Two N.J. swimmers punch tickets to Paris Olympics, shattering records and stunning a legend

Matt Fallon and Jack Alexy used the same word to describe their remarkable night in the Lucas Oil Stadium pool in Indianapolis.

The two swimmers, who grew up just 15 miles apart in New Jersey suburbs, qualified for their first Olympics at the U.S. trials within five minutes of each other — with one smashing an American record and the other edging out a seven-time gold medal winner in front of a record 22,209 fans.

“It still feels surreal,” Fallon said.

“It’s definitely surreal,” Alexy said.

Fallon and Alexy. The former grew up in Warren and set records at the Pingry School. The latter is from Mendham and dominated at Delbarton. Together, they are a big part of the future of U.S. swimming, an era that will begin in just over a month in Paris.

Fallon won the 200-meter breaststroke, his signature event, in a blistering 2:06.54. Not only did he break Josh Prenot’s eight-year-old American record by almost sixth tenths of a second, he recorded the fastest time in the world in 2024 to announce himself as an Olympic medal contender.

“Honestly, I could be dreaming right now and I wouldn’t know,” said Fallon, who pounded his swim cap against the water to celebrate his time.

A few minutes later, it was Alexy’s turn. NBC dedicated most of its coverage to Caeleb Dressel, the reigning Olympic champion in the 100-meter freestyle and one of the sports most dominant sprinters ever, as he attempted a comeback from a length layoff in the most anticipated men’s race of the U.S. trials.

But it was Chris Guiliano (47.38) who touched the wall first, just .09 ahead of Alexy as Dressel finished third. That means Dressel will qualify as part of the 4×100 freestyle relay team but won’t have a chance to defend his gold.

Alexy, still out of breath, called the result “a big relief” after months of buildup. “I’m just happy to go to Paris with these guys,” he said.

If you’re just tuning in — and, given that the Olympics are still more than a month away, that’s understandable — Alexy is a 21-year-old freestyle sprinting specialist who had a record-breaking high school career before joining Cal’s powerhouse team.

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It took Jack Alexy a full season to adjust to the grind of college swimming, but he announced himself as one of the world’s best at the world championships in 2023. He won five medals in Fukuoka, Japan, including a silver medal in the 100-meter freestyle despite a near disastrous moment in the semifinals when his hands separated during the race.

Fallon, who swims at Penn, also had to shake off some early setbacks before his big moment. At the Olympic Trials in 2021, he posted the top times of prelims and semifinals but struggled in the final and finished eighth. The disappointment of missing on the spot in the Tokyo Games as a teenager, he said, helped shape his perspective on the sport.

Both swimmers will face stiff competition in Paris.

Alexy set the U.S. Open record in the preliminaries this week (47.08) for the second best in the world this year in the 100 free, but China’s Pan Zhanle set the world record at the 2024 world championships in February at 46.80 seconds and will be the favorite. With qualifying in the 50-meter freestyle yet to come at the U.S. trials and his inclusion on the relay teams, Alexy still could leave Paris with multiple medals.

Fallon, meanwhile, has the top time in the world this year but will face several international stars in the 200 breaststroke, including Qin Haiyang (China), Zac Stubblety-Cook (Australia) and Leon Marchand (France).

And how about this for perfect: The finals of the 100-meter freestyle and the 200-meter breaststroke will take place minutes apart in Paris on July 31. Fallon and Alexy likely will share the biggest night of their careers once again.

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Steve Politi may be reached at spoliti@njadvancemedia.com.