How to Watch The 2026 FISU America Games: UniUSA Sends 44-Swimmer American Delegation to Lima

Courtesy: UniUSA

2026 FISU America Games – Swimming

• Dates: July 24-26, 2026
• Location: IPD Aquatic Center at VIDENA, Lima, Peru
• Course: Long course meters
• Prelims: 9 a.m. local / 10 a.m. ET / 9 a.m. CT / 7 a.m. PT
• Finals: 6 p.m. local / 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT / 4 p.m. PT
• Livestream: FISU America YouTube Channel
• Results: Haylli Sports

The NCAA season may be over, but international racing is just getting started.

Beginning Friday, 44 swimmers from 27 universities will trade their school caps for the red, white and blue as the UniUSA delegation opens competition at the 2026 FISU America Games in Lima, Peru.

The three-day swimming meet is part of a larger multi-sport event that has brought more than 2,000 university athletes from 18 countries to the Peruvian capital. For many of the American swimmers, Lima will provide their first opportunity to compete internationally while representing the United States.

The Team USA roster is divided evenly between 22 women and 22 men and includes NCAA qualifiers, All-Americans, conference champions and record holders from Power Four and mid-major programs. On paper, the American delegation enters as the clear favorite to lead the swimming medal table.

Its advantage will not come from one or two names. It will come from the depth of the entire roster and a competition format designed to put that depth on display.

Three Swimmers Per Event, Two Teams Per Relay

The FISU America Games use entry limits that differ from those found at most major international championships.

Each country may enter as many as three swimmers per gender in every individual event. Countries may also enter two teams in each relay event.

That means the United States will not be limited to one or two medal contenders in each race. In several events, three UniUSA swimmers could advance to the final together, while two American quartets could line up in the same relay.

Nothing is guaranteed once racing begins, but the format gives the United States a chance to place multiple swimmers and relays into medal contention throughout the meet.

The competition includes 42 events: 34 individual events, six traditional men’s and women’s relays and two mixed relays. The mixed 4×100 free will close the opening day, while the mixed 4×100 medley will begin the final day of competition.

American Women to Watch

Kayman Neal arrives in Lima following a breakout season at Arizona. Neal won the 2026 Big 12 title in the 200-yard back with an automatic NCAA qualifying time and earned first-team all-conference recognition in the 200 free, 100 back and 200 back. Her range makes her one of the most versatile swimmers on the women’s roster.

Wisconsin’s Abby Carlson brings one of the most accomplished collegiate résumés in the delegation. Carlson won the 2023 Big Ten title in the 500 free and finished second in the event at that season’s NCAA Championships. A multi-time All-American with experience from the 100 through the 500 free, she gives Team USA both individual-event strength and a proven relay option.

Florida Gulf Coast’s Izzy Ackley represents the depth available from the Mid-Major schools. Ackley won the 50 and 100 back at the 2025 CSCAA National Invitational Championship, setting meet records in both events, and owns FGCU records in the 50 back and 50 fly. Her speed should translate well to the long-course sprint events and relay racing in Lima.

Illinois swimmer Chloe Diner enters the meet as the school-record holder in the 100 breast, 100 fly and 200 IM. Her performances alone make her one of the women to follow, but the location of the meet gives her trip a meaning that extends beyond swimming.

A Homecoming in Lima

Diner’s mother and her mother’s family are from Peru. The FISU America Games will give Diner her first opportunity to visit the country and connect in person with that part of her family’s heritage.

Most members of the delegation will arrive in Lima hoping to explore somewhere new. Diner will arrive with a connection to the host country that has been part of her family long before she was selected for the meet.

She will compete for the United States in the country her mother’s family once called home, sharing the experience with family members who understand the significance of the trip in a way that reaches far beyond her results.

It is a rare intersection of family, heritage and international competition, and one of the most personal stories on the UniUSA roster.

American Men to Watch

North Carolina’s Sean Setzer has quickly established himself as one of the best sprinters in Tar Heel history. Setzer lowered the school record in the 50-yard free to 19.04 at the 2026 ACC Championships and moved to second all-time at UNC in the 100 free with a 42.25. He later helped North Carolina’s 200 free relay finish 11th at the NCAA Championships and earn honorable mention All-America recognition.

Kentucky distance standout Levi Sandidge enters Lima after the best NCAA performance of his career. Sandidge placed third in the 1,650 free at the 2026 NCAA Championships in 14:22.26, the fifth-fastest performance in the event’s history at the time. The three-time first-team All-American also won the 2023 SEC title in the mile and has represented Kentucky at four consecutive NCAA Championships.

Purdue’s Evan Mackesy qualified for the 2026 NCAA Championships in the 200 and 400 IMs and the 500 free. During his sophomore season, he set Purdue records in the 400 IM and 500 free and contributed to the program record in the 800 free relay. His ability to cover free, fly and both medleys gives the American staff several options across the three-day program.

Willem Huggins, now listed with Florida State after competing for Southern Illinois during the 2025-26 college season, provides another example of the mid-major talent represented on the roster. Huggins won the 2025 Missouri Valley Conference title in the 200 back, earned first-team all-conference honors in each of his first two seasons and set MVC records in both the 200 back and 200 free during his time at SIU.

What to Expect Each Day

The meet will move directly from morning heats to evening finals, with no semifinal round. The slower heats of the 800 and 1,500 frees will be contested in the morning, followed by the fastest heat during the evening session.

Friday, July 24

The opening day includes:

• 800 free
• 50 breast
• 100 back
• 100 fly
• 400 IM
• 200 free
• Mixed 4×100 free relay

Saturday, July 25

The second day includes:

• Men’s and women’s 4×100 medley relays
• 400 free
• 200 back
• 100 breast
• 50 free
• 200 fly
• Men’s and women’s 4×200 free relays

Sunday, July 26

The final day includes:

• Mixed 4×100 medley relay
• 1,500 free
• 200 breast
• 50 fly
• 100 free
• 50 back
• 200 IM
• Men’s and women’s 4×100 free relays

How to Watch

All six sessions are scheduled to stream live through the FISU America YouTube channel.

Prelims begin each day at 9 a.m. in Lima, which is:

• 10 a.m. Eastern
• 9 a.m. Central
• 8 a.m. Mountain
• 7 a.m. Pacific

Finals begin at 6 p.m. in Lima, which is:

• 7 p.m. Eastern
• 6 p.m. Central
• 5 p.m. Mountain
• 4 p.m. Pacific

Peru remains on UTC-5 throughout the year and does not observe daylight saving time. During July, Lima is one hour behind the U.S. East Coast and on the same clock as U.S. Central Daylight Time.

For many members of the roster, Lima will be their first international meet as part of a United States delegation. It also offers swimming fans a chance to watch athletes from different conferences and levels of the NCAA compete alongside one another rather than from opposite sides of the pool.

2026 UniUSA Swimming Roster

Women

Men

The competition schedule and entries remain subject to change.