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Live: Day 5 Prelims Shake Up 2026 U.S. Nationals
2026 U.S. National Championships: Day 5 Prelims Recap
Welcome to the final morning of prelims at the 2026 U.S. National Championships!
Today featured two splashy events — the 200 Individual Medley (IM) and the 50 Freestyle — plus distance races scheduled for tonight. Let’s break down everything that happened in simple terms.
What Happened Today?
| Event | Session | Key Details |
|---|---|---|
| Women’s 200 IM | Morning Prelims | Alex Walsh leads; Campbell Chase swims lifetime best |
| Men’s 200 IM | Morning Prelims | Owen McDonald drops huge PB; sub-2:00 needed for A-final |
| Women’s 50 Free | Morning Prelims | Gretchen Walsh crushes 23.96; Kate Douglass no-shows |
| Men’s 50 Free | Morning Prelims | Caeleb Dressel blazes 21.45; stacked field sends big names home |
| Women’s 1500 Free / Men’s 800 Free | Tonight at 5:30 PM EST | Top heats race for titles during finals session |
Important: Prelims = morning races to qualify for tonight’s finals. Only the top 8 make the A-final (championship final), next 8 make the B-final.
Women’s 200 IM — Prelims
What is the 200 IM?
Swimmers do 50 meters of each stroke in this order: Butterfly → Backstroke → Breaststroke → Freestyle. Total = 200 meters.
Top 10 Qualifiers for Tonight’s Finals
| Place | Swimmer | Team | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alex Walsh | NYAC | 2:10.39 | Olympic medalist; led wire-to-wire |
| 2 | Campbell Chase | TXLA | 2:10.86 | Lifetime best! Stayed on Walsh’s hip whole race |
| 3 | Leah Hayes | CA-Y | 2:11.10 | Virginia teammate of Walsh; won her circle-seeded heat |
| 4 | Teagan O’Dell | PLS | 2:11.31 | Led until breaststroke; Hayes passed her |
| 5 | Emily Brown | TNAQ | 2:12.28 | |
| 6 | Audrey Derivaux | JW (18&U) | 2:13.72 | 18&U qualifier — beat Sadie Buckley stroke-for-stroke |
| 7 | Sadie Buckley | NCAP (18&U) | 2:13.81 | 18&U qualifier — just 0.09 behind Derivaux |
| 8 | Emily Thompson | GSCY | 2:14.24 | |
| 9 | Katie Christopherson | SA | 2:14.29 | |
| 10 | Grace Rabb | GSC-FL | 2:14.55 | Near 2-year PB; could sneak into A-final if 18&U swimmers opt out |
Key Storylines:
- Alex Walsh didn’t swim any individual events earlier this meet — saving energy for Pan Pacs — but still dominated.
- Campbell Chase dropped 0.09 seconds off her best time for 2nd place!
- 18&U Battle: Derivaux and Buckley went head-to-head last 50m — Derivaux held on.
- 14-year-old Kate Allen (not in top 10) dropped 0.5 seconds to go 2:16.08 — now #13 all-time in 13-14 age group!
Swim-Off Alert: Ellie Clark and Kathryn Hazle tied for an alternate spot — they’ll race again later today.
Men’s 200 IM — Prelims
Records to Know
| Record | Time | Holder | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| World Record | 1:52.69 | Léon Marchand (France) | 2024 |
| American Record | 1:54.00 | Ryan Lochte | 2011 |
| U.S. Open Record | 1:54.43 | Ryan Lochte | 2010 |
Top 8 Qualifiers (All Under 2:00!)
| Place | Swimmer | Team | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Owen McDonald | ISC | 1:57.71 | Huge PB! Already won 100 back title this week |
| 2 | Baylor Nelson | TXLA | 1:58.51 | Right on his entry time |
| 3 | Mitchell Schott | NYAC | 1:58.59 | |
| 4 (tie) | Logan Brown | AGS | 1:59.19 | Tied with Luke Barr |
| 4 (tie) | Luke Barr | TFA | 1:59.19 | |
| 6 | Kieran Smith | RAC | 1:59.27 | Olympian; top seed coming in |
| 7 | Josh Bey | ISC | 1:59.38 | |
| 8 | Maximus Williamson | LAC | 1:59.42 | Led by body length, then coasted — barely made A-final! |
Key Storylines:
- Owen McDonald crushed a personal best to take #1 seed — he’s on fire this week.
- Maximus Williamson looked scary good early, then shut it down too much — still made final at 1:59.42.
- It took sub-2:00 to make the A-final — that’s how deep this field is!
- Rowan Cox (training with Léon Marchand at Texas) swam early heats with a SCY (short course yards) entry time — didn’t make top 8.
ELI5: What is "SCY"?
Short Course Yards = 25-yard pools (common in US high school/college). LCM = Long Course Meters (50m pools, used at Olympics/Nationals). Times are faster in SCY because more turns = more push-offs!
Women’s 50 Freestyle — Prelims
What is the 50 Free?
One length of the pool (50 meters) — all-out sprint! No turns, pure speed.
Top 8 Qualifiers
| Place | Swimmer | Team | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gretchen Walsh | NYAC | 23.96 | World Record holder! Won by ~0.5 sec; looked relaxed |
| 2 | Anna Moesch | GSCY | 24.39 | Just off PB; set 100 free AR days ago |
| 3 | Liberty Clark | ISC (18&U) | 24.53 | PB! Stepped up in Douglass’s empty heat |
| 4 | Camille Spink | TNAQ | 24.55 | Right behind Clark |
| 5 | Maxine Parker | FASTCA | 24.69 | |
| 6 | Caroline Larsen | UOFL | 24.78 | |
| 7 | Cadence Vincent | BAMA | 24.84 | |
| 8 | Annam Olasewere | ALTO | 24.89 |
Key Storylines:
- Gretchen Walsh already broke the World Record this season (23.55) — she’s saving her best for Pan Pacs but still crushed 23.96.
- Kate Douglass (also a WR holder this season at 23.59) did not show up for her heat — likely resting for Pan Pacs.
- Liberty Clark (18&U) seized the moment with a lifetime best 24.53!
- Virginia sweep? Top 4 seeds were all UVA swimmers (Walsh, Douglass, Moesch, Parker) — but only Walsh and Moesch made A-final tonight.
Men’s 50 Freestyle — Prelims
The Most Stacked Sprint Field Ever?
8 swimmers entered under 22 seconds. Only 8 make the A-final. Big names WILL miss out.
Top 8 Qualifiers
| Place | Swimmer | Team | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caeleb Dressel | GSC-FL | 21.45 | Fastest since 2024 Olympic Trials (21.41)! AR holder |
| 2 | Brandan Whitfield | — | 21.75 | Dropped 0.2 sec! 3rd overall |
| 3 | Quintin McCarty | — | 21.73 | 50 back champ; won last circle heat |
| 4 | Jonny Kulow | — | 21.93 | 5th overall |
| 5 | Nikita Sheremet | — | 21.96 | Top seed coming in (21.62) |
| 6 | Warner Russ | Auburn | 21.96 | First sub-22 of day; made A-final at 7th! |
| 7 | Michael Andrew | — | 22.04 | Squeaked in by 0.01 sec! |
| 8 | Maximus Williamson | LAC | 22.05 | Wait — this is 200 IM swimmer? [Check: likely different Williamson] |
SHOCKING MISSES (Did NOT make A-final):
- Brooks Curry — 22.05 (0.01 behind Andrew!)
- Hunter Armstrong — Olympic medalist
- Ilya Kharun — Butterfly specialist
Key Storylines:
- Caeleb Dressel is BACK — 21.45 is his best since Olympic Trials. He already won 100 free this week.
- Brandan Whitfield had the swim of his life — 0.2 sec PB for 3rd!
- Michael Andrew made it by one hundredth of a second — that’s 0.01 — the blink of an eye!
- Warner Russ (Auburn) broke 22 seconds in the last non-circle heat to grab 7th.
Tonight’s Distance Session — 5:30 PM EST
Separate session after prelims. Top heats race for National Titles during finals broadcast.
| Event | Details |
|---|---|
| Women’s 1500 Freestyle | ~15 minutes of swimming (30 lengths!). Top 8 from early heats race tonight. |
| Men’s 800 Freestyle | ~8 minutes (16 lengths). Top 8 race for title tonight. |
Watch tonight: Finals session includes A-finals for 200 IM, 50 free, PLUS these distance titles!
Summary
| Event | Morning Winner | Biggest Storyline |
|---|---|---|
| Women’s 200 IM | Alex Walsh (2:10.39) | Campbell Chase lifetime best; 18&U battle |
| Men’s 200 IM | Owen McDonald (1:57.71) | Huge PB; sub-2:00 cutoff for final |
| Women’s 50 Free | Gretchen Walsh (23.96) | WR holder dominates; Douglass no-show |
| Men’s 50 Free | Caeleb Dressel (21.45) | Best since Trials; stacked field cuts big names |
| Distance | TBD Tonight | 1500/800 titles decided at 5:30 PM EST |
FAQ
1. What’s the difference between prelims and finals?
Prelims = morning qualifying races. Everyone swims. Top 8 make A-final (championship race tonight), next 8 make B-final (consolation). Finals = evening session where medals/titles are decided.
2. Why did Kate Douglass not swim?
She’s a World Record holder (23.59) and likely resting for Pan Pacs (big international meet coming up). Top pros often skip prelims or scratch events to peak for major championships.
3. What does "circle-seeded" mean?
The fastest 24-30 swimmers are placed in the last 3 heats with special lane assignments:
- Fastest swimmer → Lane 4 in last heat
- 2nd fastest → Lane 4 in 2nd-to-last heat
- 3rd fastest → Lane 4 in 3rd-to-last heat
- Then 4th fastest → Lane 5 in last heat, etc.
This ensures the best racers compete against each other in the final heats.
4. Why are some times marked with or (18&U)?**
- ** = Qualified for 18 & Under Final (separate race for juniors)
- (18&U) = Swimmer is 18 years old or younger — eligible for junior nationals/teams
5. How can Michael Andrew make the final by 0.01 seconds?
In a 50m sprint, 0.01 seconds = ~2-3 millimeters at the wall! Touchpads measure to the hundredth. That’s why every fingernail counts in sprints.
Final Thought: Day 5 prelims delivered lifetime bests, shocking misses, and superstar statements. Tonight’s finals (plus distance titles at 5:30 PM) will crown champions and set the stage for Pan Pacs!
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