Five-time junior world champion Rylee Erisman has reclassified to the class of 2026 and has signed to the California women's swimming & diving team, as announced by the director of swimming & diving Dave Durden on Tuesday.
 
Erisman was SwimSwam's second-ranked recruit for the class of 2027 but will be graduating high school early to join the Golden Bears next fall. She holds the fastest times in the 50, 100, 200, and 500-freestyle events for the class of 2027 and ranks first in the 50, 100, and 200-freestyle events for the class of 2026.
 
The 16-year-old Windemere, Florida, native currently swims for Windermere Laker Swim and Windermere High School and has enjoyed a decorated 2025 season. Erisman won five gold medals and eight total medals at the 2025 World Junior Swimming Championships in Otopeni, Romania, which is the most any swimmer has ever earned at a single edition of the meet.
 
Erisman broke two World Junior records clocking a 52.79 in the 100mfreestyle and a 3:26.03 in the 4x100 mixed-freestyle relay. Her 100 free earned her a spot on the Team USA roster for the 2026 Pan Pacific Championships, which will be held in Irvine next August. Earlier this year, Erisman also broke Gretchen Walsh's national high school record clocking a 46.73 in the 100freestyle at the 2025 FHSAA 4A State Championships.
 
Erisman's personal-best time of 46.69 Iin the 100-yard freestyle would've earned her fourth place at the 2025 NCAA Championship and her 50-yard freestyle time of 21.61 would've placed her in the NCAA A final.