Records and Best Times Fall on Night Two of TYR Pro Swim Series Fort Lauderdale
Night two of the TYR Pro Swim Series Fort Lauderdale continued to bring fans to their feet as USA Swimming National Team athletes claimed records and best times throughout the finals session. To kickstart the night, Gretchen Walsh (Nashville, Tenn./New York Athletic Club) went 52.90 in the women’s 100-meter freestyle, breaking the 53-second barrier for the first time in her career. Immediately following, Shaine Casas (McAllen, Texas/Longhorn Aquatics) claimed the first of his two evening victories. He went 48.47 in the men’s 100m freestyle and 24.41 in the men’s 50m backstroke approximately 30 minutes later.
Later in the evening, Katie Ledecky (Bethesda, Md./Gator Swim Club) had the entire crowd roaring as she took the lead in the women’s 400m freestyle in the last 50 meters. In an emotional post-race interview, she said, “I didn’t know if I was ever going to be 3:56 again.” Her time of 3:56.81 was the fastest she has swum in nine years and beat her previously held U.S. Open record by over a second. Also earning a new personal best in the event was Claire Weinstein (White Plains, N.Y./Sandpipers of Nevada), who dropped more than three seconds to go 4:01.26.
Regan Smith (Lakeville, Minn./Longhorn Aquatics) claimed a first and second-place finish with only 20 minutes of rest between her two finals. Touching the wall second in the women's 50m backstroke (27.43), she went on to claim a first-place finish in the women’s 200m butterfly and was the only athlete to break 2:06 (2:05.38).
With only 13 one-hundredths of a second between the top three finishes, the women’s 100m breaststroke was another race where fans were locked in. Emma Weber (Denver, Colo./Unattached) came out on top with a time of 1:06.63, followed closely by Lilly King (Evansville, Ind./Indiana Swim Club) going 1:06.67 and Kate Douglass (Pelham, N.Y./New York Athletic Club) placing third with a time of 1:06.76.
The night closed with a stacked race in the men’s 400m freestyle. Kieran Smith (Ridgefield, Conn./Ridgefield Aquatic Club) touched out his competition to claim first with a time of 3:47.04, followed closely by 18-year-old Ryan Erisman (Windermere, Fla./Laker Swim).
Women’s 100m Freestyle – FINAL
1 – Gretchen Walsh (Nashville, Tenn./New York Athletic Club), 52.90
2 – Torri Huske (Arlington, Va./Arlington Aquatic Club), 52.95
3 – Kate Douglass (Pelham, N.Y./New York Athletic Club), 53.61
Walsh on her best time and first time under the 53-second mark: “I feel like that’s been a goal of mine since I’ve been 16 years old. I am over-the-moon happy with that, and it’s a great way to kick off the 2025 long course season. This is my first long course since the Olympics, so it’s a nice welcome back. I have a lot of confidence in that race again. It's been a journey building it back up and feeling comfortable out there. It was cool to have such a great field out there to push me. Definitely excited to compete against all those women out there. We have a great group of 100 freestylers, so that will be fun at Trials and Worlds.”
Men’s 100m Freestyle – FINAL
1 – Shaine Casas (McAllen, Texas/Longhorn Aquatics), 48.47
2 – Chris Guiliano (Douglassville, Pa./Longhorn Aquatics), 48.49
3 – Tomas Navikonis (LTU), 48.65
Women’s 100m Breaststroke – FINAL
1 – Emma Weber (Denver, Colo./Unattached), 1:06.63
2 – Lilly King (Evansville, Ind./Indiana Swim Club), 1:06.67
3 – Kate Douglass (Pelham, N.Y./New York Athletic Club), 1:06.76
Weber’s reaction to the close finish: “My strategy is always to take the first eight strokes smoother in my hundred so I can finish, and I think that really paid off. Hopefully, I will make a team this summer; any team would be awesome. I would love my plans to be traveling with Team USA.”
Weber on the impressive field of competition: “Being around that field is so amazing. Those are the girls I look up to. Those are the girls I live with, train with, and call some of my best friends. Being in a field like that is an honor, and getting to race with them is the best practice you can get.”
Men’s 100m Breaststroke – FINAL
1 – Denis Petrashov (KGZ), 59.23
2 – Aleksas Savickas (LTU), 59.72
3 – Campbell McKean (Bend, Ore./Bend Swim Club), 1:00.40
Women’s 50m Backstroke – FINAL
1 – Katharine Berkoff (Missoula, Mont./Wolfpack Elite), 27.38
2 – Regan Smith (Lakeville, Minn./Longhorn Aquatics), 27.43
3 – Kylie Masse (CAN), 27.53
Berkoff on her race: “I was really happy with it, all backstrokers relate to it being hard to swim outside. I was unsure what to expect – hoping I didn’t hit the lane line. I was happy with it and felt strong with my start.”
Men’s 50m Backstroke – FINAL
1 – Shaine Casas (McAllen, Texas/Longhorn Aquatics), 24.41
2 – Quintin McCarty (Colorado Springs, Colo./Wolfpack Elite), 24.45
3 – Hubert Kos (HUN), 24.81
Casas after his second win of the evening: “It’s more of just getting the details down and learning how to race. Times are not really relevant, and you have to keep learning at every single stop. I’m just trying to apply that to my mentality right now.”
Women’s 200m Butterfly – FINAL
1 – Regan Smith (Lakeville, Minn./Longhorn Aquatics), 2:05.38
2 – Alex Shackell (Carmel, Ind./CArmel Swim Club), 2:06.13
3 – Audrey Derivaux (Haddonfield, N.J./Jersey Wahoos), 2:06.46
Men’s 200m Butterfly – FINAL
1 – Martin Espernberger (AUT), 1:55.71
2 – Carson Foster (Mason, Ohio/Mason Manta Rays), 1:55.84
3 – Trenton Julian (Glendale, Calif./Mission Viejo Nadadores),1:56.55
Women’s 400m Freestyle – FINAL
1 – Katie Ledecky (Bethesda, Md./Gator Swim Club), 3:56.81
2 – Summer McIntosh (CAN), 3:58.28
3 – Claire Weinstein (White Plains, N.Y./Sandpipers of Nevada), 4:01.26
Ledecky after setting a new U.S. Open record: “I didn’t know if I ever was going to be 3:56 again. All the credit to Summer, it’s always a great race when we’re next to each other. I’m just really happy with all the work I’ve put in to get to this point. I just have to thank all my coaches and teammates at Florida.”
On racing Summer McIntosh: “I just tried to stay with her, stay calm, stick with my race, and trust my tempo at the end, which is my bread and butter. I just have to stay tough, it’s what I do best.”
Men’s 400m Freestyle – FINAL
1 – Kieran Smith (Ridgefield, Conn./Ridgefield Aquatic Club), 3:47.04
2 – Ryan Erisman (Windermere, Fla./Laker Swim), 3:48.57
3 – Leon Marchand (FRA), 3:48.97
Smith on his recent surge: “This sport is really mysterious, because from 2019 to 2024, I had three sub-48’s in-season and now I’ve logged three sub 3:48’s in the past five weeks. It’s kind of hard to put my finger on why I’m swimming at this level in-season this year compared to the last few years. It should be indicative of some really good things at Nationals and World Championships.”
Smith on increased confidence going into Nationals next month: “I feel like I have had some trouble getting my hand on the wall first in the past few years. I feel like I have racked up a lot of second, third, and fourth places in meets like this and meets like the World Cup. So, to be in a field of that caliber did a number for my confidence and reinforces the idea that I should be competing to win that race at Nationals and hopefully get back into that World Championships final.”
Competition continues through Saturday at the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center. Prelims begin at 9 a.m. ET, while finals start at 6 p.m. ET. Tomorrow’s action includes the women’s and men’s 200m freestyle, 50m breaststroke, 50m butterfly, 200m backstroke, and 400m individual medley. Meet information and the complete competition schedule can be found here.
Click here to see the full broadcast schedule for TYR Pro Swim Series Fort Lauderdale. Live streams and event replays are available on the USA Swimming Network. Live results will be posted to @USASwimmingNews on X.