Speedo Winter Juniors East: Thomas Heilman, Rylee Erisman Take Down National Age Group Records
One day after becoming the first 18-and-under swimmer to swim under 44 in the 100 butterfly, Thomas Heilman has again posted a groundbreaking effort in a butterfly race, this time over double the distance. Racing in the 200 fly final at the eastern edition of U.S. Junior Nationals in Greensboro, N.C., Heilman won by almost five seconds while breaking the 17-18 National Age Group record by one-and-a-half seconds.
Heilman was up on the field by a full second after only two lengths, and he pulled away to clock 1:38.95, crushing the 17-18 NAG record of 1:40.39 set by Aiden Hayes in 2022. Heilman also crushed his own Juniors record of 1:40.73, which doubles as the 15-16 NAG record. Heilman was the U.S. Olympic Trials champion in the 200-meter fly last year, and he won an Olympic silver medal after racing in the prelims of the U.S. men’s 200 medley relay.
In the race behind Heilman for the places in the event, Lakeside Swim Team’s Thomas Mercer placed second in 1:43.88, while New Wave’s Sam Marsteiner placed third (1:44.60).
Later in the session, Heilman led off Cavalier Aquatics’ 400 free relay in 42.23, quicker than the winning time in the individual event later in the night.
Earlier this week, Rylee Erisman of Laker Swim became the second-fastest 15-16 girl ever in the 50-yard freestyle. Now, Erisman has become the first swimmer in the age group to ever swim under 47 seconds in the 100 free as she won the event in 46.69.
Erisman took almost a half-second off her own previous record of 47.14, which she set at last month’s Florida 4A state meet to break Claire Curzan’s previous record of 47.23. Erisman’s time would have placed fourth in the event at last year’s NCAA Championships, trailing only Gretchen Walsh and graduated swimmers Katharine Berkoff and Isabel Ivey.
Erisman won winner of four individual gold medals at the Junior Pan Pacific Championships, including in the 100-meter free, and she was a U.S. Olympic Trials finalist in the 50-meter free. The high school sophomore continues to build toward an attempt at qualifying for a senior-level national team as soon as next year.
In the 100 free final, Lakeside Swim Team’s Charlotte Crush took second in 47.85, three tenths ahead of Upper Dublin’s Annie Jia (48.07). Crush was swimming the second half of a quick double after winning the 200 backstroke in 1:48.69. Jersey Wahoos’ Audrey Derivaux took second in 1:50.91, while Jersey Aquatic Club’s Sarah Rodrigues was third (1:51.14).
After lowering her own 15-16 NAG record in the 100 back to 49.46 in a relay leadoff Thursday evening and then doubling up with 100 fly and 100 back wins Friday, Crush finished just four tenths off the NAG mark in this event held by Regan Smith (1:48.30). Entering the day, her best time was 1:50.55 before going 1:48.93 in prelims prior to a further drop at night. As with Erisman in the 100 free, this performance would have placed Crush fourth at last year’s NCAA Championships, and she ranks 16th in history in the event.
At the end of the session, Erisman and Crush would both return to racing in the 400 free relay. Erisman anchored her team in 46.98 while Crush split 47.36.
Jersey Wahoos’ Audrey Derivaux, already the winner in both individual medley events this week, cruised throughout the 200 fly final. She touched in 1:55.18 while TAC Titans’ Nikki Nixon closed well to take second in 1:55.94, with Derivaux’s teammate Alyce Lehman third (1:56.55).
The first-place finishers in two other women’s events posted times that would have scored at the 2024 NCAA meet. Scarlet Aquatics’ Chloe Kim, already the winner of the 500 freestyle, claimed first in the 1650 free in 16:00.21, beating out Sarasota Sharks’ Abby Dunford (16:07.04) and North Carolina Aquatic Club’s Daisy Collins (16:14.52).
In the 200 breaststroke, Mason Manta Rays’ Addie Robillard overtook SwimMAC Carolina’s Elle Scott on the final 50 yards and pulled away to win in 2:07.75. Scott was second in 2:08.62, and Greensboro Swim Association’s Kaidy Stout took third (2:10.50).
In the men’s competition, Gwinnett Aquatic Club’s Baylor Stanton completed his backstroke sweep with a time of 1:40.89 in the 200, putting him ahead of Area Tallahassee’s Ethan Ekk (1:42.41) and Sarasota Sharks’ David Melnychuk (1:42.50). An extremely tight finish in the 200 breast saw the top-three finishers touch within a tenth, with Old Dominion’s Gabe Nunziata closing in 29.13 to claim the win in 1:54.36. Highland Hurricanes’ Josh Bey came in second at 1:54.43, two hundredths ahead of Team Suffolk’s Noah Cakir (1:54.45).
The 1650 free went to Shawmut’s Will Mulgrew in 14:50.97, ahead of Laker Swim’s Ryan Erisman (14:57.76) and Colin Jacobs (15:01.34), while Huntsville’s Luke Bedsole held off Central Ohio’s Austin Carpente in the 100 free, 42.91 to 42.99, with Bolles’ Andy Kravchenko third (43.06).
The TAC Titans finished one second clear of the field in the women’s 400 free relay with a team of Reina Liu, Sloane Whelehan, Mere Whelehan and Caden Martin clocking 3:18.13. Lakeside Swim Team (3:19.07) and Laker Swim (3:19.18) rounded out the top-three. The team from Bolles won the men’s relay in 2:53.78, breaking the Juniors meet record of 2:54.66 set by Cavalier last year. This year’s Heilman-led Cavalier team took second (2:56.65) ahead of Lakeside (2:57.01).