{"id":651635,"date":"2026-08-19T07:06:13","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T14:06:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=651635"},"modified":"2026-08-19T07:06:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T14:06:13","slug":"absent-american-swimmers-who-could-have-boosted-pan-pacs-medal-haul","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/absent-american-swimmers-who-could-have-boosted-pan-pacs-medal-haul\/","title":{"rendered":"Absent American Swimmers Who Could Have Boosted Pan Pacs Medal Haul"},"content":{"rendered":"

Absent American Swimmers Who Could Have Boosted Pan Pacs Medal Haul<\/strong><\/p>\n

As expected, the Pan Pacific Championships featured most of the top times recorded by American swimmers in 2026, but there were numerous exceptions. In some cases, swimmers posted their best times at mid-season competitions while other events were missing the top U.S. competitors after USA Swimming picked its team based on results from 2026.<\/p>\n

In the men’s 100 backstroke, for instance, 31-year-old\u00a0Ryan Murphy<\/strong> clocked 52.80 at the Indianapolis Pro Series in June, and no other American broke 53 all year. Murphy, who did not compete in 2025, swam faster than the time required to win gold at Pan Pacs. Later on at U.S. Nationals, swimmers not part of the Pan Pacs team posted times that would have won medals against international competition two weeks later in the same Irvine pool.<\/p>\n

On the women’s side, Anna Moesch<\/strong> and\u00a0Isabelle Stadden<\/strong> were the two highest-impact swimmers missing from the team. Moesch clocked 51.88 to win the 100 freestyle at Nationals<\/a>, an American record at the time and much quicker than\u00a0Meg Harris<\/strong> went to win the event at Pan Pacs (52.60). Moesch’s 200 free winning time of 1:55.05 would have tied\u00a0Erika Fairweather<\/strong> for bronze in that event, and inserting her on the U.S. women’s 800 free relay could have been the difference in a battle with Australia for gold.<\/p>\n

Stadden, in the finest year of her career, won the 200 back at Nationals in 2:04.76<\/a>, much quicker than\u00a0Regan Smith<\/strong> swam to win gold at Pan Pacs, although slower than Smith’s meet record from prelims. Her winning times in the 50 (27.09) and 100 back (58.06) were also ahead of Smith’s silver-medal times.<\/p>\n

For the men, a new generation of 200 breaststrokers excelled at Nationals<\/a>, with\u00a0Josh Bey<\/strong> winning the event in 2:07.58 and\u00a0Gabe Nunziata<\/strong> coming in just behind at 2:07.62. Even following Pan Pacs and the European Championships, those times rank second and third in the world, respectively, and they were faster than the winning times at Pan Pacs as well as the European meet and the Commonwealth Games.<\/p>\n

\"ilya-kharun-\"

Ilya Kharun — Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick<\/p><\/div>\n