Live Recap of Day 3 Prelims at the 2025 U.S. Open

By James Sutherland on SwimSwam

2025 U.S. OPEN

WOMEN’S 100 FLY – PRELIMS

• World Record: 54.60, Gretchen Walsh (USA) – 2025
• U.S. Open Record: 54.60, Gretchen Walsh (USA) – 2025
• U.S. Open Meet Record: 56.21, Torri Huske (USA) – 2023

‘A’ Final Qualifiers: 

1. Gretchen Walsh (NYAC), 56.64
2. Regan Smith (TXLA), 57.19
3. Alex Shackell (CSC), 57.81
4. Summer McIntosh (TXLA), 57.92
5. Marie Wattel (SUN), 58.70
6. Isabella Boyd (SVA), 58.95
7. Leah Shackley (NCS), 59.25
8. Campbell Stoll (TEX), 59.43

Gretchen Walsh looked dominant in the heats of the women’s 100 fly, as the world record holder used her drop-dead speed and outstanding underwaters to cruise to the fastest time of the morning in 56.64, taking over the top spot in the world rankings.

The swim for Walsh moves her past Japan’s Mizuki Hirai (56.70) for #1 in the world in the 2025-26 season, and is notably faster than she was the last time she raced the U.S. Open in 2023, where she was 56.85 in the final.

Summer McIntosh raced alongside Walsh in the final heat, posting a time of 57.92 to advance 4th overall into the final. The time matches the second-fastest swim of her career, with her PB sitting at 57.19 from April 2024.

McIntosh’s Longhorn Aquatics teammate Regan Smith was smooth in leading the penultimate heat in 57.19, ranking her 4th in the world this season and moving her 2nd into the final, while Carmel’s Alex Shackell won the first circle-seeded heat in 57.81 to qualify in 4th.

France’s Marie Wattel (58.70) and Australian Isabella Boyd (58.95) add some international flair to the final, advancing 5th and 6th overall, while Alex Walsh was a notable no-show.

MEN’S 100 FLY – PRELIMS

• World Record: 49.45, Caeleb Dressel (USA) – 2021
• U.S. Open Record: 49.76, Caeleb Dressel (USA) – 2021
• U.S. Open Meet Record: 51.03, Shaine Casas (USA) – 2023

‘A’ Final Qualifiers: 

1. Shaine Casas (TXLA), 50.78
2. Ilya Kharun (UN-AZ), 50.91
3. Dare Rose (SCAR), 51.60
4. Caeleb Dressel (SJAC), 51.77
5. Leon Marchand (TXLA), 51.81
6. Bjoern Kammann (TNAQ), 51.94
7. Hubert Kos (TXLA) / Aiden Hayes (NCS), 52.30
8. –

Shaine Casas and Ilya Kharun threw down back-to-back sub-51 swims to lead a hotly contested prelim in the men’s 100 fly.

Casas roared to victory over teammate Leon Marchand in the penultimate heat, clocking 50.78 to break his own U.S. Open meet record of 51.03 set in 2023. The swim also moves Casas into #1 in the world this season, overtaking Aussie Matt Temple (50.92).

The swim stands up as the sixth sub-51 performance of Casas’ career, with his personal best standing at 50.40 from July 2022.

Marchand touched 2nd in the heat in 51.81, lowering his previous best of 52.42 to qualify 5th into the final.

In the last heat, Kharun answered Casas by blasting to a time of 50.91, delivering the only sub-27 second 50 (26.88) on the way as he qualifies 2nd for the final and moves to #2 in the world this season.

Dare Rose touched 2nd in 51.60, good for 3rd overall, while Caeleb Dressel delivered his fastest swim since the Paris Olympics in 51.77 to qualify in 4th. Dressel had only raced the 100 fly twice since the 2024 Olympics, clocking 53.11 and then 52.33 in July at the Florida Senior Championships.

• Dressel’s Splits: 24.42/27.35

Tennessee’s Bjoern Kammann topped the first circle-seeded heat in 51.94 to make the final in 6th. The German native set a PB of 51.70 this past summer en route to winning silver at the World University Games.

Owen McDonald was disqualified for a false start after initially posting a time in the 52-mid range.

WOMEN’S 400 IM – PRELIMS

• World Record: 4:23.65, Summer McIntosh (CAN) – 2025
• U.S. Open Record: 4:26.98, Summer McIntosh (CAN) – 2025
• U.S. Open Meet Record: 4:24.38, Summer McIntosh (CAN) – 2024

‘A’ Final Qualifiers: 

1. Mary-Sophie Harvey (CAN), 4:40.98
2. Emma Weyant (GSC), 4:43.45
3. Tara Kinder (SVA), 4:44.70
4. Sadie Buckley (NCAP), 4:47.89
5. Rosie Murphy (UCLA), 4:49.86
6. Ieva Maluka (ABSC), 4:51.31
7. Emma Finlin (OSU), 4:52.38
8. Emma Cigna (NCAP), 4:53.92

Mary-Sophie Harvey rolled to a seven-second victory in the second of three heats in the women’s 400 IM to claim the top seed for tonight’s final by a wide margin.

The 26-year-old Canadian had the field’s fastest fly split (1:02.59) and never looked back, soaring to a time of 4:40.98 for the 11th-fastest of her career to move into 12th in the world this season. She most recently raced the 400 IM in short course meters during the World Cup in October, setting a best time of 4:24.25 during the Toronto leg.

Nation’s Capital’s Sadie Buckley, 16, put up a time of 4:47.89 to touch 2nd in the heat, ultimately earning her the #4 seed for the final. Buckley was just over two and a half seconds shy of her personal best of 4:45.21.

Emma Weyant, who has won back-to-back Olympic medals in this event, pulled away from Australian Tara Kinder in the final heat to claim the 2nd seed for the final in 4:43.45, with Kinder close behind in 4:44.70.

This is Weyant’s first competition since the World Championships in Singapore this past summer, where she placed 5th in the 400 IM.

UCLA’s Rosie Murphy had a noteworthy swim of 4:49.86, marking her first time sub-4:50 as she lowers her previous best of 4:50.46 set this past July.

MEN’S 400 IM – PRELIMS

• World Record: 4:02.50, Leon Marchand (FRA) – 2023
• U.S. Open Record: 4:05.25, Michael Phelps (USA) – 2008
• U.S. Open Meet Record: 4:10.09, Chase Kalisz (USA) – 2022

‘A’ Final Qualifiers: 

1. Carson Foster (UN-MR), 4:15.19
2. Tristan Jankovics (OSU), 4:18.67
3. Cooper Lucas (TEX), 4:18.74
4. Luka Mijatovic (PLS), 4:19.45
5. Tommy Bried (UOFL), 4:20.29
6. Baylor Nelson (TEX), 4:20.37
7. Ivan Puskovitch (TSM), 4:20.66
8. Gregg Enoch (UOFL), 4:21.77

After opening up a big lead through the first 300, Carson Foster put it on cruise control during the free leg in the third heat of the men’s 400 IM, coasting to the top time of the morning by a wide margin.

Foster touched in 4:15.19, putting him more than three seconds clear of the next-fastest swimmer as he slots into 9th in the world rankings this season.

Future Texas swimmer Luka Mijatovic ran down current Longhorn Baylor Nelson to place 2nd in the heat in a time of 4:19.45, earning him the 4th seed for the final while Nelson’s 4:20.37 was good for 6th overall.

This is only Mijatovic’s third career swim under 4:20, having gone 4:16.18 and 4:16.75 in June at the U.S. National Championships.

In the final heat, Ohio State’s Tristan Jankovics did just enough to hold off Texas’ Cooper Lucas for the victory, as they posted respective times of 4:18.67 and 4:18.74 to qualify 2nd and 3rd overall. In the 2025 NCAA ‘A’ final, Jankovics was 2nd and Lucas was 6th.

Louisville’s Tommy Bried, 15th at NCAAs last season, was 3rd in the heat in 4:20.29, good for 5th overall.

Team Santa Monica’s Ivan Puskovitch used a big freestyle split to win Heat 2 in a personal best of 4:20.66, qualifying him for the final in 7th. Puksovitch’s previous best stood at 4:22.53, set back in 2019.

Surprisingly missing the ‘A’ final was the top seed coming in, Bobby Finke, who ended up 9th overall in 4:22.01.

WOMEN’S 100 BREAST – PRELIMS

• World Record: 1:04.13, Lilly King (USA) – 2017
• U.S. Open Record: 1:04.45, Jessica Hardy (USA) – 2009
• U.S. Open Meet Record: 1:04.45, Jessica Hardy (USA) – 2009
• Texas Pool Record: 1:06.30, Lydia Jacoby

‘A’ Final Qualifiers: 

1. Kate Douglass (NYAC), 1:06.57
2. Mona McSharry (TNAQ), 1:07.07
3. Alexanne Lepage (CAN), 1:07.44
4. Aliz Kalmar (FRES), 1:08.04
5. Mackenzie Lung (FRES), 1:08.48
6. Alex Walsh (NYAC), 1:08.66
7. Piper Enge (TEX), 1:09.09
8. Skyler Smith (NCAC), 1:09.13

Reigning World Championship silver medalist Kate Douglass paced the field in the women’s 100 breaststroke, clocking 1:06.57 to lead the way into the final as the only swimmer sub-1:07.

Douglass’ swim moves her into 4th in the 2025-26 world rankings, and is notably nearly as fast as she was in the prelims at the 2025 World Championships (1:06.32) where she set a PB of 1:05.27 en route to silver in the final.

Ireland’s Mona McSharry, who was 11th in the 100 breast at the 2025 Worlds after winning bronze at the Paris Olympics, put up a time of 1:07.07 to advance 2nd into the final, while Canada’s Alexanne Lepage was the only other swimmer in the field under 1:08 in 1:07.44 for 3rd overall.

Fresno State put two swimmers into the top five, with seniors Aliz Kalmar and Mackenzie Lung posting respective times of 1:08.04 and 1:08.48, with Lung’s swim representing a new personal best by nearly a second, while Kalmar was only 13 one-hundredths shy of her PB.

Alex Walsh topped the first circle-seeded heat in 1:08.66, which ended up being good for 6th overall into the final.

Gabrielle Rose, 48, had a solid showing in 1:09.57 to narrowly miss the ‘A’ final in 9th.

Summer McIntosh, coming off her swim in the 100 fly, clocked 1:11.05 to claim the last lane in the ‘B’ final in 16th. Her PB stands at 1:10.39, set in February 2023.

MEN’S 100 BREAST – PRELIMS

• World Record: 56.88, Adam Peaty (GBR) – 2019
• U.S. Open Record: 58.14, Michael Andrew (USA) – 2021
• U.S. Open Meet Record: 59.28, Andrew Wilson (USA) – 2019

‘A’ Final Qualifiers: 

1. Alexei Avakov (IU), 59.99
2. Campbell McKean (TEX), 1:00.19
3. Nate Germonprez (TEX), 1:00.34
4. Jack Kelly (UN), 1:00.41
5. Luke Barr (TFA), 1:00.54
6. Josh Matheny (ISC), 1:00.57
7. Denis Petrashov (CARD), 1:00.70
8. Noah Cakir (IU), 1:00.85

Tonight’s ‘A’ final of the men’s 100 breaststroke could act as a preview of sorts of the NCAA final in three months’ time, as the top three qualifiers out of the prelims are all currently racing collegiately, two from Texas.

However, leading the way was Indiana’s Alexei Avakov, who is coming off a breakout summer where he posted a big personal best of 59.65 in the 100 breast to win the event at the U.S. Summer Championships in August.

This morning, Avakov was the lone swimmer to break the 1:00 barrier in 59.99, splitting 28.49/31.50 for the second-fastest swim of his career as he moves into 9th in the world this season.

Avakov won the final heat over Texas junior Nate Germonprez, who currently leads the NCAA rankings in the 100 breast after clocking 49.71 at last month’s Texas Hall of Fame Invite.

Germonprez clocked 1:00.34, the fourth-fastest swim of his career, to advance 3rd into the final.

His freshman teammate with the Longhorns, Campbell McKean, overtook Indiana’s Luke Barr coming home in the penultimate heat to clock 1:00.19 and advance 2nd overall into the final, representing the fifth-fastest swim of his career.

McKean currently ranks #2 in the NCAA behind Germonprez at 50.37, while Avakov sits 11th (51.37).

Jack Kelly, the former Brown star who is now training as a pro at Texas, was fourth-fastest this morning in 1:00.41 to advance 4th into the final, whille Barr’s personal best of 1:00.54 was good for 5th.

Leon Marchand narrowly missed out on the ‘A’ final in 9th, clocking 1:00.98, as Indiana freshman Noah Cakir snagged the 8th spot in 1:00.85.

WOMEN’S 100 BACK – PRELIMS

• World Record: 57.13, Regan Smith (USA) – 2024
• U.S. Open Record: 57.13, Regan Smith (USA) – 2024
• U.S. Open Meet Record: 57.95, Regan Smith (USA) – 2022

‘A’ Final Qualifiers: 

1. Regan Smith (TXLA), 58.73
2. Katharine Berkoff (WOLF), 59.40
3. Phoebe Bacon (WISC), 59.78
4. Ingrid Wilm (CAN), 1:00.25
5. Leah Shackley (NCS), 1:00.27
6. Erika Pelaez (NCS), 1:00.34
7. Summer McIntosh (TXLA), 1:00.80
8. Mary-Sophie Harvey (CAN), 1:00.92

Regan Smith made it look easy as she usually does in the heats of the women’s 100 back, putting up a time of 58.73 to lead the field into tonight’s ‘A’ final by nearly seven-tenths of a second.

Smith, who tied the world record in short course meters in October, takes over the top spot in the world rankings with this swim, moving past Canada’s Ingrid Wilm, who went 59.36 last weekend at the Japan Open.

Wilm was racing this morning alongside Katharine Berkoff in Heat 4, with Berkoff winning in 59.40 for the #2 seed into the final and Wilm’s 1:00.25 being good for 4th.

Phoebe Bacon touched 2nd behind Smith in the fifth and final heat in 59.78, advancing in 3rd, while NC State teammates Leah Shackley (1:00.27) and Erika Pelaez (1:00.34) went 1-2 in the first circle-seeded heat to qualify in 5th and 6th.

Racing for the third time this morning, Summer McIntosh unleashed a time of 1:00.80 from out in Lane 1 in Heat 2, having been entered with a yards time, to qualify for the ‘A’ final in 7th. The 19-year-old owns a PB of 59.64, set in February 2024.

Also on a tough turnaround was McIntosh’s fellow Canadian, Mary-Sophie Harvey, who was the fastest woman in the 400 IM earlier this morning and came back with a strong swim of 1:00.92 in the 100 back, making her way into the ‘A’ final by six one-hundredths over Alabama’s Cadence Vincent (1:00.98). That swim puts Harvey within 76 one-hundredths of her PB set in 2021 (1:00.16).

MEN’S 100 BACK – PRELIMS

• World Record: 51.60, Thomas Ceccon (ITA) – 2022
• U.S. Open Record: 51.94, Aaron Peirsol (USA) – 2009
• U.S. Open Meet Record: 52.51, Nick Thoman (USA) – 2009

‘A’ Final Qualifiers: 

1. Hubert Kos (TXLA), 53.30
2. Ivan Tarasov (AU) / Blake Tierney (CAN), 53.70
3. –
4. Henry Allan (SVA), 53.77
5. Daniel Diehl (NCS), 54.19
6. Hudson Williams (NCS), 54.63
7. Tommy Hagar (BAMA), 54.65
8. Joe Hayburn (LOYO), 54.90

Hungarian Hubert Kos put up a time of 53.30 to lead the men’s 100 back in this morning’s prelims, with the field a bit more competitive than usual with the addition of some international names.

Kos, the newly minted world record holder in short course meters and the fastest man ever in yards, slots into #2 in the world rankings this season with this performance, with only China’s Xu Jiayu (52.39) the only man having been faster since Sept. 1.

In Heat 1, Auburn freshman Ivan Tarasov, a Russian native, blasted a time of 53.70 for a new personal best, shattering his previous mark of 54.42 set in the summer of 2024. Tarasov was entered with his yards PB of 46.17.

Canada’s Blake Tierney then matched that time in the first circle-seeded heat to move into the final deadlocked with Tarasov in 2nd overall. Tierney was three-quarters of a second shy of the Canadian Record he set this past summer at the World Championships (52.95).

In Heat 4, Australian Henry Allan joined the sub-54 group in 53.77, just four one-hundredths shy of his lifetime best set at the Australian Age Group Championships this past April.

NC State’s Daniel Diehl was the fastest American of the morning in 54.19, good for 5th overall.

Cal pro Destin Lasco was notably back in 16th in 55.82, while Leon Marchand, racing for the third time this morning, clocked 56.87 for 25th place.

Racing in the final heat alongside Kos, Virginia’s Jack Aikins was disqualified for having his toes over the edge on the start.

Shaine Casas, after leading the field in the 100 fly prelims, was a no-show.

WOMEN’S 200 FREE – PRELIMS

• World Record: 1:52.23, Ariarne Titmus (AUS) – 2024
• U.S. Open Record: 1:54.13, Summer McIntosh (CAN) – 2023
• U.S. Open Meet Record: 1:54.20, Siobhan Haughey (HKG) – 2023

‘A’ Final Qualifiers: 

1. Anna Peplowski (ISC), 1:58.19
2. Simone Manuel (TXLA), 1:58.43
3. Liberty Clark (IU), 1:58.81
4. Erin Gemmell (TEX), 1:59.49
5. Erin Little (OSU), 1:59.70
6. Chloe Stepanek (LIAC), 1:59.72
7. Inez Miller (TEX), 2:00.00
8. Daria Golovaty (UOFL), 2:00.75

Indiana pro Anna Peplowski inched out IU freshman Liberty Clark in the third heat of the women’s 200 free to earn the top seed for tonight’s final, while Longhorn Aquatics’ Simone Manuel joined them under 1:59 from the heat prior.

Manuel won Heat 2 in a time of 1:58.43, pulling ahead of LIAC’s Chloe Stepanek (1:59.72) on the back half, and then Peplowski and Clark answered with a pair of quick swims in the next heat.

Peplowski and Clark went out fast–they were the only two swimmers in the field to flip under 57 seconds at the 100–and then Peplowski narrowly out-split her on both 50s coming home to touch first in 1:58.19, overtaking Manuel for the morning’s top time.

Clark was close behind in 1:58.81, shattering her previous personal best of 2:00.84 by more than two seconds. Clark, who has been having a phenomenal freshman year thus far with the Hoosiers, moves into a tie for 38th all-time in the girls’ 17-18 age group.

Texas’ Erin Gemmell then took control of the final heat, touching first in 1:59.49 to qualify 4th overall, while freshman teammate Inez Miller hit the touchpad in 2:00.00 on the nose to advance in 7th.

Notably on the outside looking in of the top eight were Alex Shackell (2:01.40) and Alex Walsh (2:01.60), sitting 10th and 11th overall. Phoebe Bacon was also in the water just minutes after racing the 100 back, placing 17th in 2:02.85.

MEN’S 200 FREE – PRELIMS

• World Record: 1:42.00, Paul Biedermann (GER) – 2009
• U.S. Open Record: 1:43.73, Luke Hobson (USA) – 2025
• U.S. Open Meet Record: 1:45.92, Townley Haas (USA) / Rafael Miroslaw (GER) – 2019 / 2023

‘A’ Final Qualifiers: 

1. Chris Guiliano (TXLA), 1:45.91
2. Luke Hobson (TXLA), 1:46.25
3. Aaron Shackell (IU), 1:46.61
4. Kieran Smith (RAC), 1:47.20
5. Patrick Sammon (UN), 1:47.40
6. Tomas Navikonis (OSU), 1:47.41
7. Gabriel Jett (CAL), 1:47.60
8. Kaique Alves (BAMA), 1:48.21

Chris Guiliano outduelled Texas teammate Luke Hobson in the final heat of the men’s 200 free en route to breaking the U.S. Open meet record and coming just over half a second shy of his personal best.

Guiliano, 22, had the advantage over Hobson on the first and last 50s, leading to him touching first in a time of 1:45.91 to break the meet record of 1:45.92 first set by Townley Haas in 2019 and then matched by Rafael Miroslaw in 2023.

For Guiliano, the swim puts him just 53 one-hundredths shy of his lifetime best of 1:45.38, set at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials, and ranks him 5th in the world so far this season.

Hobson, the U.S. Open Record holder (U.S. soil), put up a time of 1:46.25 to advance 2nd into the final, setting up an exciting showdown tonight between the two training partners.

Indiana’s Aaron Shackell had an impressive swim from the first circle-seeded heat in 1:46.61, just 26 one-hundredths off his lifetime best to advance 3rd into the final. In that heat, Shackell gained six-tenths on Kieran Smith on the first 50 and then the two swimmers had near-identical splits the rest of the way, with Smith ultimately clocking 1:47.20 for 4th overall.

In Heat 5, two 2025 U.S. World Championship team members, Patrick Sammon and Gabriel Jett, duelled it out, with Sammon running him down on the last 50 to touch in 1:47.40, advancing 5th into the final with Jett 7th in 1:47.60.

Cal’s Jack Alexy, who rarely races the 200 free in long course meters (using it to get an official split in the 50 or 100 free in his most recent swims), posted a massive personal best of 1:48.38 from Heat 1, ultimately earning him 11th in the prelims and just 17 one-hundredths shy of the ‘A’ final. Alexy’s previous best stood at 1:53.44, set back in August 2018.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: 2025 U.S. Open: Day 3 Prelims Live Recap