Preview of the 2026 Toyota U.S. Swimming National Championships

The summer concludes with the 2026 Toyota U.S. Swimming National Championships, aired live from Tuesday to Saturday on Peacock and NBCSN. This event is crucial as it serves as the final opportunity for Team USA to compete before the Pan Pacific Championships in August in Irvine, California. It’s the first significant international long-course meet on American soil since the 2010 Pan Pacs.

Notable Absentees

Several stars are absent from the national championships, focusing on the upcoming Pan Pacs. Among them are Katie Ledecky, Regan Smith, and Bobby Finke. Their focus is on preparations, as Pan Pacs begin 11 days after nationals.

Top Competitors to Watch

Caeleb Dressel

Caeleb Dressel, a nine-time Olympic gold medalist, is the No. 3 seed in the 50m fly (23.28) and 100m fly (51.26). After taking a break following the 2024 Paris Olympics, Dressel is making a strong comeback. This year, he set a season-best 21.84 in the 50m free during the Indianapolis Pro Series, marking his fastest time since Paris.

Gretchen Walsh

World-record holder Gretchen Walsh competes in the 50m free. Walsh is known for her achievements, including setting a world record of 23.55 in the 50m free and lowering the world mark in the 100m fly to 54.33. Her performance this season includes the world’s fastest time in the 50m fly (24.51).

Kate Douglass

Kate Douglass holds the No. 1 seed in the 100m breast (1:05.27) and is the No. 2 seed in the 50m free (23.59). She is a five-time Olympic medalist and 18-time world champion, known for her American record in the 200m breast (2:18.50) and a top-10 all-time mark in the 200m IM. Recently, Douglass set a world record in the 50m free at the TYR Pro Swim Series with a time of 23.59.

Michael Andrew

Michael Andrew ranks high, with the top seed in the 50m breast (26.75) and second in the 50m fly (23.08). He aims for an Olympic return in LA 2028, focusing on sprint events. This season, Andrew stands 12th globally in the 50m breast.

Katie Grimes

Katie Grimes is the top seed in the 1500m free (16:04.20) and second in the 400m IM (4:36.52). She made history at the 2020 Tokyo Games as the youngest U.S. Olympic swimmer since 1996, participating in both pool and open water events.

Jack Alexy

Jack Alexy enters as the top seed in the 100m free (46.81) and competes in the 200m free. At the 2025 World Championships, he set a new American record in the 100m free with a 46.81 and contributed a 45.95 anchor split on the U.S. 4×100 free relay.

Emerging Stars

Among the breakout stars, Van Mathias and Ilya Kharun are notable. Mathias, the fastest breaststroker in American history, set an American record in the 50m breast (26.30) at the TYR Pro Series. Kharun is the top seed in multiple butterfly events and recently transitioned from Canadian to American sporting citizenship.

Sprinter Quintin McCarty is second in the 50m free (21.43), being the fastest American this year. Luka Mijatovic, entered in the 1500m free, became the youngest American to break 15 minutes in this event earlier this year.

Anna Moesch tops the seeds in the women’s 100m and 200m free. Other notable competitors include Isabelle Stadden in backstroke events and Ryan Erisman and Kieran Smith in freestyle and IM events, respectively.