2025 Pro Swim Series – Sacramento: Day 3 Prelims Live Recap

2025 Pro Swim Series — Sacramento

• April 2-5, 2025
• North Natomas Aquatic Center, Sacramento, CA
• LCM (50 Meters)
• Start Times
  • Wednesday Distance: 8 pm (ET)
  • All Prelims: 12 pm (ET)
  • Thurs-Sat Finals: 8 pm (ET)
• Livestream Information
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results

Day 3 Prelims Heat Sheet

Happy Friday, swim fans! The third day of action at the Sacramento stop of the Pro Swim Series gets underway today. We’ve got the 200 butterfly, 50 freestyle, 100 backstroke, 200 breaststroke, 50 butterfly, and 400 freestyle this morning, but it should still be a relatively quick prelims session.

One of the closest races yesterday evening was the men’s 100 butterfly, which came down to the touch as Fukuoka world champion Maxime Grousset pipped Luca Urlando by two-hundredths for the win. Urlando, like a handful of swimmers at this meet, is rolling out of the NCAA Championships straight into long-course meters. He’s got a busy session this morning as he’s entered in the 200 and 50 butterfly. In the former, he’ll get set for a battle with the Chmielewski brothers this evening while the latter will set up another showdown with the top-seeded Grousset.

Grousset has a double as well; he’s entered in the 50 butterfly and 50 freestyle. The top seed in both events, he’ll race Max Giuliani and Youssef Ramadan in the final heat of the men’s 50 freestyle. Last night’s 200 freestyle champion Brooks Curry will take the blocks next to Maximus Williamson in heat three, while Michael Andrew and Evgenii Somov race in heat four.

Katharine Berkoff and Taylor Ruck face off in the final heat of the women’s 50 freestyle this morning, with Ruch holding the top seed (24.50). These prelims should set up a great race tonight. Beryl Gastaldello is seeded a hundredth behind Ruck and is a versatile sprinter who was 4th in the 200 free last night. Louisville’s Julia Dennis reached a new level in yards during the NCAA postseason and will try to translate that to meters in heat four.

Also, Berkoff’s fellow Wolfpack member Leah Shackley is set for another double today. Shackley just completed here freshman season at NC State and has made the quick switch to meters. Yesterday, she won the 100 butterfly and placed third in the 50 backstroke. Those disciplines flip today, as she’s entered in the 100 backstroke and 50 butterfly.

Women’s 200-Meter Butterfly — Prelims

• World Record: 2:01.81 — Liu Zige, China (2009)
• American Record: 2:03.84 — Regan Smith, United States (2024)
• U.S. Open Record: 2:03.87 — Regan Smith, United States (2023)
• World Junior Record: 2:03.03 — Summer McIntosh, Canada (2024)
• Pro Swim Record: 2:04.80 — Regan Smith, United States (2024)

‘A’ Final Qualifiers:

1. Rachel Klinker (CAL), 2:13.00
2. Justina Kozan (UN), 2:16.45
3. Applejean Gwinn (SAND), 2:17.36
4. Vivien Jackl (HUN), 2:20.33
5. Chlor Eyrich (UN), 2:22.35
6. Ella Ackerman (UN), 2:22.45
7. Davina Huang (UN), 2:25.23
8. Veronika Divis (SDSA), 2:26.54

With just 11 swimmers competing in the 200 butterfly this morning, it didn’t take very much effort this morning for the top swimmers to make the championship final. Rachel Klinker, a member of the U.S. team at the 2024 World Championships, locked down the fastest time of the morning by 3.45 seconds with a 2:13.00.

It’s a strong statement heading into the final, where her closest competition will be Justina Kozan. Kozan won the first of two 200 butterfly heats this morning, clocking a 2:16.45 as a follow up to her 200 freestyle win last night (1:59.31). She was followed by the Sandpipers’ Applejean Gwinn, who took second in heat one with a 2:17.36.

Gwinn sits as third-fastest qualifier after that swim and the only one to join Klinker and Kozan under 2:20 in the heats.

Men’s 200-Meter Butterfly — Prelims

• World Record: 1:50.34 — Kristof Milak, Hungary (2022)
• American Record: 1:51.51 — Michael Phelps, United States (2009)
• U.S. Open Record: 1:52.20 — Michael Phelps, United States (2008)
• World Junior Record: 1:53.79 — Kristof Milak, Hungary (2017)
• Pro Swim Record: 1:53.84 — Luca Urlando, United States (2019)

‘A’ Final Qualifiers:

1. Krzysztof Chmielewski (UN), 1:54.92
2. Michal Chmielewski (UN), 1:56.86
3. Luca Urlando (DART), 1:57.27
4. Michael Hochwalt (UN), 2:02.34
5. Grant Sanders (FAST), 2:02.40
6. Hector Ruvalcaba Cruz (AGS), 2:02.95
7. Levente Balogh (VT), 2:03.17
8. Shareef Elaydi (UN), 2:03.37

Luca Urlando was the first man to crack the 2:00 barrier this morning, cruising to a heat two win with a 1:57.27. He’s the newly crowned NCAA champion in the 200-yard version of this event, breaking his NCAA record to win the title in a blistering 1:36.43.

Urlando will swim out of lane three for the final, as the Chmielewski brothers Michal and Krzysztof were both faster this morning. Michal Chmielewski won the penultimate heat in 1:56.86, dipping .41 seconds under Urlando’s swim.

Krzysztof Chmielewski turned in the fastest swim of the morning in the final heat, blowing past his brother and Urlando with a 1:54.92. The swim is about a second off the 1:53.90 he swam for fourth at the Paris Olympics and the Pro Swim Series record Urlando set in 2019.

The Chmielewskis and Urlando have set themselves apart by clearing 2:00 before the final. That said, the top four swimmers all competed at the NCAA Men’s DI Championships in Federal Way last weekend; Urlando for Georgia, the Chmielewskis for USC, and Michael Hochwalt for Arizona State.

Women’s 50-Meter Freestyle — Prelims

• World Record: 23.61 — Sarah Sjostrom, Sweden (2023)
• American Record: 23.91 — Kate Douglass, United States (2024)
• U.S. Open Record: 24.00 — Abbey Weitzeil, United States (2023)
• World Junior Record: 24.17 — Claire Curzan, United States (2021)
• Pro Swim Record: 24.17 — Sarah Sjostrom, Sweden (2016)

‘A’ Final Qualifiers:

1. Beryl Gastaldello (INSEP), 24.79
2. Julia Dennis (UOFL), 24.97
3. Katharine Berkoff (WOLF), 25.62
4. Liberty Clark (UN), 25.82
5. Albane Cachot (INSEP), 25.86
6. Kennedi Southern (LAC), 26.02
7. Faith Larsen (UN), 26.09
8. Adrianna Szwabinska (FAST), 26.14

After a fourth-place finish in the 200 freestyle yesterday, Beryl Gastaldello posted the fastest qualifying time in the women’s 50 freestyle. The 30-year-old clocked a 24.79 to win heat five, .28 seconds off her entry time.

In the same heat, Julia Dennis swam 24.97, posting her first lifetime best in the 50-meter freestyle in almost two years. Her swim cuts nine-hundredths off her previous lifetime best and was her first sub-25 second outing. It comes after a breakout NCAA postseason for the Louisville swimmer, who hit a lifetime best 21.08 at the ACC Championships and finished third at NCAAs.

Behind these heat five antics, Katharine Berkoff qualified easily for the final, swimming a 25.62 for third overall, while Gastaldello’s INSEP teammate Albane Cachot qualified fifth (25.86), four-hundredths behind Liberty Clark.

There’s a wide range of times and ages in this championship final. There’s a 1.35-second gap between first-place Gastaldello and eighth-place Adrianna Szwabinska. Then, there’s a 16-year-gap from the youngest ‘A’ final qualifier, Kennedi Southern, to the oldest, Gastaldello. This is the 14-year-old Southern’s second ‘A’ final of the meet, as she placed seventh in the 50 backstroke last night. Her 26.02 50 freestyle qualifying time is a lifetime best by .16 seconds.

Men’s 50-Meter Freestyle — Prelims

• World Record: 20.91 — Cesar Cielo, Brazil (2009)
• American Record: 21.04 — Caeleb Dressel, United States (2019/2021)
• U.S. Open Record: 21.04 — Caeleb Dressel, United States (2021)
• World Junior Record:21.75 — Michael Andrew, United States (2017)
• Pro Swim Record: 21.51 — Caeleb Dressel, United States (2020)

‘A’ Final Qualifiers:

1. Brooks Curry (CAL), 22.03
2. Maxime Grousset (INSEP), 22.20
3. Kamal Muhammad (UN), 22.33
4. Michael Andrew (SUN), 22.41
5. Youssef Ramadan (VT), 22.72
6. Andres Gonzalez Cantu (IM), 23.12
7. Maximus Williamson (LAC), 23.29
8. Evgenii Somov (CAL), 23.33

Brooks Curry will aim for his second win of the Sacramento Pro Series this evening in the men’s 50 freestyle. He’s set himself up well, locking down lane four for the championship final with a 22.03. The time is faster than what he went at the U.S. Olympic Trials, where he missed the semifinals with a 22.35.

He’s got a .17 second advantage on the field heading into tonight’s final, but Maxime Grousset won’t make life easy for him. Grousset won last night’s 100 fly final by two-hundredths. In his first of two swims today, he clocked a 22.20, which stands as the second-fastest time of the morning.

In his first official individual 50 freestyle since 2023, Kamal Muhammad dropped over a second off the lifetime best he swam at the 2023 NCAP Elite Qualifier, blasting a 22.33 for the third seed in tonight’s final. He’s sitting eight-hundredths up on Michael Andrew (22.41).

Women’s 100-Meter Backstroke — Prelims

• World Record: 57.13 — Regan Smith, United States (2024)
• American Record: 57.13 — Regan Smith, United States (2024)
• U.S. Open Record: 57.13 — Regan Smith, United States (2024)
• World Junior Record: 57.57 — Regan Smith, United States (2019)
• Pro Swim Record: 57.64 — Regan Smith, United States (2024)

‘A’ Final Qualifiers:

1. Katharine Berkoff (WOLF), 1:00.69
2. Leah Shackley (NCS), 1:00.95
3. Anastasia Gorbenko (ISR), 1:01.25
4. Rhyan White (WOLF), 1:01.26
5. Savannah-Eve Martin (CSC), 1:02.66
6. Amber Georgie (CSC), 1:03.16
7. Ella Busquets (DA), 1:03.33
8. Georgia Wimberly (LAC), 1:04.82

100 backstroke Paris Olympic medalist Katharine Berkoff clocked the fastest time of the event prelims this morning in Sacramento. In her second swim of the session, she logged a 1:00.69, getting ahead of her teammate Leah Shackley‘s swim by .26 seconds. Berkoff made the championship final of the women’s 50 freestyle earlier in the session.

Shackley has a double as well today (as do many swimmers) and her 1:00.95 from heat two held as the second-fastest time of the morning. Yesterday, she won the 100 fly and placed third in the 50 backstroke.

There will be plenty of Wolfpack swimmers in the final as Rhyan White, another pro member of the NC State group, qualified fourth in 1:01.26. She was sixth in this event at Westmont with a 1:00.05.

Teenagers Savannah-Eve Martin and Georgia Wimberly dropped from their seed times to make the championship final. Martin dropped .72 seconds with a 1:02.66, while Wimberly improved by .67 seconds, grabbing lane eight with a 1:04.82.

Men’s 100-Meter Backstroke — Prelims

• World Record:51.60 — Thomas Ceccon, Italy (2022)
• American Record: 51.85 — Ryan Murphy, United States (2016)
• U.S. Open Record: 51.94 — Aaron Piersol, United States (2009)
• World Junior Record: 52.08 — Miron Lifintsev, Russia (2024)
• Pro Swim Record: 52.40 — David Plummer, United States (2016)

‘A’ Final Qualifiers:

1. Yohann Ndoye-Brouard (INSEP), 55.50
2. Cornelius Jahn (OSU), 55.76
3. Hugo Duvauchelle (INSEP), 56.99
4. Emi Zamudio (UN), 58.20
5. Jack Dahlgren (AQJT), 58.74
6. Gabo Arias (UN), 58.91
7. Devin Irons (PSC), 59.56
8. Luis Contreras Lopez (IM), 59.62

The lack of entries in the men’s 100 backstroke and a rash of DNS meant there were just four swimmers in the final heat of the men’s 100 backstroke prelims. Paris Olympic finalist Yohann Ndoye-Brouard easily controlled the heat, powering to the fastest time of the morning with a 55.50. Ndoye-Brouard dominated the men’s 50 backstroke final last night, winning by almost a second. Though he’s got a smaller margin after the 100 backstroke prelims, the 3.02 second add from his seed time suggests he’s got plenty left in the tank for this evening.

He’ll swim next to Ohio State’s Cornelius Jahn in the final. The 22-year-old Buckeye won the second (and penultimate) heat with a 55.76, which puts him .26 seconds behind Ndoye-Brouard. While the Frenchman will have Jahn on one side in the final, his teammate Hugo Duvauchelle will be on the other. The 17-year-old cut .96 seconds from his seed time, breaking 57 seconds with a 56.99 to qualify third for the final.

After placing 9th in the men’s 200 butterfly this morning, Jack Dahlgren earned his first ‘A’ final swim of the day in the 100 backstroke. Dahlgren clocked 58.74 for the fifth-fastest swim of the morning.

There will be two 17-year-olds in the final, as Phoenix Swim Club’s Devin Irons made it back in seventh after swimming a lifetime best 59.56. The swim is his first sub-1:00 outing and a .81-second drop.

Women’s 200-Meter Breaststroke — Prelims

• World Record: 2:17.55 — Evgeniia Chikunova, Russia (2023)
• American Record: 2:19.24 — Kate Douglass, United States (2024)
• U.S. Open Record: 2:19.30 — Kate Douglass, United States (2024)
• World Junior Record: 2:19.64 — Viktoria Gunes, Turkey (2015)
• Pro Swim Record: 2:19.30 — Kate Douglass, United States (2024)

‘A’ Final Qualifiers:

1. Aliz Kalmar (FRES), 2:30.35
2. Isabelle Odgers (NOVA), 2:31.04
3. Mikayla Tan (UN), 2:31.94
4. Lisa Nystrand (NCS), 2:33.00
5. Mia Su (UN), 2:33.42
6. Tess Cieplucha (TNAQ), 2:33.46
7. Jenna Pulkkinen (FRES), 2:34.14
8. Avery Collins (LAC), 2:35.59

Aliz Kalmar has stayed hot for Fresno State after becoming the program’s first All-American with her 200 breaststroke at the 2025 Women’s NCAA DI Championships two weeks ago. Kalmar, a 22-year-old from Hungary, won the 100 breaststroke last night in a lifetime best 1:07.91. Now, she’s the top qualifier for the 200 breaststroke.

Kalmar swam 2:30.35, which is the fastest time of the morning by .69 seconds. She was the only swimmer to break 2:31 in the heats, as Isabelle Odgers swam 2:31.04. Odgers was faster here than she was in the 200 breaststroke prelims in Westmont, where she swam 2:33.20. She went on to place 6th that night with a 2:30.93.

Fresno State will have two swimmers in the 200 breaststroke championship final as Kalmar’s teammate Jenna Pulkkinen made it back in seventh (2:34.14). Pulkkinen did not have a long-course 200 breaststroke registered in SwimCloud before this morning.

The smaller field in Sacramento has allowed some of the younger swimmers to earn a spot in the championship final. That trend continued in this event as 15-year-old Mikayla Tan swam a lifetime best 2:31.94 to make the ‘A’ final in third overall.

Men’s 200-Meter Breaststroke — Prelims

• World Record:2:05.48 — Qin Haiyang, China (2023)
• American Record: 2:06.54 — Matt Fallon, United States (2024)
• U.S. Open Record: 2:06.54 — Matt Fallon, United States (2024)
• World Junior Record:2:08.04 — Dong Zhihao, China (2023)
• Pro Swim Record: 2:08.18 — Matt Fallon, United States (2024)

‘A’ Final Qualifiers:

1. Matt Fallon (UPN), 2:13.13
2. Carles Coll Marti (VT), 2:13.22
3. AJ Pouch (PRVT), 2:14.27
4. Junhao Chen (UN), 2:16.43
5. Denis Petrashov (UOFL), 2:16.50
6. Brandon Fischer (TRIV), 2:16.53
7. Pavel Romanov (UN), 2:17.04
8. Grant Sanders (FAST), 2:17.15

The surprise NCAA 200-yard breaststroke champion Jassen Yep is not at this meet, but this championship final in Sacramento bears more than a passing resemblance to the 200 breaststroke ‘A’ final last week in Federal Way.

Three of the NCAA’s top four 200 breaststrokers from the NCAA Championships will be in tonight’s final in Sacramento, led by Olympian and American record holder Matt Fallon. Fallon took second at NCAAs last week and touched in 2:13.13 this morning to grab lane four for the final. He battled reigining SC world champion and NCAA bronze medalist Carles Coll Marti in heat six, setting up another close race between them in the final. Coll Marti hit the wall just nine-hundredths behind Fallon in 2:13.22.

Denis Petrashov, the fourth-place finisher at NCAAs, qualified fifth for the final with a 2:16.50. He’s .07 seconds behind USC’s Junhao Chan. Petrashov won the 100 breaststroke last night, swimming 1:00.42 to get the better of the rest of the ‘A’ final, including Andrew, Somov, Fallon, Coll Marti, Chan, and AJ Pouch.

Pouch is back for this final along with the NCAA swimmers. He swam the third-fastest effort of the morning with a 2:14.27.

Many swimmers have doubles today but Grant Sanders’ 200 fly/200 breast double is one of the most difficult on the day. The 27-year-old has now made both ‘A’ finals, placing fifth in the 200 fly and eighth in the 200 breast.

Women’s 50-Meter Butterfly — Prelims

• World Record: 24.43 — Sarah Sjostrom, Sweden (2014)
• American Record: 25.11 — Gretchen Walsh, United States (2023)
• U.S. Open Record: 25.11 — Gretchen Walsh, United States (2023)
• World Junior Record: 25.46 — Rikako Ikee, Japan (2017)
• Pro Swim Record: 25.65 — Farida Osman, Egypt (2019)

‘A’ Final Qualifiers:

1. Vanessa Ouwehand (CSC), 26.44
2. Leah Shackley (NCS), 26.69
3. Arielle Hayon (RICE), 27.25
4. Felicia Klintemar (FASTLE), 27.45
5. Julia Dennis (UOFL), 27.48
6. Josephine Brandt (UN), 27.77
7. Miranda Renner (TAC), 27.79
8. Faith Larsen (UN), 27.82

Vanessa Ouwehand and Leah Shackley will face off for the second time this meet in a butterfly event. Yesterday, Ouwehand swam the fastest prelims time in the women’s 100 butterfly, but Shackley was able to get ahead of her in the final, taking the win 58.75 to 59.23.

The set up for this evening’s women’s 50 butterfly final is much the same, as Ouwehand earned the top seed with a 26.44. Shackley’s well within range though after swimming a 26.69 to make her second ‘A’ final of the day.

Ouwehand and Shackley have separated themselves from the field as the only women to break 27 seconds this morning. Behind them, Arielle Hayon is next after clocking 27.75 for third. Hayon swims for Rice and will be joined by another mid-major swimmer, Faith Larsen, in the final.

Dennis swam her second lifetime best of the day to make the 50 butterfly ‘A’ final. She came into the meet without a registered 50 butterfly from an individual swim and clocked 27.48 to touch fifth overall.

Men’s 50-Meter Butterfly — Prelims

• World Record: 22.27 — Andrii Govorov, Ukraine (2018)
• American Record: 22.35 — Caeleb Dressel, United States (2022)
• U.S. Open Record: 22.84 — Caeleb Dressel, United States (2022)
• World Junior Record: 22.96 — Diogo Matos Ribeiro, Portugal (2022)
• Pro Swim Record: 23.11 — Matt Targett, United States (2012)

‘A’ Final Qualifiers:

1. Maxime Grousset (INSEP), 23.44
2. Michael Andrew (SUN), 23.65
3. Kamal Muhammad (UN), 23.68
4. Youssef Ramadan (VT), 23.89
5. Ethan Dumesnil (INSEP), 23.95
6. Brandon Ha (UN), 24.44
7. Kent Olsen-Stavrakas (UN), 24.77
8. Maxwell Stanislaus (LAC), 24.93

Urlando and Dahlgren were DNS in their respective heats as Urlando chooses to focus on the 200 butterfly and Dahlgren decided against a third swim this morning.

Still, there were many sprinters successfully completing doubles with the men’s 50 butterfly, led by top qualifier Maxime Grousset. Grousset swam 23.44 to lead the field by just over two-tenths. Andrew sits second overall (23.65) three-hundredths ahead of Muhammad, who swam his second lifetime best of the day with a 23.68 50 butterfly. It’s not quite as dramatic a drop as his 50 freestyle, but the time is still a .46 second drop from the lifetime best he swam last month in Westmont.

Women’s 400-Meter Freestyle — Prelims

• World Record:3:55.38 — Ariarne Titmus, Australia (2023)
• American Record: 3:56.46 — Katie Ledecky, United States (2016)
• U.S. Open Record: 3:47.94 — Katie Ledecky, United States (2018)
• World Junior Record: 3:56.08 — Summer McIntosh, Canada (2023)
• Pro Swim Record: 3:47.94 — Katie Ledecky, United States (2018)

‘A’ Final Qualifiers:

1. Eve Thomas (CSC), 4:18.12
2. Alexa McDevitt (UN), 4:21.75
3. Ella Dyson (RICE), 4:22.25
4. Vivien Jackl (HUN), 4:25.62
5. Huska Batbayar (UNEV), 4:25.74
6. Kingsley Rosevold (UN), 4:25.96
7. Fernanda Elizondo Cabrera (RNM), 4:26.30
8. Lily Andruss (LAC), 4:26.70

Kiwi Olympian Eve Thomas set the standard in the women’s 400 freestyle this morning. There were just three heats, and the 24-year-old cruised to a win in the last, posting a 4:18.12. She was the only woman to break 4:20 this morning and is the top seed by over three seconds. The closest swimmer to her is 17-year-old Alexa McDevitt, who clocked 4:21.75 to win heat two.

Earlier, we remarked that Sanders had one of the most difficult doubles of the day. Vivien Jackl might have him beat with her 200 butterfly/400 freestyle double. She qualified for both event finals in fourth place; after a 2:20.33 in the 200 butterfly prelims, she clocked 4:25.62 in the 400 freestyle heats.

Men’s 400-Meter Freestyle — Prelims

• World Record: 3:40.07 — Paul Biederman, Germany (2009)
• American Record: 3:42.78 — Larsen Jensen (2008)
• U.S. Open Record: 3:43.53 — Larsen Jensen, United States (2008)
• World Junior Record:3:44.31 — Peter Mitsin, Bulgaria (2023)
• Pro Swim Record: 3:43.55 — Sun Yang, China (2016)

‘A’ Final Qualifiers:

1. Sam Short (AUS), 3:51.67
2. Alec Enyeart (TST), 3:55.24
3. Ilia Sibertsev (UZB), 3:56.33
4. Roman Fuchs (INSEP), 3:57.74
5. Ivan Kurakin (TAC), 4:01.02
6. Max Giuliani (AUS), 4:03.43
7. Oskar Farkas (UTAH), 4:04.36
8. Tomas Chocholaty (UTAH), 4:05.64

Fukuoka world champion Sam Short leads a rather international field—certainly by Pro Swim Series standards—in the men’s 400 freestyle. Short won this event in Westmont and will look to claim his first win in Sacramento by defending his title from last month. He’s in a solid position to do just that; he clocked a 3:51.67 in prelims, the fastest time by 3.57 seconds.

His Australian teammate Max Giuliani moved through to the final in sixth. After being a DNS in the 50 freestyle, Giuliani swam 4:03.43.

It’s Alec Enyeart sitting closest to Short after prelims. The 21-year-old was much faster here than he was in the Wesmont prelims (3:57.64), where he earned a consolation final swim and placed 10th (3:54.41). Enyeart’s 3:55.24 puts him in line to improve his placement significantly from Westmont. He’s had a bust month of racing; in between Pro Series stops, he competed at the Columbia, Missouri Sectionals meet.

Ilia Sibertsev and Roman Fuchs were the other swimmers that broke 4:00 this morning. Sibertsev clocked 3:56.33, with Fucks stopping the clock at 3:57.74.