Absent American Swimmers Who Could Have Boosted Pan Pacs Medal Haul
As expected, the Pan Pacific Championships featured most of the top times recorded by American swimmers in 2026, but there were numerous exceptions. In some cases, swimmers posted their best times at mid-season competitions while other events were missing the top U.S. competitors after USA Swimming picked its team based on results from 2026.
In the men’s 100 backstroke, for instance, 31-year-old Ryan Murphy clocked 52.80 at the Indianapolis Pro Series in June, and no other American broke 53 all year. Murphy, who did not compete in 2025, swam faster than the time required to win gold at Pan Pacs. Later on at U.S. Nationals, swimmers not part of the Pan Pacs team posted times that would have won medals against international competition two weeks later in the same Irvine pool.
On the women’s side, Anna Moesch and Isabelle Stadden were the two highest-impact swimmers missing from the team. Moesch clocked 51.88 to win the 100 freestyle at Nationals, an American record at the time and much quicker than Meg Harris went to win the event at Pan Pacs (52.60). Moesch’s 200 free winning time of 1:55.05 would have tied Erika Fairweather for bronze in that event, and inserting her on the U.S. women’s 800 free relay could have been the difference in a battle with Australia for gold.
Stadden, in the finest year of her career, won the 200 back at Nationals in 2:04.76, much quicker than Regan Smith swam to win gold at Pan Pacs, although slower than Smith’s meet record from prelims. Her winning times in the 50 (27.09) and 100 back (58.06) were also ahead of Smith’s silver-medal times.
For the men, a new generation of 200 breaststrokers excelled at Nationals, with Josh Bey winning the event in 2:07.58 and Gabe Nunziata coming in just behind at 2:07.62. Even following Pan Pacs and the European Championships, those times rank second and third in the world, respectively, and they were faster than the winning times at Pan Pacs as well as the European meet and the Commonwealth Games.
Ilya Kharun — Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
In the coming months, former Canadian standout Ilya Kharun will becomes eligible to represent the U.S., and his presence will be welcome. Kharun swam times of 22.59 in the 50 butterfly and 50.05 in the 100 fly at Nationals, both much faster than the winning times at Pan Pacs. Kharun should also provide a huge boost to the men’s 400 medley relay team; Luca Urlando supplied a solid 50.51 split in a winning effort Saturday evening, but he lost ground to Matt Temple’s 49.70 split.
And of course, Caeleb Dressel looms. Three of his four times from Nationals would have earned Pan Pacs medals: 22.86 in the 50 fly, 50.45 in the 100 fly and 21.35 in the 50 free, the latter of which would have tied Australia’s Jamie Jack for gold Saturday evening. Dressel also won the 100 free at Nationals in 47.70, making him an obvious candidate to return to the U.S. men’s 400 free relay squad.
Finally, as the American men search for answers in the backstroke events, David King has made himself into a strong option in the 200-meter event. His time of 1:55.01 from Nationals was the best by an American all season and faster than Yumeki Kojima swam to win gold at Pan Pacs.
Other Americans absent from Pan Pacs who could have reached the podium with their Nationals times included:
- Women’s 200 Butterfly: Hannah Bellard (2:06.86) and Bella Sims (2:07.19)
- Men’s 100 Butterfly: Rowan Cox (50.05)
- Men’s 100 Breaststroke: Alexei Avakov (58.87)
- Men’s 100 Backstroke: Owen McDonald (53.43)
- Men’s 200 IM: Maximus Williamson (1:56.40)
Notably, teenage freestyle standout Luka Mijatovic won the 400 free at Nationals in 3:43.45, one hundredth slower than Aaron Shackell’s bronze-medal time at Pan Pacs.
