On the third night of the 2026 Austin Futures Championships, Katy Aquatics Club swimmer Dhriti Upadhyaya stunned the pool with an electrifying performance in the 50 backstroke, clocking 29.17 to claim the event. This time was nearly a full second faster than her 29.95 from just weeks earlier in June, highlighting her explosive growth in a short span.
The 14-year-old prodigy now holds the top spot in the 13-14 age group rankings for the 50 backstroke this season. Her victory gave her a comfortable lead of nearly four tenths over rising University of Houston junior Alexia Duncan, who recorded a time of 29.57. Upadhyaya's dominance also placed her almost forty hundredths of a second ahead of Santa Clara Swim Club’s Aya Gillis-Pade, who was ranked second in the event prior to this meet.
The meet continued to emphasize youth excellence, with 15-year-old Haylee Pramono making a strong statement in the girls’ 200 breaststroke. Representing Aquazot Swim Club, Pramono finished with a time of 2:32.13, which trimmed nearly three seconds off her previous personal best of 2:35.14. That performance also significantly improved her time from May’s 2:32.87, showing consistent progress.
In the 100 butterfly, Thile posted a time of 1:00.52, a four-tenths improvement over the 1:00.93 she recorded in May. Her consistency and speed across multiple events made her one of the standout performers at the Futures meet.
While younger athletes led the charge in women’s events, the men’s races were carried by current collegiate swimmers. Kiefer Roemer, from Texas Ford Aquatics, showcased his rising potential by winning the 200 breaststroke in 2:16.30, a full second ahead of second-place Louis Joos, who swam 2:17.15. Roemer’s performance marked a massive leap forward, as he improved his time by four seconds from his 2:20.88 from July 2024.
Joos, a future Yale student, also made gains, cutting a full second off his previous best of 2:18.06, which he had set in May. This progression in the men’s 200 breaststroke displayed strong competition and continued improvement from both college-bound athletes.
Additional highlights from the night included BTA swimmer John Simmons, who dominated the 50 backstroke with a 25.88, trimming almost three tenths off his best time from earlier this year. In the 400 freestyle, 18-year-old Avery Dillon dropped four seconds to clock an impressive 4:18.59. On the men’s side, rising Indiana junior Cooper McDonald narrowly edged out Duke’s rising sophomore Charlie Kulp by four tenths to win in 3:58.32.
The night concluded with strong relay performances from Bolles School’s teams. In the girls’ 400 free relay, Bolles School Sharks took first with a time of 3:51.99. Their team of Emmie Lewis (57.84), Maryn McDade (57.53), Sophie Oldham (58.89), and Ella Gotham (57.73) edged out Katy’s squad by two seconds. In the boys’ 400 free relay, the same school’s team of George Dovellos (50.29), Carter Wright (50.46), Jarrid Dame (51.64), and Tommy Lussier (50.79) bested their own 'B' relay team’s time of 3:27.45, finishing with an impressive 3:23.81.