U.S. Junior Nationals: Thomas Heilman Narrowly Misses NAG Standard in 100 Butterfly
Racing at the United States Junior Nationals, 15-year-old phenom Thomas Heilman narrowly missed the National Age Group record in the 15-16 category in the 100-meter butterfly on Wednesday night. Heilman clocked a time of 52.44, which helped him to second place behind Bryce Halterman and his winning mark of 52.33. Heilman was just off the NAG standard of 52.40, which was set by Luca Urlando in 2018.
Because he is on the young end of the age group, Heilman figures to take down this record in the future. During his effort at the William Woollett Aquatic Center, Heilman went out in 24.43 and came home in 28.01. His time is the second-fastest in history by an athlete in the 15-16 classification.
Heilman is no stranger to NAG records, having established numerous marks during his young career, both in short-course action and in the long-course pool. Later this month, Heilman is scheduled to compete for the United States at the Junior Pan Pacific Championships in Hawaii.