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2026 Pro Swim Series — Austin: Day 2 Finals Live Recap

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2 months ago

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2026 Pro Swim Series — Austin: Day 2 Finals Live Recap


2026 PRO SWIM SERIES – AUSTIN

Thursday Finals Heat Sheet

Welcome to the 2nd finals session of the 2026 Pro Swim Series in Austin, and we are in for an exciting one tonight.

We will start the session with the event finals for the 200 IM and 50 freestyle, which swam their semifinals yesterday. World Record holders Summer McIntosh and Leon Marchand hold the top times in both 200 IM events, which will be the first two events of the meet.

Simone Manuel and Maxime Grousset had the fastest semifinal times in the 50 freestyle and will each lead tonight’s event finals.

We will then move into the semifinals of the men’s and women’s 50 breaststroke where Skyler Smith and Van Mathias are the top seeds. Mathias is fresh off a Pro Swim Series record in the event, swimming 26.57 in prelims.

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Charlotte Crush and Kieran Smith are the top seeds in the first typical event finals of the evening, though they aren’t far ahead of their competition with Teagan O’Dell coming in behind Crush and Marchand and Yohann Ndoye-Brouard sitting less than a second behind Smith.

The women’s 100 fly could be one of the most exciting events of the session with Regan Smith coming in as the top seed ahead of Summer McIntosh. On the men’s side, Caeleb Dressel earned the top time, about half-a-second ahead of Grousset.

The session will wrap up with the 400 freestyle finals where last night’s 1500 champion Katie Ledecky is the top women’s seed, 11 seconds ahead of Rylee Erisman, who is looking for a strong swim to match her electric 500 from Winter Juniors.

The men’s 400 free could be a close race with Daniel Wiffen leading Ilia Sibirtsev and Bobby Finke by just over a second. Ryan Erisman is also in the mix there, and is coming off a massive best time in last night’s 1500 freestyle.

WOMEN’S 200 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY – Final

  • World Record: 2:05.70 – Summer McIntosh, CAN (2025)
  • American Record: 2:06.15 – Ariana Kukors (2009)
  • US Open Record: 2:06.79 – Kate Douglass, USA (2024)
  • PSS Record: 2:06.82 – Summer McIntosh, CAN (2025)
  • World Jr Record: 2:06.56 – Summer McIntosh, CAN (2024)
  • Pool Record: 2:08.51 – Madisyn Cox

Top 8 Finishers

  1. Summer McIntosh (TXLA) — 2:08.48
  2. Cyrielle Duhamel (FRA) — 2:13.73
  3. Teagan O’Dell (CAL) — 2:14.06
  4. Emma Weyant (GSC) — 2:14.23
  5. Lindsay Looney (TXLA) — 2:17.86
  6. Ava Chavez (CAL) — 2:18.86
  7. Rowyn Wilber (CLOV) — 2:18.92
  8. Maren Byrne (ALTO) — 2:19.05

Summer McIntosh swam to an easy victory in the women’s 200 IM, stopping the clock in 2:08.48 to come in more than five seconds ahead of the rest of the field and break Madisyn Cox’s pool record in the process.

McIntosh was out in 27.44, claiming the lead at the very start as the only swimmer under 28 seconds on the opening 50. She split 31.82 on the backstroke, the fastest in the field by more than two seconds. Nobody else was even under 34 seconds.

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The breaststroke leg saw McIntosh touch in 38.65 before she came home in 30.57 on the freestyle, locking up the top spot and the fastest split on all four 50s.

France’s Cyrielle Duhamel finished 2nd after sitting in 3rd for most of the race. She was out behind Teagan O’Dell, splitting 28.52/34.27/39.47 on the first 3 50s, but her final 50 of 31.47 was more than a second faster than O’Dell and moved her into the silver medal position.

O’Dell was 28.42/34.17/38.97/32.50 to finish 3rd in 2:14.06, three seconds off her lifetime best 2:11.24 from July.

Emma Weyant finished 4th in 2:14.23, another new personal best, dropping from the 2:14.74 she swam in the semifinal

MEN’S 200 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY – Final

  • World Record: 1:52.69 – Leon Marchand, FRA (2025)
  • American Record: 1:54.00 – Ryan Lochte (2011)
  • US Open Record: 1:54.43 – Ryan Lochte, USA (2010)
  • PSS Record: 1:55.68 – Leon Marchand, FRA (2023)
  • World Jr Record: 1:56.99 – Hubert Kos, HUN (2021)
  • Pool Record: 1:55.50 — Hubert Kos

Top 8 Finishers

  1. Leon Marchand (TXLA) — 1:57.65
  2. Carson Foster (NYAC) — 1:58.96
  3. Kieran Smith (RAC) — 1:59.86
  4. Grant Sanders (UN-FL) — 2:01.93
  5. Gerhardt Hoover (CS) — 2:05.80
  6. Cullen Kahl (MAC) — 2:06.18
  7. Ethan Heasley (HEAT) — 2:07.57
  8. Rafael Arizpe Arriaga (IM) — 2:07.69

Leon Marchand picked up the win in the men’s 200 IM final, touching in 1:57.65 to earn the top time by more than a second.

Marchand was the fastest on the first three 50s, splitting 24.97/29.79 and 33.57 on the fly/back and breaststroke splits, and his freestyle leg of 29.32 was 3rd behind Carson Foster and Kieran Smith.

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Texas teammate Carson Foster finished 2nd in 1:58.96, a little more than three seconds off his lifetime best 1:55.65 from the 2024 Olympic Trials. Foster was 2nd through the entire race, splitting 25.48 on the opening 50 to get out just ahead of Kieran Smith. He was 30.03 on the backstroke and 34.50 on the breaststroke to put himself comfortably in the 2nd place position. He brought the race home in 28.95, the fastest freestyle leg in the field for the silver medal.

Kieran Smith was 3rd in 1:59.86 after splitting 25.60/30.01/35.16/29.09 to also come home faster than Marchand on the final 50. His final time was about three seconds off his best 1:56.97, also from the 2024 Olympic Trials.

WOMEN’S 50 FREESTYLE – Final

  • World Record: 23.61 – Sarah Sjostrom, SWE (2023)
  • American Record: 23.91 – Kate Douglass/Gretchen Walsh, USA (2024)
  • US Open Record: 23.91 – Gretchen Walsh, USA (2024)
  • PSS Record: 24.17 – Sarah Sjostrom, SWE (2016)
  • World Jr Record: 24.17 – Claire Curzan, USA (2021)
  • Pool Record: 24.17 – Sarah Sjostrom

Top 8 Finishers

  1. Simone Manuel (TXLA) — 24.79
  2. Beryl Gastaldello (FRA) — 24.85
  3. Marie Wattel (FRA) — 24.97
  4. Anna Peplowski (ISC) — 25.14
  5. Analia Pigree (FRA) — 25.23
  6. Claire Weinstein (UN) — 25.53
  7. Chloe Stepanek (LIAC) — 25.84
  8. Emma Harvey (BER) — 26.85

The women’s 50 free was tight with the top two swimmers touching just six hundredths apart. Simone Manuel came out on top, touching in 24.79 to just beat France’s Beryl Gastaldello, who swam 24.85 for 2nd.

Manuel was just off the 24.77 she swam in the semifinals while Gastaldello dropped on hundredth from her semifinals swim of 24.86.

Marie Wattel finished 3rd in 24.97 to wrap up the sub-25 swimmers in the event.

Anna Peplowski was 5th in 25.14, setting a new lifetime best, dropping from her 25.29 from June of this year.

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MEN’S 50 FREESTYLE – Final

  • World Record: 20.91 – Cesar Cielo, BRA (2009)
  • American Record: 21.04 – Caeleb Dressel, USA (2019)
  • US Open Record: 21.04 – Caeleb Dressel, USA (2019)
  • PSS Record: 21.51 – Caeleb Dressel, USA (2020)
  • World Jr Record: 21.75 – Michael Andrew, USA (2017)
  • Pool Record: 21.44 – Fred Bousquet

Top 8 Finishers

  1. Andrej Barna (SRB) — 21.77
  2. Maxime Grousset (FRA) — 21.82
  3. Jack Alexy (CAL) — 21.92
  4. Brooks Curry (CAL) — 22.00
  5. Matt King (ISC) — 22.13
  6. Nikita Baez (FRA) — 22.25
  7. Chris Guiliano (TXLA) — 22.31
  8. Masahiro Kawane (MEI) — 22.45

The men’s 50 freestyle was even closer than the women’s with the top three swimmers touching just 0.15 seconds apart. Andrej Barna was able to hold off a late surge from Maxime Grousset to touch in 21.77, winning by just five hundredths.

Grousset finished 2nd in 21.82, about two tenths off the 21.62 he swam in the semifinal.

Jack Alexy was a tenth back of Grousset in 21.92, his fastest swim of the three sessions, and he came in just ahead of teammate Brooks Curry’s 22.00.

WOMEN’S 50 BREASTSTROKE – Semifinal

  • World Record: 29.16 Rute Meilutyte, LTU (2023)
  • American Record: 29.40 – Lilly King (2017)
  • US Open Record: 29.62 – Lilly King, USA (2018)
  • PSS Record: 29.62 – Lilly King, USA (2018)
  • World Jr Record: 29.30 – Benedetta Pilato, ITA (2018)

Top 8 Qualifiers

  1. Anna Elendt (TXLA) — 30.85
  2. Skyler Smith (NCAC) — 30.86
  3. Kate Canales (AAAA) — 31.96
  4. Ella Peterson (DADS) — 33.10
  5. Maya McCarney (NCAP) — 33.38
  6. Caprie Moreno (TIDE) — 33.59
  7. Grace Hunt (YSSC) — 33.83
  8. Kia Alert (CW) — 33.86

The 1st semifinal went to Texas swimmer Anna Elendt in 30.85, touching more than two seconds ahead of Ella Peterson, who finished 2nd in the 1st semifinal with her 33.10 to qualify 4th overall.

Skyler Smith won the 2nd semifinal, just a hundredth slower than Elendt, touching in 30.86 to win her heat by more than a second. Kate Canales finished 2nd in 31.96, qualifying 3rd.

Maya McCarney was 33.88 for 5th from heat two, and the rest of the final will be made up of swimmers from the 1st semifinal.

Caprie Moreno (33.59), Grace Hunt (33.83), and Kia Alert (33.86) round out tomorrow’s event final.

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MEN’S 50 BREASTSTROKE – Semifinal

  • World Record: 25.95 – Adam Peaty, GBR (2017)
  • American Record: 26.45 – Nic Fink (2022)
  • US Open Record: 26.52 – Michael Andrew, USA (2022)
  • PSS Record: 26.57 — Van Mathias, USA (2025)
  • World Jr Record: 26.97 – Nicolo Martinenghi, ITA (2017)

Top 8 Qualifiers

  1. Van Mathias (ISC) — 26.62
  2. Mitch Mason (TFA) — 27.34
  3. Denis Petrashov (CARD) — 27.37
  4. Finn Brooks (ISC) — 27.52
  5. Jack Kelly (NYAC) — 27.55
  6. Brian Benzing (ISC) — 27.58
  7. Andres Puente Bustamante (TFA) — 27.63
  8. Jeremie Delbois (FRA) — 27.67

Van Mathias did not rebreak his PSS record from the prelims, but he earned a dominant victory in the men’s 50 breaststroke, touching in 26.62 to come in seven tenths ahead of 2nd place finisher Mitch Mason from his same semifinal.

Denis Petrashov was also in the 2nd semifinal, and he qualified 3rd overall in 27.37, just three hundredths back of Mason.

Indiana’s Finn Brooks was 4th after winning the first semifinal in 27.52, just three hundredths ahead of Jack Kelly’s 27.55.

WOMEN’S 200 BACKSTROKE – Final

  • World Record: 2:03.14 – Kaylee McKeown, AUS (2023)
  • American Record: 2:03.35 – Regan Smith (2019)
  • US Open Record: 2:03.80 – Regan Smith, USA (2023)
  • PSS Record: 2:03.99 – Regan Smith, USA (2024)
  • World Jr Record: 2:03.35 – Regan Smith, USA (2019)
  • Pool Record: 2:05.52 – Regan Smith, USA (2025)

Top 8 Finishers

  1. Charlotte Crush (LAK) — 2:09.79
  2. Teagan O’Dell (CAL) — 2:11.13
  3. Rowyn Wilber (CLOV) — 2:14.38
  4. Tessa Christiansen (AAAA) — 2:16.17
  5. Georgia Wimberly (LAC) — 2:16.69
  6. Sydney Wasylenky (TOPS) — 2:16.77
  7. Lucy Gilbreath (HCA) — 2:17.81
  8. Haddie Vohs (FASTIN) — 2:21.99

The women’s 200 backstroke was missing American Record holder Regan Smith, and Charlotte Crush stepped up to the plate, swimming 2:09.79 to lock up the win by more than a second over Cal freshman Teagan O’Dell.

Crush’s swim was nearly three seconds off her lifetime best 2:07.05 from the USA Swimming Nationals in June. She grabbed the lead at the start, splitting 30.17/33.17 on the opening 100 to turn in 1:03.34, eight tenths ahead of O’Dell. She came home in 33.22/33.23 to split 1:06.45.

O’Dell was out in 1:04.14 after splitting 31.02/33.12 on her opening two 50s. She came home in 33.59/33.40, touching in 2:11.13 with her final 100 of 1:06.99. O’Dell’s lifetime best is 2:07.97 from the 2024 Olympic Trials.

Rowyn Wilber rounded out the podium in 2:14.38, just off her lifetime best of 2:14.07.

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MEN’S 200 BACKSTROKE – Final

  • World Record: 1:51.92 – Aaron Peirsol, USA (2009)
  • American Record: 1:51.92 – Aaron Peirsol, USA (2009)
  • US Open Record: 1:53.08 – Aaron Peirsol, USA (2009)
  • PSS Record: 1:55.04 – Jiayu Xu, CHN (2017)
  • World Jr Record: 1:55.14 – Kliment Kolesnikov, RUS (2017)
  • Pool Record: 1:54.21 – Hubert Kos, HUN (2025)

Top 8 Finishers

  1. Yohann Ndoye-Brouard (FRA) — 1:56.68
  2. Leon Marchand (TXLA) — 1:57.90
  3. Humberto Najera (CAL) — 1:58.87
  4. Mewen Tomac (FRA) — 1:59.58
  5. Kieran Smith (RAC) — 1:59.64
  6. Carson Foster (NYAC) — 2:01.66
  7. Mathys Chouchaoui (FRA) — 2:01.68
  8. Derek Hernandez-Ojeda (NTRO) — 2:03.64

France’s Yohann Ndoye-Brouard got out fast in the men’s 200 backstroke, taking a commanding lead in the first 100 and holding onto it through the remainder of the race, touching in 1:56.68 for the top time by more than a second.

He turned in 56.74 at the 100 mark after splitting 26.92/29.82, sitting more than a second ahead of Humberto Najera’s 57.77 in 2nd. He came home in 59.94 with final 50s of 30.25/29.69 to earn the win.

Leon Marchand finished 2nd overall, touching in 1:57.90 after turning in 3rd at the 100. He was out in 58.13 after splitting 28.01/30.12 to sit four tenths behind Najera and just a tenth ahead of Mewen Tomac’s 58.27. Marchand came home strong though, splitting 30.00/29.77 to touch in 59.77, passing Najera. Marchand’s lifetime best sits at 1:57.14 from June of 2025

Najera was 1:48.87 in 3rd overall, and Tomac finished 4th in 1:59.58.

WOMEN’S 100 BUTTERFLY – Final

  • World Record: 54.60 – Gretchen Walsh, USA (2025)
  • American Record: 54.60 – Gretchen Walsh (2025)
  • US Open Record: 54.60 – Gretchen Walsh, USA (2025)
  • PSS Record: 54.60 – Gretchen Walsh, USA (2025)
  • World Jr Record: 56.33 – Mizuki Hirai, JPN (2024)
  • Pool Record: 55.60 — Gretchen Walsh

Top 8 Finishers

  1. Regan Smith (TXLA) — 56.18
  2. Summer McIntosh (TXLA) — 58.56
  3. Marie Wattel (FRA) — 59.58
  4. Ava Chavez (CAL) — 1:00.33
  5. Simone Manuel (TXLA) — 1:00.46
  6. Mena Boardman (CS) — 1:00.79
  7. Emily Wolf (FASTIN) — 1:01.16
  8. Emma Harvey (BER) — 1:01.23

The women’s 100 fly was not as close as most people were anticipating. Regan Smith dominated the event from the start, and won by more than two seconds over Summer McIntosh.

Smith was out in 26.59, nearly a second ahead of McIntosh’s 27.52. She also had the fastest closing 50 in the field, splitting 29.59 to be the only swimmer under 30 seconds and the only swimmer under 31 seconds. McIntosh had the 2nd fastest final 50 of 31.04.

McIntosh touched in 58.56 for 2nd overall, about a second-and-a-half off her lifetime best 57.01 from last month’s U.S. Open Championships.

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Marie Wattel finished 3rd in 59.58, rounding out the podium and the sub-minute swimmers. She was in 7th at the 50 mark, splitting 28.33, but she came home very strong, touching in 31.25 to pass four swimmers.

MEN’S 100 BUTTERFLY – Final

  • World Record: 49.45 – Caeleb Dressel, USA (2021)
  • American Record: 49.45 – Caeleb Dressel (2021)
  • US Open Record: 49.76 – Caeleb Dressel, USA (2021)
  • PSS Record: 50.42 – Ilya Kharun, CAN (2025)
  • World Jr Record: 50.62 – Kristof Milak, HUN (2017)
  • Pool Record: 50.24 – Shaine Casas, USA (2025)

Top 8 Finishers

  1. Maxime Grousset (FRA) — 50.95
  2. Caeleb Dressel (SJAC) — 51.62
  3. Clement Secchi (FRA) — 52.45
  4. Jack Dahlgren (AQJT) — 52.73
  5. Luke Barr (TFA) — 52.91
  6. Patrick Sammon (NYAC) — 53.54
  7. Ethan Heasley (HEAT) — 54.80
  8. Jimmy Beeson (YSSC) — 55.25

Reigning World Champion Maxime Grousset took the top time in the men’s 100 fly, picking up his 1st win of the session after he was just out touched in the men’s 50 freestyle.

Just like in the women’s event, Grousset got out to a quick lead, splitting 23.45 at the 50 mark to turn almost seven tenths ahead of Caeleb Dressel‘s 24.14 in 2nd. He came home in 27.50, the 2nd fastest closing 50 in the heat to win the event by nearly a second.

Dressel finished 2nd overall in 51.62, his fastest time in the event since the Paris Olympics. Dresel had the fastest closing split in the field of 27.48.

Clement Secchi from France finished 3rd in 52.45, a position he held throughout the race after splitting 24.20/28.25.

WOMEN’S 400 FREESTYLE – Final

Top 8 Finishers

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  1. Katie Ledecky (GSC-FL) — 4:00.54
  2. Claire Weinstein (UN-CA) — 4:07.37
  3. Rylee Erisman (LAKR) — 4:11.02
  4. Emma Weyant (GSC-FL) — 4:11.48
  5. Brinkleigh Hansen (SPA-FL) — 4:11.78
  6. Anna Peplowski (ISC) — 4:14.47
  7. Emily Wolf (FASTIN) — 4:17.06
  8. Becca Mann (TAC-NC) — 4:20.10

Katie Ledecky crushed the women’s 400 freestyle, swimming 4:00.54 to earn the top time by almost seven seconds over Cal’s Claire Weinstein.

She was out in 57.58, already taking a commanding lead. Fro there, she split 1:00.57/1:01.19/1:01.20 to touch in 1st by a large margin. Ledecky was coming off the 2nd fastest time in history in the 1500, and mentioned in her post race interview that her 400 ‘hurt’ likely as a result of that swim yesterday.

Claire Weinstein was 2nd in 4:07.37, splitting 59.39/1:02.91/1:02.78/1:02.29 to lock up 2nd place in the event.

The bronze medal went to Rylee Erisman in 4:11.02, a massive best time. She takes more than 3 seconds off her pre-meet best of 4:14.74 from March of 2024 and two seconds off her prelims time of 4:13.25. She split 1:00.26/1:03.54/1:03.70/1:03.52 to hold off Emma Weyant’s 4:11.48 for 4th.

MEN’S 400 FREESTYLE – Final

  • World Record: 3:39.46 – Lucas Martens, GER (2025)
  • American Record: 3:42.78 – Larsen Jensen (2008)
  • US Open Record: 3:43.33 – Rex Maurer, USA (2025)
  • PSS Record: 3:43.55 – Yang Sun, CHN (2016)
  • World Jr Record: 3:44.31 – Petar Mitsin (2023)
  • Pool Record: 3:44.70 – Leon Marchand, FRA (2025)

Top 8 Finishers

  1. Ryan Erisman (CAL) — 3:46.75
  2. Ilia Sibirtsev (UZB) — 3:49.03
  3. Lucas Henveaux (CAL) — 3:51.17
  4. Bobby Finke (SPA-FL) — 3:51.41
  5. Denis Loktev (ISR) — 3:52.96
  6. Luke Hobson (NYAC) — 3:54.03
  7. Gabriel Jett (CAL) — 3:54.89
  8. Daniel Wiffen (CAL) — 3:56.15





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Austin, TX

Here are the major statewide and Austin-area races on the ballot Tuesday

Published

7 hours ago

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March 3, 2026

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Here are the major statewide and Austin-area races on the ballot Tuesday


A voter heads into the Ben Hur Shrine polling place in Austin as early voting begins for the March primary elections in Texas, Feb. 17, 2026. Voters can cast their ballots to decide who represents Republicans and Democrats in the November midterm elections.

A voter heads into the Ben Hur Shrine polling place in Austin as early voting begins for the March primary elections in Texas, Feb. 17, 2026. Voters can cast their ballots to decide who represents Republicans and Democrats in the November midterm elections.

Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman

A rare mix of competitive races up and down the ballot has voters turning up to the polls in droves ahead of Tuesday’s primary election, which will set match-ups in the high-stakes midterms in November.

Voters will decide if U.S. Sen. John Cornyn gets to keep the seat he’s held for more than two decades and which candidates will likely take a slew of redrawn congressional seats meant to give Republicans an edge. The races could decide control of Congress.

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TEXAS VOTER GUIDE 2026: What’s on the ballot in Austin on March 3?

Plus, there are multiple statewide office openings for the first time in more than a decade. And voters will decide who will challenge Gov. Greg Abbott as he seeks a record fourth term in office.

U.S. Senate

After more than two decades in the U.S. Senate, John Cornyn’s political career hangs in the balance.

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has led most of the public polling leading into the election, as he campaigns on a Make America Great Again platform that seeks to paint the more establishment Cornyn as out of touch. Further complicating Cornyn’s path to reelection is U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt of Houston, whose campaign has focused attention on Cornyn’s 74-years of age.

The primary is expected to be one of the tightest statewide races in recent history, with most political observers predicting it will go to a runoff.

On the Democratic side, two of the party’s fastest-rising stars are facing off in a race that has largely been a contrast of styles. 

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U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a 44-year-old former public defender, has cast herself as a partisan fighter who is unafraid to go toe-to-toe with President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans. 

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State Rep. James Talarico, a 36-year-old former middle school teacher in San Antonio, skyrocketed to national fame last year by leaning into his Christian faith and warning that Republicans are trying to use religion as a wedge by pushing such legislation as requiring public schools to post placards of the Ten Commandments.

Attorney General

The race for attorney general has become one of the most closely watched elections this cycle after Ken Paxton opted to leave the job to run for U.S. Senate, opening up the seat for the first time in more than a decade.

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A crowded field of candidates is vying for the job and raising eye-popping totals. It’s become the second-most expensive race for political ad spending in Texas after the contest for U.S. Senate.

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On the Republican side, state Sens. Joan Huffman and Mayes Middleton, former DOJ official and former Paxton aide Aaron Reitz, and U.S. Rep. Chip Roy are competing.

Public polling has shown Roy ahead, but more recent surveys indicate Middleton is gaining ground.

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, for whom both Roy and Reitz worked as chief of staff, is backing Roy, while Reitz nabbed his own major endorsement from Paxton.

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The Democrats gunning for a chance to be the state’s top lawyer include former federal prosecutor and FBI agent Tony Box; lawyer, mediator and former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski; and lawyer and state Sen. Nathan Johnson. 

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Jaworski and Johnson have emerged as early leaders, but many voters were still undecided, public polling showed.

Comptroller 

The fight to run Texas’ top financial agency features an expensive GOP brawl. Gov. Greg Abbott is backing his ally Kelly Hancock, who is currently serving as acting comptroller, against former state Sen. Don Huffines, an antagonist of the governor’s who has lined up support from grassroots activists. Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick is running, as well, with support from the oil and gas industries.

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Democratic state Sen. Sarah Eckhardt of Austin appears to be the favorite for her party’s nomination and faces former Houston ISD trustee Savant Moore and Houston resident Michael Lange. 

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The winner will have an outsized role in Abbott’s property tax-slashing agenda should he win a fourth term in office. They will also oversee the state’s new $1 billion private school voucher program.

Agriculture Commissioner

Three-term incumbent Sid Miller is battling beekeeper and entrepreneur Nate Sheets, who has the endorsement of Gov. Greg Abbott and several Republican lawmakers. 

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Miller, a onetime rodeo champion, has won the endorsement of President Donald Trump, who made his choice known in a social media post after his visit to Corpus Christi on Friday.

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Congressional District 31 

U.S. Rep. John Carter of Georgetown is facing a crowded field of Republican primary challengers, including a one-time TV pitchman as he pushes for a 13th term in Congress. 

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Carter has President Donald Trump’s “complete and total” endorsement. 

His GOP challengers are: businessman Abhiram Garapati, who has challenged Carter three times before; Army veteran William Abel, who was among Carter’s 2024 opponents; Elvis Lossa, an Army veteran who served in both Afghanistan and Iraq; Steven Dowell, a former member of the Army’s military police; Vince “Shamwow” Shlomi, who hosted offbeat infomercials for cleaning products; and Valentina Gomez, a former collegiate swimmer who two years ago made an unsuccessful bid for the GOP nomination for Missouri secretary of state.

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Austin, TX

Austin downtown shooting: What we know about the gunman, victims and motive

Published

19 hours ago

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March 2, 2026

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Austin downtown shooting: What we know about the gunman, victims and motive


A gunman opened fire outside a bar in Austin’s West Sixth Street entertainment district shortly before 2 a.m. Sunday, killing two people and injuring 14 others, authorities said.

Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said the suspected gunman drove a large SUV around the block several times before the attack. He then rolled down the windows and began firing a pistol, striking patrons at the bar.

The gunman then parked, exited the vehicle and continued shooting with a rifle, police said.

Paramedics and police arrived within a minute after the first 911 call, Davis said. Officers fatally shot the suspected gunman at the scene.

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Here’s what we know so far.

Who were the victims?

Authorities identified the victims as 24-year-old Saditha Shan and 19-year-old Ryder Harrington, a student at Texas Tech University.

“It is unfair, to say the least, that my little brother was only given 19 years on this earth,” his brother, Reed Harrington, wrote on Facebook. “Watching the man he had become, and seeing all the lives he touched, leaves me certain that this world was robbed of a great future.”

Three people injured during the shooting remained in critical condition Monday, though one is expected to be taken off life support later today, Davis said during a Monday news conference.

Who was the gunman?

Austin police identified the gunman as Ndiaga Diagne, a 53-year-old man originally from Senegal.

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The Department of Homeland Security said Diagne entered the United States on a tourist visa in 2000, became a lawful permanent resident in 2006 after marrying a U.S. citizen and became a naturalized citizen in 2013.

In 2017, Diagne legally purchased the guns he used in the shooting in San Antonio, Davis said.

Diagne was arrested in 2022 on a misdemeanor charge of “collision with vehicle damage,” typically issued when a driver leaves the scene of a crash.

The New York Post reported Diagne was arrested for “illegal vending” in New York City in 2001. Citing unnamed sources, the tabloid said he was arrested in New York three other times between 2008 and 2016, but those records are sealed. The Post did not report on whether he was convicted of any crimes.

Authorities said they expect to release more information on Diagne’s criminal history on Thursday as well as body camera footage and other details related to the officer-involved shooting that led to Diagne’s death.

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What was the motive?

Investigators have not announced a motive. However, Alex Doran, acting special agent in charge of FBI San Antonio, said there were indicators that the shooting could be related to terrorism.

Diagne wore a sweatshirt emblazoned with the words “Property of Allah” and a shirt with a design of the Iranian flag, according to the Associated Press. The shooting came hours after the United States and Israel carried out airstrikes in Iran.

What are elected officials saying?

Reactions from Texas politicians have largely fallen along partisan lines. Democrats are calling for stricter gun laws, while some Republicans have focused on the gunman’s immigration history.

After Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico called for proposals such as universal background checks, red flag laws and closing the gun show loopholes that allow for the private sales of firearms at gunshows, Gov. Greg Abbott said the problem wasn’t gun laws but with “unvetted” immigration.

Disclosure: Facebook and Texas Tech University have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

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Austin, TX

What to Know About the Shooting in Austin

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March 2, 2026

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What to Know About the Shooting in Austin


Federal investigators are looking into whether a shooting in Austin, Texas, on Sunday—that involved a gunman opening fire at a downtown beer garden, killing two and wounding 14—constitutes a potential act of terrorism.

Alex Doran, the acting special agent in charge of the FBI’s San Antonio Field Office, said in a press conference that while it’s still too early to determine a motive, authorities found “indicators” on the alleged gunman and in his vehicle that “indicate potential nexus to terrorism.”

The suspected gunman, who was reportedly wearing clothes that bore “Property of Allah” and an Iranian flag design, was shot dead in a standoff with law enforcement. 

The shooting happened just a day after the U.S. and Israel launched a major military campaign against Iran. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Donald Trump was briefed on the shooting.

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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican who expressed support for the latest Iran strike, said in a statement: “To anyone who thinks about using the current conflict in the Middle East to threaten Texans or our critical infrastructure, understand this clearly: Texas will respond with decisive and overwhelming force to protect our state.” A day before the incident, Abbott directed the Texas Military Department to activate service members to “work alongside state and federal partners to safeguard our communities and critical infrastructure,” and he directed the state’s Department of Public Safety and the Texas National Guard, to “intensify patrols and surveillance.” 

Here’s what to know.

What happened?

Shortly before 2 a.m. Sunday, the suspect circled past Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden on Sixth Street several times in a “large SUV,” before stopping and opening fire with a pistol out of the vehicle window at people on the patio and gathered outside the bar, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said in a press briefing on Sunday.

The suspect parked the vehicle, stepped out with an assault rifle, and started firing at people on the street, according to Davis. Officers responding to the incident shot and killed the gunman.

The shooting took place along Sixth Street, a popular nightlife and entertainment district located a few miles from the University of Texas at Austin. Three people, including the suspect, were killed, and 14 were injured in the attack. All of those injured were transported to local hospitals, with three in critical condition, Austin EMS Chief Robert Luckritz said at the Sunday briefing. The names of the victims were released as of Sunday night.

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Jim Davis, president of UT Austin, confirmed in a statement that members of the university community were among those affected by the shooting, although they have not been publicly identified. “Our prayers are with the victims and all those impacted, including members of our Longhorn family, and my heart goes out to their families, friends, classmates, professors, and loved ones,” Davis said. “As Longhorns, we feel this pain together.”

What do we know about the suspect?

The Austin Police Department identified the suspect as Ndiaga Diagne, a 53-year-old man. Diagne, who was born in Senegal, officials told the Associated Press, first came to the U.S. in 2000 on a B-2 tourist visa, according to a Department of Homeland Security statement to the AP. He married a U.S. citizen in 2006 and became a lawful permanent resident, before becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2013.

A law enforcement official briefed on the case told CNN that Diagne was wearing a shirt with an Iranian flag design and a hoodie emblazoned with “Property of Allah.” The AP also reported the words and symbols on his clothes, also citing a law enforcement official. 

The Austin American-Statesman reported that investigators searched a house in Pflugerville, north of Austin, linked to Diagne’s possible relative. Local television station KXAN reported that Diagne had been issued a driver’s license with an address in Pflugerville in 2017.

Neighbors speaking to the New York Times said Diagne had maintained a low profile. “They kept very much to themselves,” Chris Finch, who lived next to the searched home, said. “They didn’t really say hi or anything.”

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Another neighbor and the president of the neighborhood’s homeowners association, Eddie Garcia, said he was never aware of any previous issues. “We’re all neighbors and respect each other but we are also private and keep to ourselves,” he told the Statesman.

How are authorities reacting?

Mayor Kirk Watson called the shooting “an extremely difficult, traumatic moment” for the city. 

Senator Ted Cruz (R, Texas) said the shooting was a “senseless act of violence” and that he and his team are coordinating with local, state, and federal authorities over the incident.

Other Texas politicians have been united in condemning the shooting and extending condolences to victims and their loved ones, but they have been divided along partisan lines as to what’s to blame for the attack.

In a statement posted on X, eight Democrats in the Texas state legislature, including U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico, said, “Gun violence continues to steal the lives of far too many Texans. Our hearts are with the victims of today’s shooting and their families. We will never stop fighting for them.”

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Rep. Greg Casar (D, Texas) posted, “We must end America’s gun violence epidemic. Americans should be able to have fun at a bar without it turning into an unspeakable nightmare like this one— and I will redouble my efforts in Congress to prevent the next tragedy like this.”

“Gun violence is preventable. This devastating loss of life was preventable,” Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D, Texas) posted on X. “Until Republicans find the courage to say no to the NRA, our country will be plagued with more tragedies.”

Republicans, on the other hand, have blamed the attack on Islamic extremism and mass migration. Rep. Chip Roy (R, Texas) said, in response to Doggett, that “Muslim immigrant violence – naturalized or not – is preventable. Until Democrats (& Republicans) find the courage to say no to the mass migration of Islamists, our country will be plagued with more tragedies…”

In another post, Roy said the shooting in Austin was “carried out by a suspected Islamist who came on a tourist VISA, and OVERSTAYED for years,” adding that the “tragedy was preventable” and that “failed policies have real consequences.”

“Allowing unvetted immigrants who are hostile to America, who are loyal to our adversaries like Iran, must end,” Abbott, the Republican governor, said in response to a call by Talarico for stricter gun regulations. “The way to end it is to end the current open immigration policies.” (Talarico responded, “Dangerous people should not be allowed into the country. Dangerous people should not be allowed to get guns.”)

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The Texas chapter of the Muslim rights advocacy group Council on American-Islamic Relations condemned the shooting in a statement, but it also rejected using the incident to attack the larger Muslim community. 

“While a single person carried out this heinous attack last night, hundreds of thousands of Texas Muslims finished their night prayers and headed to their homes while calling on God for global peace and justice,” the statement said. “We encourage elected officials, law enforcement, faith leaders, and community members to come together to support the families of the victims and reaffirm our shared commitment to public safety.”



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