Mijatovic sets American teen record in men's 400m freestyle
Seventeen-year-old Luka Mijatovic won the men's 400m freestyle at the Toyota USA Swimming National Championships in 3 minutes 43.45 seconds, a personal best by 1.75 seconds and the fastest time ever recorded by an American teenager. According to NBC Sports reporting from the finals, the only swimmer younger than 18 to have swum faster was Australia's Ian Thorpe, who posted times in the 3:40 range before the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Mijatovic overtook 19-year-old Ryan Erisman, who touched in 3:44.39 in Irvine, California. Erisman had previously held the U.S. teen record at 3:44.03. The Sports Examiner ranked the swim fifth in the world for 2026 and fifth all-time in the United States. Mijatovic, a rising high school senior from Pleasanton, California, is set to matriculate at the University of Texas under Bob Bowman, the longtime coach of Michael Phelps.
Mintenko drops four seconds to win women's 400m freestyle
Virginia sophomore Madi Mintenko, 18, took the lead by the 150-meter mark and never trailed on her way to a 4:04.54 victory in the women's 400m freestyle, her first career national title. According to Swimming World, Mintenko shaved roughly four seconds from her morning prelims time of 4:08.10 and eclipsed her previous best of 4:08.06 set at the 2023 World Junior Championships. The Sports Examiner placed her 12th in the world for 2026. Tokyo Olympian Bella Sims led at 100 meters before Mintenko moved ahead by 1.53 seconds at 200 meters; 800m free winner Kate Hurst closed to finish second in 4:06.45, with Virginia teammate Cavan Gormsen taking bronze in 4:07.81. The Cavaliers' program tally reached nine national titles and two junior titles through four days of competition.
Stadden completes backstroke sweep with 100m victory
Isabelle Stadden closed the meet with her third backstroke title, winning the women's 100m backstroke in 58.06 seconds after earlier victories in the 50m and 200m. Yahoo Sports reported she was 18 hundredths under Regan Smith's world record pace at the 50-meter mark before tapering off over the back half. Stadden, 24, ranks No. 2 in the world this season in the 100m backstroke, a status she secured with her 57.55 at the Fort Lauderdale Open in May that also made her the No. 3 performer in event history. Her training partner Claire Curzan took second in 58.76. Stadden moved her training to Virginia this year under coach Todd DeSorbo and will not be part of Team USA's Pan Pacific Championships roster.
Siroky upends Douglass in women's 100m breaststroke
McKenzie Siroky out-touched defending champion Kate Douglass by two hundredths of a second to win the women's 100m breaststroke in 1:05.64, with Douglass stopping the clock at 1:05.66. The Sports Examiner noted Siroky took the lead at 50 meters and held off Douglass's late charge. The result placed the pair third and fourth in the world for 2026, according to that report. Douglass, the Olympic 200m breaststroke champion and 2025 World Championships 100m breaststroke runner-up, was making her meet debut while preparing for the Pan Pacific Championships. Siroky had already won the 50m breaststroke earlier in the meet. Virginia alumna Emma Weber collected bronze in 1:06.92.
What to watch next
The Toyota USA Swimming National Championships conclude on Saturday with finals in the 50m freestyle, 200m individual medley, men's 800m freestyle, and women's 1500m freestyle. Prelims are scheduled for 12 p.m. ET, with finals at 9 p.m. ET, streaming live on USA Swimming's YouTube channel with finals also on Peacock. The Pan Pacific Championships begin in a little more than a week, and Team USA's roster is expected to be finalized in the coming days.
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