2026 Pro Swim Series – Indianapolis: Day 1 Prelims Live Recap

2026 Indianapolis Pro Series

• June 17-20, 2026
• Indianapolis, IN
• LCM (50 meters)
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results
• Live Stream: USA Swimming Network (Downloadable App)

Day 1 Prelims Heat Sheet

Two years ago, the 2024 US Olympic Trials kicked off in Indianapolis, and while the field isn’t as strong as it was then, (maybe perhaps because the pool isn’t built on the field), the stars of USA swimming are still out in force as the 2026 Pro Swim Series comes to its conclusion after holding previous stops in Austin, Texas, Westmont, Illinois, and Sacramento, California.  I draw your attention to the 2024 Olympic Trials because, with them being two years removed, that also means we are just two years away from the next iteration of the meet, a meet also slated to occur in Indianapolis. However, let’s not jump too far ahead, as there is plenty of fast swimming left to be watched in the coming years, so without further ado…

Good morning Swim Friends and welcome to the first day of the 2026 Pro Swim Series – Indianapolis. We have plenty of fast swimming to cover this morning, despite some high-profile scratches, including that of Katie Ledecky, who has dropped out of the 200 free this morning, an event in which she was the top seed. That said, the event is still a who’s who of top talent as Erin Gemmell, now occupying the top spot looks to hold off the charge of both established and up and coming talent. Joining her in holding off the youthful charge of Rylee Erisman, Liberty Clark, Alex Shackell and Madi Mintenko are the 2nd and 3rd seeds Anna Peplowski and Torri Huske, who at 23 are amongst the oldest swimmers in the field, trailing only two-time Olympian Emma Weyant.

Huske, a two-time Olympian herself, has a full day, as she equals her 3rd seed in the 200 free, with her billing as the 3rd seed in the first event, the 200 IM. In this event too, the recent Stanford graduate has to look to hold off a hungry youthful field as she faces off against 16-year-old Audrey Derivaux in her heat. The pair will have to put up some fast times, as they are set to appear in the first of three circle-seeded heats, with the likes of Phoebe Bacon, Caroline Bricker, Leah Hayes and Kate Douglass, the top seed, all in later heats. That said, the top seeds may be chasing some results from the first heat, as Anna Moesch and Charlotte Hook are both entered in the event with yards times.

Douglass, like Huske, was slated for a double, but pulled out of the 50 breaststroke, where she was the 4th seed, leading her training partner Emma Weber to square off against her ACC rivals Eneli Jefimova, Skyler Smith and Caroline Larsen. The women’s 100 back, too, is an ACC battle as Isabelle Stadden, a Cal product now training at UVA, is the top seed but is surrounded by threats as her training partner Claire Curzan looks to help the Cavaliers hold off the Wolfpack quartet of Katharine Berkoff, Leah Shackley, Rhyan White and Erika Pelaez. Don’t sleep on the Wisconsin duo of Maggie Wanezek and Phoebe Bacon, as the pair have looked strong this season.

On the men’s side, Kieran Smith leads the way in the 200 IM, an event that has a much more international field than the women’s event, as he hopes to earn a berth in the finals against the likes of Tristan Jankovics and Dominik Torok. He’ll be pressed by a resurgent Grant House as well as NCAA stars Owen McDonald and Maximus Williamson, so expect some fast prelim swims.

Expect nothing different in the men’s 50 breaststroke, as Van Mathias leads a strong Indiana University group, helping the school retain its moniker as Breaststroke U, with Alexei Avakov, Travis Gulledge, and Josh Matheny joining the American record holder in the event. Speaking of American record holders, the 100 backstroke record holder, Ryan Murphy returns to action in just his 2nd meet in as many years. Murphy jumped into the pool in Sacramento for the first time since the Paris Olympics, placing 2nd in the 100 back. He will look to do better tonight as he squares off against a young field that will be looking to set themselves up for a run at the World team next year, with the likes of Gavin Keogh, Daniel Diehl, and David King looking to challenge the Cal product’s dominance in the event.

Murphy isn’t the lone Cal swimmer in the event, as Destin Lasco and Keaton Jones are well positioned to join Murphy in the final. Cal, like so many of the NCAA runners, is as well-positioned in the backstroke events as they are in the 200 free, where Lasco is set to pull off a quick double. The 5th seed, Lasco will be joined in a hunt for a top 8 finish by training partners, Gabriel Jett, the top seed, Brooks Curry, Lucas Heveraux and Ryan Erisman while Aaron Shackell and Henry McFadden attempt to prevent Cal’s stranglehold in this event.

Women’s 200 IM – Prelims

• World Record: 2:05.70 – Summer McIntosh (CAN), 2025
• American Record: 2:06.15 – Ariana Kukors (USA), 2009
• US Open Record: 2:06.79 – Kate Douglass (USA), 2024
• Pro Series Record: 2:06.82 – Summer McIntosh (CAN), 2025

Top 8:

1. Kate Douglass (New York Athletic Club) – 2:10.54
2. Aimee Canny (South Africa) – 2:10.92
3. Leah Hayes (Cavalier Aquatic) – 2:12.53
4. Phoebe Bacon (Wisconsin Aquatic) – 2:12.81
5. Audrey Derivaux (Jersey Wahoos) – 2:13.08
6. Torri Huske (New York Athletic Club) – 2:13.58
7. Teagan O’Dell (Unattached) – 2:14.57
8. Summer Cardwell (University of Louisville) – 2:14.88

As teased above, heat 1 had some heads turning as Anna Moesch opened in a very speedy 27.99, building a body-length lead at the 50-meter mark. By the 100, Moesch had built a 1.61-second lead over lane 2’s Hannah Carpenter, a 16-year-old from the Memphis Tigers, and hit the halfway mark in 1:03.94. The UVA swimmer was pressed on the breaststroke by Hazel Ozkan, whose 38.88 outsplit Moesch by nearly three seconds and briefly caused her to lose the lead, but Moesch, the American record holder in the 100 free, closed in 29.37 to take back the lead and win the heat in 2:14.97, a two-and-a-half-second drop from her four-year-old PB. Ozkan took 2nd in the heat with a time of 2:17.76.

With Moesch’s time still leading the rankings, the first of the circle-seeded heats took to the water to attempt to knock her off the top. Torri Huske opened up quickly as expected, hitting the 50 wall in 27.74, .36 ahead of Audrey Derivaux, the teen phenom from the Jersey Wahoos. Derivaux, the World Junior Champion in this event, used her backstroke prowess to power past Huske, hitting the halfway point in 1:01.58, with Huske trailing by over half as second, as the Stanford grad hit the wall in 1:02.19. Huske managed to pull back .20 on the breaststroke leg, but was unable to claw back any more time, as Derivaux’s 31.62 last 50 was too much, with Huske closing in at 32.07 to finish 2nd at 2:13.94, with Derivaux’s winning time sitting at 2:13.08.

The penultimate heat was a faster affair as Phoebe Bacon did her best to hang with Aimee Canny on the backhalf. The pair were nearly inseparable after the first 100, with Canny making the back-to-breaststroke turn at 1:01.41, with Bacon trailing at 1:01.52. Canny, a South African National who trains at UVA, is an extremely versatile swimmer, and used her strengths in both the breaststroke and freestyle legs to pull her way into the lead, hitting the wall at 2:10.92, blowing by Derviaux’s time from the previous heat and coming just .02 off her personal best set just two months ago at the South African National Championships. Bacon, who earned her spot on the World team last year in this event, closed in 31.92 to finish 2nd at 2:12.81.

The last heat one upped the previous, as top seed Kate Douglass, who scratched the 50 breaststroke to focus on this event, retained her top billing into the final as she hit the wall in 2:10.52, joining her training partner and teammate Canny as the only other swimmer with a sub-2:12 time. Out in 1:01.38, Douglass closed in 31.30 to win the event, well ahead of another UVA swimmer as Leah Hayes took 2nd in the heat at 2:12.53. Joining the pair of Cavaliers in the final was the heat’s 3rd place finisher, Teagan O’Dell, who, after a year at Cal, decided to transfer to UVA.

When all the dust settled, Anne Moesch’s 2:14.97 from the first heat was not enough to retain a spot in the A-Final, as she finished 9th overall.

Men’s 200 IM – Prelims

• World Record: 1:52.69 – Leon Marchand (FRA), 2025
• American Record: 1:54.00 – Ryan Lochte (USA), 2011
• US Open Record: 1:54.43 – Ryan Lochte (USA), 2010
• Pro Series Record: 1:55.68 – Leon Marchand (FRA), 2023

Top 8:

1. Kieran Smith (Ridgefield Aquatic) – 1:59.37
2. Yi Zheng (Carmel Swim Club) – 1:59.65
3. Ryan Erisman (California Aquatic) – 1:59.93
4. Owen McDonald (Indiana University) – 2:00.03
5. Maximus Williamson (Lakeside Aquatic) – 2:00.14
6. Luke Barr (Texas Ford Aquatic) – 2:00.22
7. Josh Bey (Indiana University) – 2:00.44
8. Dominik Mark Torok (Wisconsin Aquatic) – 2:00.52

After Raekwon Noel employed some outside smoke to win heat 2 in a new PB of 2:04.01, it was heat 4’s Ryan Erisman who really kicked things into gear as the Cal freshman dropped exactly five seconds from his seed to join the sub-2:00 club for the first time. Out in 25.96 and 56.47 at the back-to-breast turn, Erisman had a massive lead on the field before coming home in 27.67, stopping the clock at 1:59.93.

The first of the circle-seeded heats saw Luke Barr open in 25.59, and he remained in front as he hit the 100 turn in 55.56. The Indiana product, who now trains with Texas Ford Aquatics, remained in the lead at the 150, but was under pressure from Yi Zheng, who used a strong breaststroke split of 33.81 to pull himself to within half a second of the lead. Just 16, Zheng, who trains not far from Indianapolis with the Carmel Swim Club, kept on the gas and closed a second faster than Barr, and took the win 1:59.65. His result not only takes over as the top time but also sets a new personal best and now ranks him 3rd in the 15-16 National Age Group rankings, trailing only Maximus Williamson and Carson Foster.

Speaking of Williamson, the NCAA champion, took to the water in the very next heat, chasing the times of Zheng, Erisman and Barr, who sat 3rd at 2:00.22.  The UVA product saw himself in a rematch with Owen McDonald, whom he beat at NCAAs in the event, but it was the Hoosier who got the better of him. McDonald opened in 25.13, just .07 ahead, but blew open the lead in the backstroke to turn at the start in 55.05, with Williamson back at 55.94. Williamson, the younger of the two, pulled back half a second in the breaststroke, but ran out of room in the freestyle with McDonald edging him out 2:00.03 to 2:00.14.

The last heat was all Kieran Smith in the end. The Florida Gator trailed Grant House at the 50, 25.61 to 25.26, but Smith pulled himself ahead at the 100 turn, making the transition to the breaststroke in 55.24 and he never looked back, dropping a strong 34.82 split to lead House by over a full second before coming home in 29.31 to not only win the heat but also to secure the top seed tonight, as he hit the wall in 1:59.37. House took 2nd in the heat at 2:00.69, but due to the depth in the field, especially with Erisman’s 1:59.93 and Josh Bey’s 2:00.44 from outside the circle-seeded heats, it took a 2:00.52 to make the final.

Women’s 50 Breast – Prelims

• World Record: 29.16 – Ruta Meilutyte (LTU), 2023
• American Record: 29.40 – Lilly King (USA), 2017
• US Open Record: 29.62 – Lilly King (USA), 2018
• Pro Series Record: 29.62 – Lilly King (USA), 2018

Top 8:

1. Eneli Jefimova (Estonia) – 30.42
2. Skyler Smith (North Carolina Aquatic) – 31.00
3. Caroline Larsen (University of Louisville) – 31.40
4. Emma Weber (Cavalier Aquatic) – 31.50
5. Hannah Bach (Ohio State University) – 31.53
6. Maddie Moreth (Valparaiso Swim) – 31.77
7. Madyson Hartway (University of Alabama Swim) – 31.85
8. Brooke Corrigan (Wisconsin Aquatic) – 32.00

Continuing her strong run of form from the NCAAs, NC State’s Eneli Jefimova posted this morning’s top time in the women’s 50 breaststroke as the Estonia national record holder stopped the clock at 30.42, winning the last heat and securing for herself lane 4 tonight. She’ll be surrounded by some familiar foes as her ACC rivals Skyler Smith and Caroline Larsen posted the 2nd and 3rd fastest times, going 31.00 and 31.40 respectively.

The pair will have a lot to do, however, if they wish to challenge the two-time Olympian, as they sit over half a second behind. It was a good swim from both, especially from Larsen, who was just .07 off her seed time of 31.33. Larsen will have to fight for her podium position, as Emma Weber was more than a second off her seed, finishing 4th this morning at 31.50, and with half a second separating 4th from 8th, expect tonight to be faster with swimmers looking to clean up their starts and finishes.

Men’s 50 Breast – Prelims

• World Record: 25.95 – Adam Peaty (GBR), 2017
• American Record: 26.39 – Van Mathias (USA), 2026
• US Open Record: 26.52 – Michael Andrew (USA), 2022
• Pro Series Record: 26.57 – Van Mathias (USA), 2026

Top 8:

1. Van Mathias (Indiana Swim Club) – 26.53 ***New Pro Swim Series Record***
2. Michael Andrew (MA Swim Academy) – 26.75
3. Brian Benzing (Towson University) – 27.39
4. Mikel Schreuders (MA Swim Academy) – 27.51
5. Denis Petrashov (Cardinal Aquatic) – 27.58
6. Finnley Conklin (University of Louisville) – 27.66
7. Alexei Avakov (Indiana University) – 27.68
8. Jake Wang (Bulldog Swimming) – 27.80

Women’s 100 Back – Prelims

• World Record: 57.13 – Regan Smith (USA), 2024
• American Record: 57.13 – Regan Smith (USA), 2024
• US Open Record: 57.13 – Regan Smith (USA), 2024
• Pro Series Record: 57.46 – Regan Smith (USA), 2025

Men’s 100 Back – Prelims

• World Record: 51.60 – Thomas Ceccon (ITA), 2022
• American Record: 51.85 – Ryan Murphy (USA), 2016
• US Open Record: 51.94 – Aaron Peirsol (USA), 2009
• Pro Series Record: 52.40 – David Plummer (USA), 2016

Women’s 200 Free – Prelims

• World Record: 1:52.23 – Ariarne Titmus (AUS), 2024
• American Record: 1:53.61 – Allison Schmitt (USA), 2012
• US Open Record: 1:53.80 – Summer McIntosh (CAN), 2026
• Pro Series Record: 1:53.80 – Summer McIntosh (CAN), 2026

Men’s 200 Free – Prelims

• World Record: 1:42.00 – Paul Biedermann (GER), 2009
• American Record: 1:42.96 – Michael Phelps (USA), 2008
• US Open Record: 1:43.73 – Luke Hobson (USA), 2025
• Pro Series Record: 1:44.82 – Sun Yang (CHN), 2016

Women’s 1500 Freestyle – Early Heats

• World Record: 15:20.48 – Katie Ledecky (USA), 2018
• American Record: 15:20.48 – Katie Ledecky (USA), 2018
• U.S. Open Record: 15:20.48 – Katie Ledecky (USA), 2018
• Pro Series Record: 15:20.48 – Katie Ledecky (USA), 2018

Men’s 1500 Free – Prelims

• World Record: 14:30.67 – Bobby Finke (USA), 2024
• American Record: 14:30.67 – Bobby Finke (USA), 2024
• US Open Record: 14:40.28 – Bobby Finke (USA), 2024
• Pro Series Record: 14:52.33 – Sam Short (AUS), 2026