TYR Pro Swim Series: Gretchen Walsh, Torri Huske Swim World’s Top-Two Times in 100 Freestyle
The field assembled at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Fort Lauderdale is the deepest of any meet on U.S. soil since last year’s Olympic Trials, with numerous Olympic medalists racing as they attempt to build momentum for next month’s U.S. Nationals and, for international swimmers, the summer’s World Championships. Katie Ledecky kicked off the meet in stunning fashion with the second-fastest time ever in the 1500 freestyle, and the speed continued in Thursday’s finals.
The session included 10 finals, beginning with a women’s 100 free that saw Gretchen Walsh holding off Torri Huske as they swam the first two sub-53 performances thus far in 2025. Later on, Ledecky out-dueled Summer McIntosh in an incredible 400 free performance in which she broke the U.S. Open record and swam the second-fastest time of her legendary career. Also on the program were the 100 breaststroke, 50 backstroke and 200 butterfly.
Women’s 100 Freestyle
The last time Gretchen Walsh and Torri Huske raced in the 100 free in any format, Walsh was utterly dominant. At the NCAA Championships in March, Walsh swam the fastest time ever in the short course yards version of the event while Huske finished 1.30 seconds behind. But long course is a different story; Huske won Olympic silver in the format last year, and when the two matched up in the first final Thursday evening in Fort Lauderdale, Huske nearly ran down Walsh in a sizzling finish.
As is her custom, Walsh jumped on the pace early on and flipped in 25.22 at the halfway mark, four tenths ahead of the field, only for Huske to track her down in the middle of the second length. But Walsh would hold on by just five hundredths, 52.90 to 52.95. Those two times were the fastest recorded thus far in 2025, surpassing the 53.01 posted by Italy’s Sara Curtis last month.
A talented final saw four swimmers post 53s, with Kate Douglass taking third in 53.61, just ahead of teenager Rylee Erisman (53.78). The two swimmers who tied for Olympic gold in the event in 2016 came in next, Canada’s Penny Oleksiak (53.89) and American Simone Manuel (53.99). Manuel was previously the top-ranked American in the event this year, having clocked 53.23 in March.
Men’s 100 Freestyle
A pair of Texas-trained swimmers who made their first Olympic teams last year went down to the wire in the 100 free. The versatile Shaine Casas, coming off a six-win performance at the first Pro Series stop in Westmont, Ill., in March, had the lead at the halfway mark, but Chris Guiliano came charging off the wall, an expected move for a swimmer that qualified for the 50, 100 and 200-meter events at the Paris Games.
Guiliano appeared to have taken the lead in the final stretch, but Casas held on to touch two hundredths ahead, 48.47 to 48.49. They were just off the top American time posted in 2025, the 48.30 from Brooks Curry at the Sacramento Pro Series in early April. Ohio State’s Tomas Navikonis took third in 48.65, just off the best time of 48.58 he swam in prelims, while Mikel Schreuders also broke 49, coming in at 48.74.
Women’s 100 Breaststroke
Four of the top breaststrokers in the United States occupied the center lanes, with 100-meter Olympians Lilly King and Emma Weber, 200-meter gold medalist Kate Douglass and Olympic Trials third-place finisher Alex Walsh qualifying with the top-four times. But early on, some of the outside swimmers jumped out front, with Skyler Smith and Shona Branton the early leaders, but the more accomplished swimmers came through down the stretch.
King, who remains the world-record holder in the event, appeared to have the lead in the closing meters of the event, but Weber snuck into the wall four hundredths ahead. The surprise Olympic qualifier touched in 1:06.63, just ahead of King’s 1:06.67. Douglass and Walsh, both training partners of Weber at Virginia, were the next finishers in times of 1:06.76 and 1:07.36, respectively.
Men’s 100 Breaststroke
Denis Petrashov, the Kyrgyzstan-native who swims at the University of Louisville, turned second behind Michael Andrew at the halfway point of the men’s 100 breast final before asserting himself down the stretch. A closing split of 31.38 brought him to the wall in 59.23, good for No. 5 in the world as he surpassed his previous best time of 59.46.
Also breaking 1:00 was Aleksas Savickas, a Lithuanian swimmer who trains at the University of Florida. Savickas clocked 59.72 to finish a half-second behind Petrashov. The third-place finisher and top American was Bend Swim Club’s Campbell McKean. The future University of Texas Longhorn came home in 31.99 to move from sixth to third, clocking 1:00.40. McKean thrashed his previous best time of 1:01.00, positioning himself to contend for a spot on the U.S. World Championships team next month.
Carles Coll Marti (1:00.51) and Evgenii Somov (1:00.78) were also sub-1:00 while Andrew came home in 33.94, more than a second slower than anyone else in the field, as he faded to seventh in 1:01.65.
Women’s 50 Backstroke
Kylie Masse, the 2022 world champion in this event, blasted a mark of 27.13 to break the Canadian record and move to No. 8 all-time, but she could not keep pace with her American rivals in the evening. Instead, Katharine Berkoff and Regan Smith surged through the field, with Berkoff coming through for the win by five hundredths.
Berkoff touched in 27.38, with Smith coming in at 27.43. Smith is the American-record holder in the event, her best time of 27.10 tied for fourth all-time, while Berkoff’s U.S. Open record of 27.12 is just behind in seventh. Masse ended up third at night in 27.53, with Claire Curzan not far off in 27.86.
Men’s 50 Backstroke
Shaine Casas seemingly cannot be beat on this year’s TYR Pro Swim Series. He continued his perfect run Thursday but not by much. After edging training partner Chris Guiliano by two hundredths in the 100 free final, he beat hard-surging Quintin McCarty to the wall by four hundredths in the 50 back.
Casas clocked 24.41, just behind his 24.23 from the Westmont Pro Series that ranks No. 3 globally. McCarty’s mark of 24.45 made him the sixth-fastest performer so far this year while Hubert Kos, another Longhorn, took third at 24.81. Kos has been as quick as 24.62 this season at the Hungarian National Championships, good for No. 11 in the world.
Women’s 200 Butterfly
Regan Smith raced the 200 fly just minutes after a second-place finish in the 50 back, and she had teenage challengers Alex Shackell and Audrey Derivaux challenging her on either side. Smith was ahead at the halfway point in 59.63, but Shackell closed the gap to five hundredths by the 150-meter mark while Derivaux was even better on that lap, turning four hundredths behind Shackell.
A 15-meter kickout off the final wall made the difference for Smith, with Shackell and Derivaux unable to keep pace down the stretch. Smith finished in 2:05.38 to crush her previous best times this year, the 2:06.87 she swam in March and the 2:06.03 she went in prelims. The only swimmer to go quicker is Summer McIntosh, the Olympic champion in the event who clocked 2:04.00 in March.
Meanwhile, Shackell touched in 2:06.13 to finish just three hundredths off her best time and move to No. 3 globally. Derivaux, meanwhile, recorded a mark of 2:06.46 to obliterate her previous best time of 2:07.70 by more than a second. She now ranks fourth globally behind McIntosh and her fellow Americans.
Men’s 200 Butterfly
The versatile Carson Foster looked like he was in position to capture the 200 fly win as he closed the gap early leader Trenton Julian in the middle portion of the race before moving ahead with 25 meters remaining. But Martin Espernberger, the Tennessee-trained Austrian who was fourth in the Olympic final, came back late to steal the win.
Espernberger, in sixth place at the halfway point, split under 30 on the final two lengths while no one else in the field could. He came in at 1:55.71, just ahead of Foster’s 1:55.84. Julian ended up third in 1:56.55, holding off Ryan Branon (1:56.81) and Jack Dahlgren (1:56.95).
Men’s 400 Freestyle
The last A-final of the night saw Kieran Smith assert himself in the race in which he won Olympic bronze in 2021. A disappointing Paris Olympics performance left him 11th, but Smith is on track to make it back to the international level later this year. After trailing Tomas Koski through the early portion of the race, Smith took over the lead at the halfway mark and held a field including four-time Olympic gold medalist Leon Marchand at bay.
Smith built his lead to more than one-and-a-half seconds, but no advantage ever seems safe against the clutch finishing speed of the Frenchman. Still, Smith showed his experience in the eight-lap event as he came in at 3:47.04. He remains the second-fastest American thus far in 2025, behind only Carson Foster (3:46.42).
Ryan Erisman came home in 28.24 to take second in 3:48.57 while Marchand swam a best time by three seconds to finish third in 3:48.97, just ahead of 1500-meter world-record holder Bobby Finke (3:48.97).