Erika Pelaez Using U.S Nationals High-Point Performance as ‘Great Step in the Right Direction’
Erika Pelaez didn’t even know she was in the points lead at Nationals until the final day. Once she did, the North Carolina State star had a goal.
Pelaez did what needed to be done in her final event and was the high-point scorer at the 2026 U.S. National Championships in Irvine, California, last week.
“Winning the high point was the cherry on top. I was not expecting that. I didn’t even know they did high point until the last day of the meet. I feel like I have always been someone who swims a lot of events. I never really specialized, even now in college I do whatever my team needs,” Pelaez told Swimming World. “I like to enter everything and then see how things go. Winning high point was very reassuring. This is a great step in the right direction, knowing my training is working well.”
Pelaez made five A finals and one B final in a stellar performance of versatility and speed.
“I kind of realized as the meet was going on (that I was having a good meet). I was really happy with my times. It was a long time coming with the work I have put in and I had really struggled with seeing that reflect across my results,” Pelaez said.
The Miami native started the meet with a seventh-place finish in the 100 freestyle (54.33) on July 28.
“I have struggled a lot in the 100 free,” she said. “That was a big breaking moment for me this year. I carried that confidence to my next event, which was the 200 free.”
On Day Two, she took seventh in the 200 freestyle (1:58.05), a huge drop considering she had only broken two minutes earlier this season.
“It was so long overdue. I didn’t break two minutes until last month, so the fact that I could get 1:58, I was beyond excited. That kind of took the pressure off and I ran with that,” Pelaez said.
Day Three was even better as Pelaez tied for third in the 100 butterfly in 58.43, then later took fourth in the 50 backstroke (28.06).
“My butterfly has not been looking great since I graduated high school and Braden (Holloway) and I have been working on it, long-course specifically, and I knew I had a lot of potential. It was my highest finish, which is funny because I didn’t think Braden even put me in the event. I back-halved it big time.”
Pelaez said that the butterfly can be a tough race mentally for her, but something happened that changed all of that at Nationals.
“I ripped my entire tech suit right before the 100 fly because I couldn’t pull it up,” she said. “That was the race I got third in. I think it just took so much pressure off my race and it was a season best by a full second with a ripped suit.
“I had been in there a half hour at that point. I couldn’t take it off and put another one on. I just kept pulling it up. I had a rip on my ribs. It was fine in the fly, but I could feel it in the backstroke. I was so nervous it would rip in the middle of the race. That got my mind off the double.”
Day Four was back to the finals as she took eighth in the 100 back (59.97), a race that she trains for with pros like Katharine Berkoff and Rhyan White.
“I was really happy with my backstroke races because they haven’t been feeling the best,” Pelaez said. “It has such a value to have their insight as pros. Their experience and wisdom is such a big deal. Watching Olympic medalists do the same is motivating.”
The final day saw her finish the meet with a 12th-place finish in the 50 free (25.13).
“I wasn’t really planning on swimming that in finals, but I dropped in prelims and then again in finals,” she said. “I was motivated to be top scorer at that point.”
It has her motivated for a big junior season at N.C. State.
“I am really excited to see how this week is going to translate into short-course season,” Pelaez said. “I think I am a lot better at short course. I want to get close to our school records in the backstroke events, which is going to be really hard because they are Katharine’s records. I know I have that potential. I want to keep building to the (Olympic) Trials and see what I can do.”
