2026 PAN PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS
DAY 1 PRELIMS HEAT SHEET
For the first time in eight years, the Pan Pacific Championships are here.
After the 2022 edition was canned due to make way for other major international meets that were posted from 2021 due to COVID, the Pan Pacs return for an intriguing four-day competition from the Woollett Aquatics Center in Irvine, kicking off on Wednesday and running through Saturday.
The opening day of competition features four events for each gender: 50 fly, 200 free, 100 back and 200 fly. We’ll also see timed finals of the men’s 800 free and women’s 1500 free, with the fastest seeded heats swimming with finals.
The headline of the day has to be Summer McIntosh opting to take on the women’s 200 free individually for the first time since the 2023 World Championships, dropping the 200 fly from her program after breaking the world record earlier in the summer.
Gretchen Walsh will also be on world record watch in the women’s 50 fly, and the Americans will have some intriguing to battles to keep an eye on in the 200 free and 100 back with only two lanes available per country in each ‘A’ final.
For a full preview of this morning’s session, along with a look at the scratches, click here.
Note that only two swimmers per country can make the ‘A’ final. Swimmers with their names crossed out in the results below mean they’re out of the ‘A’ final due to this rule.
WOMEN’S 50 BUTTERFLY – PRELIMS
‘A’ Final Qualifiers:
Gretchen Walsh (USA), 24.91 CR
Kate Douglass (USA), 24.99
Alexandria Perkins (AUS), 25.57
Taylor Ruck (CAN), 25.61
Erin Gallagher (RSA), 25.64
Rikako Ikee (JPN), 25.90
Torri Huske (USA), 26.19
Leilani Fack (CAN), 26.47
Phoebe Bacon (USA), 26.48
Zoe Pedersen (NZL), 26.62
Given the Pan Pacs haven’t been raced in eight years, it was no surprise to see the Championship Record fall in the first three heats of the meet as the women’s 50 fly got the action underway.
Ultimately, it was Gretchen Walsh walking away with the new CR heading into tonight’s final, having posted a time of 24.91 from the third and final heat. She set the American Record at the Sette Colli Trophy in June in a time of 24.51, the second-fastest performance in history.
In the heat prior, her American teammate Kate Douglass joined the exclusive sub-25 club with a blistering 24.99 swim, knocking a quarter of a second off her previous best of 25.24 to move up to #3 all-time behind Sarah Sjostrom (24.43) and Walsh.
In the opening heat, Taylor Ruck clocked 25.61 to be the first one to take down Rikako Ikee‘s meet record of 25.89 from 2018, and Ruck also lowered Penny Oleksiak‘s nine-year-old Canadian Record of 25.62 from 2017.
Torri Huske was 7th-fastest overall but as the third-best American, won’t make the ‘A’ final. New Zealand’s Zoe Pedersen was 10th in 26.62, but cracks the ‘A’ final due to four Americans being ahead of her.
MEN’S 50 BUTTERFLY – PRELIMS
World Record: 22.27, Andriy Govorov (UKR) – 2018
U.S. Open Record: 22.59, Ilya Kharun (Sun Devil Swimming) – 2026
Pan Pac Championship Record: 23.03, Cesar Cielo (BRA) – 2010
‘A’ Final Qualifiers:
Ben Armbruster (AUS), 22.92 CR
Gui Caribe (BRA), 22.96
Van Mathias (USA), 22.99
Michael Andrew (USA), 23.01
Santo Condorelli (USA), 23.18
Isaac Cooper (AUS), 23.21
Dare Rose (USA), 23.26
Shoon Mitsunaga (JPN) / Matthew Temple (AUS), 23.45
–
Calvyn Justus (RSA), 23.47
Finlay Knox (CAN), 23.60
The meet record fell in three straight heats again in the 50 fly, this time in the men’s race with Ben Armbruster, Gui Caribe and Van Mathias all breaking the 23-second barrier.
Mathias topped the opening heat in 22.99, breaking Cesar Cielo‘s 16-year-old Pan Pac record of 23.03 to narrowly miss his lifetime best of 22.87 set at the Indianapolis Pro Swim in June.
Caribe followed up with a 22.96 clocking in Heat 2, taking hold of the CR while coming just five one-hundredths shy of his personal best time of 22.91.
In the third and final heat, Australia’s Armbruster, who won Commonwealth gold last month in a Commonwealth Record time of 22.73, touched in 22.92 to claim the top seed for tonight and the Championship Record.
American Michael Andrew, the top seed coming in with his 22.79 personal best, put up a time of 23.01 to take a close 2nd to Armbruster in the final heat and overtake Santo Condorelli (23.18) as the second-fastest American and earn a spot in the ‘A’ final.
Isaac Cooper picked up the second Aussie spot in a time of 23.21, within a tenth of his PB (23.12), which knocked out Matthew Temple (23.45).
Shaine Casas ended up 12th-fastest overall and fifth-best among Americans in 23.62, meaning he won’t get a second swim tonight.
WOMEN’S 200 FREESTYLE – PRELIMS
‘A’ Final Qualifiers:
Lani Pallister (AUS), 1:55.29
Erika Fairweather (NZL), 1:55.53
Anna Peplowski (USA), 1:55.77
Summer McIntosh (CAN), 1:55.85
Erin Gemmell (USA), 1:55.88
Rylee Erisman (USA), 1:56.00
Milla Jansen (AUS), 1:56.22
Simone Manuel (USA), 1:56.34
Hannah Casey (AUS), 1:56.74
María Fernanda Costa (BRA), 1:57.01
Inez Miller (AUS), 1:57.09
Stephanie Balduccini (BRA), 1:57.16
It was a competitive set of circle-seeded heats in the women’s 200 freestyle, with five swimmers breaking 1:56 and 1:55.88 being the cut-off for an American to make it back in tonight’s ‘A’ final.
Australia’s Lani Pallister claimed Lane 4 tonight after posting a time of 1:55.29 from the fifth and final heat, while American Erin Gemmell (1:55.88) and fellow Aussie Milla Jansen (1:56.22) were next up in that head and also advanced to the ‘A’ final with strong morning swims.
In the penultimate heat, Anna Peplowski knew she had to put up something big in order to earn one of the American spots in the final, and she did just that, holding off Summer McIntosh to clock 1:55.77, just one tenth shy of her personal best of 1:55.67 set two months ago.
McIntosh looked easy, cruising through the 150 before picking it up on the last length with a 29.32 split to touch 2nd to Peplowski in 1:55.85, good for 4th overall.
The first circle-seeded heat was won by New Zealand’s Erika Fairweather, who clocked 1:55.53 to come within a half-second of her Kiwi Record time of 1:55.06 set earlier this year.
Rylee Erisman was 2nd in 1:56.00, a very strong morning swim and just 14 one-hundredths off her best time, but after what Peplowski and Gemmell did in the two heats after, it wasn’t enough to get Erisman in the ‘A’ final.
American Simone Manuel (1:56.34) also got bumped out of the ‘A’, while Brazilians María Fernanda Costa (1:57.01) and Stephanie Balduccini (1:57.16) were the beneficiaries of the two per country rule, making the big final as 10th and 12th-fastest swimmers overall.
MEN’S 200 FREESTYLE – PRELIMS
‘A’ Final Qualifiers:
Luke Hobson (USA), 1:44.31 CR
Gabriel Jett (USA), 1:45.04
Aaron Shackell (USA), 1:45.19
Zhang Zhanshuo (CHN), 1:45.43
Henry McFadden (USA), 1:45.61
Tatsuya Murasa (JPN), 1:46.05
Kai Taylor (AUS) / Max Giuliani (AUS), 1:46.06
–
Katsuhiro Matsumoto (JPN), 1:46.13
Patrick Sammon (USA), 1:46.15
Keaton Jones (USA), 1:46.30
Ethan Ekk (CAN), 1:46.43
The men’s 200 free was box-office type stuff with the Americans having to throw down their best effort to try and earn a lane in tonight’s ‘A’ final with only two U.S. spots available.
Aaron Shackell answered the bell first, blasting his way to a time of 1:45.19 in the first circle-seeded heat to obliterate his personal best time of 1:46.35 by over a second.
That performance put the pressure on the rest of the Americans.
Gabriel Jett responded in the next heat by putting up a time of 1:45.04, inching past Shackell and coming just 34 one-hundredths shy of his personal best set at the 2025 U.S. Nationals (1:44.70).
In the final heat, the big gun, Luke Hobson, threw down the gauntlet by going out under world record pace at the 100 (49.91) and then he was still only a tenth off Paul Biedermann‘s 2009 pace at the 150.
Hobson did what he needed to do coming home, and clearly shut things down over the last few strokes as he touched in a time of 1:44.31, claiming the top seed for the final while breaking Ian Thorpe‘s Pan Pac record of 1:44.75 from 2002.
Hobson also improved on his season-best time of 1:44.49, set in December at the U.S. Open. His personal best of 1:43.73 stands as the U.S. Open Record from last year’s Nationals.
As a result, despite being the third-fastest swimmer overall, Shackell will be relegated to the ‘B’ final as the third-fastest American.
China’s Zhang Zhanshuo, who set a personal best time of 1:44.53 earlier this year, was the fastest non-American with his 1:45.43 clocking from Jett’s heat, while another U.S. swimmer, Henry McFadden, wasn’t too far off his PB in the same heat in 1:45.61, though like Shackell, he’ll get bumped to the ‘B’ final.
Japan’s Tatsuya Murasa (1:46.05) was 2nd in Shackell’s heat and comfortably made it through, while Kai Taylor and Max Giuliani tied for fastest Australian in 1:46.06, meaning both will be in the ‘A’ final. Taylor is coming off winning gold at the Commonwealth Games last month in 1:45.30.
WOMEN’S 100 BACKSTROKE – PRELIMS
‘A’ Final Qualifiers:
Regan Smith (USA), 57.86 CR
Katharine Berkoff (USA), 58.09
Claire Curzan (USA), 58.21
Taylor Ruck (CAN), 58.58
Leah Shackley (USA), 59.06
Rylee Erisman (USA), 59.67
Hannah Fredericks (AUS), 59.69
Phoebe Bacon (USA), 59.74
Wan Letian (CHN), 59.90
Yu Yiting (CHN), 59.94
Ingrid Wilm (CAN), 59.96
Iona Anderson (AUS), 1:00.13
The backstroking prowess of the U.S. women was on full display in the heats of the 100 back, as the Americans had six of the top-eight times despite there only being room for two in the ‘A’ final.
As expected, those spots went to world record holder Regan Smith and reigning 50 back world champion Katharine Berkoff, who both stepped up with big swims after Claire Curzan delivered a new PB in the first circle-seeded heat.
Curzan fired off a time of 58.21 in the opening heat, breaking Kylie Masse‘s Pan Pac Record and her own PB of 58.29 to move her up to #11 all-time in the event.
Berkoff responded in the next heat, clocking 58.09 to take hold of the championship record and improve on her season-best of 58.20 set in June.
Then, it was Smith doing what she does best: easily producing 57-point swims in the 100 back.
The world record holder split 28.43/29.43 en route to a time of 57.86, breaking Berkoff’s minute-old meet record and earning Lane 4 for tonight’s final. Smith is the fastest swimmer in the world this season with the 57.49 she produced at the Fort Lauderdale Open in early May.
Her closing 50 was the fastest in the field by a wide margin, and she opened up relatively conservatively considering both Berkoff (27.89) and Curzan (27.98) were sub-28 to the feet.
Canada’s Taylor Ruck, about an hour removed from breaking the national record in the 50 fly, was the quickest non-American in 58.58 to advance to the final in 3rd, just over two-tenths shy of her newly minted PB of 58.37 set in early July.
Americans Leah Shackley (59.06) and Rylee Erisman (59.67) were the next-fastest swimmers in 5th and 6th, but as the fourth-fastest American, Shackley is relegated to the ‘B’ final along with Curzan, while Erisman fails to earn a second swim.
Australian Hannah Fredericks set a new season-best of 59.69 to make the final, alongside her teammate Iona Anderson, who didn’t have a great showing by her standards in 1:00.13, but still makes it through with the last ‘A’ final spot.
China also had two women make the ‘A’ final with Wan Letian and Yu Yiting sneaking under 1:00, as did Canada’s Ingrid Wilm, meaning we’ll see two swimmers apiece from the U.S., Australia, Canada and China in the championship final.
MEN’S 100 BACKSTROKE – PRELIMS
World Record: 51.60, Thomas Ceccon (ITA) – 2022
U.S. Open Record: 51.94, Aaron Peirsol (USA) – 2009
Pan Pac Championship Record: 51.94, Ryan Murphy (USA) – 2018
‘A’ Final Qualifiers:
Blake Tierney (CAN), 53.13
Will Modglin (USA), 53.17
Marcus Reyes-Gentry (MEX), 53.69
Jack Aikins (USA), 53.90
Hidekazu Takehara (JPN), 54.10
Daniel Diehl (USA), 54.16
Raben Dommann (CAN) / Kodai Nishiono (JPN), 54.36
–
Jack Harvey (BER), 54.51
Things were relatively tame in the men’s 100 backstroke compared to the chaos of the 200 frees and women’s 100 back with so many Americans fighting for one of two spots in the ‘A’ final.
Canadian Blake Tierney (53.13) edged out American Will Modglin (53.17) to win the third and final heat as they grabbed two spots for the final, while Mexico’s Marcus Reyes-Gentry was just one one-hundredth off his two-week-old national record in 53.69 to advance in 3rd overall.
Tierney’s swim improves on his season-best of 53.52, set at the U.S. Open in December, while Modglin breaks 54 for the first time this season after previously having been 54.50 back in April.
In the race for the other U.S. spot in the ‘A’ final, Jack Aikins‘ time of 53.90 from Heat 2 was enough to top the 54.16 produced by Daniel Diehl in Heat 1, meaning Diehl was the only swimmer posting a top-eight time who got bumped out of the ‘A’ final in this event.
The only swimmer advancing to the ‘A’ final who hit a new best time was Jack Harvey, who reset his Bermudian record by five one-hundredths in 54.51.
WOMEN’S 200 BUTTERFLY – PRELIMS
World Record: 2:01.65, Summer McIntosh (CAN) – 2026
U.S. Open Record: 2:02.62, Summer McIntosh (CAN) – 2025
Pan Pac Championship Record: 2:05.40, Jessicah Schipper (AUS) – 2006
‘A’ Final Qualifiers:
Alex Shackell (USA), 2:06.68
Tess Howley (USA), 2:07.13
Caroline Bricker (USA), 2:09.20
Brittany Castelluzzo (AUS), 2:09.27
Elizabeth Dekkers (AUS), 2:09.38
Chiho Mizuguchi (JPN), 2:10.12
Misa Okuzono (JPN), 2:11.10
Yasmin Silva (PER), 2:14.65
Applejean Gwinn (TPE), 2:18.49
With only 10 entrants in the women’s 200 fly, the only real battle this morning was the race between the three Americans for the two ‘A’ final spots.
Alex Shackell and Tess Howley both stepped up in Heat 1, going out fast over the first 100, with Howley slipping under 1:00 in 59.92, before Shackell gained a half-second on the last 50 to touch first in 2:06.68 to improve on her season-best of 2:07.37 and solidify her spot in the final.
Howley also went well under her season-best in 2:07.13, and after Caroline Bricker was only able to muster a time of 2:09.20 in the next heat, Howley’s spot in the ‘A’ final was confirmed.
All but one swimmer in the field among non-Americans advanced, including the two Aussies, Commonwealth champion Brittany Castelluzzo and top seed Elizabeth Dekkers, who cruised through with a pair of 2:09s.
MEN’S 200 BUTTERFLY – PRELIMS
World Record: 1:50.34, Kristof Milak (HUN) – 2022
U.S. Open Record: 1:52.20, Michael Phelps (USA) – 2008
Pan Pac Championship Record: 1:53.80, Michael Phelps (USA) – 2006
‘A’ Final Qualifiers:
Luca Urlando (USA), 1:54.13
Carson Foster (USA), 1:54.72
Harrison Turner (AUS), 1:55.05
Thomas Heilman (USA), 1:55.11
Chen Juner (CHN), 1:56.35
Kris Mihaylov (RSA), 1:57.68
Dare Rose (USA), 1:57.73
Benjamin Loewen (CAN), 1:58.90
Se-Bom Lee (AUS), 1:59.34
Anton Semenyuk (CAN), 2:00.22
In another event that really came down to a battle of three Americans for two spots, Luca Urlando and Carson Foster took care of business in the men’s 200 fly, winning their respective heats to advance into tonight’s final with the top two spots.
After Foster led Heat 1 in a season-best time of 1:54.72, Urlando went out fast in Heat 2, turning in 53.50 at the 100 and 1:22.71 at the 150, and then held on coming home to clock 1:54.13 and grab the top seed.
The American on the outside looking in ended up being Thomas Heilman, who set a new season-best of 1:55.11 from Urlando’s heat, and although it was 4th overall, he’s bumped out of the ‘A’ final.
Australian Harrison Turner, the 2025 World Championship bronze medalist and recent Commonwealth Games silver medalist, clocked 1:55.05 from the opening heat to qualify 3rd overall.
Chinese Record holder Chen Juner, a finalist at lasr year’s Worlds, could also be a factor in tonight’s final after advancing through in 4th in a time of 1:56.35. His national record stands at 1:54.02, set in the semis last summer in Singapore.
MEN’S 800 FREESTYLE – TIMED FINAL
World Record: 7:32.12, Zhang Lin (CHN) – 2009
U.S. Open Record: 7:40.34, Bobby Finke (USA) – 2023
Pan Pac Championship Record: 7:43.74, Zane Grothe (USA) – 2018
Early Heat Results:
Elijah Winnington (AUS), 7:50.11
Matthew Galea (AUS), 8:01.86
Roberto Valdes Ochoa (MEX), 8:23.57
Charles McIntosh (JAM), 8:52.16
Elijah Winnington pulled away from countryman Matthew Galea early en route to touching first in the opening heat of the men’s 800 freestyle, clocking 7:50.11 to put down a benchmark for the rest of the swimmer racing tonight.
Winnington improved on his previous season-best of 7:51.74, set at the Australian Open in April.
Galea, who won bronze in this event at the Commonwealth Games in July in a time of 7:47.10, was well off form, mustering a time of 8:01.86.
The two Aussies were not able to race with the fastest seeded heat tonight due to their only being allowed to be two swimmer per country in each final. Australia will be represented by Sam Short and Benjamin Goedemans, who went 1-2 at the Commonwealth Games, tonight.
Charles McIntosh set a new Jamaican Record in 8:52.16 to round out the heat, lowering the previous mark of 8:54.10 set by Dominic Walter in 2010.
WOMEN’S 1500 FREESTYLE – TIMED FINAL
World Record: 15:20.48, Katie Ledecky (USA) – 2018
U.S. Open Record: 15:20.48, Katie Ledecky (USA) – 2018
Pan Pac Championship Record: 15:28.36, Katie Ledecky (USA) – 2014
Early Heat Results:
Molly Walker (AUS), 16:10.58
Tiana Kritzinger (AUS), 16:16.43
Ashley Twichell (USA), 16:29.42
Becca Mann (USA), 16:31.42
Jacqueline Davison-McGovern (AUS), 16:31.47
Mariah Denigan (USA), 16:43.24
Callan Lotter (RSA), 16:43.82
Katherine Warkentin (CAN), 17:14.20
In a heat that featured five of the top 10 women from the open water 10km event a few days ago, Australians Molly Walker and Tiana Kritzinger were dominant in the early heats of the women’s 1500 free they posted the top two times heading into the fastest seeded heat tonight.
Walker, who won bronze in both the 800 and 1500 free at the Commonwealth Games in July, put up a time of 16:10.58, just over nine seconds shy of the 16:01.36 marker she threw down last month in Birmingham.
Kritzinger, who was 6th at the Commonwealth Games in 16:11.36, clocked 16:16.43 to post the #2 time of the morning, while American veteran Ashley Twichell rounded out the top three in 16:29.42.
Twichell, 37, was 7th in the 10km open water event on Monday, while fellow American Becca Mann and Aussie Jacqueline Davison-McGovern were 4th and 5th. Mann and Davison-McGovern matched those finishing positions this morning, with Mann edging out Davison-McGovern by five one-hundredths.
