2025 U.S. Nationals: Day 5 Distance Session Live Recap

2025 U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Tuesday, June 3 – Saturday, June 7, 2025
• Indianapolis, Indiana
• Indiana University Natatorium
• LCM (50 meters)
• World Championship Selection Criteria
• SwimSwam Preview Index
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheets (Updated 6/02)
• Live Results
• How To Watch (USA Swimming Network)
• Prelims Live Recap: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5
• Finals Live Recap: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4

The 2025 U.S. National Championships, which double as the World Championship Trials, are on their final day in Indianapolis. In between Day 5 prelims and finals, we’ve got a timed finals distance session featuring the slower heats of the women’s 1500 free and men’s 800 free—slower only compared to the fastest-seeded heat, as plenty of quick swims are on the docket.

If you’re here to see world record holder Katie Ledecky and superstar Bobby Finke, you’ll have to wait for the finals session, where the top 8 seeds in each event will race for spots on Team USA’s World Championship roster.

Because these are timed finals, all heats are ranked together. So while it’s very unlikely, a swimmer from one of the earlier heats could technically still post a time fast enough to hold up for a top-2 finish—and potentially capture a Worlds berth. The third-place finishers in the men’s 400 and 1500 freestyles, Ryan Erisman and Aiden Hammer, will both be in heat 3 in this session, so there is plenty of quality in this early session.

Stay tuned for live updates below.

WOMEN’S 1500 FREESTYLE — TIMED FINALS (SLOWER HEATS)

• World Record: 15:20.48, Katie Ledecky — 2018
• American Record: 15:20.48, Katie Ledecky — 2018
• U.S. Open Record: 15:20.48, Katie Ledecky (USA) — 2018
• Championship Record: 15:29.64, Katie Ledecky (USA) — 2023
• World Aquatics ‘A’ Cut: 16:24.56

(Provisional) Top 8:

1. Claire Weinstein (SAND) – 16:01.96
2. Gena Jorgenson (HUSK) – 16:19.28
3. Daisy Collins (NCAC) – 16:27.99
4. Chloe Kim (SCAR) – 16:30.92
5. Alex Sigel (LIAC) – 16:34.86
6. Chloe Teger (GOLD) – 16:35.45
7. Caroline Pennington (TAC) – 16:35.69
8. Brinkleigh Hansen (SPA) – 16:35.82

Heat 1 saw Jane Chevalier take contol out of lane 6, leading by almost 25 meters for the duration of the race. Entered with a yards time of 16:37.82, Chevalier hit the wall in a time of 16:54.50. That marks a huge personal best for the Badger Aquatics Club swimmer, as her previous best stood at 17:17.56 from late April.

Another young star, Zayda Miehl, claimed heat 2, also in dominant fashion. Miehl posted a time of 16:40.29 to take over the top time of the morning so far. The Corvallis Aquatic Team swimmer improved her personal best of 16:56.54 by over 16 seconds with her performance as well. After just turning 15, Miehl now slots in at #87 all-time in the 15-16 age-group.

In heat 3, Sydney Schoeck was out in lane 7 entered with a yards time of 16:01.49, having never competed in a LCM 1500 freestyle before. That didn’t stop her from gradually building out a large lead, eventually pulling away from the entire field. With clear water, Schoeck charged to the wall in a time of 16:36.42 to take over the top time of the morning so far.

Daisy Collins saw a big improvement in heat 4, taking the race with a time of 16:27.99 to drop over 17 seconds off of her best time from the Fort Lauderdale Pro Swim Series last month (16:45.82). The North Carolina Aquatic Club swimmer was extremely consistent throughout her race, with almost all of her splits falling within the 1:05-1:06 range. She now holds the fastest time of the morning with one heat left to go.

After qualifying for the World Championships in the 200, 400, and 800 freestyle, Claire Weinstein continued her strong meet in the final morning heat of the event, pulling out a Katie Ledecky-esque margin of victory. With open water after the first 400 meters, Weinstein continued to pull away from the field until she was left nearly 25 meters ahead of her next-closest competitor. At the wall, Weinstein touched in a time of 16:01.96, slicing nearly 34 seconds off of her personal best (16:35.75) to rank 6th all-time in the 17-18 age-group and 5th in the world this season. That time should put Weinstein in contention to add another event to her Worlds schedule, as it would rank 2nd out of all entries in the event, only behind Ledecky. She will have to wait until finals to find out though.

MEN’S 800 FREESTYLE — TIMED FINALS (SLOWER HEATS)

• World Record: 7:32.00, Zhang Lin (CHN) – 2009
• American Record: 7:38.67, Bobby Finke — 2023
• U.S. Open Record: 7:40.34, Bobby Finke (USA) — 2023
• Championship Record: 7:40.34, Bobby Finke (USA) — 2023
• World Aquatics ‘A’ Cut: 7:48.66

(Provisional) Top 8:

1. Ryan Erisman (LAKR) – 7:54.64
2. Aiden Hammer (KING) – 7:55.94
3. Carson Hick (KYA) – 7:56.16
4. Joey Tepper (UOFM) – 7:57.63
5. Ellis Crisci (TST) – 8:01.18
6. Gabriel Manteufel (SAND) – 8:02.18
7. Luke Brennan (UOFM) – 8:02.69
8. Joshua Brown (SAND) – 8:03.84

Ohio State’s Mason Edmund opened the event by immediately establishing the lead in heat 1. Using a powerful kick, Edmund propelled himself to a time of 8:06.01. Though he came in a few seconds shy of his lifetime best (8:00.26) from 2023, Edmund posted his fastest performance since that swim and was 6 seconds faster than his time from Olympic Trials last summer (8:12.18).

400 freestyle A-finalist Joey Tepper became the first swimmer in the men’s 800 freestyle heats to dip under the 8:00-barrier in heat 2, swimming a 7:57.63. Tepper faced an early push from teammate Luke Brennan in the lane next to him, as the 2 University of Minnesota swimmers duked it out. That battle ultimately pushed Tepper to a nearly 6 second improvement on his best time (8:03.36), while Brennan finished in 8:02.69 to drop 9 seconds. Between them on the opposite side of the pool, Ellis Crisci saw a 10 second drop to finish in 8:01.18.

The final heat featured another close battle as Ryan Erisman and Aiden Hammer duked it out for the top time of the morning. Both swimmers threw down impressive swims, cracking the 8:00-barrier. Ultimately, it was Erisman who got his hand to the wall first in a time of 7:54.64, chopping 4 seconds off of his best (7:58.97). With that swim, he now ranks 8th all-time in the 17-18 age-group. Hammer sliced 3 seconds off of his personal best to finish 2nd in 7:55.94, now ranking him 10th all-time in the 17-18 age-group. Sandwiched between them, Carson Hick also saw a drop off of his personal best en route to 3rd (7:56.16). Keep an eye on the clock in finals as those times should all be in contention for top 8 finishes. Currently, Will Mulgrew sits as the 8th overall seed with a 7:57.71.