Day 3 Prelims Live Recap

2026 U.S. Short Course World Championship Trials

The third day of the 2026 U.S. Short Course World Championship Trials gets underway this morning from Westmont with preliminary heats across 10 events.

Day 3 Prelims Schedule

Men’s 400 IM
Women’s 100 back
Men’s 50 back
Women’s 200 IM
Women’s 200 free
Men’s 100 free
Women’s 50 fly
Men’s 200 fly
Women’s 100 breast
Men’s 50 breast

This morning’s session features the women’s 100 backstroke, where we’ll see last night’s 50 back winner and newly minted world record holder Katharine Berkoff take on the swimmer who she stole the world record from, Regan Smith, who is coming off an impressive win of her own last night in the 200 fly.

The women’s 100 back also features Claire Curzan, the reigning two-time NCAA champion in the SCY event, and Isabelle Stadden, the third-fastest performer of all-time in the LCM event.

We’ll also see Kate Douglass, fresh off tying the world record last night in the women’s 50 free, contesting the 200 IM alongside training partner Alex Walsh, and Walsh will be taking on a double this morning as she also owns the top seed in the 100 breast (where Douglass has scratched).

Douglass has also scratched the 50 fly, where Gretchen Walsh comes in as the woman to beat as the world record holder and defending world champion. Curzan will tackle the double in this event after the 100 back, and she’ll battle the likes of Torri Huske and Alex Shackell in tonight’s final for the second spot.

Huske is scheduled to race a triple this morning, owning entries in the 200 IM and 200 free to go along with the 50 fly, while Shackell is also entered in the 200 free.

Headlining the 200 free will be Cal teammates Claire Weinstein and Rylee Erisman, who had an exciting battle last night in the 400 free en route to a 1-2 finish. Indiana’s Liberty Clark also figures to be dangerous there as the 2026 NCAA runner-up in the SCY event.

On the men’s side, the 100 free will be one of the marquee events today with reigning world champion Jack Alexy coming in as the favorite, though he’ll have to contend with Caeleb Dressel, who showed impressive form last night that included a win over Alexy in the 50 free.

In addition to those two, Chris Guiliano, Brendan Whitfield, Matt King and Jonny Kulow will also be primary contenders in the 100 free, with the top four finishers likely to make the team for the 4×100 free relay.

In the men’s 200 fly, we’ll see the battle we were robbed of in March at the NCAA Championships, with defending world champion Ilya Kharun taking on reigning LC world champion Luca Urlando. During the 2025-26 collegiate season, Urlando pulled out of NCAAs due to injury (as the defending champion and U.S. Open Record holder), leaving Khaurn to take the title.

In addition to those two, the 200 fly includes Tyler Ray, who was very impressive last night in placing 2nd in the 100 fly, and Gabriel Jett, who wowed with a victory in the 200 back on Thursday.

Van Mathias, who became the first American men to hold a breaststroke world record since 2009 last night in the 100 breast, headlines the men’s 50 breast with potentially the chance to take down another all-time mark come the final.

This morning, we should be watching for Mathias to challenge the American Record, which stands at 25.38 from Nic Fink in 2022.

Indiana’s Finn Brooks is the top seed, however, having gone 25.75 last year at the World Cup in Westmont, while Brian Benzing also promises to be dangerous after an impressive runner-up finish to Mathias in the 100 breast.

We’ll also see the 400 IM, which only has five swimmers, and the 50 back, which has a relatively thin field, this morning for the men.

LIVE STREAM

MEN’S 400 IM – PRELIMS

World Record: 3:54.33, Tomoyuki Matsushita (JPN) – 2026
American Record: 3:55.50, Ryan Lochte – 2010
U.S. Open Record: 3:54.81, Daiya Seto (JPN) – 2019
Beijing ‘A’ Qualification Time: 4:08.87

Finalists:

WOMEN’S 100 BACKSTROKE – PRELIMS

World Record: 54.02, Regan Smith (USA) 2x – 2024 / 2025
American Record: 54.02, Regan Smith 2x – 2024 / 2025
U.S. Open Record: 54.02, Regan Smith (USA) – 2025
Beijing ‘A’ Qualification Time: 57.52

Finalists:

MEN’S 50 BACKSTROKE – PRELIMS

World Record: 22.03, Xu Jiayu (CHN) – 2026
American Record: 22.53, Ryan Murphy – 2021
U.S. Open Record: 22.60, Jordan Crooks (CAY) – 2026
Beijing ‘A’ Qualification Time: 23.37

Finalists:

WOMEN’S 200 IM – PRELIMS

World Record: 2:01.63, Kate Douglass (USA) – 2024
American Record: 2:01.63, Kate Douglass – 2024
U.S. Open Record: 2:02.76, Kate Douglass (USA) – 2025
Beijing ‘A’ Qualification Time: 2:09.37

Finalists:

WOMEN’S 200 FREESTYLE – PRELIMS

World Record: 1:49.36, Mollie O’Callaghan (AUS) – 2025
American Record: 1:51.62, Claire Weinstein – 2024
U.S. Open Record: 1:49.77, Mollie O’Callaghan (AUS) – 2025
Beijing ‘A’ Qualification Time: 1:55.60

Finalists:

MEN’S 100 FREESTYLE – PRELIMS

World Record: 44.84, Kyle Chalmers (AUS) / Egor Kornev (RUS) – 2021 / 2026
American Record: 45.05, Jack Alexy – 2024
U.S. Open Record: 45.22, Caeleb Dressel (USA) – 2019
Beijing ‘A’ Qualification Time: 46.89

Finalists:

WOMEN’S 50 BUTTERFLY – PRELIMS

Finalists:

MEN’S 200 BUTTERFLY – PRELIMS

World Record: 1:46.85, Tomoru Honda (JPN) – 2022
American Record: 1:48.66, Tom Shields – 2020
U.S. Open Record: 1:48.46, Ilya Kharun (CAN) – 2025
Beijing ‘A’ Qualification Time: 1:53.19

Finalists:

WOMEN’S 100 BREASTSTROKE – PRELIMS

World Record: 1:02.36, Ruta Meilutyte (LTU) / Alia Atkinson (JAM) 2x – 2013 / 2014 / 2016
American Record: 1:02.50, Lilly King – 2020
U.S. Open Record: 1:02.77, Ruta Meilutyte (LTU) – 2022
Beijing ‘A’ Qualification Time: 1:04.97

Finalists: