14-Yr-Old Penelope Lopez-Casula swims 48.4/1:46.0 Freestyles at SwimStrong Dryland National Champs

2026 SwimStrong Dryland National Championship

• March 19-22, 2026
• Fishers High School Natatorium, Fishers, IN
• SCY (25 yards)
• “2026 SwimStrong Dryland National Championship” on Meet Mobile

The 2026 SwimStrong Dryland National Championship features strong swims across all four days of competition in Fishers. Still, among the best of them, arguably the two best came from 14-year-old Penelope Lopez-Casula, who notched career bests in both the 100 free and 200 free, and climbed the all-time 13-14 National Age Group rankings in each.

In the 100 free, Lopez-Casula saw a massive time drop from her previous best of 49.13 at the Speedo Winter Junior Championships in December; here, she was more than half a second faster in 48.47. This drop shoots her way up in the girls’ 13-14 NAG rankings to #4 all-time, only trailing Claire Curzan (47.67), Missy Franklin (47.94), and Rylee Erisman (48.32).

13-14 Girls All-Time Performers:

1. Claire Curzan – 47.67 (2019)
2. Missy Franklin – 47.94 (2010)
3. Rylee Erisman – 48.32 (2023)
4. Penelope Lopez-Casula – 48.47 (2026)
5. Taylor Ruck – 48.54 (2014)

Her 200 free also saw a massive improvement; entering this meet with a lifetime best of 1:47.69 from the FG Age Group Championship in Early March, Lopez-Casula blasted a new lifetime best of 1:46.08, which also moved her up to 11th all-time in the 13-14 NAG rankings, just four tenths outside of the top 10 performers list and Madi Mintenko‘s #10 time of 1:46.04.

Lopez-Casula also picked up wins in the 50 free (22.87) and 500 free (4:52.85), completing the freestyle sweep.

14-year-old Gavin Jackson of Cardinal Aquatics s was among the biggest winners of the meet, winning all seven of his individual races, while setting career bests in the 200 free (1:43.23), 500 free (4:47.32), 100 back (54.08), 200 back (1:59.04), and 200 IM (2:00.91).

Jackson’s teammate Lincoln Hofmann, a Pitt commit, wound up with several event wins of his own, including best times in the 50 free 20.04 and the 200 back (1:43.67). His 200 back was especially noteworthy as it marks a more than two-second drop from his former best of 1:46.11 from the Kentucky LSC 13 & Over Championships in March of 2025. He also swam to a new lifetime best in the 100 backstroke as the leadoff leg in the 400 medley relay, where he set the tone by breaking the 48-second barrier for the first time in his young career in 47.98, besting his Speedo Winter Junior Championship Performance of 48.10 in December.

Fishers Area Swimming Tigers’ Emily Wolf, an NC State commit, earned seven wins of her own and swam several big lifetime bests, including the 1650 free, which she clocked 16:23.05. She also swam nearly three seconds faster than she had ever been in the 200 back, clocking 1:55.19. As the leadoff leg of both the 400 medley and 400 free relays, Wolf swam a best 100 back (54.76) and 100 freestyle (50.10).