2025 U.S. World Trials Previews: Another Walsh/Huske Showdown On Tap In Women’s 100 Free

2025 U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Tuesday, June 3 – Saturday, June 7, 2025
• Indianapolis, Indiana
• Indiana University Natatorium
• LCM (50 meters)
• Meet Central
• World Championship Selection Criteria

WOMEN’S 100 FREESTYLE: BY THE NUMBERS

• World Record: 51.71, Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) – 2017
• American Record: 52.04, Simone Manuel – 2019
• 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials Winner: Kate Douglass, 52.56
• World Aquatics ‘A’ Cut: 54.25

Kate Douglass has come out on top in the women’s 100 freestyle at back-to-back U.S. selection meets, topping the 2023 Nationals (52.57) and 2024 Olympic Trials (52.56) with the two fastest swims of her career.

However, she opted to drop the 100 free from her individual schedule at last summer’s Olympics due to a scheduling clash with the 200 breaststroke, and that same conflict will be present at the 2025 World Championships, with the semis and final of both events falling on the same nights.

Given that Douglass is the reigning Olympic champion in the 200 breast, it’s unlikely she ends up racing the 100 free at Worlds, though given it’s one of only a few events on the first day of U.S. Nationals, we’ll probably see her in the field in Indianapolis.

Even if Douglass was racing the 100 free with an intention of swimming it at Worlds, she may not even be favored for a top-two finish with Gretchen Walsh and Torri Huske showing incredible form early in the season.

WALSH V. HUSKE RIVALRY CONTINUES

Walsh and Huske have been tied to one another dating back to recruit ranking articles when they were still in high school, and over the last four years, they’ve gone head-to-head several times both in the NCAA and at long course championship meets.

Typically, we’ve seen Walsh have the upper hand in short course yards, while Huske has been the one coming out on top in long course. That changed last year in the 100 fly, as Walsh broke the world record in the semis at the Olympic Trials and then beat Huske again in the final, but it was Huske getting the last laugh at the Olympics as they won gold and silver for the United States.

In the 100 free, Huske has had the edge over Walsh, notably winning bronze at the 2022 World Championships and then claiming silver last summer in Paris, but the gap has been closing in recent years.

Huske v. Walsh Season-Bests Since 2020-21

For the first time in her career, Walsh broke 53 seconds at the Fort Lauderdale Pro Swim, doing so while beating Huske (52.95) and Douglass (53.61) head-to-head in a time of 52.90.

Gretchen Walsh (photo: Jack Spitser)

That swim came just before Walsh dropped a stunning world record of 54.60 in the 100 fly, and though her butterfly is clearly ahead of her freestyle in long course for the time being, it seems to be slowly catching up.

It almost goes without saying, but Walsh’s long course PB came on the heels of her re-breaking the NCAA, American and U.S. Open Record in the SCY 100 free in March, bringing the mark down to a staggering 44.71.

For Huske, her 52.95 swim marked the first time she’s broken 53 at a non-taper meet, having previously done so at the Paris Olympics (52.29, 52.99), the 2024 Olympic Trials (52.90, 52.93), and the 2022 World Championships (52.92, 52.96).

Given the form they’re showing, this race sets up to be an exciting showdown between Walsh and Huske, and if Douglass is in the field, it should be a great three-way battle, though Walsh and Huske have to have the upper hand at this point.

VETERAN PRESENCE

From 2013 until 2021, Simone Manuel represented the U.S. at four straight World Championships and consecutive Olympics, winning gold in the 100 free at the 2016 Games in Rio and claiming back-to-back world titles in 2017 and 2019 along the way.

After qualifying for the Tokyo Olympic team in 2021 in the 50 free, and being candid about her struggles leading up to the meet, Manuel took an extended break from the sport, resurfacing in the summer of 2022 with the announcement that she would join Bob Bowman‘s training group at Arizona State.

Simone Manuel (photo: Jack Spitser)

After opting to skip the 2023 U.S. Nationals and forgo any chance of qualifying for the Worlds team, Manuel came back with her best year since 2019 in 2024, winning the 50 free (24.13) and placing 4th in the 100 free (53.25) at the Olympic Trials to qualify for her third Olympic team.

Her 2023-24 season included six 100 free swims between 53.09 and 53.35, showing an impressive level of consistency after she failed to break 54 seconds the previous season.

So far this season, the 28-year-old has looked strong, winning the 100 free at the Westmont Pro Swim in 53.23 in March and then getting back under 54 in Fort Lauderdale (53.99). That swim from Westmont marks the 2nd-fastest of her career at a non-taper meet, only trailing the 53.10 she produced last May at the Speedo Grand Challenge.

Could Manuel get back under 53 seconds for the first time since 2019? She’s certainly trending towards that, and though the Walsh/Huske duo will be difficult to upend for an individual berth at Worlds (and Douglass if she goes for one), Manuel looks like a lock to crack the relay and will surely keep Walsh, Huske and Douglass on their toes at Nationals.

In addition to Manuel, there were five other 25 & over women (relative veterans) who ranked in the top 13 domestically in the 100 free last season.

Abbey Weitzeil, who was a finalist in the 100 free at the 2016 Olympics and most recently took 6th at the 2023 Worlds in the event, said she was taking the year off after winning a pair of relay medals last summer in Paris.

Weitzeil was 5th in the 100 free final at the 2024 U.S. Trials, while Erika Connolly and Catie DeLoof tied for 6th and Beata Nelson took 8th.

Connolly, who won a swim-off over DeLoof to book a relay ticket to Paris, raced at the Westmont Pro Swim so she figures to be in the mix again this year (though she didn’t swim the 100 free there), while Nelson has produced back-to-back 54s at the Westmont and Fort Lauderdale Pro Swims to put her in the hunt for a relay berth.

DeLoof, meanwhile, has transitioned into coaching at Alabama, while another veteran who was a semi-finalist at Trials, Olivia Smoliga, has put her focus on her new swim school for the time being.

YOUNG GUNS ON THE RISE

We saw a glimpse of it last year with four teenagers in the semi-finals at the Olympic Trials, and now, in the post-Olympic year, it feels like the door will open for the next generation of female 100 freestylers to have a chance to compete on the senior international stage.

Rylee Erisman (photo: Jack Spitser)

Spearheading the young guns is Laker Swim’s Rylee Erisman, who became the fastest 15-year-old in U.S. history last May in 54.34 and then brought that mark all the way down to 53.75 at the Junior Pan Pacific Championships in August.

Erisman, who won gold at Junior Pan Pacs in the 100 free and added four more titles on the U.S. relays, has shown incredible form early this long course season, clocking 53.83 at the Westmont Pro Swim in March and then going 53.78 a few weeks ago in Fort Lauderdale.

That gives her four career swims between 53.75 and 53.83, remarkable consistency given she only recently turned 16. With a full taper, something in the 53-low range seems plausible in Indianapolis.

Erisman ranked 6th in the country last season, and currently sits 5th in 2024-25, only trailing Walsh, Huske, Manuel and Douglass. A relay berth looks to be hers for the taking.

Among that group of teenagers who finished in the top 16 last year at the Olympic Trials, Erisman is the youngest by far, with the others having now completed at least one year of college.

Anna Moesch and Erika Pelaez are coming off their freshman seasons in the NCAA, while Erin Gemmell just wrapped up her sophomore year. There’s also Kristina Paegle, who was 20 when she placed 12th at the Trials.

Among those four, Moesch looks like the one with the best chance of pushing for a top-six finish in Indianapolis, as she’s coming off a very strong freshman campaign at Virginia that included a 4th-place finish in the 100 free at the NCAA Championships. She tied for 8th in the semis at the Trials last year in a lifetime best of 54.09 before falling to Connolly in a swim-off for a lane in the final, giving her valuable experience while showing she can perform on the big stage.

Erin Gemmell (photo: Jack Spitser)

Gemmell hasn’t lowered her LCM best time since the summer of 2022 (54.13), but did set a SCY best of 47.38 in February at SECs and has already been 54.53 this season (and 54.29 last season) to put her in the mix for a spot in the ‘A’ final.

Another up-and-coming name who would be in the conversation for a relay berth, 18-year-old Alex Shackell, will most likely prioritize the 200 fly over the 100 free at Nationals, and with the two events coming back-to-back on the opening day, we won’t be seeing her here.

Fishers Area Swimming Tigers’ (FAST) 17-year-old Julie Mishler, a Louisville commit, is another swimmer to keep tabs on as she’s coming off setting lifetime bests in both SCY (47.58) and LCM (54.78) in March.

Another 17-year-old on the come-up is Indiana commit Liberty Clark, who broke 55 seconds for the first time last May (54.98) and then brought her best time down to 54.86 last month in Sacramento.

Claire Weinstein, 18, set a personal best of 54.43 at the Fort Lauderdale Pro Swim, which could put her in relay contention if she manages to drop at Nationals. However, if she chooses to race the 800 free, she’ll likely drop the 100 free as they’re on the same day.

OTHER NAMES TO CONSIDER

• Claire Curzan is coming off a very strong college season at Virginia, and though backstroke was her primary focus, she also had some quick freestyle swims for the Cavaliers, including new SCY best times in the 50, 100 and 200 free in 2025. Her LCM 100 free best time of 53.55 has been on the books since 2021, but she is coming off a 54.48 swim in Fort Lauderdale, which was her fastest since 2022.
• Maxine Parker, Curzan’s UVA teammate, swam on the U.S. 4×100 free relay at the 2023 World Championships, but placed 17th in the prelims last summer at the U.S. Trials to miss out on a chance to vie for the Olympic team. Her personal best of 53.51 from the 2023 Nationals is her lone career swim sub-54, but she’s already neared her 2024 season-best (54.58) this season (54.80).
• Isabel Ivey came within 22 one-hundredths of her best time in Fort Lauderdale, clocking 54.82. She has shown an elite ability in yards, setting a PB of 46.61 last February, but will likely need to get into 54-low territory to vie for a relay spot.
• Anna Peplowski set a personal best of 54.60 last summer at the Olympic Trials to place 14th in the semis, and though her best event is the 200, she showed her speed is progressing this past SCY season with a 21.85 PB in the 50 while clocking 47.33 in the 100 free in the NCAA ‘B’ final. She’s riding some momentum after winning the NCAA title in the 200 free.

SWIMSWAM’S PICKS

Dark Horse: Bella Sims – Earlier this week, Sims announced she was transferring to Michigan after two seasons at Florida, and perhaps making that official will free her up mentally and kick off a resurgent summer. Sims set a personal best of 46.53 in the SCY 100 free at NCAAs in March, and has shown an elite ability in the LCM pool in the past, setting a PB of 53.73 back at the 2023 Nationals. She was 55.46 in Fort Lauderdale, which is already faster than she was at the Olympic Trials last year (55.54).