Storylines to Follow at the 2026 US National Championships in Irvine

2026 USA Toyota National Championships

• July 28-August 1, 2026
• Irvine, CA — William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center
• LCM (50 meters)
• Meet Central
• Pre-Scratch Psych Sheet

As the 2026 US National Championships kick off tomorrow and act as the warm-up meet for the William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center in Irvine, which will be jam-packed with fast swimming over the next few weeks, these National Championships are sure to deliver some big performances.

With many big names in the sport in the water racing, here are a few storylines to keep an eye on as the action unfolds in Irvine.

No Pan Pacs, No Problem

Though the Pan Pacific Championships will be the highlight meet for many top American stars this summer, there are still several of the nation’s best that will use these championships as that big summer meet; among those are some of the season’s top world performers such as Ilya Kharun, Anna Moesch, and Isabelle Stadden, who will be looking to make another strong statement.

Kharun, the soon-to-be US-representing fly/sprint specialist, is set to compete in all three butterfly races in Irvine. Kharun made headlines earlier this year when he announced he would be switching his international representation from Canada to the US, which immediately sent waves through the domestic butterfly scene, as this season, Kharun ranks 2nd in the 50 fly (22.64), 3rd in the 100 fly (50.40), and 9th in the 200 fly (1:54.96). This meet will mark one of his final competitions before he officially begins representing the Stars and Stripes. Though his field here is not necessarily that of a World Championships, Olympics, or even a Pan Pacs, this will be a good look at how he stacks up against other American Swimmers as we near those bigger and deeper international competitions.

Moesch may be the key example of a “what could have been” when it comes to the US announcing its Pan Pacs roster back in September. Moesch delivered one of the biggest swims of the season back at the AP Race London International in May, blasting a 51.94, which at the time was the fastest time in the world, until Marrit Steenbergen unleashed a new World Record a month later (in addition to several sub 52-second swims in between). That swim put Moesch in a tough position, one that clearly makes her one of the biggest sprint freestyle threats in the world, but also one that won’t have the opportunity to improve upon that time at one of the biggest meets of the calendar year at Pan Pacs. Nevertheless, Moesch will be a clear favorite in the event here, and will look to top the US Nationals podium in the 50 and 100 freestyles as well. She is also entered in the 100 fly (14th) and 200 IM (16th).

Stadden has been one of the big career resurgence stories of the season, climbing to the near top of the world rankings in each of the backstroke races. In Irvine, she will have another crack at each of the 50, 100, and 200 backstroke races. Without Regan Smith and Katharine Berkoff, Stadden has the entire meet to make her mark on the world rankings, and potentially world record books. Stadden is the clear favorite to sweep the backstrokes, though the question with her, another victim of the early Pan Pacs roster announcement, will not be whether she wins or loses, but how fast she can go.

Junior Pan Pacs Selection

While this competition does not serve as a selection meet for any of the senior teams, this will be the championships that decide the junior Pan Pacific Championships squad. And this meet, while many senior talents will not be swimming, or maybe competing in limited events, is absolutely loaded with junior talent.

Arguably the biggest junior name in the sport is Luka Mijatovic. To say that his lineup is not absolutely loaded with events would be maybe one of the biggest understatements of the season. Eyes will be all over the youngster in the mid/distance freestyle races, particularly the 1500 free, in which he is seeded at the top of the psych sheet in 14:59.27, he also comes into this meet as the #4 seed in the 200 free (1:45.92), #2 in the 400 free (3:45.20), and #2 in the 800 free (7:47.08). It would be mind-blowing if he were to make the Junior roster somehow, not to mention that, in addition to those spots up for grabs, there is a serious possibility that the 17-year-old could come away from the meet with one or multiple national titles.

Another major junior swimmer in attendance will be Audrey Derivaux, who recently announced that she will be attending Texas in the fall, making her collegiate debut for the Longhorns a year early. This meet, she is in some highly competitive fields; on night one, she will battle with Lindsay Looney atop the 200 fly, where she sits just 11 hundredths back of the top entered time in 2:07.41. Later in the meet, the 100 fly showdown with Tennessee’s Mizuki Hirai is a potential look into future SEC showdowns between the two, as she sits 2nd to the Volunteer in 57.57.  She should also be competitive in both IM races, entering as the 3rd seed in both the 200 IM (2:10.32) and 400 IM (4:37.27), respectively.

Outside of those two headliners, the meet will also feature standouts such as 16-year-old Gabi Brito, Sadie Buckley, Charlotte Crush, David Sammons, Yi Zheng, and plenty more, all looking to break out and earn their spot on the junior Pan Pacs roster.

Pan Pac Swimmers Testing the Irvine Water?

Although the biggest storylines are the people who will not be racing in this pool in a few weeks for the Pan Pacific Championships, that’s not to say that some of those talents who will be back here in a few weeks are not still getting a couple of quality race reps in. Kate Douglass, Gretchen Walsh, and Jack Alexy are just a few of the big names for Team USA that will look to test the water a little bit before the pool is filled with deep international talent.

Douglass and Walsh are both involved in what could be the most highly anticipated race of the week, the women’s 50 freestyle. Douglass shockingly took down Sarah Sjostrom‘s world record in the event in June at the Pro Swim Series in Indianapolis in 23.59, before her friend and fellow training partner Gretchen Walsh rebroke that near 10-day-old record at the Sette Colli in Rome in 23.55. With no guarantee that Douglass will race this event at Pan Pacs, this could make for a final opportunity to take back the record that she only held for a matter of days back in June. In addition to that race, Douglass is also entered in the 100 breaststroke, where she is a favorite to get her hand on the wall first in 1:05.27, just ahead of Anita Bottazzo in 2nd at 1:05.61.

Alexy comes into these US Nationals with only two entered events, the 100 free and 200 free. Both races are set to have very, very deep fields, though in the 100 free, he comes in as the favorite, leading the psych sheets with the only sub-47 time in 46.91, behind him, Patrick Sammon (47.47), Brooks Curry (47.51), Jonny Kulow (47.82), plus a slew of hungry swimmers looking to fight for a national title. This meet may be serving as a last-race simulation before Pan Pacs in this pool, but Alexy, who is one of the fastest freestylers in history, will have to be in solid form if he is eyeing a win here.

Luca Urlando, who has been plagued with injury over the course of the season and is on the Pan Pacs roster, may also make some appearances at this meet. He sits atop the 200 fly with his 1:51.87 from the World Championships last summer in Singapore, a swim that was much more than just a time and a World title, but a story of perseverance through several obstacles. His action this season has been limited; this meet, similar to that of Alexy, could be a great tune-up opportunity, and one that puts him back into the conversation for a podium threat at Pan Pacs. He is also entered in the 100 fly at this meet, where he comes in as the 4th seed in 51.44, and the 200 free as the 54th seed with a 1:33.29 time.

Don’t Count Out the Veterans

While many eyes will be on the young talents in Irvine, this meet also has its fair share of stars who have spent many years at the top of their game, among those, the now 30 year-old Caeleb Dressel, Hunter Armstrong, who is making his way at these nationals after competing as a clean and athlete with the Enhanced Games, and Kieran Smith, who was not named to the Pan Pacs roster in September.

Dressel, one of the most widely recognizable figures in the sport, now comes into these championships on the older side of the competition at the age of 30, and is showing that he is not done yet. The nine-time Olympic Champion enters these championships with four events: the 50 and 100 free, and the 50 and 100 fly. Among those races, his top entered position comes in the 100 fly, where he is 3rd with a time of 51.26, only behind Kharun (50.07) and Dare Rose (50.70). While Dressel has had some hot and cold outings as of late, it is never easy to count out one of the fastest swimmers in history, especially when he has nothing more to prove.

Armstrong, an Enhanced Games athlete who competes without the use of enhancements, will be racing in Irvine, though it will only be in three splash and dash events. Armstrong is set to race in the 50 fly, 50 back, and 50 free, and will mark his first competition back from the Enhanced Games, where he secured $375,000 in winnings from his win in the 50 back and runner-up finish in the 100 free (both while wearing a supersuit). Counting out the giant that is Armstrong is never recommended, especially after his solid outing at the Enhanced Games, competing against performance-enhanced athletes.

Smith, the 26-year-old, has seemingly done it all in the sport, and though he is not swimming at Pan Pacs, the opportunity is still there for the veteran to make some noise on the domestic stage. He comes into this meet as the 1op seed in the 200 IM with his 1:57.26, and will battle with Mijatovic and Ryan Erisman in the 400 free as the #3 seed in the 400 free (3:45.73). Smith will also be involved in the deep 200 free field as the #3 seed in 1:45.72.