U.S. Open Races to Watch (Men’s): Distance Aces, Dressel in the Spotlight
This week, the final major long course competition of 2025 will take place in Austin, Texas, and the men’s racing will see the two best backstrokers in the world squaring off. South Africa’s Pieter Coetze won this year’s world title in the 100 back while taking silver in the 50 and 200, but Hungary’s Hubert Kos edged out Coetze for gold in the 200-meter event before dominating the backstroke events on the World Cup circuit. During that run, Kos blasted short course world records in the 200 back and then the 100 back.
These two international athletes are sure to steal the show in their signature events while rising American backstrokers try to battle for competitive times in their wake. That is largely the story for the U.S. men right now as they are coming off consecutive rough summers of international competition, with just one individual gold at the Paris Olympics and one individual gold at the 2025 World Championships. Many top Americans will be in action at the U.S. Open, and they will try to build momentum entering the middle year of the quadrennium.
Men’s 800 & 1500 Freestyle
Tough competition consistently brings out the best in Bobby Finke. The American distance star is the two-time Olympic champion and world-record holder in the 1500 freestyle, and he has consistently crushed his season-best times on the way to medal-winning performances at major international competition. One reason for those huge drops has been a lack of a true challenger in domestic waters, with Finke unchallenged for U.S. titles in the distance races going back to the 2021 Olympic Trials.
Perhaps in-season meets look different now with the addition of Ahmed Jaouadi to the U.S. racing circuit. Jaouadi, a 20-year-old Tunisian, stormed to world titles in both the 800 and 1500 at this summer’s World Championship while an ill Finke struggled to a fourth-place finish in the 800 before salvaging bronze in the 30-lap event. The two are now training partners, with Jaouadi having moved to Gainesville, Fla., to begin his college career racing for Finke’s alma mater. The two are surely putting on a show in practice, and we’ll see if they have anything special in store for their races at the U.S. Open.
Rex Maurer — Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
Men’s 400 Freestyle
At the conclusion of U.S. Nationals in June, the American men were in better shape in the 400 free than in many years. Rex Maurer had followed up his breakout college season with a national title in 3:43.33, the quickest time by any American since 2008. Teenager Luka Mijatovic had annihilated the 15-16 National Age Group record to finish second, an earlier-than-expected breakthrough onto the senior international scene. Unfortunately for Maurer and Mijatovic, the illness that struck the American team just prior to the World Championships prevented them from getting close to their best times in Singapore, but that did not undo their immense progress in the event.
The latest U.S. check-in will take place in Austin, and the race is expected to feature Maurer, Mijatovic, Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Kieran Smith and Aaron Shackell, an Olympic finalist last year and the second-quickest American in the event in 2025 by virtue of his 3:45.03 at the U.S. Summer Championships in August. Carson Foster has shown promise in the mid-distance races in recent seasons, and he is entered in the race. The international presence includes Ahmed Jaouadi, relatively unproven in a race as short as the 400 free, as well as Leon Marchand. The French star has dabbled in mid-distance freestyle since the Paris Olympics, and he is by far the fastest man ever in the 500-yard free.
Men’s 50 Freestyle
There is understandably hype surrounding Caeleb Dressel competing against the top sprinters in the United States this week in the 50 free. Dressel enters a field that includes the man who has taken his place as the top 50 and 100 freestyler in the country, Jack Alexy. The speedsters in the field also include Santo Condorelli, a one-time teammate of Dressel a decade ago who made an unexpected international debut for the United States this year. Andrej Barna, Jonny Kulow, Hunter Armstrong, Matt King and Chris Guiliano are among the other high seeds, and also watch out for Ilya Kharun, a Canadian butterfly specialist who has fired off some big short course swims in the 50 free.
Caeleb Dressel — Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
Men’s 100 Butterfly
In this event, Caeleb Dressel is at the center of attention again. How does the 29-year-old world-record holder stack up against some of the world’s best 100 butterflyers? He has an entry time here of 52.33, nowhere near the world record of 49.45 he posted back at the Tokyo Olympics, while the field includes four men who had 50-second swims in 2025. Seeded first is Kharun with a best of 50.07, swum on the way to bronze at this summer’s World Championships. Shaine Casas was the top-ranked U.S. swimmer this year at 50.51 while Dare Rose provided the key butterfly leg on the U.S. men’s bronze-medal-winning 400 medley relay at Worlds. Hubert Kos, with a best time of 50.55, will try to assess his skills in the 100 fly against strong competition.
Men’s 100 & 200 Breaststroke
The men’s breaststroke events are in a rebuilding stage in the United States, with new faces including Campbell McKean and AJ Pouch making their debuts on the senior national team in Singapore. The U.S. Open fields includes those two plus Josh Matheny, an Olympian who returned to the Worlds team this summer, and Denis Petrashov, the surprising bronze medalist in the 100-meter race this year. There will be some extra intrigue after the efforts of the University of Texas men at their home invitational two weeks earlier.
In the 100-yard breast, Nate Germonprez became the fourth-fastest man ever at 49.71 while McKean, Will Modglin and Will Scholtz all had 50-second swims. In the 200, Scholtz and Germonprez both went sub-1:50 while Baylor Nelson and McKean moved into the top-six in the national rankings. All except Modglin are expected to compete this week, so we’ll see if long course drops are coming. Speaking of Texas-trained swimmers, Leon Marchand is the Olympic gold medalist in the 200 breast, but the only breaststroke race on his schedule this week is the 100.
