TUCSON – David Nolan was billed as the Next Big Thing in the 200 IM four years ago after posting a 1:41.39 in the 200 IM as a senior at Hershey High School. Nolan has experienced a few peaks and valleys in his time at Stanford, but all that was wiped away last Thursday when he broke the American, U.S. Open and NCAA record in the 200 IM with a 1:40.07 at the Pac 12 championships.
Nolan broke Ryan Lochte’s record of 1:40.08 from 2008. Talk about cutting it close! Nolan split 21.96, 24.95, 29.05, 24.11 in the historic race, not only outsplitting Lochte on freestyle but making all four strokes look smooth and controlled. Very few people in life can say they are faster than Ryan Lochte, and David Nolan can add that to his accomplishments that includes a 2013 NCAA title in the event.
To drop more than a second off his previous lifetime best of 1:41.29 says a lot about the dedication Nolan has put into this season. He hadn’t posted any times during the season that necessarily hinted at a possible record, but after making it look easy in the Pac 12 prelims with a 1:42.29, the scene was set for an epic swim in the final that would also feature four of his Stanford teammates as a bit of extra motivation in what would turn out to be a tight team battle.
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Up next for Nolan is the NCAA championships, where he will close out his collegiate career with a run at the 1:40 barrier. Judging by his comments from the Pac 12 meet, Nolan has more time to drop, and so we do not ask if he can break 1:40, but how far under can he go in two weeks?
Congratulations, David Nolan, on achieving the Performance of the Week!
Oh, yeah. What a performance! It would be so great if he could also burst through the 1:40 barrier at NCAAs. Love those round figures!