TAC Titans Girls Scare 200 Free Relay NAG On Opening Day of Greensboro Futures

2026 FUTURES CHAMPIONSHIPS – GREENSBORO

• July 29 – August 1, 2026
• Greensboro, North Carolina
• Greensboro Aquatic Center
• LCM (50 meters)
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheet
• Results on Meet Mobile: “2026 USA Swimming Futures — Greensboro”

The TAC Titans took a run at the girls’ 17-18 National Age Group Record in the 200 freestyle relay on the opening day of the 2026 Futures Championships in Greensboro, as the club dominated the female competition with wins in three of five events.

In the 200 free relay, the quartet of Caden Martin (25.81), Sofya Abubakirova (26.24), Sloane Whelehan (25.99) and Nikki Nixon (26.70) combined for a time of 1:44.74, pulling them within four-tenths of the 17-18 NAG record of 1:44.34 set by Elevation Athletics in 2022.

The lead-off swim from Martin marked a new season-best, moving her into a tie for 12th this season in the girls’ 17-18 age group.

Nixon had an individual victory of her own in the women’s 200 fly, clocking 2:13.93 after setting a lifetime best of 2:12.91 last month. The Georgia commit won the race by more than two seconds, with All Star Aquatics’ Lexie Bishop taking 2nd in a new PB of 2:16.26.

The TAC Titans also went 1-2 in the women’s 200 free, as Reina Liu, who recently qualified for the Canadian Pan Pac team, topped the field in a time of 2:01.08, while Whelehan was the runner-up in 2:03.08. Liu set a best time of 2:00.74 in May, while Whelehan undercut her best time of 2:03.40 set in June.

On the men’s side, rising Florida junior Luke Corey produced his fastest swim in the 1500 free in two years, clocking 15:34.57 to win the event by nearly 24 seconds. The 20-year-old owns a best time of 15:31.45, set in 2023, and Wednesday’s swim marked his fastest since going 15:34.18 at the 2024 Olympic Trials.

Karter Wachs, 16, unleashed massive best time, taking 2nd in 15:58.32 to shatter his previous PB of 16:26.12 and move into 14th this season in the boys’ 15-16 age group.

OTHER EVENTS

• Metro Aquatic Club of Miami’s Nicolas Kokidko, an FSU commit, won the men’s 200 free in 1:51.65, narrowly missing his lifetime best of 1:51.53 set in April.
• Virginia commit Sara Czirjak won the women’s 100 breast in 1:10.48, edging out TAC Titans’ Annabelle Martin (1:10.52). Czirjak owns a best time of 1:09.76 from last year’s Greensboro Futures, while Martin, a BYU commit, set a big best time after entering the meet with a PB of 1:12.72.
• Rising FSU junior Lleyton Arnold won the men’s 100 breast in a tight race with TAC Titans’ Henry Lee, with Arnold putting up a time of 1:02.33 compared to Lee’s 1:02.54. Arnold owns a best of 1:02.18 from 2024, while Lee hit a new PB of 1:02.08 earlier this season.
• Team Pittsburgh Elite Aquatics’ Justin Nowicki put up a time of 2:01.01 to win the men’s 200 fly in a close battle with Maxim Skazobtsov (2:01.58) and Kokidko (2:01.61). The swim lowered Nowicki’s two-year-old best time of 2:01.77.
• Nations Capital’s Natalie Garre rolled to a big win in the women’s 800 free in a time of 8:45.67, just over two seconds shy of the 8:43.15 best time she set at this meet last year.
• The TAC Titans won the men’s 200 free relay in 1:33.15, with Rishat Zhumagulov producing the fastest split for the squad at 22.81.