Scottsdale Aquatic Club’s Ryan Hoffer took down Caeleb Dressel’s National Age Group record in the boys’ 100 yard freestyle in a big way on Saturday night at the Speedo Winter Junior Nationals at University of Texas’s Lee & Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center.
Dressel had established the NAG as a member of the University of Florida men’s swimming and diving team when he finished second in the 100 free at the 2015 SEC Championships. He had first set the NAG in prelims with 42.31; he then came back and lowered it in finals to 41.90, marking the first time an 18-and-under had broken the 42-second mark.
Now it seems that the 41-second barrier could be in danger of falling to an 18-and-under as well.
Hoffer, who is only 17, blasted a 41.23 to win the event with a new meet, pool and national age group record. Prior to Saturday night’s swim, his best 100 free had been the 42.65 he went at Winter Juniors last year, in which he set the meet record.
Here are Hoffer’s splits, side-by-side with Dressel’s:
| Hoffer, December 2015 | Dressel, 2015 SEC Final | Dressel, 2015 SEC Prelims |
| 19.73 | 20.07 | 20.19 |
| 21.50 | 21.83 | 22.12 |
| 41.23 | 41.90 | 42.31 |
Hoffer has been making HUGE strides in the sprinting events in the past few years. Considering how much he has been dropping each year at jrs, how much longer do you think this will continue? How much longer will he be able to show up to big meets and drop ~1.2+ seconds on his 100s? Absolutely amazing to think about how far he has come and how much potential he has. Not sure if he will be able to go top 6 at trials next year, but it sure will be interesting to watch him go up against the big guns in Omaha next summer.
Come to NCSU!!!! The new SPRINT U at NCAA. Holloway is building a great program and DeSorbo is in charge with the sprint crew. They ‘develop’ their stars!
Is anyone opposed to seeing Fina add on a 50m underwater race to the program at world championships. Seems a lot more legit than the mixed Medleys and it would give us an opportunity to gauge who actually has the best kick-outs in the world. This dude is definitely up there with guys like Lochte and Shields- maybe better.
SPRINT U = NCSU
Is Ryan a tall kid, a small kid? Most sprinters are relatively tall. I’m just curious because I know nothing about him except that he can swim incredibly fast. That time is shocking…just nuts!
Was at the meet today and saw the swim, dude is very tall and thin. He had crazy under waters and good walls. He was going for it for sure. It was fun to watch and he got a standing O when the pool record was announced.
These yards times mean nothing. They don’t translate to lcm and people get way too excited over nothing. Dont even understand why he’s at Jrs vs Sr nationals. This is an Olympic year and he’s destroying the same competition he’s been beating for years.
Go to sr nats and see what he can do against Adrain and Morozov et al.
Which continent do you live on, Craig? Likely not a “yards” appreciating stretch of land, I’m guessing. Ryan may or may not eventually translate his skill to similar long course meters swims, but it is quite myopic to say the swims mean nothing.
Funny you mention Adrian and Morozov. They also have done some big “mean nothing” yards swims; they are two of the only three humans to ever swim faster than Hoffer’s :41.23. The other is the LCM world record holder in both the 50 and 100 freestyles, Cesar Cielo.
His swims mean something; they need not register in your pantheon, at this time, to still register some significant value for a 17 year old. Who knows?… Read more »
There’s no defense in swimming. If you’re putting up 41.2, who cares who you swam against?
Damn……..that’s just ridiculous.
*sprinters everywhere start trembling