Caroline Bricker Drops 200 Fly Best Time From 2:09.12 To 2:05.80 To Claim National Crown

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 6/2)
• Live Results
• How To Watch (USA Swimming Network)
• Prelims Live Recap: Day 1
• Finals Live Recap: Day 1

There were many great swims on the first night of the 2025 U.S. National Championships, but one of the most unexpected came in the women’s 200 butterfly, where Stanford sophomore Caroline Bricker announced herself.

Bricker came into the event on Wednesday with a best time of 2:09.12, but she wasted no time rewriting that number. She dropped over a second and a half in the morning to clock 2:07.37, earning the second seed behind Olympic silver medalist Regan Smith heading into the final.

At night, things began as most anticipated, Smith took the race out fast as expected, turning at the 100 mark in 59.29. Alex Shackell was close behind, and Bricker stayed right with them, with all three swimmers under a minute at the halfway point.

By the 150, Smith had created separation from the field, hitting the wall in 1:31.74, just off American Record pace. Shackell and Bricker remained in pursuit, pulling away from the rest of the pack and setting the stage for a three-woman battle into the final stretch.

As the last 50 unfolded, Shackell began to fall off pace. Smith still led, but Bricker was charging. Smooth and powerful, she overtook Shackell and closed in hard on Smith with every stroke. With 25 meters to go, Bricker had all the momentum, and she carried it through to the finish.

She touched the wall in 2:05.80, edging Smith by five-hundredths of a second to win her first U.S. national title. It was a 3.32-second drop from her entry time, on the day, a stunning one-day progression for the Stanford Cardinal, who also captured an NCAA title in the 400 IM earlier this year.

“I really wanted to go out fast and not force it,” Bricker told SwimSwam of her race strategy. “Sometimes I do that when I get a little nervous or excited. For my second 50, I just tried to keep it going and again, not try to force it. The third 50, I tried to build, and the last 50 was about bringing it home as fast as I could—making sure I got my legs in, didn’t let my hips drop at all. Just kind of all forward motion, because that’s something I’ve been working on a lot.”

While most eyes were on Smith out front, Bricker was locked in on executing her own plan.

“I did see her and Alex next to me. I didn’t know that I was that close to Regan—maybe my perception was off. I thought she was a little more in front of me.”

Even after touching the wall, she wasn’t immediately convinced by what she saw on the scoreboard.

“I was really shocked. I thought it was a mistake for a little bit. I was like, ‘That’s my name? That’s not right.’ But yeah, I just put my head down and didn’t see what was happening around me for the last few meters.”

Her performance came on the heels of a major coaching change between the NCAA Championships and this meet, as Stanford head coach Greg Meehan accepted the National Team Director position with USA Swimming. Chris Lindauer was named the new women’s head coach at Stanford, stepping into the role just weeks before Nationals.

In the leadup to the meet, Bricker maintained a sense of normalcy by continuing to train under Stanford associate head coach Katie Robinson and assistant coach Kim Williams, both of whom had worked with her throughout the year. Still, with Meehan as her primary coach, his departure marked a significant change in the final stretch of preparation.

Asked about what this swim means for her future, Bricker admitted she wasn’t expecting anything like this.

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