SwimSwam’s Awards For The 2025 U.S. Nationals: Women’s Edition

2025 U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Tuesday, June 3 – Saturday, June 7, 2025
• Indianapolis, Indiana
• Indiana University Natatorium
• LCM (50 meters)
• World Championship Selection Criteria
• Meet Central
• Live Results
• Worlds Roster
• Full Results (PDF)

The 2025 U.S. National Championships came to a close on Saturday, and now that an exciting five days of racing have concluded and USA Swimming has announced its World Championship roster, it’s time for SwimSwam to hand out some electronic hardware to the meet’s top performers.

• See the men’s awards here.

FEMALE SWIMMER OF THE MEET: GRETCHEN WALSH

Gretchen Walsh continued her phenomenal year by picking up three national titles and adding a runner-up finish, setting a pair of American Records along the way to earn Women’s Swimmer of the Meet honors.

After wrapping up her standout college career at the University of Virginia in late March, Walsh broke the world record in the women’s 100 fly twice in her first long course meet of the year, and she also became the second woman in history to crack 25 seconds in the 50 fly.

Last week in Indianapolis, Walsh opened the competition with a strong showing in the women’s 100 free, setting a new lifetime best of 52.78 to finish as the runner-up to Torri Huske (52.43) and book her ticket to the World Championships.

Walsh followed up the next night by re-lowering her American Record in the 50 fly, clocking 24.66 in the final to mark the fourth-fastest swim in history and bring her within 23 one-hundredths of Sarah Sjostrom‘s vaunted world record of 24.43 set in 2014.

In the 100 fly, Walsh was dominant in a head-to-head battle with Huske, throwing down the second-fastest swim ever and the second in history under 55 seconds in 54.76, just 16 one-hundredths shy of her world record set in Fort Lauderdale.

Walsh closed things out in the 50 free, breaking 24 seconds for the first time in 23.91 to match Kate Douglass‘ American Record and move into a tie for 8th all-time in the event while slashing 15 one-hundredths off her previous best of 24.06.

Walsh’s U.S. Nationals Performances

Walsh was ultimately responsible for two of the three American Records broken at the meet, and her performances in the 50 free and 50 fly also marked new U.S. Open and National Championship Records.

Honorable Mentions:

• Katie Ledecky – Ledecky rolled to a dominant sweep of the women’s distance events, kicking things off with a Championship Record and the 4th-fastest swim in history (3rd at the time) in the 800 free in a time of 8:05.76. The 28-year-old also won the 400 free (3:58.56) by a second and a half and the 1500 free (15:36.76) by 25 seconds, with those performances ranking 23rd and 17th all-time, respectively. In the 200 free, Ledecky was the runner-up in a hard-fought battle with Claire Weinstein, touching in 1:55.26 for a new season-best time. Though that swim qualified her to race the 200 free individually at Worlds, Ledecky dropped it, opening the door for 3rd-place finisher Torri Huske to add it to her program.
• Torri Huske – Huske opened the meet with a monstrous swim in the women’s 100 free, outduelling Walsh and Kate Douglass for the victory in a time of 52.43, breaking Simone Manuel‘s U.S. Open Record from 2018 (52.54) while narrowly missing her PB of 52.29 from last summer’s Olympics. On Day 2, Huske made the surprising move of dropping the 50 fly after making the final of the 200 free, but it ended up paying dividends as she placed 3rd behind Weinstein and Ledecky in a lifetime best of 1:55.71, and after that initially locked her in for a spot on the 4×200 free relay, she earned an individual 200 free berth in Singapore when Ledecky dropped the event. Huske closed out the meet with a pair of runner-up finishes to Walsh in the 100 fly (56.61) and 50 free (23.98), setting a new personal best in the latter to qualify for Worlds in four individual events.
• Claire Weinstein – Weinstein had an incredible performance in Indianapolis, winning the women’s 200 free in a head-to-head battle with Ledecky while setting new personal best times in her four other events. Weinstein, 18, clocked 1:54.92 to claim the 200 free, finishing just four one-hundredths shy of her lifetime best set at the Paris Olympics (1:54.88). On the opening night of competition, Weinstein first placed 8th in the 100 free final in a lifetime best of 53.72, and then followed up by unleashing a stunning back half in the 800 free, outsplitting Ledecky coming home while running down Jillian Cox to snag 2nd place in 8:19.67 and qualify for the Worlds team. After her win in the 200 free on Day 2, Weinstein was the runner-up to Ledecky in the 400 free on Day 4, setting a best time of 4:00.05, and closed out the meet with another 2nd-place finish and new best time in the 1500 free (16:01.96). Weinstein’s new best times move her into 4th all-time in the girls’ 17-18 age group in the 800 free, 5th in the 100 free and 6th in the 1500 free, while she maintains her #2 ranking in the 400 free while inching closer to Ledecky’s NAG of 3:58.37.

FEMALE JUNIOR SWIMMER OF THE MEET: CLAIRE WEINSTEIN

As noted above, Weinstein performed incredibly in Indianapolis, winning the women’s 200 free in a world-leading time of 1:54.92 while setting best times in her four other events and qualifying for Worlds in three of them (along with the 200 free).

The 18-year-old won the 200 free (1:54.92), was the runner-up to Ledecky in the 400 free (4:00.05), 800 free (8:19.67) and 1500 free (16:01.96), and placed 8th in the 100 free (53.72), setting personal best times in everything but the 200, where she added four one-hundredths from her swim leading off the U.S. women’s 4×200 free relay in Paris.

In addition to climbing up the U.S. girls’ 17-18 age group rankings, Weinstein also now ranks 14th or better in all five events among 18 & under swimmers all-time by year-of-birth (World Junior Record eligible).

After the 200 free was her lone individual event at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships and the Paris Olympics, Weinstein showed she’s reached a new level in the other freestyle events last week, also qualifying for the U.S. team in the 400, 800 and 1500 free.

The Cal commit did, however, withdraw from the 1500 free at the 2025 World Championships, allowing 3rd-place finisher Jillian Cox to be added to the American roster.

Honorable Mentions:

• Rylee Erisman – Erisman narrowly missed earning an ‘A’ final berth in four of her five events at Nationals, placing 10th in the prelims of the 50, 100 and 200 free while taking 9th in the 50 back. She did, however, deliver in the consolation finals, touching 1st and placing 9th overall in the 50 free (24.74), 100 free (53.90) and 200 free (1:57.29) while placing 10th in the 50 back (28.08). Her swim in the 200 free marked a new lifetime best, ranking her 5th all-time in the girls’ 15-16 age group, while she also set a PB in the 50 back. On the penultimate day of the meet, the 16-year-old landed her first ‘A’ final berth in the 100 back, setting back-to-back best times in the prelims (59.64) and final (59.39) to place 8th and rank 5th all-time in the 15-16 age group.
• Charlotte Crush – Crush had a phenomenal performance in Indianapolis, making the ‘A’ final in the 100 fly (4th), 100 back (6th) and 200 back (7th) and setting best times in all three of those events while adding top-16 finishes in the 50 back (15th) and 50 fly (9th). Crush had a standout swim in the prelims of the 200 back, qualifying 1st into the final in a massive lifetime best of 2:07.05 to rank 6th all-time in the girls’ 17-18 age group. She went on to take 7th in the final in 2:08.39, which is still under her PB coming into the meet (2:09.71). Despite only turning 17 in March, she also moves into 9th all-time in the 17-18 age group in the 100 fly (58.09) and 10th in the 100 back (59.30).
• Audrey Derivaux – Derivaux took on a daunting schedule in Indianapolis and had several standout performances, including making the ‘A’ final in the 200 fly, 200 IM and 400 IM at the young age of 15 while also placing 10th in the 200 back and 100 fly. Derivaux set new best times en route to placing 5th in the 200 IM (2:10.91) and 400 IM (4:41.39), ranking her 4th and 17th all-time in the girls’ 15-16 age group, respectively, while she added just over a second in the 200 fly (2:07.75) on the way to placing 6th.

Erisman, Crush and Derivaux are all projected to qualify for the U.S. World Junior roster in five individual events.

FEMALE PERFORMANCE OF THE MEET: GRETCHEN WALSH, 50 FLY

It wasn’t until Gretchen Walsh went 24.93 at the Fort Lauderdale Pro Swim that any woman besides Sarah Sjostrom had broken 25 seconds in the 50 fly, and in Indianapolis, Walsh got much closer to Sjostrom’s historic world record of 24.43 that’s been on the books since 2014.

Walsh blasted her way to a time of 24.66, knocking nearly three tenths off her American Record and coming within 23 one-hundredths of Sjostrom’s all-time mark.

Additionally, Walsh’s swim stands up as the fourth-fastest performance in history after, coming into the meet, Sjostrom owned the 14 fastest ever.

All-Time Performances, Women’s 50 Butterfly (LCM)

1. Sarah Sjostrom (SWE), 24.43 – 2014
2. Sarah Sjostrom (SWE), 24.60 – 2017
3. Sarah Sjostrom (SWE), 24.63 – 2024
4. Gretchen Walsh (USA), 24.66 – 2025
5. Sarah Sjostrom (SWE), 24.69 – 2015

Walsh also cracked 25 seconds in the prelims (24.99), giving her three career sub-25 swims to go along with Sjostrom’s 23.

Honorable Mentions:

• Katharine Berkoff, 50 Back – Berkoff became just the third woman in history to break 27 seconds in the 50 back, clocking 26.97 in the final to shatter Regan Smith‘s American Record of 27.10 and move into #2 all-time in the event. Berkoff, who set her previous best time of 27.12 back in 2022, only trails world record holder Kaylee McKeown (26.86) in the historical rankings, while China’s Liu Xiang (26.98) is the only other swimmer to ever go sub-27.
• Gretchen Walsh, 100 Fly – If Walsh hadn’t gone 54.60 at the Fort Lauderdale Pro Swim, her performance at U.S. Nationals would’ve blown everyone’s minds. Instead, the 22-year-old’s clocking of 54.76 came as expected, as she delivered history’s second swim under 55 seconds after initially breaking Sarah Sjostrom‘s longstanding world record of 55.48 at last summer’s U.S. Olympic Trials in 55.18. Walsh now owns the five fastest swims ever, and her performance in the final is more than seven-tenths faster than any other woman has ever gone.
• Katie Ledecky, 800 Free – Similar to Walsh’s 100 fly, Ledecky’s swim in the 800 free in Indianapolis would’ve been a bigger deal had she not broken the world record in Fort Lauderdale, though her 8:05.76 clocking was still the 3rd-fastest swim in history at the time, though Summer McIntosh recently went 8:05.07 to move Ledecky’s swim down to #4. Regardless, Ledecky’s swim was the 3rd-fastest of her career, and outside of Fort Lauderdale, her best swim in the event since the 2016 Olympics in Rio. Outside of McIntosh, no other woman has been within six and a half seconds of the time Ledecky produced in Indianapolis.

FEMALE BREAKOUT PERFORMER OF THE MEET: CAROLINE BRICKER

It would be hard to argue against Caroline Bricker in the women’s 200 fly as the biggest upset winner of the meet.

Bricker came into Nationals with a lifetime best of 2:09.12, which put her more than five seconds back of American Record holder and pre-race favorite Regan Smith‘s PB (2:03.84).

However, in the very first final on the opening night in Indy, Bricker came from behind on the last 50 to out-touch Smith for the 200 fly victory in a time of 2:05.80, edging out Smith (2:05.85) while putting her more than three seconds under her best time coming into the meet (she also set a best time of 2:07.37 in the prelims).

A rising junior at Stanford, Bricker now ranks 5th all-time among Americans in the 200 fly and 23rd overall.

All-Time U.S. Performers, Women’s 200 Fly (LCM)

1. Regan Smith, 2:03.84 – 2024
2. Mary Descenza, 2:04.14 – 2009
3. Hali Flickinger, 2:05.65 – 2021
4. Kathleen Hersey, 2:05.78 – 2012
5. Caroline Bricker, 2:05.80 – 2025

Two nights later, Bricker topped the consolation final of the women’s 400 IM in a time of 4:41.65, placing 9th overall while lowering her previous best of 4:42.38 set at last month’s Sun Devil Open.

The 20-year-old concluded her breakout meet with a phenomenal swim in the 200 IM, placing 3rd in the final in 2:10.12 to lower her lifetime best of 2:11.63 set in the prelims. Coming into the meet, her best time stood at 2:11.90 from the Sun Devil Open.

Although Bricker had already made a name for herself in the short course pool, including winning the NCAA title this past season in the 400 IM, this was truly a long course breakout for her. At the 2024 Olympic Trials, she placed 12th in the 200 fly and 17th in the 200 IM.

Honorable Mentions:

• McKenzie Siroky – Siroky has quickly evolved into one of the country’s best breaststrokers after swimming was only a part-time thing for her just a few short years ago. The rising Tennessee sophomore reset her 50 breast best time down to 30.27 in the prelims, leading the field into the final where she tied with Emma Weber for the runner-up position in 30.43. Then, in a swim-off for a World Championship berth, Siroky rocketed to the win in a time of 30.05, qualifying her for Singapore while becoming the 7th-fastest American ever. She also placed 6th in the 100 breast (1:07.66).
• Erin Gemmell – Like Siroky, Gemmell had her best performance of the meet come in a swim-off. After tying for 4th with Anna Peplowski in the women’s 200 free final in a lifetime best of 1:55.82, Gemmell dropped a blistering 1:55.23 in the swim-off to lock in her Worlds berth and rank her fifth all-time among Americans. Coming into the meet, Gemmell’s best time stood at 1:55.97. The 20-year-old also earned a spot in Singapore in the 4×100 free relay, placing 5th in the 100 free in a best time of 53.51, and was 3rd in the prelims of the 400 free (4:09.04) before scratching the final.

FEMALE TEAM OF THE MEET: UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA/CAVALIER AQUATICS

Of the 21 women who were named to the World Championship team, nearly a third of them (28.5%) train out of the University of Virginia.

Our Female Swimmer of the Meet, Gretchen Walsh highlights the UVA training squad after winning three events and earning a runner-up finish in a fourth, setting an American Record in the 50 fly (24.66), tying the American Record in the 50 free (23.91) and producing the 2nd-fastest swim ever in the 100 fly (54.76). She was also 2nd in the 100 free in a lifetime best of 52.78.

Post-grad Kate Douglass won the 100 breast (1:05.79) and 200 breast (2:21.45) and also qualified for the team in the 50 fly and 4×100 free relay, while Alex Walsh, who completed her fifth year of eligibility with the Cavaliers this past NCAA season, claimed the 200 IM (2:08.45) and was the runner-up to Douglass in the 200 breast (2:22.45).

The women’s 200 breast final actually saw five of the top six finishers come from Virginia-trained swimmers, with Katie Christopherson, Leah Hayes and Emma Weber placing 3rd, 5th and 6th, respectively.

Among swimmers who will represent UVA in the 2025-26 college season, Claire Curzan made the Worlds team after pulling off a big win in the women’s 200 back, setting a new personal best of 2:05.09, while Katie Grimes qualified with a runner-up finish in the 400 IM (4:37.22) and Anna Moesch made the grade in the 4×100 free relay, setting back-to-back personal best times in the 100 free to place 6th (53.54).

Additionally, Christopherson, Hayes, Weber, Cavan Gormsen and Tess Howley are projected to make the World University Games roster.