off her previous best of 1:56.41 from the Australian Trials.<\/p>\n MEN\u2019S 200 FREESTYLE \u2013 Finals<\/p>\n Top 8 Finishers<\/p>\n Luke Hobson<\/strong><\/a> picked up the 4th meet record of the session, swimming 1:43.85 in the men\u2019s 200 freestyle to set the top time by a tenth over Gabriel Jett<\/strong><\/a>\u2018s massive 1:43.96 lifetime best.<\/p>\n Hobson got out fast, turning exactly tied with world record pace at the 100 mark. He swam 23.90\/25.22 over the first two 59s to turn in 50.12, four tenths ahead of China\u2019s Zhang Zhanshou<\/a><\/strong> who swam 50.51 (24.18\/26.34) to turn in 2nd. Jett swam 24.66\/26.19 to turn 4th in 50.85.<\/p>\n On the 3rd 50, Hobson fell off the pace a bit, splitting 26.64. Jett moved into 2nd after he split 26.69 and Zhang dropped to 3rd with his 27.10 split.<\/p>\n The final 50 saw Jett nearly catch Jobson, splitting a monster 26.42, but he fell just shy of Hobson\u2019s 27.09 for the win.<\/p>\n Hobson\u2019s lifetime best is 1:43.73 from the 2025 U.S. Nationals, while Jett took almost a full second off his previous best of 1:44.70 from the same meet. He becomes just the 8th man in history to break 1:44.<\/p>\n Zhang finished 3rd in 1:44.89 after splitting 26.97 on the final 50. HIs lifetime best stands at 1:44.53 from the China Open in March.<\/p>\n The United States\u2019 Aaron Shackell<\/strong><\/a><\/strong> won the \u2018B\u2019 final in 1:45.63, which would have been 5th in the top eight.<\/p>\n WOMEN\u2019S 100 BACKSTROKE \u2013 Finals<\/p>\n Top 8 Finishers<\/p>\n The women\u2019s 100 backstroke was the first race of the session where there was not a new meet record set. Katharine Berkoff<\/strong><\/a><\/strong> won the event in 57.93, about seven hundredths off Regan Smith<\/strong><\/a>\u2018s prelims record time of 57.86.<\/p>\n Berkoff started the race in 2nd, turning in 28.31 to sit about three hundredths behind Taylor Ruck<\/strong><\/a><\/strong>\u2018s 28.28 in the lead. Smith turned 3rd in 28.47.<\/p>\n On the 2nd 50, Berkoff swam 29.62, the fastest closing 50 in the field, to set the top time of 57.93. This was a tenth off her lifetime best of 57.83 from the 2024 Olympic Trials.<\/p>\n Smith split 29.64 on the final 50 to stop the clock in 58.11, two tenths behind Berkoff.<\/p>\n Ruck swam 30.12 on the final 50 to win her 2nd medal of the session in 58.40. This was just off her lifetime best of 58.37 from the Canadian Trials last month.<\/p>\n\n
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