2026 American Long Course Meet
- July 22-26
- Garland, TX
- LCM (50 meters)
- “2026 American Long Course” on Meet Mobile
At the young age of 30, former NC State swimmer and current American Record Holder Jacob Molacek proved that a top time can come at any time, as he surged to the 4th fastest American time in the 50 back in Garland, clocking 24.81.
That swim not only marks the 4th fastest by an American this season, but also lowers his lifetime best by just over half a second, dropping from his former top time of 25.32 from the 2023 National Championships.
Molacek now sits just behind Quintin McCarty, Shaine Casas, and Ryan Murphy in the list of top American Performers this season.
Top American 50 Backstroke Performers This Season:
- Quintin McCarty – 24.45
- Shaine Casas – 24.53
- Ryan Murphy – 24.75
- Jacob Molacek – 24.81
- Adam Chaney – 24.88
The last time we saw Molacek was at the SMU Senior Circuit in early June, where he won the 50 back in 25.53. Molacek hadn’t raced the 50 back individually since 2023.
Zooming out, Molacek still sits just outside of the top 25 performers ranking for the world this season, sitting just four hundredths of a second behind Murphy, who is 25th.
The time drop also moves him way up the all-time American performers list, slotting him in at a three-way tie with Daniel Carr‘s 2018 Summer Nationals performance and Jack Aikins‘ 2022 National Championship time of 20.81.
Get ready for lots of guys and gals coming out of the woodwork for the 50’s in LA.
Why have I never heard of him? Great swim
As a recruit he was basically Nate Germonprez – though his breaststroke didn’t work out at Auburn and he became a sprint freestyler at NC State.
he wasn’t on my bingo card