Gretchen Walsh finishes just shy of own 50-meter freestyle record, Caeleb Dressel snags men's title at U.S. Swimming Nationals

The U.S. Nationals ended on a high note, with Team USA stars Gretchen Walsh and Caeleb Dressel picking up coveted wins in the 50-meter freestyle competition to close out the five-day meet.

One month after setting the world record in the event , Walsh came just 0.05 shy of her own world record, finishing in 23.60 seconds. The mark still counts as a record at the U.S. championships, and was enough for Walsh to edge out Anna Moesch for the national title.

World record holder and now national champ!🥇 Gretchen Walsh sets a new meet record in the 50m free with a time of 23.60. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/5Rv0FtwSGT

— USA Swimming (@USASwimming) August 2, 2026

Dressel entered Saturday with a lot of momentum, and used it to power himself to a 21.35 second performance and a first-place finish for his second national title of the competition.

He does it again! Caeleb Dressel wins the 50m free national championship with a time of 21.35. ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/dvtQZiu3JL

— USA Swimming (@USASwimming) August 2, 2026

On the broadcast after Saturday's race, the 29-year-old Dressel joked that he was "an old man." He didn't look like one this week: Dressel's 50-meter win, along with his win in the 100-meter free on Tuesday, mark the swimmer's best showing since the 2024 Olympic trials.

Here are some more highlights from the final night of action at Nationals in Irvine, California.

Katie Grimes swims 1500-meter freestyle

For her second title of the week, Katie Grimes pushed past the competition for a win in the 1500-meter freestyle. Grimes finished the race with a time of 15:55.69, her fastest swim in the event since 2022.

Katie Grimes is the 1500m free national champ! She is all alone at the finish with a time of 15:55.69. 👏 pic.twitter.com/wdsB6II8Yc

— USA Swimming (@USASwimming) August 2, 2026

Famously, this is the event where Katie Ledecky holds 24 of the top 25 times in the world; with Ledecky gone from this meet, the other Katie — Grimes — took full advantage. Grimes took an early lead, and steadily grew the distance between her and the rest of the field, beating the next-nearest swimmer (Kate Hurst) by nearly 10 seconds.

Alex Walsh edges out Campbell Chase in the 200 IM

Gretchen Walsh wasn't the only Walsh sister to pick up a title on Saturday: Alex Walsh defeated Campbell Chase in the 200-meter individual medley with a time of 2:08.59, with a less than two-second difference between the two.

It was the second 200 medley victory in a row for Walsh, who took first in the event at the Sette Colli meet in Rome. On Saturday, Walsh took the lead over Chase in the breaststroke — one of her strongest strokes.

Maximus Williamson stuns the competition in the 200 IM

Maximus Williamson, a University of Virginia swimmer and the reigning NCAA champion of the 200 IM, picked up victory at the U.S. nationals in the same event. Williamson pulled ahead on the backstroke leg and eventually ended up a full body length ahead of the competition.

Maximus drops the fourth-fastest time in the world this year...from lane eight!😮‍💨 https://t.co/tpLT77WIGs pic.twitter.com/4TndvVm2vi

— USA Swimming (@USASwimming) August 2, 2026

His final time, 1:56.40, was a personal best and made him the eighth-fastest American in the event's history.

Ryan Erisman's comeback in the 800 free leads to second-fastest American time

Ryan Erisman put up an eyebrow-raising performance in the men's 800-meter freestyle for his third national title of the meet. William Mulgrew, who finished in second, took the lead about halfway through, but Erisman pushed through the last 200 meters to eventually take the win.

Erisman's time of 7:43.53 makes him the second-fastest American to complete the event, behind Bobby Finke. Mulgrew's time was good enough for the eighth-best among Americans all time.

Indexed and credited by AIPROPX. Originating outlet: Yahoo Sports. Open at source →