American Women Poised to Topple Australia in 400 Freestyle Relay at Pan Pacs; Aussies Still Tough in 800 Free Relay
One year ago, the American women had positioned themselves as gold-medal favorites in the 400 freestyle relay for the Singapore World Championships. Thanks to the speed of Torri Huske, Gretchen Walsh, Simone Manuel and Kate Douglass, the Australian winning streak that dated back to 2018 was in serious jeopardy. However, gastrointestinal illness rocked the American team, knocking Walsh out of the relay entirely, and the Aussies picked up the gold medal by four tenths.
Perhaps that just delayed the inevitable, though, with a similar-looking American team awaiting Australia at the Pan Pacific Championships in Irvine, Calif., this August. The American team will consist of four women that broke 53 in the flat-start 100 free last year, Huske, Walsh, Manuel and teenager Rylee Erisman as well as Douglass, who took down the short course world record in the 100 free last fall and added a global mark in the 50 free at the Indianapolis Pro Series.
The Australians will counter with a veteran-laden group led by Mollie O’Callaghan, a two-time world champion in the 100 free who clocked 52.33 at Australian Trials earlier this month. Meg Harris, last year’s world champion in the 50 free, clocked 52.63 at the selection meet with Shayna Jack also under 53. The relay could also include Alex Perkins, Olivia Wunsch and/or Milla Jansen. Perkins has recently emerged as Australia’s top 100 butterflyer while Wunsch and Jansen competed on the winning squad last year. Wunsch handled the anchor leg and held on for gold even as Huske made a furious late charge.
Unfortunately for the United States, Anna Moesch will not race at Pan Pacs — Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
Once again, however, the Pan Pacs race will not match up the four best swimmers for the two countries, not with Anna Moesch absent from the American group. Moesch, a prelims relay swimmer in Singapore, has taken enormous steps forward this year. Following a stellar college season, she clocked 51.94 at the AP Race International to take down Manuel’s seven-year-old American record. She followed that up with a U.S. Open record of 52.11 at the Indianapolis meet.
Comparing the composite times for the American and Australian teams presents an odd juxtaposition with Australia already having held its selection meet but no long course focus meet for the pre-selected U.S. roster prior to Pan Pacs. For that reason, we will include composite relays consisting of times recorded in 2025 and 2026. For the 2026-only comparisons, expect to see rankings of slanted toward Australia, with larger drops expected for the American swimmers from their in-season meets come Pan Pacs.
United States (2026 only): Anna Moesch 51.94 + Kate Douglass 53.01 + Torri Huske 53.05 + Rylee Erisman 53.24 = 3:31.24
United States (2025 & 2026): Anna Moesch 51.94 + Torri Huske 52.43 + Gretchen Walsh 52.78 + Rylee Erisman 52.79 = 3:29.94
United States (2025 & 2026, Pan Pacs team only): Torri Huske 52.43 + Gretchen Walsh 52.78 + Rylee Erisman 52.79 + Simone Manuel 52.83 = 3:30.83
Australia (2026 only): Mollie O’Callaghan 52.33 + Meg Harris 52.63 + Shayna Jack 52.96 + Alex Perkins 53.33 = 3:31.25
Australia (2025 & 2026): Mollie O’Callaghan 52.33 + Meg Harris 52.63 + Shayna Jack 52.96 + Alex Perkins 53.33 = 3:31.25
Since last summer, it has been clear that the United States holds depth advantage in the 100 free, and that did not change even with the strong performances out of the Australian qualifying meet. The Aussies might have three swimmers under 53 in the 100 free, but five Americans scheduled to race at Pan Pacs have achieved that distinction. If most of those swimmers simply replicate last year’s form, the U.S. should have an advantage.
All that without their new ace, Moesch. Her 51-second swim last month disrupted the landscape in the 100 free to such an extent that the four-best times by American swimmers this year already surpass the four best Aussie times, albeit by just one hundredth, even with the likes of Huske, Walsh, Erisman, Douglass and Manuel yet to race in a long course taper meet.
If Moesch were racing at Pan Pacs, the United States would be heavily favored for this relay gold. Adding her top time to the three best U.S. marks from last year would already eclipse the American record of 3:30.20. Assuming no major changes to this landscape over the next year, that should be the case entering the 2027 World Championships, with Moesch having a chance before that meet to officially take over as the No. 1 100 freestyler in the country. As for the current U.S. roster bound for Irvine, there should be just enough speed and depth to lean the Americans’ way.
Mollie O’Callaghan remains Australia’s freestyle relay star — Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
However, the status quo is far different in the 800 free relay, even with 200 free world-record holder Ariarne Titmus officially retired from the sport. Australia held off a spirited effort from the Americans to win gold at last year’s World Championships, and Pan Pacs should be similar with O’Callaghan and Lani Pallister as the bookends to the squad. O’Callaghan clocked 1:52.86 earlier this month while Pallister went 1:53.65 to become the fifth-fastest performer in history. That should help Australia overcome a weaker-than-normal middle portion.
For the Americans, 1:55s are aplenty, but Claire Weinstein is the only member of the group that has dipped below that mark since the start of 2025. This relay marks another place where Moesch could help, provided she were on the team. Of course, Katie Ledecky always brings her best form when this relay medal is on the line.
United States (2026 only): Anna Peplowski 1:55.67 + Anna Moesch 1:55.81 + Rylee Erisman 1:56.15 + Erin Gemmell 1:56.38 = 7:44.01
United States (2025 & 2026): Claire Weinstein 1:54.92 + Erin Gemmell 1:55.23 + Katie Ledecky 1:55.26 + Anna Peplowski 1:55.67 = 7:41.08
Australia (2026 only): Mollie O’Callaghan 1:52.86 + Lani Pallister 1:53.65 + Inez Miller 1:56.41 + Hannah Casey 1:56.85 = 7:39.77
Australia (2025 & 2026): Mollie O’Callaghan 1:52.86 + Lani Pallister 1:53.65 + Jamie Perkins 1:55.44 + Meg Harris 1:55.97 = 7:37.92
Australia (2025 & 2026, Pan Pacs team only): Mollie O’Callaghan 1:52.86 + Lani Pallister 1:53.65 + Meg Harris 1:55.97 + Hannah Casey 1:56.09 = 7:38.57
This time, Australia is the country that loses out from swimmers not on this year’s team, with Jamie Perkins not competing this year. Harris, meanwhile, is a wildcard for this relay, having clocked 1:55.97 last December but falling to eighth at Australian Trials with a time almost two seconds slower. Still, Australia looks dynamite here, whoever is competing.
For the U.S., Weinstein and Ledecky should be locks for the relay while Gemmell, Peplowski, Huske, Erisman and Manuel will be options based on how they perform during the opening days of the meet. That group is clearly the second-best in the world but a good distance behind if both teams swim their best.
