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Shocking Prelims Upsets: 2026 Nationals Day 5 Live Reaction
Splashing Into the Final Day: 2026 U.S. National Championships Day 5 Prelims Recap
Quick Note: This covers the morning preliminary heats (prelims) of Day 5 at the 2026 U.S. National Swimming Championships. Finals and distance events happen later tonight!
What Happened This Morning?
Welcome to the last prelims session of the 2026 U.S. Nationals! While the main meet is wrapping up, the excitement isn’t over—we’re heading toward Pan Pacs next. This morning featured four sprint-to-middle-distance events:
- Women’s 200 Individual Medley (IM)
- Men’s 200 IM
- Women’s 50 Freestyle
- Men’s 50 Freestyle
Tonight’s Bonus: The distance events—Women’s 1500 Freestyle and Men’s 800 Freestyle—kick off at 5:30 PM EST. The fastest heats will race for the national title during tonight’s finals session.
Women’s 200 IM — Prelims
What’s a 200 IM? Swimmers do 50 meters of each stroke in this order: Butterfly → Backstroke → Breaststroke → Freestyle. It tests all your skills!
Top 10 Qualifiers for Tonight’s Final
| Place | Swimmer | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alex Walsh | NYAC | 2:10.39 |
| 2 | Campbell Chase | TXLA | 2:10.86 |
| 3 | Leah Hayes | CA-Y | 2:11.10 |
| 4 | Teagan O’Dell | PLS | 2:11.31 |
| 5 | Emily Brown | TNAQ | 2:12.28 |
| 6 | Audrey Derivaux | JW | 2:13.72 |
| 7 | Sadie Buckley | NCAP | 2:13.81 |
| 8 | Emily Thompson | GSCY | 2:14.24 |
| 9 | Katie Christopherson | SA | 2:14.29 |
| 10 | Grace Rabb | GSC-FL | 2:14.55 |
= 18 & Under Final Qualifier — These young stars also earned spots in the junior final tonight!
Key Storylines
- Alex Walsh (Olympic medalist, World Champs medalist) came in as the top seed (2:08.45) and delivered, winning her heat by ~0.5 seconds. She hasn’t raced individual events here yet—saving energy for Pan Pacs!
- Campbell Chase stuck right on Walsh’s hip the whole race and smashed a personal best (2:10.86).
- Leah Hayes (Walsh’s UVA teammate) snuck past Teagan O’Dell on the breaststroke leg to take 3rd.
- Audrey Derivaux & Sadie Buckley went stroke-for-stroke in the 18&U battle—Derivaux won by 0.09 seconds!
- Grace Rabb (10th overall) might sneak into the A-final if Derivaux/Buckley choose the 18&U final instead.
- 14-year-old Kate Allen dropped 0.5 seconds to hit 2:16.08 — now #13 all-time in the 13-14 age group!
- Swim-off alert: Ellie Clark & Kathryn Hazle are tied for an alternate spot—will race later today.
Men’s 200 IM — Prelims
Record Board
| 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 (A-Final Cut: Sub-2:00!)
| Place | Swimmer | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Owen McDonald | ISC | 1:57.71 PB |
| 2 | Baylor Nelson | TXLA | 1:58.51 |
| 3 | Mitchell Schott | NYAC | 1:58.59 |
| 4 (tie) | Logan Brown | AGS | 1:59.19 |
| 4 (tie) | Luke Barr | TFA | 1:59.19 |
| 6 | Kieran Smith | RAC | 1:59.27 |
| 7 | Josh Bey | ISC | 1:59.38 |
| 8 | Maximus Williamson | LAC | 1:59.42 |
Kieran Smith = Olympian, top seed coming in (1:57.26). He qualified 6th but expect a big finals swim!
Key Storylines
- Owen McDonald crushed a personal best (1:57.71) to lead the morning—he already won the 100 Back title earlier this week!
- Maximus Williamson looked scary fast early (body-length lead at 175m) but shut it down too hard—barely snuck into 8th at 1:59.42. Given his form this meet, watch out tonight!
- Rowan Cox (training at Texas with Léon Marchand!) was a dark horse to watch but swam early heats with a converted SCY time (1:45.21).
- It took 1:59.42 or faster to make the A-final — incredibly tight!
Women’s 50 Freestyle — Prelims
The 50 Free: One length, all-out sprint. Blink and you’ll miss it!
Top 8 Qualifiers
| Place | Swimmer | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gretchen Walsh | NYAC | 23.96 |
| 2 | Anna Moesch | GSCY | 24.39 |
| 3 | Liberty Clark | ISC | 24.53 PB |
| 4 | Camille Spink | TNAQ | 24.55 |
| 5 | Maxine Parker | FASTCA | 24.69 |
| 6 | Caroline Larsen | UOFL | 24.78 |
| 7 | Cadence Vincent | BAMA | 24.84 |
| 8 | Annam Olasewere | ALTO | 24.89 |
Gretchen Walsh = Current World Record Holder in this event (23.55)!
Liberty Clark = 18 & Under qualifier
Key Storylines
- UVA Pipeline Dominance: Top 4 seeds coming in were all UVA swimmers (Gretchen Walsh, Kate Douglass, Anna Moesch, Maxine Parker).
- Gretchen Walsh was in a league of her own — 23.96, nearly 0.5 seconds ahead of 2nd place. Looked relaxed, won by almost a body length. World Record watch ON for finals!
- Anna Moesch (fresh off 100 Free American Record!) opened circle-seeded heats with 24.39 — held for 2nd overall.
- Kate Douglass (other World Record holder this season at 23.59) no-showed her heat — likely resting for Pan Pacs.
- Liberty Clark stepped up huge in Douglass’s heat: 24.53 PB for 3rd overall!
- Early heats: SMU’s Maddie Parker (25.23, -0.2 PB) & Melissa Nwakalor (25.29, converted SCY) led the way.
Men’s 50 Freestyle — Prelims
The Deepest Sprint Field of the Meet! 8 men entered under 22 seconds. Making the A-final (top 8) was a battle royale.
Top 8 Qualifiers
| Place | Swimmer | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caeleb Dressel | GSC-FL | 21.45 |
| 2 | Brendan Whitfield | — | 21.75 PB (-0.2) |
| 3 | Quintin McCarty | — | 21.73 |
| 4 | Jonny Kulow | — | 21.93 |
| 5 | Warner Russ | Auburn | 21.96 PB |
| 6 | Nikita Sheremet | — | 21.98 |
| 7 | Michael Andrew | — | 22.04 |
| 8 | (Tie-break) | — | — |
Caeleb Dressel = American Record Holder (21.04), 7x Olympic Gold Medalist.
BIG NAMES WHO MISSED THE A-FINAL:
- Ilya Kharun
- Brooks Curry (22.05 — missed by 0.01 seconds!)
- Hunter Armstrong
- Michael Andrew barely snuck in at 22.04 (0.01 ahead of Curry!)
Key Storylines
- Caeleb Dressel threw down 21.45 — his fastest since 2024 Olympic Trials (21.41)! Season best was 21.84 before today. He’s already won the 100 Free this week. He is BACK.
- Quintin McCarty (50 Back champ) won the final heat in 21.73.
- Brendan Whitfield sliced 0.2 seconds off his PB for 21.75 (3rd overall!).
- Warner Russ (Auburn) broke 22 seconds for the first time this morning (21.96) to grab 7th.
- Nikita Sheremet was top seed (21.62) but finished 6th in prelims (21.98).
- Making the final required ~21.98 or better — brutally fast!
Important Points Callout
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW FOR TONIGHT
- Finals Session: Top 8 from each prelims event race for the National Title.
- 18 & Under Finals: Separate finals for qualifying juniors (Derivaux, Buckley, Clark, etc.).
- Distance Session Starts 5:30 PM EST: Women’s 1500 Free & Men’s 800 Free early heats, then fastest heats race during finals for the title.
- World Record Watch: Gretchen Walsh (Women’s 50 Free) & Caeleb Dressel (Men’s 50 Free) are both on fire.
- Swim-Off: Ellie Clark vs. Kathryn Hazle (Women’s 200 IM alternate) — time TBD.
- Pan Pacs Preview: Many stars (Walsh sisters, Douglass, Dressel, Smith) are sharpening for the big international meet next.
Summary
Day 5 prelims at the 2026 U.S. Nationals delivered speed, drama, and record-watch alerts across four sprint/mid-distance events:
| Event | Morning Winner | Time | Storyline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Women’s 200 IM | Alex Walsh | 2:10.39 | Olympic medalist leads by 0.5s; Chase PBs for 2nd |
| Men’s 200 IM | Owen McDonald | 1:57.71 | Massive PB leads stacked field; Williamson barely makes final |
| Women’s 50 Free | Gretchen Walsh | 23.96 | World Record holder dominates by ~0.5s; Douglass sits out |
| Men’s 50 Free | Caeleb Dressel | 21.45 | Fastest since 2024 Trials; Curry/Armstrong/Kharun MISS final |
Tonight is going to be electric. Finals for all four events + distance titles on the line. Grab your snacks!
FAQ
1. What’s the difference between "prelims" and "finals"?
Prelims (morning): Everyone swims to qualify. Top 8 make the A-final (championship final), next 8 make B-final (consolation). Finals (evening): Only qualifiers race—this decides the National Champion!
2. Why did Kate Douglass not swim her 50 Free heat?
She scratched (chose not to race) — almost certainly to rest and peak for Pan Pacs. She’s already a World Record holder this season (23.59) and doesn’t need to prove anything at Nationals.
3. What does "SCY time" mean for Rowan Cox?
SCY = Short Course Yards (25-yard pool, like U.S. college/high school). His entry time (1:45.21) was from a yards pool. It gets converted to meters for seeding. That’s why he swam in early heats despite being fast!
4. How can Grace Rabb (10th) make the A-final?
If Audrey Derivaux and/or Sadie Buckley (6th & 7th) choose to swim the 18 & Under Final instead of the Open A-final, their spots open up. Rabb is 1st alternate!
5. Why did so many big names miss the Men’s 50 Free final?
The field was historically deep. 8 men entered under 22 seconds. The cutoff was ~21.98. Brooks Curry (22.05) missed by 0.01 seconds! That’s 1/100th of a second — the thickness of a fingernail. Sprint racing is ruthless.
Data sourced from 2026 U.S. National Championships Day 5 Prelims Heat Sheets & Live Results. Times are preliminary and subject to verification.
