2026 Speedo Fort Lauderdale Open: Day 2 Prelims – Live Recap

2026 Speedo Fort Lauderdale Open

• Wednesday, April 29 – Saturday, May 2, 2026
• Fort Lauderdale, Florida
• Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center
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  • Prelims:
  • Finals: Day 1

Day 2 Prelims Heat Sheet

Good morning, Swim Fans, and welcome to the first full day of events at the 2026 Speedo Fort Lauderdale Open. We had an exciting session last night, with Katie Ledecky swimming the 5th fastest time ever in the 1500, going 15:25.62, while her training partner and fellow World Record holder Bobby Finke was upset as Harvard first-year and Shawmut Aquatic Club’s William Mulgrew took the men’s race by over 8 seconds.

This morning, the trio return to the water with Ledecky as the #2 seed in the 400 free. She will be looking to post a strong time to set herself up to once again duel rival Summer McIntosh, who is entered as the top seed. Finke and Mulgrew each will appear in the last heat, entering as the 3rd and 5th seeds, respectively, with each flanking the top-seeded Kieran Smith.

However, we have plenty of events with plenty of stars to get through before we start the 400 freestyles. The morning kicks off with a run of sprint events as the 100 free, 100 breast, and 50 back kick things off. New York Athletic Club and Virginia’s Kate Douglass has a tough morning double as she enters as the #2 seed in the 100 free, and as the top seed in the 100 breast. The five-time Olympic medalists won’t be able to coast this morning in the 100 free, as the field is loaded with the USA’s best sprinters, as Simone Manuel, the American Record holder, is the top seed. Manuel is not the lone swimmer for Douglass to keep an eye on, as training partners Gretchen Walsh, Anna Moesch, and Madi Mintenko are all in the heat before, and Claire Curzan is in the heat after. While eyes will be drawn to Walsh, as one of the fastest sprinters, look out for Moesch, who dropped over a second in the yards version of this event this past NCAA season.

Douglass returns quickly with the 100 breaststroke as the next women’s event, and will be looking to put up a time to secure a spot in the finals against the likes of Mona McSharry, Eneli Jefimova, and Emma Weber. She isn’t alone with a double on the morning as Gretchen Walsh and Claire Curzan both return to the water in the 50 back, going up against the American Record holder Katharine Berkoff. However, their double pales in comparison to Alex Walsh‘s, who is the 5th seed in the 100 breaststroke and the 36th seed in the 200 fly. Seeded with the fastest yards time in the event, Walsh will have just the 50 back heats in between her events, but could easily put up a time that slots her into the A-final among the likes of Regan Smith and Tess Howley. One-upping Walsh, with a dirty double, is her fellow UVA-based swimmer, Katie Grimes, who is scheduled to take on the 200 fly and 400 free back to back.

The men’s side is equally chock-full of stars, as Caeleb Dressel leads a strong 100 free field that includes fellow Olympians Chris Guiliano and Shaine Casas, as well as 2025 World Champion medalist Patrick Sammon. The 2026 NCAA champion in this event, Josh Liendo, is slated to swim in Dressel’s heat,  as is fellow Canadian Ruslan Gaziev, so look for the Canadians to push Dressel up and down the pool.

The men’s 100 breaststroke has only one swimmer entered under 1:00, with Jack Kelly leading the way, but with the event wide-open for the American men, look for someone like Ian Call or Jordan Willis to try to make a move and set themselves up for a run for next year’s World Championship team. The 100 breast also contains some surprises, with Hubert Kos appearing in the event as the 5th seed. A strong backstroker and IMer, the Hungarian,  returns to the water quickly as the top seed in the 50 back, where he will take on training partner Shaine Casas.

While Dressel, Kos, and Casas are big draws, the men’s 200 fly will be Leon Marchand‘s first appearance this weekend and is sure to draw some attention. Last year, the Frenchman returned to competition at this meet after some time off to recover from injury, but he now appears to be in good standing as he prepares for this summer’s European Championships. Marchand is the top seed by a wide margin, but should be set up tonight for a good race against his training partner, Carson Foster, as well as Mitchell Schott, who is set to join the pair in Austin after graduating from Princeton.

Women’s 100 Freestyle – Prelims

• World Record: 51.71 – Sarah Sjöström, SWE (2017)
• American Record: 52.04 – Simone Manuel (2019)
• U.S. Open Record: 52.43 – Tori Huske, USA (2025)

Top 8:

1. Gretchen Walsh (NYAC) – 53.64
2. Anna Moesch (GSYC) – 53.69
3. Kate Douglass (NYAC) – 54.04
4. Simone Manuel (TXLA) – 54.41
5. Erin Gemmell (TXLA) – 54.43
6. Nikolett Padar (TXLA) – 54.73
7. Rylee Erisman (LAKR) – 54.86
8. Erika Pelaez (NCS) – 54.87

Well, they say good things come to those who wait, and tonight’s final looks to be a good one as the UVA-based swimmers Gretchen Walsh, Anna Moesch, and Kate Douglass will occupy the middle lanes and hope to fend off the squad from Texas.

Walsh posted a very quick 53.64 to earn the top seed, opening in 25.61 and closing in 28.03. The time, while nearly a second off her seed, is a very strong performance and a good indicator that she has more in reserve for tonight, as she posted a season-best time, as she didn’t swim this event at the Westmont Pro Swim Series and was 54.02 at the China Open. What’s even more telling is that Walsh is primed for a strong swim; last year at this meet, she was 54.09 in prelims before going 52.90 in finals.

The 23-year-old isn’t the only one primed for a big drop from this morning, as her training partner Anna Moesch came within .15 of her best time as she stopped the clock at 53.69. Moesch took the race out slower than Walsh, going 26.15 on the first 50, but used her 200 prowess to close in 27.54 to earn the 2nd seed. Moesch hasn’t swum the event as much as Walsh, Douglass or Manuel, and hasn’t posted a time since last summer when she went an equal 53.69 in prelims at Natonals before finishing 6th in the finals with her PB of 53.54.

Surrounding the top two tonight will be two of the fastest Americans, as Douglass finished 3rd and Manuel in 4th. The pair are both a bit back of the top two, finishing in 54.04 and 54.41, respectively, but should each be easily able to get under 54.00, as Manuel was 54.87 in the Westmont prelims before going 53.88 in finals, an event where Douglass went from 54.97 to a winning time of 53.45.

Men’s 100 Freestyle – Prelims

• World Record: 46.40 – Pan Zhanle, CHN (2024)
• American Record: 46.81 – Jack Alexy, (2025)
• U.S. Open Record: 46.99 – Jack Alexy, USA (2025)

Top 8:

1. Chris Guiliano (TXLA) – 48.48
2. Patrick Sammon (NYAC)/Tomas Navikonis (OSU) – 48.90
4. Dylan Carter (AZFL) – 49.07
5. Josh Liendo (FLOR) – 49.51
6. Luke Hobson (NYAC) – 49.66
7. Jerry Fox (NCS) – 49.68
8. Ruslan Gaziev (OSU) – 49.69

Texas-based Chris Guiliano posted the top time of the morning, winning the penultimate heat of the men’s 100 free in a time of 48.48. The 22-year-old Olympian opened in 23.36 before closing in 25.12. His time this morning is more than a second off his prelims swim of 47.38 from the Westmont PSS back in March, but as fast enough to earn him the middle lane tonight as his time is more than half a second clear of the field.

Flanking him tonight will be Patrick Sammon and Tomas Navikonis, who joined him under 49, with their equal 48.90s. The pair, while tied at the end, swam the event very differently with the ASU product, Sammon, opening in 23.37, while the Buckeye, Navikonis, attacked the backhalf, opening in 23.81, but closing 25.09, nearly half a second faster than Sammon. Keep an eye on Josh Liendo, who finished 5th this morning, as the Canadian was out slow, going 24.16 to the feet, likely meaning he has more in the tank for tonight.

Missing the A-final cut were Americans Shaine Casas and Caeleb Dressel. The pair finished 9th and 10th overall with times of 49.84 and 49.90, respectively. Casas did not race this event in Westmont, but was 49.06 in prelims in the event at the Austin PSS back in January. Dressel did swim the event at Westmont, and his time this morning is an improvement upon his 50.22 from March, but trails his 49.27 from Austin. The pair were both out faster than Liendo, going 24.02 and 24.04, respectively, but just couldn’t match his backhalf.

Women’s 100 Breaststroke – Prelims

• World Record: 1:04.13 – Lilly King, USA (2017)
• American Record: 1:04.13 – Lilly King, (2017)
• U.S. Open Record: 1:04.45 – Jessica Hardy, USA (2017)

Top 8:

1. Mona McSharry (TNAQ) – 1:07.36
2. Eneli Jefimova (NCS) – 1:07.37
3. Kate Douglass (NYAC) – 1:07.96
4. Emma Weber (CA-Y) – 1:08.00
5. Sophia Umstead (UN-10) – 1:09.68
6. Alex Walsh (NYAC) – 1:09.89
7. Gabrielle Rose (BCA) – 1:10.06
8. Hannah Bach (OSU) – 1:10.13

The number three seems to be one of Kate Douglass‘s favorite numbers at the moment, as the New York Athletic Club and Virginia swimmer finished 3rd again this morning, as the Olympian completed her back-to-back double. The top-seeded swimmer, Douglass, posted a time of 1:07.96 to finish behind Mona McSharry and Eneli Jefimova. Douglass was out slower than the pair, opening in 32.52, but used her 200 breaststroke pedigree to do enough on the backhalf to earn a lane in the middle of the pool tonight.

She’ll have to chase down McSharry and Jefimova if she wants to take the win, as the pair both were out quickly this morning, with the Irishwoman opening her 100 in 31.95 to stop the clock at 1:07.36. Jefimova, an Estonian who will square off against McSharry in Paris at the European Championships, was out even faster, going 31.48, on her way to a time of 1:07.37.

While the top three were the only ones under 1:08 this morning, Douglass training partners Emma Weber and Alex Walsh shouldn’t be overlooked. Weber, a member of the 2025 Worlds team, went 1:08.00 flat, while Walsh was 1:09.89. While Walsh’s time is more than two seconds back of the field, she entered the meet with a seed of 1:06.50 and likely was saving energy as she is also entered in the 200 fly later on. Sandwiched between the two in the results and continuing her run of good form from the short course season is fellow Cavalier Sophia Umstead, whose 1:09.68 is not only a new PB but also stands as her first result under 1:10.

Men’s 100 Breaststroke – Prelims

• World Record: 56.88 – Adam Peaty, GBR (2019)
• American Record: 58.14 – Michael Andrew, (2021)
• U.S. Open Record: 58.14 – Michael Andrew, USA (2021)

Top 8:

1. Jack Kelly (NYAC) – 1:00.98
2. Ian Call (NAC) – 1:01.03
3. Hubert Kos (TXLA) – 1:02.47
4. Pavel Romanov (UN-06) – 1:02.59
5. Reef McMeeking (LAKR) – 1:02.98
6. Jordan Willis (GSC) – 1:03.05
7. Uros Zivanovic (UN-20) – 1:03.30
8. Prakhanthi Rai (BSS) – 1:03.67

The men’s 100 breaststroke was a subdued affair, with top seed Jack Kelly adding over a second to his seed time, but still retaining his top placing as he stopped the clock at 1:00.98. Seventeen-year-old Ian Call, too, retained his seeding, remaining the 2nd fastest swimmer in the field as he added just over half a second to hit the wall in 1:01.03. A Texas commit, Call was 4th in the final in Westmont, going 1:00.52, finishing one spot behind Kelly, who was 59.90.

There is a large gap between 2nd and 3rd; in fact, the difference between them is larger than that between 3rd and 8th, but don’t discount them as many did, only what was necessary to advance safely into the final. Hubert Kos, who swept the backstroke events at NCAAs, took a turn at the 100 breaststroke and finished 3rd this morning in 1:02.47. While likely not becoming a breaststroker, Kos is a world-class IMer, having won bronze in Singapore, so he could be working on improving his weak stroke. He, too, could be trying to work on the stroke in order to help Hungary field a medley relay, as it was the one stroke they had no entrants in at Worlds last year.

Seven of the top eight swimmers added time from their seed, but no one told Prakhanthai Rai that as the high school junior and Cal commit crashed his way into the A-final, cutting 1.56 seconds off his seed to secure the 8th seed with a new PB of 1:03.67

Women’s 50 Backstroke – Prelims

• World Record: 26.86 – Kaylee McKeown, AUS (2023)
• American Record: 26.97 – Katharine Berkoff, (2025)
• U.S. Open Record: 26.97 – Katharine Berkoff, USA (2025)

Top 8:

1. Isabelle Stadden (AGJT) – 27.34
2. Katharine Berkoff (WOLF) – 27.78
3. Erika Pelaez (NCS) – 28.49
4. Gretchen Walsh (NYAC) – 28.54
5. Claire Curzan (TAC) – 28.73
6. Emma Harvey (BER) – 28.8
7. Phoebe Bacon (WISC) – 29.01
8. Brynn Lavigueur (SYS) – 29.11

Isabelle Stadden has continued to turn heads as she has continued to improve in her events after having moved her training base to the University of Virginia. The 4th-seeded 23-year-old built upon her stellar performance in Westmont by claiming the top seed in the final tonight with a time of 27.34. Last month at the Pro Swim Series Meet, she swam a PB of 27.42 in prelims before dropping another new PB of 27.29 in finals.

She did place 2nd in the event, though, and will have to square off against Katharine Berkoff again as the Wolfpack Elite swimmers posted the 2nd fastest time of the morning, with a result of 27.78. The reigning World Champion and American Record holder was faster in the Westmont Prelims (27.52), but did just come from the prelims of the 100 free, where she finished 11th with a time of 55.55

So too did Erika Pelaez, Gretchen Walsh and Claire Curzan. Both Pelaez and Walsh made the A-final in the 100, and will have a quick turnaround tonight as they finished 3rd and 4th in this event. Curzan, who trains with Walsh at Virginia, swept the backstroke events at NCAA and will look yo move up from her 5th place finish and time of 28.73 this morning. Curzan finished just outside the A-final in the 100 free, going 55.33, which was good for 10th.

Men’s 50 Backstroke – Prelims

• World Record: 23.55 – Kliment Kolesnikov, RUS (2023)
• American Record: 23.71 – Hunter Armstrong, (2022)
• U.S. Open Record: 23.71 – Hunter Armstrong, USA (2022)

Top 8:

1. Finn Harland (ALTO) – 25.15
2. Hubert Kos (TXLA) – 25.18
3. Shaine Casas (TXLA) – 25.27
4. Ralf Tribuntsov (EST) – 25.61
5. Jack Aikins (UN-11) – 25.66
6. Daniel Zaitsev (EST) – 25.67
7. Aiden Norman (FLOR) – 26.12
8. Liam Carrington (BSS) – 26.19

Top seed Hubert Kos had a quick turnaround from the 100 breaststroke, but easily ensured that he would make the final here, as he posted the 2nd fastest time in the field, stopping the clock in 25.18. The Hungarian Olympian would have been first had it not been for Stanford’s Finn Harland, who outtouched him in the final heat by .03. Harland, a native of New Zealand, owns a personal best of 24.76 from the prelims of Worlds last year, and looks to be in form to challenge that time.

Don’t discount American Shaine Casas either. After a poor performance in the 100 free, placing 9th and adding nearly two seconds, Casas finished 3rd here with a time of 25.37 and will, with his teammate, Kos, surround Harland in the final tonight. Casas was 25.37 in the prelims of this event back in January, and he will certainly be targeting a time better than his 25.00 time from finals.

Women’s 200 Butterfly – Prelims

• World Record: 2:01.81 – Liu Zige, CHN (2009)
• American Record: 2:03.84 – Regan Smith, (2024)
• U.S. Open Record: 2:03.87 – Regan Smith, USA (2024)

Top 8:

1. Regan Smith (TXLA) – 2:06.77
2. Tess Howley (LIAC) – 2:09.71
3. Lindsay Looney (TXLA) – 2:11.22
4. Alex Walsh (NYAC) – 2:12.81
5. Emerson Callis (QSTS) – 2:13.54
6. Eleanor Sun (PRIN) – 2:13.69
7. Michaela Mattes (UN-12) – 2:14.37
8. Addison Reeses (GSC) – 2:14.49

Entered with a yards time, Alex Walsh posted a fast 2:12.81 from the 2nd of five heats to set a target for those in the circle seeded heats. Walsh’s time appears to be a personal best, as no time for her appears in the USA Swimming database, a surprise as she won an NCAA title in the yards version of the event.

Her time was surpassed by only three others, as Regan Smith, Tess Howley, and Lindsay Looney, the top three seeds, all won their heats with faster results. Smith, the American Record holder, produced a controlled morning swim, going 1:00.77 on the first half, closing in 1:06.77 to stop the clock at 2:06.77. The time is strong from Smith, as she was 2:06.23 at the China Open and 2:09.94 in prelims at the Austin PSS. Smith was joined under the 2:10 barrier this morning by Tess Howley, who was 1:02.37 and 1:07.34 to produce a morning time of 2:09.71

Men’s 200 Butterfly – Prelims

• World Record: 1:50.34 – Kristóf Milák, HUN (2022)
• American Record: 1:51.51 – Michael Phelps, (2009)
• U.S. Open Record: 1:52.20 – Michael Phelps, USA (2008)

Top 8:

1. Leon Marchand (TXLA) – 1:56.80
2. Carson Foster (NYAC) – 1:57.36
3. Mitchell Schott (PRIN) – 1:59.08
4. Arthur Balva (PRIN) – 1:59.43
5. Grant Sanders (SPA) – 2:02.66
6. Seb Lunak (NCAC) – 2:03.45
7. Noah Stotler (BSS) – 2:04.99
8. Felix Vicknair (WVU) – 2:05.61

The men’s 200 fly final tonight looks to be four separate battles between swimmers as they each appear to be locked in a duel with one other swimmer. That is not to say that things can’t change, but the top two swimmers are well ahead of the rest, and the 3rd- and 4th-placed swimmers themselves have a clear advantage over those ranked 5th-8th. Leading the way is Olympic Gold medalist Leon Marchand, who posted the top time of 1:56.80.

The Frenchman, who trains out of Austin, Texas, was 55.18 at the 100 before closing in 1:01.62 to earn the middle lane tonight. He did not contest this event at either of the Pro Swim Series Meets he has attended, nor did he swim the event at Worlds, but he did go 1:57.97 in the prelims at December’s US Open (before ultimately winning the event in 1:52.57). Five months ago, he was pushed by Ilya Kharun and Hubert Kos, but tonight it will be Carson Foster chasing him down as his teammate earned the 2nd seed tonight with his 1:57.36.

Surrounding those two tonight will be a pair of Princeton Tigers, as Mitchell Schott and Arthur Balva earned the 3rd and 4th seeds. The pair joined Marchand and Foster under 2:00, but are over a second and a half back at 1:59.08 and 1:59.43, respectively.

While back of the back by a wide margin Bolles’ Noah Stotler and Felix Vicknair of West Virginia, put forth strong prelim swims, to earn the last two spots in the A-final. Stotler, 16, cut .28 off his seed to dip under 2:05, while Vicknair, 1.17 off a nearly two-year-old PB, to earn the last spot in the final.

Women’s 400 Freestyle – Prelims

• World Record: 3:54.18 – Summer McIntosh, CAN (2025)
• American Record: 3:56.46 – Katie Ledecky, (2017)
• U.S. Open Record: 3:55.37 – Summer McIntosh, CAN (2025)

Top 8:

1. Katie Ledecky (GSC) – 4:06.22
2. Summer McIntosh (TXLA) – 4:09.02
3. Erin Gemmell (TXLA) – 4:09.80
4. Emma Weyant (GSC) – 4:09.89
5. Cavan Gormsen (UN-01) – 4:11.53
6. Nikolett Padar (TXLA) – 4:11.59
7. Audrey Derivaux (JW) – 4:13.97
8. Rylee Erisman (LAKR) – 4:15.43

Katie Ledecky earned herself the top seed in the 400 free final tonight as she posted a prelims time of 4:06.22. After a strong solo showing last night in the 1500, the American record holder in this event returned to the pool, splitting 58.36/1:02.38/1:02.83/1:02.66 to post the fastest time of the morning.

The final tonight is set up to be a great showdown between her and her teammate Emma Weyant against the pair of Texas Longhorns Summer McIntosh and Erin Gemmell. McIntosh, the World and US Open Record holder, swam in the last heat, posting a controlled 4:09.02 in prelims, opening quicker than Ledecky (57.21, but then shutting it down on the backhalf closing in 1:02.48/1:05.31/1:04.02.

Twelve months ago, in Fort Lauderdale, the pair had an incredible duel, with Ledecky coming from behind to win in 3:56.81, outsplitting McIntosh by 1.65 seconds on the last 50 alone. This morning, each was a little slower than they were 12 months ago, with Ledecky going 4:03.45 to McIntosh’s 4:06.56, but let’s hope they are just saving more for an explosive finale tonight.

Men’s 400 Freestyle – Prelims

• World Record: 3:39.96 – Lukas Märtens, GER (2025)
• American Record: 3:42.78 – Larsen Jensen, (2008)
• U.S. Open Record: 3:43.33 – Rex Maurer, USA (2025)

Top 8:

1. Luke Hobson (NYAC) – 3:53.99
2. Kieran Smith (RAC) – 3:54.08
3. William Mulgrew (SAC) – 3:54.12
4. Juan Vallmitjana (SOFL) – 3:54.32
5. Bobby Finke (SPA) – 3:54.64
6. Alec Enyeart (TXLA) – 3:55.65
7. Joey Eaddy (REV) – 3:58.31
8. Cole Kawaja (PRIN) – 3:59.60

The six fastest entrants all advanced easily into the final, with the #2 seed Luke Hobson posting the fastest time of the morning with his 3:53.99 from the penultimate heat. The Texas-based NYAC swimmer was the lone swimmer under 3:54 but will be surrounded by a bevy of swimmers within a second as the #3 seed Bobby Finke sits 5th after this morning, just .65 back at 3:54.64.

While Hobson, Kieran Smith (the top seed), and Finke were more than five seconds off their seeds, last night’s 1500 winner and fellow teenager Juan Vallmitjana were near their PBs as they secured themselves the 3rd and 4th seeds in tonight’s final with times of 3:54.12 and 3:54.32, respectively.

While their performances are laudable, they pale in comparison to the results put up by Joey Eaddy and Cole Kawaja. Eaddy, who broke Mulgrew’s New England record in 1000 free earlier this season, will be chasing his fellow Massachusetts native as the 15-year-old dropped 2.94 seconds to break 4:00 for the first time, stopping the clock at 3:58.31 to earn the 7th seed tonight. Kawaja, a few years older, at 19, cut 4.99 seconds off his best to go 3:59.60. The Princeton first-year had a PB of 4:04.59 from his 13th-place finish at the 2025 Canadian Swim Trials.