Isabelle Stadden continued her dream swimming season by becoming the second-fastest American in history in the 50m backstroke on Thursday.
Stadden won the national title in 27.09 seconds in Irvine, California, surpassing eight-time Olympic medalist Regan Smith for No. 2 on the U.S. all-time list behind Katharine Berkoff. Berkoff owns the American record of 26.97 in an event that makes its Olympic debut in 2028.
Back in May, Stadden became the second-fastest American in history in the 100m back behind the world record holder Smith and the third-fastest in the 200m back behind Smith and Missy Franklin.
Stadden, 24, lowered her backstroke personal bests in 2026 by 55 hundredths in the 50m (from 2023), 1.44 seconds in the 100m (from 2021) and 2.91 seconds in the 200m (from 2021).
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Stadden, a former Cal standout, took a few months off after last season and contemplated whether to keep swimming, She now trains as a pro at the University of Virginia.
She has yet to make a U.S. team for a major international meet in a 50-meter pool (Olympics, World Championships, Pan Pacific Championships).
The next opportunity comes in 2027 for the World Championships in Budapest. To make that team, she’ll have to take a spot in the 50m or 100m from Berkoff or Smith or in the 200m from Smith or Claire Curzan, a medalist in that distance at the last two worlds.
None of Berkoff, Smith and Curzan are racing at nationals this week. They’re all preparing for Pan Pacs in two weeks, also in Irvine.
The Toyota USA Swimming National Championships continue through Saturday, live on Peacock and NBCSN.
Also Thursday, Ilya Kharun overtook Caeleb Dressel to win the men’s 100m butterfly in 50.05, a personal best by two hundredths and the world’s fastest time of 2026.
Kharun, the Olympic 100m and 200m fly bronze medalist for Canada, was raised in Las Vegas and is in the process of switching his national representation to the U.S. later this year.
Dressel’s runner-up time of 50.45 was his fastest 100m fly since the 2024 Olympic Trials.
Earlier this week, Dressel won the 100m freestyle on Tuesday — his first top-level race victory since the 2024 Olympic Trials and his best time since the 2024 trials. He was second to Kharun in the 50m fly on Wednesday in his best time since the 2022 World Championships.
Olympic silver medalist Katie Grimes took the women’s 400m individual medley in 4:33.26, the fastest time by an American since Grimes swam 4:32.45 in April 2024.
Grimes is expected to face Olympic gold medalist and world record holder Summer McIntosh of Canada at Pan Pacs.
Ryan Erisman, a 19-year-old rising Cal sophomore, chopped 3.09 seconds off his personal best to win the men’s 400m IM in 4:09.57. Erisman is now the fourth-fastest teenager in American history behind Michael Phelps, Chase Kalisz and Carson Foster.
