2025 U.S. Summer Championships: Day 4 Prelims Live Recap ...Middle East

By Mark Wild on SwimSwam

2025 U.S. Summer Championships

Day 4 Prelims Heat Sheet

Well folks, its been a fast past three days and this morning’s prelim session will continue to live up to the breakneck speed. Despite their being four events for both the men and women and two of them being 200s, this, the last preliminary session, is expected to conclude in just over an hour’s time. That said, todays’ events, beside bringing the meet to a close could have serious consequences on the Pan-Pacs roster.

Day 4 Prelims Schedule:

Women’s 200 Free Men’s 200 Free Women’s 100 Breast Men’s 100 Breast Women’s 200 Fly Men’s 200 Fly Women’s 50 Back Men’s 50 Back

Instead of taking a chronological approach in discussing this morning’s events, I am going to take the liberty of starting with one of the more high impact events, the men’s 5o backstroke, which is tantalizingly teasing us as it is the last event on the program.

The top seed, Hunter Armstrong, is still seeking a possible roster spot for the Pan-Pacs team. Yesterday, Armstrong was the top seed in two events, the 100 free and 100 back, but failed to scratch or DFS the 100 free and was therefore disqualified from his remaining events that day. Armstrong, who explained the situation to SwimSwam, had a very strong chance to make the team in both events, had he swum them, but now he must put all of his eggs in the 50 back basket.

As a former World Record holder in the event with a PB of 23.71, Armstrong is primed to make a run at the 24.44 of Shaine Casas. Earlier in the meet he broke his 50 free PB swum at the same meet in 2022 when he set the WR, so Armstrong could be hoping that his run of good form carries over. However, he is not the lone swimmer looking to make a run at this event, as the #2 seed Adam Chaney, winner of the 100 back, is hunting for a spot on the Pan-Pac Roster. So too is the 2022 World Champion in this event, Justin Ress.

Ress, has not competed since the 2024 Olympic Trials, where he finished as high as 5th in the 100 back. A strong sprinter, the 50 back is his lone event this week, and while he may not have the racing preparation behind him this week, neither did Van Mathias, who launched his way onto the Pan-Pacs roster in the 50 breast after a two year absence.

Mathias returns to the pool in today’s 100 breast as the 6th seed. He has a ways to get close to the two top Americans, but based on his 50s results, nothing is off the table. The same can be said for the men’s 200 free, where Kieran Smith, 6th at Nationals will be looking to improve his standing in the 200 free rankings, but will be under threat from fellow 2024 Olympians Brooks Curry and Aaron Shackell.

Shackell’s sister, Alex Shackell, a fellow Paris Olympian, too is in the hunt for a Pan-Pacs roster spot. She leads the field in the 200 fly but has a tough task of beating the benchmark time of 2:05.69. Bella Sims, like Smith in the 200 free is the top seed, but has the advantage of being on the Singapore team and therefore will be likely looking to improve her rankings to all but secure that spot for the Pan-Pacs. Sims will have to worry about more than just the time however as the Aussie make their presence well known in the event as the #2 and #3 seeds Inez Miller and Amelia Weber will be looking to end their season on top of the podium.

Their compatriot Sienna Harben finished 3rd in the 100 breast at the 2025 Australian Trials, and she will be looking to turn that bronze into a gold, as she contests with OSU’s Hannah Bach, and the timeless wonder Gabi Rose, who is the 3rd seed and earlier in the meet set a new PB in the 50 breast.

WOMEN’S 200 FREESTYLE – Prelims

Top 8

Australia’s Amelia Weber established as the early frontrunner in the first heat of the women’s 200 free. The #3 seed’s lead was not secure however as she was flanked closely by a pair of chasers, with her compatriot Jaimie De Lutiis trailing by just .03 and Justina Kozan, who represented Poland the World University Games earlier this summer back by .46. Weber started to fade and was overtaken by the pair, with De Lutiis, the 100 free winner, took the win in 1:59.01, to set the time to beat. Kozan, who climbed to the top of the podium in the 200 and 400 IM also passed Weber, touching 2nd in 1:59.50, with Weber settling for 3rd at 1:59.94. The early leaders were the sole swimmers to go sub-2:00, as Reese Tiltmann’s 2:03.46 was the next fastest.

The second heat ended up very much like the first heat, with three swimmers establishing themselves early and continued to separate themselves from the pack. At the finish it was lane 4’s Inez Miller of Australia who got her hand onto the wall first stopping the clock at 1:59.61 with Chloe Stepanek just .03 back at 1:59.64 and Summer Cardwell recording a time of 1:59.94.

In the last heat it was the American pair of Bella Sims and Madi Mintenko leading the way. Mintenko, a future UVA Cavalier, got this going early, opening in 56.80, the only sub-57 split in the field, and not relenting on the back half closing in 1:00.84 to record the top time of 1:57.64. Sims, who will be starting at Michigan this fall, was out in 57.65, but struggled on the last 100, coming home in 1:02.50, hitting the wall in 2:00.15 to finish 9th overall after being passed by Daria Golovaty in the last 50.

MEN’S 200 FREESTYLE – Prelims

Top 8

After likely earning a spot on the Pan-Pacs roster by virtue of his win in the 400 free, Aaron Shackell, put on a strong performance in the first heat of the 200 free. He opened in 52.73, ahead of Ivan Kurakin’s 52.97 and Dylan Smiley’ 52.99. Shackell, extended his lead over his chasers and would go on to win the heat by nearly two seconds as he stopped the clock at 1:48.66, with Kurakin taking 2nd at 1:50.49 and Smiley back by half a second at 1:50.90.

The second heat Alex Axon take advantage of the DFS by Brooks Curry as he won the heat in 1:49.52 ahead of Australia Matthew Galea’s 1:49.85. The pair swam the race very differently as Galea took the race out in 52.93 leading Axon by nearly a full second, as he made the turn at the halfway point in 53.78. Axon made up .13 of the difference on the 3rd 50 but used a strong 27.69 to pass Galea, who closed in 28.74, to likely book as spot in the final tonight.

Heat three saw Julian Koch continue the strong performances put forth by he and his fellow teammates from the University of Pittsburgh yesterday as he opened in 53.45 to lead the field from lane 1. Grant House was not far behind flipping just .06 back of the German. Koch, who claimed the silver medal in the 100 free last night, faded on the backhalf and it was the experience of top seed Kieran Smith who took over the lead at the 150 mark, after having been 6th at the turn, albeit only back by .33.

Smith looked strong on the last 50 but may have slowed down to conserve some energy as Grant House surged in the last few meters to take the win in 1:49.43, with Smith back at 1:49.92. Koch paid for his early speed fading to 6th with a time of 1:52.33.

WOMEN’S 100 BREASTSTROKE – Prelims

Top 8

Sienna Harben and Mia O’Leary will give Australia the two middle lanes in tonight finals as Harben the top seed produced the only sub-1:09 time as she stopped the clock in 1:08.92. Harben, who finished 3rd at the Australia Trials, will be chasing her 1:07.02 entry time tonight as she seeks the top of the podium again. O’Leary, the 6th seed here in Irvine, finished 8th in this event at Australian Trials, but made a strong move in the first semi to finish in 1:09.56, just .25 off her seed.

The Australian pair were the only two swimmers under 1:10, but it will be a close race behind them as Isabelle Odgers, Mackenzie Lung and Mia Cheatwood are all separated by .20 of a second, with Odgers, leading the way at 1:10.07. While Harben did well to defend her high seeding, the #2 seed Hannah Bach struggled and scrapped into the final in 8th place with a time of 1:10.99, .14 ahead of the #3 seed Gabi Rose, whose 1:11.13 put her on the wrong side of the cut line.

MEN’S 100 BREASTSTROKE – Prelims

Top 8

With all but Joshua Collett and Hank Rivers having a connection to Indiana Swim Club and the University of Indiana, tonight’s final is going to feel very much like a get-up and go practice in Bloomington. Leading the way is the 50 breaststroke champion Van Mathias, who stopped the clock in 1:00.28. Mathias, who only just recently returned to the sport, set his PB and entry time of 1:01.43 at the end of June and has already chopped a full second off it.

Mathias was out the quickest, the lone A-finalist under 28, as his 27.93 gave him the early and insurmountable lead. Flanking him tonight will be Alexei Avakov and Luke Barr. Like Mathias Avakov, dropped time from his seed going from 1:00.85 to 1:00.46, and despite closing faster than Mathias, he was only able to claw back .12 of what was a .30 deficit.

The top seed Evgenii Somov struggled in the last heat, opening in 29.04 and closing in 32.97 to finish 13th overall with a time of 1:02.01m which ranks 13th overall.

WOMEN’S 200 BUTTERFLY – Prelims

Top 8

Alex Shackell joined her brother as a top seed in tonight’s final session as she took a commanding lead in the 2nd of just two heats in the women’s 200 butterfly. The 2024 Paris Olympian was out in 1:00.39, the lone swimmer under 1:02, let alone 1:01. The future Indiana swimmer slowed on the back half coming home in 1:07.79 to stop the clock in 2:08.18, but her drop in pace might have been due to the fast she was over 3.5 second ahead of her closest competitor Rachel Klinker. Klinker of Cal Aquatics, opened in 1:02.64 and closed in 1:09.57 to stop the clock at 2:12.21 and securing lane 5 tonight.

The first heat saw a strong duel between Katie Forrester of Indiana and Bella Grant of Australia, with the pair earning the 3rd and 4th seeds into tonight’s final. Grant opened over a second faster than Forrester, going 1:02.06 to 1:03.32, but Forrester made it all up on the last 50, closing in 34.40, the fastest split of all the A-finalists, to out touch the Aussie by .06, 2:12.38 to 2:12.44.

MEN’S 200 BUTTERFLY – Prelims

Top 8

Trenton Julian certainly appeared to have something to prove as he produced the fastest time by over a second this morning in the men’s 200 fly. Julian finished 4th in the finals of this event at US Nationals in a time of 1:55.26, but undercut that time by a fair amount as he stopped the clock in 1:54.89. Out in 54.02, just one of two swimmers under 56.00, Julian kept up his strong pace into the 3rd 50, being the sole swimmer under 30 (29.54) and while he faded a little on the last length (31.33), he had enough of a lead to ensure lane 4 for himself tonight.

With a time of 1:56.13 Jack Dahlgren appears to be Julian’s biggest competition for not only the event win but also in supplanting Carson Foster’s 1:53.70 from US Nationals. Dahlgren, the other swimmer under 56, opened in 54.86, but despite coming home faster on the last 50 (31.24) the Mizzou tiger, lost ground on the 3rd 50 being unable to carry his early speed into the back half and finished more than a second back.

After the top two, only three other swimmers cracked the 2:00 barrier this morning as 400 IM winner Michael Hochwalt will occupy lane 3, thanks to his 1:59.32 with David Schmitt and Tommy Bried joining him under that mark with results of 1:59.86 and 1:59.87, respectively.

WOMEN’S 50 BACKSTROKE – Prelims

Top 8

After a strong swim yesterday in the prelims of the 100 back that saw her advance into the final as the top seed Australia’s Semra Olowoniyi has done it again, this time in the 50 back. The 19-year-old who finished 4th at Australian Trials with a time of 28.29 chopped .30 off that PB to break the 28 second barrier for the first time stopping the clock at 27.99.

Olowoniyi will be joined by two fellow Australian’s in the finals as Layla Day and Alyssa Burgess qualified 3rd and 5th fastest, meaning the Australians will occupy lanes 2,3, and 4 this evening. Of the three it was Burgess who was fastest back in June at their Trials, as she finished 3rd overall with a time of 28.03, .26 ahead of Olowoniyi and .30 ahead of Day who was 5th. Like Olowoniyi, Day too dropped time from June, albeit just a twentieth of what her compatriot did as Day stopped the clock at 28.27.

On the other side of the pool Erika Pelaez will occupy lane 5 courtesy of her 28.19. Pelaez broke .28 at the US Nationals finishing 9th overall, winning the B final. So too did 2021 Tokyo Olympian Rhyan White, who finished 7th in Indy with a time of 27.92.

MEN’S 50 BACKSTROKE – Prelims

Top 8

While the last spot in the final still awaits some resolving with Joseph Roth and Sam Lorenz set to swim off for lane 8 after tying this morning at 26.54, the rest of the field will be preparing for what will be an exciting end to this fast paced meet.

Aiden Hayes of Wolfpack Elite posted the fastest time of the morning and earned himself lane 4 tonight as he not only was the lone swimmer to break 25.00 in the prelims, but his 24.86 stands as a new personal best, bettering the 25.19 he swam back in 2022. Hayes did not compete in this event or any backstroke events for that matter at US Nationals, focusing solely on the fly events, but his time this morning puts him into striking range of Shaine Casas‘s 24.44, which currently sits 2nd in the event rankings.

Hayes won’t be the lone swimmer with his eyes on the prize as the #2 seed Grant Bochenski just missed joining Hayes under 25, by a margin of .03 and while he secured himself lane 5 tonight he will have either Justin Ress or Hunter Armstong on his left to challenge him.

Both Ress and Armstrong tied for 3rd overall with a time of 25.27. The pair, the winners of the Gold and Silver medals in this event at the 2022 Worlds and the winners of the Silver and Gold medals in this event at the 2023 Worlds, did not compete at the US Nationals and could both compete for a spot on the Pan-Pac roster if the conditions are right. Each of them have been away from the sport with Armstong taking time off after the Olympics, even contemplating retirement, while Ress last competed at the 2024 Olympic Trials.

Armstong, who missed all of his events yesterday, had the slowest reaction time at .64 and visibly had a very awkward late finish, but if he cleans things up, coupled with his PB from his silver medal winning performance in the 50 free, could even challenge Quintin McCarty’s top time of 24.34, as Armstrong is a former WR holder in the event.

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