By Terin Frodyma on SwimSwam
2026 Short Course World Trials
October 28-31, 2026 Westmont, IL — FMC Natatorium SCM (25 Meters) Meet Central Selection Criteria Pre-Scratch Psych SheetsThe 2026 US World Short Course Championship trials will get underway in less than 24 hours, and many top American men will hit the water in Westmont.
Here are four storylines to watch on the men’s side as we see who books their ticket to Beijing.
Ilya Kharun Fights for First US Championships Team
Possibly the most anticipated men’s name to race at this meet is Ilya Kharun, as he aims to make his first World Championships team as a member of Team USA after switching his international representation from Canada.
Kharun is entered in the 50 free and the trio of butterfly races. He is seeded atop all three fly races, where he will be a consistent favorite to win all three.
In the 100 fly, he will be well contested, looking to battle American Record holder Caeleb Dressel, Dare Rose, Luca Urlando, Tyler Ray, and many others.
Kharun has established himself as one of the world’s top butterfly talents across all three distances. His fly battles with Dressel, Rose, and Urlando will be must-see racing.
His path to a potential 50 free berth will be trickier, especially with Jack Alexy, Chris Guiliano, Dressel, Michael Andrew, Van Mathias, and Brooks Curry all aiming for the same thing.
Kharun’s addition to the US is a breath of fresh air, reinforcing the backstroke and sprint areas, while simultaneously providing a reliable relay option for both free and medley relays.
Caeleb Dressel‘s Path to Beijing
We mentioned the showdowns Caeleb Dressel will have with Ilya Kharun… but those matchups don’t define Dressel’s meet or his path to Beijing.
Dressel is loaded with events for these trials: the 10/10 frees, 50/100 fly, and the 100 IM.
At the UVA short course Worlds prep meet about a week and a half ago, Dressel managed to come away with one event win: the 100 IM, an event he holds the world record in with his 49.28 from 2020.
That 100 IM will be no cakewalk either, as he enters these trials as the #2 seed with 51.98 from the UVA Pro Meet, behind Grant House‘s 51.07.
It is unlikely he’ll leave this meet without a spot on the US roster for the Short Course World Championships, and his seeding suggests he will have plenty of opportunities to earn it.
His performances in Charlottesville may not have been exactly what we expected of the decorated champion swimmer. finishing runner-up in the 50 free (20.90), 100 free (46.34), and the 100 fly (49.86). He also added a 3rd place finish in the 50 fly (22.67).
It is worth noting that he may not have been fully tapered for that meet in preparation for this week, so this may be an elevated Dressel we saw just over a week ago.
If he can return to the winning form he left the long-course season in, the US will have a dangerous tool in its back pocket.
Backstroke Takes a Backseat
It’s been a while since US swim fans have had to say there is no clear top option in the men’s backstroke.
These trials will offer strong insight into what the country is working with for these World Championships, especially when it comes to potential relay swimmers.
Grant Bochenski, Owen McDonald, and Jack Dahlgren headline the 100 back as the only three swimmers entered with a SCM time.
Further down the psych sheets, several names stick out as potential spot stealers; one of the biggest is Luca Urlando, seeded 21st with a yards time of 44.79. Just ahead of him is Army’s Johnny Crush, who is also entered with a 43.84 yards time, after opening his college season with a bang.
Adam Chaney, Destin Lasco, and Tommy Hagar all look like other potential fits for the 100 back. Still, the deciding factor may not only be placement but also hitting the qualification time. The ‘A’ cut needed for the 100 back sits at 50.81, a time that nobody on the psych sheet is entered under.
The 200 back is also a bit shallow, as we have come to appreciate, with McDonald, Dahlgren, and Hagar taking the top three US-eligible entry seeds, while Gabriel Jett and Lasco sit a bit further down the list.
This sentiment of limited backstrokers came up a lot leading into and coming out of last summer’s World Championships in Singapore. However, we did see some younger talents step up and establish themselves as future pieces of the US team.
It may only take one strong swim to help wipe some of that doubt away in Westmont.
NCAA Men Aim High, Even During College Season
The NCAA season is well underway, and a number of college stars have already broken out.
CSL teams alone have set the tone for a quick start to the 2026-27 season, and some of those swimmers have shifted their focus from yards to meters in hopes of making Team USA for the Short Course World Championships.
Key men in attendance at Westmont this week (aside from the aforementioned Kharun and Crush) include Ryan Erisman of Cal, Maximus Williamson of Virginia, and Josh Bey of Indiana.
Erisman is absolutely loaded with events in Westmont; he is entered in the 200 free, 400 free, 800 free, 1500 free, and 400 IM. He is a near sure-fire qualifier in the 800 free and 1500 free, largely because of the lack of depth and competition in those fields; he will be tested in the 200 and 400 free by the likes of Luke Hobson, Kieran Smith, and Mitchell Schott. Another intriguing race will be the 400 IM, where he will face off with Indiana talents Bey and Noah Cakir; those three will be the big favorites to nab those World Team spots.
We just touched on Bey’s battle in the 400 IM, but he could also be a big-time contender in the 200 breast. Bey is entered with the top non-SCM time in the field, with his electric 2:07.58 from the US Summer Nationals this summer. The qualifying time for the 200 breast is 2:06.23, which feels well within Bey’s wheelhouse for a Worlds team. He is also taking on the 100 breast, where he is seeded 10th with his 1:00.59 long course time.
Williamson has been on fire since winning a pair of NCAA titles as a freshman last season with Virginia. He will look to carry that momentum into the World Championship trials. Williamson will contest the 50 and 100 free, as well as the 100 and 200 IM. The IMs will likely be where he can make his biggest impact, as he sits 3rd on the psych sheets in the 200 IM with a long-course time of 1:56.40, and 8th in the 100 IM, though he is entered in the same long-course 200 IM.
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