2026 Pros Swim Series – Indianapolis: Day 2 Prelims Live Recap ...Middle East

By Mark Wild on SwimSwam

2026 Indianapolis Pro Series

Day 2 Prelims Heat Sheet

It may be a cold and rainy day in Indianapolis, especially when compared to the temperature two years ago at the Olympic Trials, but the action certainly heats up this morning, as the second session of prelims at the 2026 Indianapolis Pro Swim Series is about to get underway.

It’ll be hard to top last night’s performances, as Katie Ledecky had yet another incredible performance in the 1500, and Van Mathias, reset his own American Record in the 50 breaststroke, but those could all be overshadowed by our first event this morning, as Gretchen Walsh takes on the 100 fly for the first time since she went her blistering 54.33 last month at the Fort Lauderdale Open.

The top seed by over a second, Walsh will be making her first appearance in Indianapolis, eschewing yesterday’s events. The fastest woman ever in the event will have her training partner, Claire Curzan, to her side in the last heat, but Walsh will be keeping an eye on the other two circle-seeded heats, which are led by 2024 Paris Olympians Torri Huske and Alex Shackell.  They, along with Leah Shackley and Charlotte Crush, will all be vying for a spot in the final, in what is one of the strongest events for the US in the World.

The men’s 100 fly, too, sees the world record holder make their first appearance since the Fort Lauderdale Open meet, as like Walsh, Caeleb Dressel is expected to swim his first event of the week. Seeded second, Dressel will have to keep an eye on Thomas Heilman‘s results from the previous heat as well as those of Ilya Kharun and Dare Rose from the last heat, if he wishes to earn the top seed in the final tonight. Kharun, who is coming off a strong showing on the Mare Nostrum Tour, will look to continue that momentum as he, too, makes his first appearance in Indianapolis this week.

The speed and aggression of the 100 fly gives way for the tactics and restraint of the 200 breaststroke with Kate Douglass, returning to the pool after having won the 200 IM last night. The American record holder is the top seed by a wide margin and should comfortably make the final with little effort. While representing the New York Athletic Club, Douglass trains at UVA, a program that could nearly fill the final, as Alex Walsh, Katie Christopherson, Sophia Umstead, Leah Hayes and Emma Weber are all well positioned to make a run to the final. It may be up to 50 breaststroke winner Eneli Jefimova to break up the Cavalier dominance in the event. Indiana too holds a stranglehold on the event with Josh Matheny, Josh Bey, Alexei Avakov, Noah Cakir and Toby Barnett all seeded in the last three heats, but Matheny, the top seed, will be under some pressure as Ben Delmar of North Carolina and Denis Petrashov of Cardinal Aquatics are seeded right behind him.

From the 200 breaststroke, we quickly jump into the blink, and you’ll miss the 50 backstroke. Last night’s runner-up in the 100 back and 2025 World Champion, Katharine Berkoff, leads the field and will have fond memories of this pool, as she set the American record in it last year at Nationals. Similar to the 100 yesterday, the 50 back is back and forth between NC State, UVA and Wisconsin as Berkoff and her teammates, Leah Shackley, Erika Pelaez and Rhyan White will look to hold off the charges of Claire Curzan, Gretchen Walsh and Isabelle Stadden of UVA and those of Phoebe Bacon and Maggie Wanezek of Wisconsin.

NC State sits atop the field in the men’s event as well with Quintin McCarty and Aiden Hayes occupying the top two seeds. Joining them near the top of the field are their teammates Daniel Diehl and Gavin Keogh. Looking to knock them out of the top spots is Adam Chaney, last night’s 3rd place finisher in the 100 back and, of course, Ryan Murphy, the winner in the 100 last night. Entered with a 100 time, Murphy is in the 3rd of eight heats, so look for the Cal Bear to put up the time to beat.

We end with the flighted 400 IM heats, which will see the top 16 swimmers compete for both the men and women, with the rest of the field following behind. Olympic medalists Katie Grimes and Emma Weyant headline the field and have been the dominant pair in the event, but the field is full of young swimmers who will be looking to challenge their dominance, especially with Texas commit Audrey Derivaux in the field. She’s not the lone teenager in the field, as Sydney Schoeck, Teagan O’Dell and Emerson Callis are all well placed to earn a spot in the final.

In the men’s race, Bobby Finke, who will have the 1500 final tonight, is well placed to easily make the final, coming in as the top seed by exactly four seconds. Behind him, however, it’ll be a tight battle as Michael Hochwalt, Tristan Jankovics, Lorne Wigginton and Dominik Mark Torok all jostle for position.

Women’s 100 Butterfly – Prelims

Top 8:

With a stroke that scarily looks a little like Gretchen Walsh‘s Anna Moesch took the first heat of the 100 fly in a time of 1:00.23. Out in 28.03, Moesch sliced over three seconds off her PB best from 2024, to post the fastest time of the morning. Unlike yesterday in the 200 IM, Moesch, who has been tackling off events, did not remain atop the leaderboard for long as Alex Walsh blasted her way to a 58.08 prelims swim in the very next heat, opening up in a 26.86, nearly a full second ahead of Liberty Clark, who joined Walsh in the sub-60 club, recording a time of 59.83.

Alex Shackell wasted no time as the Carmel Swim Club opened up her 100 fly in a swift 26.89, hitting the wall .65 ahead of fellow teenager Charlotte Crush. Shackell, who earned a spot on the Olympic team two years ago in the 200 fly, continued to build her lead over the field over the last 50 and cruised to the finish, hitting the wall in 58.63, the 2nd-fastest time of the morning so far. Crush tried to remain within striking distance of Shackell, but it was NC State’s Erika Pelaez who nabbed 2nd, outtouching Crush 59.44 to 59.63.

The 2nd-to-last heat was a little slower, with lane 1’s Leilia Fack reaching the halfway point first, hitting the lone turn in 27.40. The University of Michigan swimmer’s lead didn’t last long, however, as the #2 seed and Olympic Champion Torri Huske wrestled the lead away from her on the backhalf, taking the heat win in 59.08 with Fack touching 2nd in 59.68.

Always a threat to pop off, top seed and World Record Holder Gretchen Walsh was easily out front in the last heat of the 100 fly, especially considering as she had an open lane to one side of her as Caroline Bricker did not take to the block. Walsh hit the wall in 25.88, the fastest opening 50 of the field, and looked smooth as she closed in 29.68 to touch the wall in  55.56. While the time seems pedestrian for Walsh, it clocks in as her 14th-fastest performance and 17th-fastest performance ever. Her teammate Claire Curzan, the 15th-fastest performer of all time, took 2nd in the heat at 58.85, ahead of Tess Howley’s 59.44 and Rylee Erisman’s 59.63. Erisman’s time notably ties Crush’s time, and the pair of teenagers will likely need to swim off for a spot in the final.

Men’s 100 Butterfly – Prelims

Top 8:

Kaii Winkler made a great start to take an early lead in the first of the circle-seeded heats, opening his morning with a 23.76, the lone sub-24 split in the field. Winkler, who switched his sporting nationality to Germany in 2024, closed in 27.76 to hit the wall in 51.52, establishing himself as the one to beat. ACC rival Thomas Heilman of UVA was nearly a second back of Winkler at the 50, opening in 24.73 and was unable to make up any ground on him, with Heilman coming home in 27.81 to touch the wall in 52.54.

The penultimate heat was a slower affair but it was a tight one as Michigan’s Ole Eidam got the win in 52.54. Eidam was neck and neck with Michael Andrew at the 50 turn, hitting the wall in 24.08 to Andrew’s 24.19, but used a strong backhalf to pull himself away from the pack, closing in 28.46 to take the win in 52.54. Andrew paid for his early speed, closing in 28.73 and was nearly run down by Caeleb Dressel and Aiden Hayes, who were 25.03 and 24.48 at the 50. Dressel had a strong backhalf, closing in 27.95, but ran out of room and took 3rd in the heat with a time of 52.98, to Andrew’s 52.92.

Outside smoke was evident in the last heat of the men’s 100 fly as the 30-year-old Dylan Carter blasted his way to an early lead, hitting the wall in 24.06. The Trinidad and Tobago swimmer maintained his wire-to-wire lead, but it was a close call as top seed Ilya Kharun, who opened in 27.76, closed like a freight train with his 27.76 and nearly caught Carter, as he touched just .02 back at 52.25.

With Carter’s and Kharun’s speed as well as strong performances from Dare Rose (52.74) and Maxim Skazobtsov (52.83) the last heat advanced four swimmers, bumping out the likes of Owen McDonald (10th- 52.95), Dressel (11th – 52.98) and Hayes (12th – 53.05).

Women’s 200 Breaststroke – Prelims

Top 8:

The University of Virginia did the University of Virginia things as they took five of the top eight spots in the women’s 200 breaststroke. It’s not that surprising, as they were seeded to swim well, especially with American record holder Kate Douglass throwing down a very smooth and controlled 2:25.28 in the last heat. Out in 1:10.14, the fastest opening 100, Douglass was the only swimmer to keep her 50s all under 38, as she closed in 37.30 and 37.84.

Surrounding her tonight will be her training partners, Alex Walsh and Aimee Canny. Walsh, the 2nd seed, posted the 2nd fastest swim of the morning, going 2:27.99 in the penultimate heat, after opening in 1:11.77. Canny, a South African national, had a great day yesterday, rewriting national records in both the 200 IM and 200 free, opened nearly a second faster than Walsh (1:11.01) but closed nearly a full second slower on the last 50. Canny was entered with a yards time, so was very much in control of her heat, and may have stepped off the gas a little.

The non-VA threats surrounding the leading trio are comprised of Elizabeth Nawrocki, Adalene Ronillard and Eneli Jefimova. Jefimova, the winner of the 50 breast last night, has the fastest seed time of the three, but it’s Nawrocki who poses the best bet to break up UVA’s dominance as the UGA and Academy Bullets swimmers demolished her seed time of 2:34.31, with the 25th seed crashing into the sub-2:30 club for the first time, recording a mark of 2:29.35.

Men’s 200 Breaststroke – Prelims

Top 8:

Indiana wasn’t as dominant as UVA was in the women’s 200 breaststroke, with the school advancing just two swimmers into tonight’s final. Tonight’s top seed, Luke Barr, did train there but has now relocated to Texas Ford Aquatics.

Barr was the lone swimmer under the 2:12 barrier this morning and employed a very fast first 100 to get an early lead in his heat, opening up in a 1:02.47, before closing in a 34.33 and 35.18 to stop the clock at 2:11.98. Barr will have to contend with Indiana’s Josh Bey, who was out nearly two seconds slower at the 100 (1:04.21), but employed a 33.95 to charge home in the last 50 to win the last heat, and post the 2nd fastest time overall, stopping the clock at 2:12.61.

Several swimmers missed or came close to missing the boat, as the 2nd seed, Ben Delmar, finished 10th overall at 2:14.90, one spot behind the 6th seed Alexei Avakov, who touched in 2:14.72. Top seed entering the morning, Josh Matheny looked to be in trouble as the Indiana swimmer touched 4th in the last heat behind Barr, Charlie Egeland (2:13.23) and teammate Noah Cakir (2:13.25), but Cakir was disqualified, and Matheny’s 2:13.74 was enough to nab lane one in tonight’s final.

Women’s 50 Backstroke – Prelims

Top 8:

Olivia Smoliga looked to have the best start in the first of the circle-seeded heats of the women’s 50 backstroke and led the field at the 25-meter mark, but she couldn’t hold off the fast turnover of the hard-charging Isabelle Stadden. Stadden, who swam collegiately at Cal but has since relocated to Virginia, surged past Smoliga and ended up with a large lead at the finish, as she hit the wall in 27.18, .60 ahead of Smoliga’s 27.78. For Stadden, the time stands as a new personal best by .11 and jumped her to 3rd in the world rankings. While not a PB, Smoliga’s 27.78 is a new season best and vaulted her into the top-25, coming in as the 18th-fastest in the world this season.

Stadden’s time as the fastest American in the event was short-lived as Katharine Berkoff, in the last heat, combined the power of Smoliga’s start with Stadden’s closing speed to blast her way to not only a new season-best, but also the fastest time in the world this season, recording a mark of 27.05. Breaking Kylie Masse‘s Pros Swim Series record of 27.13 set last year, Berkoff, the 2025 World champion, seems to have an affinity for this pool, as it was the site of her American record-breaking swim from last year, and now also is the site of her 2nd fastest swim and 6th fastest performance of all time.

Claire Curzan, the winner of the 2nd circle-seeded heat, joined Berkoff, Stadden and Smoligia under the 28.00 barrier as she hit the wall in 27.98. Curzan, who also swam the 100 fly earlier, managed the double best as she was the lone swimmer to make both A-finals, beating out the likes of Erika Pelaez (9th- 28.16) and Gretchen Walsh (10th- 28.24).

2025-2026 LCM Women 50 BACK

Men’s 50 Backstroke – Prelims

Top 8:

If you thought to tune into the men’s 50 backstroke only at the circle seed heats, then you missed out on some fast swimming as Kaii Winkler produced a very swift 25.04 to set a benchmark from the 2nd heat. Swimming out of lane 8, Winkler has had a very strong meet so far, here in Indianapolis, with the NC State swimmer posting the top time in the 100 fly this morning and taking 2nd in the 100 backstroke last night.

His result this morning, 25.04, appears to be over a two-second PB, and sits less than half a second off the German national record of 24.57 set by Ole Braunschweig back in 2023.

Winkler’s time atop the leaderboard as the presumptive top seed was very short-lived, however, as in the very next heat, Ryan Murphy produced the first sub-25 result of the morning, with the 30-year-old hitting the wall in 24.75. Entered with a 100 meter time, Murphy, the winner of last night’s 100 back, was 25.36 in prelims last month in Sacramento and won the final in 25.17, so the 30-year-old is making fast improvements as he continues his comeback from nearly two years off.

While the women’s world rankings is chockablock with Americans, Murphy’s time makes him just the 2nd American, slotting him in as the 22nd fastest in the world this season. Hoping to join him there tonight are the 2nd and 4th seeds, Quintin McCarthy and Adam Chaney, who produced results of 24.92 and 25.18.

Like Winkler, Michael Andrew has been having a very strong meet, earning his 2nd A-final of the evening by placing 5th this morning in the 50 back with a time of 25.25.

Women’s 400 IM – Prelims

Top 8:

Through the first two fastest heats of the women’s 400 IM, the top time belongs to a teenager, but perhaps not the one people were expecting, as Sydney Schoeck of CSP Tideriders produced a phenomenal performance to win the first heat and likely earn lane 4 in the final tonight. The 17-year-old opened in 1:03.78 and then was 1:09.62 on the backstroke to lead Olympic medalist Emma Weyant 2:13.40 to 2:17.02.

Weyant, the 19th fastest performer of all time, used a strong backhald to close the gap a little, but seemed content to not expend too much energy letting Shoeck remain in front, taking the win 4:39.86 to 4:41.80. Her time, a new personal best by nearly one and a half seconds, betters her previous record of 4:41.21 set earlier this month at the Mel Zajac Jr. meet.  It also jumps her into the top 25 all-time in the 17-18 National Age Group rankings, slotting her between Ariana Kukors and Teagan O’Dell, the latter of whom placed 7th this morning.

The first heat was definitely a faster affair than the second, as Schoeck and Weyant posted the top two times, and Audrey Derivaux and Caroline Bricker posted the 4th- and 5th-fastest times. Sandwiched between the two pairs on the leaderboard was the top seed entering the event, Katie Grimes. She took the race out faster than Schoeck did, opening in 1:02.78 and was in virtual first after the backstroke, hitting the halfway point in 2:12.99, but with a 1:26.42 breaststroke split (four plus seconds slower than both Schoeck and Weyant) Grimes fell off her pace and cruised into the wall touching in 4:43.70. She didn’t have much pressure to attack the race as she finished over three second clear of her training partners Leah Hayes (4:47.04) and O’Dell (4:47.61).

Continuing her strong run of form and again showing why you need to pay attention to all the swims, Aimee Canny once again parlayed a yards entry time into an A-final worthy appearance as she hit the wall in 4:44.66. Adding to her busy evening as she was also slated to appear in the 200 breaststroke final, Canny dominated her heat, opening in a very swift 1:01.30 and continuing her relentless pace, closing in 1:05.88 to win the heat by nearly nine seconds, beating out her teammate Sophie Umstead, who stopped the clock at 4:53.82. Canny’s time appears to be a personal best as she has no recorded result in the event in the World Aquatics database.

Men’s 400 IM – Prelims

Top 8:

There is a fine line between using the term conserving energy for the final tonight and missing the final, and Bobby Finke was fortunate to land on the former term, as the top-seeded swimmer finished 7th overall after the first two heats.

After a very strong and slightly shocking win in this event at last year’s nationals in this very pool, Finke nearly missed the A-final, as his prelims swim of 4:21.43 was less than two seconds from not qualifying. Finke, who is slated to swim the 1500 free final this evening, was bound to try to conserve some energy this morning, opening in 58.78 before posting a backstroke split of 1:06.05 to hit the halfway mark at 2:04.83. After a rough 100 breaststroke of 1:17.49, Finke had to put in some work in the final 100, closing in 59.11 to stop the clock at 4:21.43, just getting by Gregg Enoch and his 1:00.36 last 100 to finish 4th in the heat, behind the Big-10 rivals Dominik Mark Torok of Wisconsin and Tristan Jankovics of OSU and the heat winner Grant Sanders, who hit the wall in 4:19.43, a drop of 1.51 from his seed, and just over a second off his PB of 4:18.28 from the 2019 National Championships.

All five of them were chasing Lorne Wigginton‘s time of 4:17.13 from the previous heat, with the University of Michigan swimmer using a strong breaststroke split of 1:13.88 and a freestyle split of 58.98 to power to a heat win. Wigginton led after the fly, opening in 56.78 to take an early lead, but Yi Zheng, who had a strong showing in yesterday’s 200 IM, powered his way to a lead in the backstroke leg, and would have remained there had he not come home in 1:00.59 to touch 2nd in the heat at 4:18.27.

2nd seed Michael Hochwalt, unlike Finke, missed the final, finishing 10th overall with a time of 4:22.76. Fink’s spot became even more precarious as California’s Ryan Erisman dropped over five seconds from his seed, shooting up from the presumptive 17th seed to 3rd after winning the 3rd heat (1st men’s heat in the B flight) in a time of 4:18.35. Erisman opened in 57.55 and used a strong backstroke to hit the halfway point at 2:03.67. Like so many of the IMers before him, he faltered a little on the breaststroke but came home in a fast 58.25, setting a new personal best and bettering his 4:19.35 from the 2024 NCSA meet.

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