By Sean Griffin on SwimSwam
2025 U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Tuesday, June 3 – Saturday, June 7, 2025
- Indianapolis, Indiana
- Indiana University Natatorium
- LCM (50 meters)
- World Championship Selection Criteria
- SwimSwam Preview Index
- Meet Central
- Psych Sheets
- Live Results
- Day 1 Prelims Live Recap
The 2025 U.S. National Championships, which also serve as the selection meet for this summer’s World Championships, began this morning in Indianapolis with several standout performances, including Jack Alexy’s U.S. Open record-breaking 46.99 in the 100 freestyle.
SwimSwam is highlighting four storylines that didn’t make major headlines but are still worth a closer look before finals begin in about three hours. While there are plenty of angles we could explore, we’ve chosen these four to expand on—each offering added context we didn’t fully cover in our prelims live recap.
Without further ado…
Weinstein Pops 53.95 In 100 Free Prelims As Sandpipers’ Sprint Momentum Grows
Claire Weinstein, known more for her 200/400 and open water prowess, turned heads this morning in Indianapolis with a lifetime best of 53.95 in the women’s 100 freestyle prelims. The Sandpipers standout, who will represent the U.S. in the 10K at the upcoming World Championships, put down that time on the back of breaking 55 for the first time just last month at the Fort Lauderdale Pro Swim Series where she logged 54.43.
It’s a performance that feels reminiscent of the “Let Bella Sprint” movement from recent years, when Bella Sims began carving out a name for herself in the shorter freestyle events despite her distance roots. Commonly viewed as a heavy distance program to outsiders, the Sandpipers continue to prove they can develop athletes across all ranges of distances. Not only did they help shape Olympic 4×100 free relay gold medalist Bowe Becker during his age group days, but they now have two women under 54 seconds in the 100 free. Sims hit 53.73 at the 2023 U.S. Nationals, and now Weinstein joins her — with room to improve in tonight’s final.
Tonight won’t come easy, though. Weinstein will double back for the 800 free, where she’s expected to battleJillian Cox for the second roster spot behind world record holder Katie Ledecky. Cox holds a slight edge on paper, and while Weinstein’s speed this morning should give her a confidence boost, Cox will be coming in fresh without any earlier races, which will give her a significant advantage in the physical department.
Women’s 100 Free Final Full of 200 Specialists Signals Shift In Relay Landscape
Piggybacking off Weinstein’s breakout swim, this morning’s women’s 100 free prelims made one thing clear — the 200 freestylers are taking over.
Erin Gemmell was a major highlight this morning, throwing down a massive personal best of 53.61 to firmly insert herself into the conversation for a spot on the 4×100 free relay at Worlds. She is joined in tonight’s ‘A’ final by Anna Moesch (53.69), Weinstein (53.95), and Maxine Parker (54.00), who edged out teammate Claire Curzan in a swim-off to claim the last lane. All four are known for having a good 200, especially in yards, where the event is a staple in their regular racing schedules.
In fact, the majority of tonight’s final is composed of 100/200 types, with only Kate Douglass and Gretchen Walsh fitting the more traditional 50/100 sprint mold. Even Douglass is debatable—despite holding the American record in the 50 free, she’s the reigning Olympic champion in the 200 breast and has consistently closed her 200 IMs in under 30 seconds.
Simone Manuel and Torri Huske, two of the biggest names in the field, also bring strong 200 credentials and are well-rounded across all three distances. That same versatility extends to Moesch and Parker.
In terms of the field as a whole, there is a clear shift from recent years, when the top six in this event were often dominated by pure sprinters like Abbey Weitzeil, Erika Brown, Olivia Smoliga, Natalie Hinds, and even Curzan, who regularly clocked sub-54 swims before placing more emphasis on the backstroke events.
Outside of the contenders changing, this also has positive repercussions for the 200. With the country’s best 200 freestylers all showing form in the shorter distance, this new level of front-end speed could translate into faster overall swims tomorrow. For swimmers who typically take it out fast, like Gemmell, this shift unlocks even more top-end speed. For those who close well, like Weinstein, it provides a chance to get through the first 100 with much more easy speed.
The relay implications here are significant. Team Australia has dominated the 4×100 free relay at every major international meet since 2018, and the 4×200 since 2019—aside from 2021, when Mollie O’Callaghan wasn’t used in the final despite breaking the world junior record in prelims, and 2022, when they didn’t bring their full ‘A’ squad to Worlds.
With Ariarne Titmus sitting out and O’Callaghan nursing a lingering knee injury, this could be a key opportunity for Team USA to break through in the 4×200. And if this wave of American 200 freestylers continues translating their range into faster 100s, it could boost the U.S. medal outlook in the 4×100 as well. The 100/200 combo is crucial — it’s a big reason why Australia has dominated both freestyle relays in recent years, with most of their top swimmers nearly interchangeable across the two distances.
With the women’s 200 free set for tomorrow, we won’t have to wait long to see how this rising American group stacks up.
Stanford Sophomore Bricker Emerges As Key Contender
What began as a tight battle for the second roster spot behind Regan Smith in the women’s 200 fly has shifted with Stanford sophomore Caroline Bricker making a strong statement. Her 2:07.37 prelim swim cut 1.75 seconds off her previous best and earned her the 2nd overall seed heading into the championship final.
While Bricker’s time remains outside the sub-2:07 marks set this season by Alex Shackell(2:06.10) and Audrey Derivaux (2:06.46), she outpaced both in prelims as Shackell and Derivaux posted 2:08.47 and 2:09.15 respectively. Though it is early in the meet, Bricker’s performance signals she could challenge the established favorites in tonight’s final.
Beyond the 200 fly, Bricker is expected to be a major factor in multiple events this week, especially the 400 IM, where she claimed the NCAA title in March with a best time of 4:42.38. Depending on whether Stanford teammate Torri Huske or two-time reigning world champion Kate Douglass chooses to swim the 200 IM or focus on the 50 free, Bricker could also be a major threat in that race. With Douglass likely to concentrate on shorter events since the Paris Games, Bricker’s versatility and strong performances in both fly and IM events make her an important contender for Team USA.
Casas Secures An ‘A’ Final Lane
Paris Olympian Shaine Casas has often struggled to peak at major U.S. Trials, frequently missing ‘A’ finals altogether. Today, however, he secured his spot in the 100 free championship final, touching 8th with a time of 48.24—just one hundredth off his lifetime best from July 2022.
The now 25-year-old missed the ‘A’ final in each of his first events at the past two major trials, so advancing tonight in an outside lane is a positive start to this meet compared to previous seasons. Notably, Casas made the 2023 Worlds team in his last individual event from an outside lane, so a top-6 finish is well within reach tonight.
More importantly, this sets him up well for his primary events later in the meet, where he has a solid shot at qualifying individually in his specialty, the 200 IM, as well as the sprint butterfly and backstroke events—and possibly even a relay spot in the 200 free, given his recent 1:46.49 from the Fort Lauderdale Pro Swim Series, his first swim under 1:47 and a sign that a sub-1:45 is within reach.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: Four Storylines To Keep An Eye On From Day One Prelims At 2025 U.S. Nationals