{"id":643531,"date":"2026-05-20T06:28:05","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T13:28:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=643531"},"modified":"2026-05-20T06:28:05","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T13:28:05","slug":"following-strong-freshman-campaign-kennedi-dobson-preparing-for-senior-team-debut-at-pan-pacs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/following-strong-freshman-campaign-kennedi-dobson-preparing-for-senior-team-debut-at-pan-pacs\/","title":{"rendered":"Following Strong Freshman Campaign, Kennedi Dobson Preparing for Senior Team Debut at Pan Pacs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Following Strong Freshman Campaign, Kennedi Dobson Preparing for Senior Team Debut at Pan Pacs<\/strong><\/p>\n

A bronze-medal-winning performance at the World Junior Championships last August had ramifications that went beyond just the podium finish.\u00a0Kennedi Dobson<\/strong> finished in 4:06.66, behind the Chinese duo of\u00a0Yang Peiqi<\/strong> and\u00a0Yan Tiaoshan<\/strong>, and in the process, she booked her ticket for the 2026 Pan Pacific Championships<\/a>.<\/p>\n

That time was third-best in the United States for 2025, a half-second quicker than the 4:07.11 from Bella Sims<\/strong> at U.S. Nationals, so Dobson would join\u00a0Katie Ledecky<\/strong> and\u00a0Claire Weinstein<\/strong> in the event on the international level. Moreover, Dobson put up incredible personal bests at the meet in Otopeni, dropping three seconds in the 400 free (four seconds from her time from Nationals earlier that summer) and three tenths in the 200-meter race to go 1:57.45 and become the 10th-fastest American this season.<\/p>\n

Immediately after the junior meet, Dobson would head to the University of Georgia to begin her college career, returning to the States after the Bulldogs had already begun classes for the fall semester. Right away, Dobson asserted her status among the country’s top freshmen.<\/p>\n

Typically, the grueling nature of in-season training prevents swimmers from going lifetime bests during the season. Not for Dobson, who achieved her fastest marks ever in the 200, 500 and 1000 free at her first college dual meet against South Carolina and kept going from there. Over the course of the season, the drops included:<\/p>\n

\"stefanie-williams-and-kennedi-dobson-\"

Kennedi Dobson (right) with Georgia women’s coach Stefanie Williams Moreno — Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick<\/p><\/div>\n