2026 Mel Zajac Jr. Worldwide Swim Meet
The 2026 Mel Zajac Jr meet wrapped up yesterday, with but extra greatest instances for some top-rated U.S. junior athletes and a powerful lengthy course season opener from multi-Olympic medalist Kylie Masse.
Girls’s Recap
Brinkleigh Hansen received her third particular person occasion of the meet on the ultimate night time, decreasing her lifetime greatest within the 800 free to finish a distance free sweep. She sliced simply over a second from her earlier better of 8:35.78 which she set on the Professional Swim Sequence in January, clocking 8:34.75 to win the occasion by greater than 4 seconds over fellow U.S. junior swimmer Sydney Schoeck.
Hansen unfavorable cut up her race, going out in 4:18.08 and shutting in 4:16.67, pulling away from Schoeck on the second half of the race. She cut up 4:18.76/4:20.03, hacking three seconds off her better of 8:41.91 from final summer time.
Kylie Masse defended her prime seed within the 100 again as the one swimmer to interrupt 1:00, successful by just below a second in 59.50. That marks a brand new season-best for the 2016 Olympic champion, and strikes her as much as eleventh on the earth this season. She is the third-fastest Canadian thus far, behind Taylor Ruck (58.71) and Ingrid Wilm (59.22), however owns the Canadian file at 57.70.
Masse blasted out to twenty-eight.46 on the opening 50 earlier than coming residence in 31.04, with Alyssa Sagle taking silver for the third backstroke occasion in 1:00.48. That may be a new lifetime greatest for the Virginia commit, shaving 0.16 seconds from the 1:00.64 she clocked final July.
Thea Bike, who swims for Saint Charles in Illinois, lowered her greatest by 0.06 seconds to take bronze in 1:01.73, transferring up from sixth within the heats this morning.
Isabelle Angheloni received a detailed 50 breast in 32.01, simply forward of Maelle Sanborn (32.29) and top-seeded Eloise Allen (32.30). Canadian junior Juliet Nicholsen received the 200 fly in 2:15.83, the one swimmer underneath 2:17, as she defended her prime seed from the heats. Brinkleigh Hansen, who swam a troublesome 800 free/200 fly double, took third in 2:17.57 , 1.47 seconds slower than her 2024 greatest.
Liberty Clark set one other greatest time as she received the 100 free in 53.66. That shaved 0.04 seconds from her morning swim, which in flip had been 0.02 seconds sooner than she was on the U.S. Open in December. She was out in a powerful 25.92, however actually confirmed out on the second 50 as she closed in 27.74.
She stays at 14th on the earth this season, however now sits simply 0.01 seconds behind Chen Yujie‘s 53.65.
Aria Grossenbach from Illinois lowered her 2024 greatest by 0.13 seconds for silver, clocking 55.64. She simply edged out NC State’s Lily King, who was a few second and a half off her PB of 54.19 in a time of 55.83.
The U.S. Junior workforce of Alyssa Sagle (1:00.46), Molly Sweeney (1:12.21), Liberty Clark (59.25), and Lily King (55.52) took the win within the ladies’s 400 medley relay, touching in 4:07.44. Sagle lowered her newly-minted PB within the 100 again by 0.02 seconds, going out in a a lot sooner 28.69 in comparison with the 29.22 she opened her particular person swim with.
UBC Thunderbirds took silver in 4:10.87, getting a fast 53.29 anchor leg from Philippine nationwide record-holder Kayla Sanchez.
Males’s Recap
Collin Holgerson, one of many prime commits within the class of 2027, took the win within the 100 again to kick issues off within the males’s occasions. He neared his 55.19 PB with a time of 55.30 to decrease his season greatest by practically three seconds. He turned the quickest 17-year-old in historical past on this occasion in yards courtesy of the 44.49 he clocked at Winter Juniors East in December, and is ready to remain in-state as a Tennessee commit for the autumn of 2027.
Indiana Junior David Kovacs took 2nd in 55.81, simply off his better of 55.53 from final July. He took the win within the 200 again on the primary day of the meet earlier than inserting fifth within the 50 again final night time, which was received by Holgerson. Thomas McMillan, who like Holgerson is very ranked within the class of 2027, was third in 56.07, simply 0.08 seconds off his PB.
Baylor Stanton (56.61) and Luke Vatev (56.80) had been 4th and sixth respectively, cut up by Canadian Kai Lilienthal (56.72). Cal commit Stanton was half a second off his better of 56.13, whereas Vatev was seven tenths of a second away from his 56.10 PB.
Kevin Houseman, who swam at Northwestern and Tennessee within the NCAA earlier than graduating in the summertime of 2025, edged out 100 breast champ Apollo Hess within the 50 breast, 28.46 to twenty-eight.60. This was simply Houseman’s second LCM meet since leaving Tennessee, and was considerably sooner than the 30.06 he swam on the Sockeye Springtime Insanity meet in Could. He owns a better of 27.22 from 2022 U.S. trials. Hess, who was denied a breaststroke sweep, was practically a second off his better of 27.76.
Charlie Cancelmo was the one swimmer to interrupt 2:00 within the 200 fly, dropping the hammer on the third 50 with a 30.21 cut up to interrupt away from the sector. He touched in 1:58.90, decreasing his season better of 1:59.53 from the Sacramento cease of the Professional Swim Sequence, and was simply over half a second off his PB of 1:58.23. Cancelmo is the fourth-fastest 15-16 swimmer on this occasion in yards, one spot forward of Michael Phelps.
Danny Park was out with Cancelmo at midway, however fell again to the touch in 2:00.98, simply 0.06 seconds forward of David Kovacs, who made his second podium of the night after inserting 2nd within the 100 again.
Yuri Kisil moved up one spot from the 50 free final night time as he received the 100 free in 50.14. He was two seconds off his PB of 48.15 from the Tokyo Olympic Video games, however this was his third consecutive 50.1 swim this season having clocked 50.15 on the Canadian Open and 50.11 on the Professional Swim Sequence in Sacramento final month.
Luke Stewart-Beinder bought the higher of Jake Gaunt for silver, 50.52 to 50.69, courtesy of a 26.26 closing 50 in comparison with Gaunt’s 26.53. Kenneth Barnicle, who has simply completed up his freshman season at Cal, was additionally underneath 51 seconds in 50.93, 0.01 forward of UBC Thunderbirds Kai Lilienthal.
The ultimate occasion went to the U.S., with the junior workforce of Holgerson (55.59), Wilson York (1:01.36), Kovacs (53.95) and Barnicle (50.08) successful the 400 medley relay by practically three seconds in 3:40.98. UBC Thunderbirds took silver in 3:43.95, getting a 53.72 fly cut up from Wells Ginzer.
