2026 Pan Pacific Championship Previews: Team USA Looking to Cap Off Speedy Summer On Home Soil
Gretchen Walsh will look to add another chapter to her historic season at Pan Pacs, where she enters as the world record holder in two events.
Commentary and Analysis
As we near the end of what has been a season full of surprises in the sport of swimming, for many of the United States’ top talent, this season will wrap up in a familiar location, Irvine, California, for the 2026 Pan Pacific Championships, the first time that these championships have taken place on US soil since 2010 (also in Irvine).
With a loaded roster and full steam ahead as we prepare for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, the US will be looking to make their mark as we draw near summer’s end.
Team USA’s 2018 Pan Pacs Snapshot
The last time we were treated to a Pan Pacific Championships, we have to rewind to 2018, when this meet was held in Tokyo, three years ahead of the 2020(1) Tokyo Olympic Games.
At those championships, Team USA was pretty dominant on the medal table, which was made up of 20 gold medals, 14 silver medals, and 11 bronze medal performances, all of which were the most of any country in attendance, totaling 45 medals, 16 more than the next closest team (Australia with 29).
The roster that made up that 2018 team looks vastly different eight years later, with only a few names from that 2018 squad still repping the stars and stripes in 2026. Those being Katie Ledecky, Michael Andrew, Bobby Finke, Regan Smith, and Simone Manuel. The rest of the roster will be competing at these championships for the very first time in their careers.
Eight years ago, Ledecky was still as dominant a force as she is today, winning the 400 free (3:58.50), 800 free (8:09.13), and the 1500 free (15:38.97). Manuel added another two silver medals to the team’s total with runner-up finishes in the 50 and 100 freestyles in 24.33 and 52.66, respectively. Andrew made a splash with a 21.46 gold-medal-winning performance in the 50 free.
Though the 2026 roster is very green, they will be looking to replicate, and potentially surpass, that medal total from eight years ago.
Storylines To Follow
The US Men’s Breaststroke Drought May Be Over...
The boom that we have seen from Van Mathias this season has been one of the biggest stories in the sport, though he is not the lone American breaststroker who has played a part in this new life of the stroke on the domestic scene. The likes of Campbell McKean, Josh Matheny, and AJ Pouch have all helped get this stroke back up the ranks in international competition.
Mathias is the clear headliner in the sprint breaststrokes, coming into these championships as the fastest performer in the world in both the 50 and 100 distances in 26.30 and 58.01. We have had the opportunity to see him race plenty of domestic competition, but now getting him up against some high-level international competition could potentially give him the extra boost to blow our minds even more. As the fastest sprint breaststroker in American history, getting to see him up against Japan’s Shin Ohashi (58.67) and Australia’s Samuel Williamson (59.07) in the 100 breast, or the battle of the two fastest 50 breast swimmers on the planet this season with Michael Houlie (26.38), Mathias may be on the cusp of some elite territory in Irvine.
McKean was a breakout star last summer at the US National Championships, and now with a year of college swimming under Bob Bowman at the University of Texas under his belt, he may be able to rekindle some of that magic that we saw a summer ago. He is still young, only going into his sophomore season, and already having represented the US on the World Championships level, he will be looking to boost that resume in search of a potential 2028 Olympic berth in just under two years.
Matheny, who has had his fair share of ups and downs since making the Olympic Team in 2024, will be looking for a strong outing here to close out the season on a positive note. Coming off of a US National Championships showing where he finished 5th in the prelims of the 100 breast (1:00.32), and 14th overall in the 200 breast (2:13.92), the former Indiana Hoosier could be fired up and ready to unleash in Irvine in hopes of building up the 200 breast, an event that saw a pair of top three world ranking times at US Nationals from Josh Bey (2:07.58) and Gabe Nunziata (2:07.62), neither of which will be at this meet.
Pouch is a similar story, having only been as fast as 2:12.41 in the 200 breast this season, which came back in March at the Pro Swim Series in Westmont; he too could pop off a big swim, looking to get back to that career best of 2:08.00 from the US Olympic Trials in 2024.
The Surplus of US Women’s Sprinters
Not many countries get to say that they had two different swimmers break a 50 freestyle world record in the same season, though in the case of the US, they can. Kate Douglass and Gretchen Walsh, the two fastest 50 freestylers in history, are in Irvine and will likely be looking to make even more history. Those two are just the tip of the iceberg in American women’s sprinting. Names such as Torri Huske, Simone Manuel, Claire Curzan, Katharine Berkoff, Rylee Erisman, McKenzie Siroky, and several others help bolster a loaded roster for the US women.
Douglass, one of the most versatile swimmers walking (or swimming) the face of the planet today, will have her hands full, no matter what way she decides to go about this meet; she is entered in the 50 and 100 free, 100 and 200 breast, and the 50 fly. For a four-day meet, she will be busy. As one of the top breaststrokers in the world, one of the most elite sprinters in the world, and among the most dependable relay swimmers today, Douglass’ number will be called upon in several ways, but if we have learned anything over the years, it’s that when Douglass is in the water, she is a threat to win, and no world record is safe.
Her training partner at Virginia, Gretchen Walsh, the current 50 free and 100 fly world record holder, will also be among the biggest stars at this meet; entered in the 50 free, 100 free, 50 fly, and 100 fly, there is a serious chance that we see her come away with at least one (if not multiple) world record swims at this meet. Walsh has built a stature in competition to the point where she is now must-see anytime that she hits the water. With four events that she has proven to be among the fastest in history, that remains the same here. Walsh has dominated headlines over the past several years, and this meet could be another one of those historic chapters in an already loaded career story for the younger Walsh sister.
Manuel has been a cornerstone of American women’s sprinting for a decade now, and that narrative has not changed all that much in that time. Manuel’s ability to contend at a high level in the 50, 100, and 200 freestyle races has made her a must-have piece to Team USA. With those three events in Irvine, she should be looking to make another splash on the international scene, something she has done frequently over the last 10 years. The caveat to Manuel, however, will likely be the two-per-country limit for the finals; with Douglass, Walsh, and even Torri Huske in the mix, those finals spots will come at a premium.
Huske has had an interesting long-course season, only racing in three long course meets in 2026, including a pair of stops along the Pro Swim Series (Sacramento in May and Indianapolis in June). The Olympic Champion Huske is among the best big-time racers that the US can throw out there. Similar to Douglass, Huske is not limited to her entered events; she appears in six events on the entry list, those being the 50/100/200 frees, 50/100 fly, and the 200 IM. With only one individual podium appearance last summer in Singapore at the World Championships, she will be looking to bump up that number in Irvine, no matter what she decides to race.
Siroky spearheads a solid sprint breaststroke surge for the US in the post-Lilly King era, though she has proven that she can race, entering this meet as the 4th fastest performer in the world this season in the 100 breast (1:05.64). Look for her to be highly competitive while repping the flag. Another clear superstar is Katharine Berkoff, a World Champion sprint backstroker, coming into this meet as the fastest 50 backstroker (26.98) and 4th fastest 100 backstroker (58.20). She has flirted with Kaylee McKeown’s world record in the 50 back of 26.86, and with Berkoff on home soil, it may just be the perfect time to rewrite the record books.
The amount of sprint talent appears to be a good one to have, as we continue the charge to 2028, the US relay options appear to be vast, and continuing to get better.
Wait… How Many Men’s Freestylers does the US have? Who comes out of those Gauntlets?
It’s Pan Pacs; it’s a shorter meet, but that does not mean that the US is holding back on the men’s freestyle. For context, just because a swimmer is entered in a race does NOT mean they will swim it. Regardless, the US men are set to do battle in the freestyle events. In the 50 free alone, there are 10 US swimmers entered. The 100 free? 11 men. How about the 200 free? Glad you asked, nine. It is a popular event at these championships, and with fields like this, it’s not too hard to see why.
In the 50 free, Jack Alexy, Michael Andrew, Chris Guiliano, and Quintin McCarty come in as the top entered seeds. In a way, it feels like a field of the past, present, and future of the US sprint freestyle. Alexy, who this season has been as fast as 21.57 from the China Open in March, has had a big up and down season; after dealing with an illness while on the Mare Nostrum Tour, he has not been able to get back to that top form that we have seen in full over the last few seasons. He is entered with his 21.32 from the World Championships last summer. This could be a good opportunity to close out the long course season on a high note.
Andrew, the reigning Pan Pacs champion in this event from 2018, only ranks 22nd in the world this season with his 21.78 from the Indianapolis Pro Series in June. Guiliano and McCarty are the only two US swimmers at this meet ranked inside the top five this season, both of whom are tied for 4th at 21.43, though at very different points in the season; Guiliano went that time in Westmont in March at the Pro Swim Series, McCarty went the same time, nearly three months later on the Mare Nostrum Tour in Monaco. Van Mathias is also entered in the 50 free, alongside the likes of Santo Condorelli, both of whom are more than capable of popping off a major swim to snag one of the two finals spots for the US.
The 100 free is a similar story, with Alexy, who has not been the same sprinting ace for the US after the illness on the Mare Nostrum Tour. He will also be looking to get back to that top racing form in the 100 free, though the competition could be even deeper in this event. Enter Patrick Sammon, another breakout star from last summer, who is entered here to compete in the 50, 100, and 200 free. He is an immediate threat in any of his events, and he comes in good form, after notching a lifetime best in the 200 free at the US National Championships in 1:45.67. Another (not so sneaky) contender is Destin Lasco, who is entered with the 5th fastest entry time of 47.58. This event seems like a safe place for Guiliano to step up and deliver something big; his 47.38 from early March still stands as the 4th fastest in the world this season, and a copy-and-paste sort of swim here may secure him at least a chance to compete for gold. Gui Caribe of Brazil could be a big mountain to climb in the event for the US’s gold medal hopes. He is entered here with the 2nd fastest entry time of the meet in 47.10, only trailing Alexy’s 46.81.
The 200 free gives the US a bit of a different challenge, as the top-seeded Luke Hobson (1:43.73), who is the 3rd fastest performer in the world this season in 1:44.49, will be pushed heavily by his international adversaries. He is followed closely by China’s Zhang Zhanshuo (1:44.53), and the Japanese duo of Tatsuya Murasa (1:44.54) and Katsuhiro Matsumoto (1:44.65). The US also has its own reinforcements that could swim up into podium position, such as mid-distance star Gabriel Jett, Rex Maurer, and Henry McFadden. Though the 200 free may not immediately strike viewers as the deepest event for the US, the trusty Hobson and the pure race-ability of Jett, Maurer, McFadden, Sammon, and Guiliano should give the US a solid opportunity to pick up multiple medals in the event in Irvine.
Other Swimmers to Watch
Katie Ledecky
It is hard to imagine a US team and one of the first people coming to mind not being arguably the greatest female swimmer, if not the greatest swimmer in general, Katie Ledecky, who is making her 3rd appearance at Pan Pacs in her career (Gold Coast 2014, and Tokyo 2018). Ledecky in international competition is otherworldly. She picked up three wins in 2018 at this meet, and once again, she will be bringing home some hardware.
She will have some of the best competition she has had all season at this meet, including Australia’s Lani Pallister in the 800 and 1500 free, and both Pallister and Summer McIntosh of Canada in the 400. Ledecky has shown no signs of slowing down, frequently touching right around her all-time best times on a multitude of occasions. Having the opportunity to race on home soil in an international competition, and what is widely considered the big meet of the season for the US, it is nearly impossible to count out Ledecky at any point, in any race.
Regan Smith
We would be remiss if we did not mention Regan Smith in this list, having been the leader of a stellar domestic backstroke scene for many years now. Smith comes into this meet with four entered events: the trio of backstrokes and the 200 IM. Though the backstrokes come as no surprise, the 200 IM should be one of her more intriguing races of the week. Smith currently sits 6th on the entry list with a 2:08.48 (from 2023), notably behind three other Americans (Douglass, Huske, Alex Walsh). With the finals spots at a premium, she will likely need a career best, or right near it, to secure one of those finals spots.
When it comes to the backstroke races, Smith is the favorite to win both the 100 and 200, especially due to the absence of her Australian counterpart Kaylee McKeown. Though she will be without an opponent that has pushed her so many times in so many huge moments, she will still have to fend off her own countrywoman in Katharine Berkoff, especially in the 50 and 100 backs. The 200 back fields will not be any cakewalk either, as she will need to get ahead of Phoebe Bacon, Claire Curzan, Leah Shackley, and China’s Peng Xuwei.
Luca Urlando
Luca Urlando, a story of triumph amidst many injuries at the 2025 World Championships last summer, capturing the 200 fly world title, has not had the best of luck since then… with his college season coming to an abrupt end due to injury, and only racing in a handful of meets since then, these Pan Pacs will surely be a meet that viewers will be looking to see him shine.
Urlando is coming off of a US National title in the 200 fly in Irvine, touching in 1:54.45. That time, while still off of the blistering 1:51.87 from Singapore, was a positive sign of his racing. He is not only entered in the 200 fly at these championships, but is also slated to race the 100 fly, 100 free, and 50 back. We will have to wait and see if those events will actually include Urlando. Still, the bottom line is that we get to see the Olympian and World Champion back in an international competition
