Ilya Kharun sets Meet and U.S. Open Record, out-touches Dressel, in 50 butterfly at U.S. Swimming Nationals
Caeleb Dressel got the better start and led through the first 15 meters in the men's 50 butterfly, but Ilya Kharun swam away from the field over the final 25 to win the race in 22.59. Kharun set a new meet record and U.S. Open record, the fastest time ever swum on American soil. It's Kharun's second record-breaking swim of the day after he'd already broken the meet record in this morning's prelims.
"I'm a part of the team now and I'm very happy to be with the big dogs," Kharun said in his post-race interview on the win being his first national title since switching to represent the United States internationally after formerly swimming for Canada.
Dressel, who won the 100 freestyle a night earlier, took second in 22.86, still under 23 seconds and the ninth-fastest time in the world this year, another encouraging sign in his comeback.
Michael Andrew took third in 23.07, ahead of Santo Condorelli in fourth. Finn Brooks (5th), Matthew Klinge (6th), Kamal Muhammad (7th) and Logan Robinson (8th) rounded out the field.
Anna Moesch's second win of the meet, in the 200 freestyle, and Isabelle Stadden's near-world-leading swim in the 200 backstroke also headlined the night, full recaps below.
Anna Moesch wins second national title in 200 freestyle
A night after breaking her own American Record in the 100 freestyle, Virginia's Anna Moesch was right back at it in the 200 freestyle, leading start to finish and touching in 1:55.05. Her time in the win makes her the fifth-fastest American performer all-time in the event, adding to a standout 2026 season.
Rylee Erisman took second in 1:55.86, just edging Madi Mintenko (1:55.87) for the runner-up spot in a photo finish of their own. Liberty Clark was fourth in 1:56.55, followed by Camille Spink, Cavan Gormsen, Erika Pelaez and Marie Landreneau.
Ryan Erisman chases down field to take 200 freestyle national title
Ryan Erisman blazed the fastest final 50 of the field (26.89) to run down Mitchell Schott, who'd led the race through 150 meters, and win in 1:45.23. Erisman tied Conor Dwyer as the 13th fastest performer in American history. It's a big turnaround in closing speed for Erisman, who was already the fastest qualifier out of this morning's prelims at 1:45.40.
Patrick Sammon closed hard as well in the final 50 (27.01) to take second in 1:45.67, while Schott held on for third in 1:45.78 despite going out hard and getting caught late. Brooks Curry (4th), Jack Dahlgren (5th) and Baylor Nelson (6th) rounded out the chase for podium, with Enzo Solitario and Kieran Smith closing out the final.
In the 18-and-under final, Luka Mijatovic won in 1:46.04, a time that would have placed him fourth in the national final field.
Virginia's Sophia Umstead races to 200 breaststroke championship
Top seed Sophia Umstead backed up her prelims form in the women's 200 breaststroke to take the title in 2:25.57, dropping time from this morning's 2:26.07. Adalene Robillard held on for second in 2:26.07, dropping almost two seconds from her prelims time.
Maddy Huggins moved up from fourth in prelims to grab third in 2:26.42, bumping Katie Christopherson down to fourth (2:27.62) in the process. Grace Rabb (5th) and Brooke Corrigan, who climbed from eighth to sixth, rounded out the middle of the field, while Elizabeth Nawrocki held steady in seventh and Texas' Piper Enge slid from fifth in prelims to eighth in the final.
In the 18-and-under final, Kayda Geyer and Kaidy Stout, who finished third and fifth overall in this morning's prelims, flipped the script to finish first and second, with Geyer touching in 2:28.22 and Stout in 2:28.54. Both times would have slotted into the national final as well, good for fifth and sixth fastest times in the event.
Josh Bey claims first national title in men's 200 breaststroke
Indiana's Josh Bey out-touched prelims top seed Gabe Nunziata in a stroke-for-stroke battle over the final 100 meters in the men's 200 breaststroke. Bey won in 2:07.58, the second-fastest time in the world this year. Bey's performance makes him the sixth-fastest American in the event's history while Tennessee's Nunziata, who took second, became the seventh fastest American of all-time, and threw down the third fastest time in the world in 2026.
Louisville's Finnley Conklin claimed third in 2:08.94, edging out Bey's own training partner Noah Cakir for the final spot on the podium. Luke Barr (5th), Eli Martin (6th), Jed Garner (7th) and Logan Brown (8th) rounded out the field.
Pre-meet top seed AJ Pouch missed the championship final entirely, finishing sixth in the top seeded prelims heat in 2:14.16, while No. 2 seed Josh Matheny also missed the cut after finishing in 2:13.73. Both are expected to be back at full strength when they race this event at the Pan Pacific Championships next month.
Isabelle Stadden dominates field to win women's 200 backstroke
Isabelle Stadden blew the field away, slashing more than two seconds off her prelims time to win the women's 200 backstroke. She was ahead of world-record pace at the 100-meter mark before finishing in 2:04.76, just off the 2:04.37 she swam in May at the Fort Lauderdale Open, which currently ranks second in the world this season. Tonight's swim was still faster than Regan Smith's third-ranked time. Smith will race the event in August at the Pan Pacific Championships.
Maggie Wanezek took second in 2:07.08, while Rylee Erisman closed out a busy night with a third-place finish in 2:07.55, capping a double after also finishing second in the 200 freestyle earlier in the session. Charlotte Crush was fourth in 2:07.69, followed by Teagan O'Dell, Rhyan White, Kennedy Noble and Catie Choate.
David King wins 200 backstroke in fifth fastest time in the world this year
Virginia's David King absolutely crushed the field in the men's 200 backstroke, dropping nearly three seconds from his prelims time to win in 1:55.01 — more than two and a half seconds clear of second place. David Melnychuk held on for second in 1:57.56, just ahead of Michael Hochwalt, who stormed from eighth in prelims all the way up to third in 1:57.59.
Gavin Keogh was fourth in 1:57.68, followed by Jack Wilkening, Ryan Slonac and Tommy Hagar. Owen McDonald, third in this morning's prelims, slipped to eighth in the final.
Brady Kendall out-touches Tennessee's Mizuki Hirai to win 50 butterfly national title
With American Record holder Gretchen Walsh sitting the women's 50 butterfly as she prepares for Pan Pacs next month, the field stayed tight into the finish. Brady Kendall and Mizuki Hirai were even through the start and underwater, but Kendall timed her finish perfectly to win in 25.87, a bounce-back swim after what she described as "technical difficulties" in this morning's prelims.
Hirai, an Olympic finalist in the 100 butterfly at the Paris Games who swims for Tennessee and represents Japan internationally, took second in 26.06, just 0.02 ahead of Gabi Brito's 26.08 for third. Caroline Larsen was fourth, followed by Emily Jones, Charlotte Crush, Mena Boardman and Natalie Kan.
Tomorrow's Schedule — Day 3 (Thursday, July 30)
Prelims begin at 9 a.m. PT (12 p.m. ET); finals at 6 p.m. PT (9 p.m. ET), streaming live on USA Swimming's YouTube channel with finals also on Peacock.
Women's & Men's 400 Individual Medley
Women's & Men's 100 Butterfly
Women's & Men's 50 Breaststroke
Women's & Men's 50 Backstroke
