Fifteen members of the Virginia men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams, along with the pro training group, are competing at the 2026 Speedo Fort Lauderdale Open from April 29 to May 2 at the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center in Florida.
The event is notable for attracting a field that includes Olympic medalists and world champions. It was previously part of USA Swimming’s Pro Swim Series.
Athletes representing Virginia include Jack Aikins, Claire Curzan, Cavan Gormsen, Katie Grimes, Bailey Hartman, Leah Hayes, Tess Howley, Madi Mintenko, Anna Moesch, Sophia Umstead and Emma Weber. The pro training group features Kate Douglass, Isabelle Stadden, Alex Walsh and Gretchen Walsh.
The competition follows a long course meters format with preliminaries and finals for most events. Finals will include an A & B final as well as a C Final for the next-fastest eight qualifiers aged 18-and-under. Wednesday’s program began with timed finals in the 1500m freestyle. From Thursday through Saturday prelims start at 9 a.m., with finals held each evening at 6 p.m.
In Thursday’s results recap: Kate Douglass won both the 100 freestyle (53.01) and the 100 breaststroke (1:06.68), claiming two victories within twelve minutes; Anna Moesch finished second (53.25) and Gretchen Walsh third (53.44) in the same freestyle event; Emma Weber placed fourth in breaststroke; Sophia Umstead reached that final as well; Tess Howley was third in the 200 butterfly; Isabelle Stadden won the 50 backstroke while Gretchen Walsh took third and Claire Curzan fourth; Curzan also won the B Final of the 100 freestyle; Bailey Hartman won her B Final in the butterfly event; Katie Grimes claimed victory in her B Final for distance freestyle; Jack Aikins qualified for an A Final in backstroke.
Upcoming events through Saturday include sprints to distance races across multiple strokes.
