LAC Fall Classic
- November 5-8, 2021
- Westside Aquatic Center, Lewisville, Kentucky
- Short Course Yards
- Result on Meet Mobile
15-year-old Maximus Williamson of the North Texas Nadadores headlined a strong field at the LAC fall classic, winning 4 different events, while dropping time every time he entered the water at the meet.
In his first race, the 200 freestyle, Williamson sliced over 3 seconds off of his best time to post a blistering 1:37.09. For Williamson, his time marked a US Open cut, and currently ranks as the 8th fastest performance in history for a 15-year-old, giving him the top time in the country this season by over a second. Later, Williamson followed-up his 200 freestyle performance by winning the 100 freestyle in a personal best of 44.28. His time ranks him as the 11th fastest 15-year-old in history, leading this season’s national rankings by a half second.
Williamson also showed dominance in the IM events, where he swept both the 200 and 400. In the 200 IM, his time of 1:47.88 was a personal best by over 3 seconds, making him the 14th fastest 15-year-old in history. He also became the 12th fastest 15 year old ever in the 400 IM, where his time of 3:52.07 knocked over 17 seconds off of his best time.
Williamson also posted personal best times across the 100 backstroke (50.24) and 50 freestyle (20.63) over the course of the weekend.
Also in attendance at the meet was US National Junior Teamer Cooper Lucas from Lakeside, who posted best times in the 200 backstroke (1:49.14) and 100 freestyle (44.71). With his time in the 100 freestyle, Lucas currently ranks 4th in the country for the 15-16 age group, where the aforementioned Williamson leads the rankings. In addition, his time in the 200 backstroke ranks him 5th nationally for the 15-16 age group. In the 400 IM, the event he’s on the National Junior Team for, Lucas posted a time of 3:56.14, which ranks him 5th nationally in his age group.
On the women’s side, Team Rebel’s Madeline Hebert also climbed the national rankings. In the 200 freestyle, the 16 year-old Hebert placed 2nd overall with a time of 1:47.66, knocking 3 seconds off of her best time. Currently, her time ranks her first in the country for the 15-16 age group in that event. Hebert also dropped a time of 23.18 to win the 50 freestyle, cutting almost a second off of her best time. With that time, Hebert ranks 7th in the country for the season.
She also dropped over a second in the 100 freestyle, posting a time of 50.36 to win the event with a time that ranks 10th nationally for her age group.
Hebert’s biggest drop of the weekend came in the 500 freestyle, where she dropped over 6 seconds off of her personal best to finish in a time of 4:52.03, which ranks 13th on the national rankings.
Internet and YouTube/video that’s available on demand is a big factor.
When I was swimming the late 90s early 2000s it was hard to find videos of swimming. Usually a coach had a grainy video vhs tape of some NCAA meets on ESPN and maybe an even older video with worse quality from the last Olympics. You would huddle around the deck TV and watch something. Most of these broadcasts themselves were poor quality and you wouldn’t get all the races.
Before this your main point of reference to know what is fast swimming it was limited to times published in a magazine that had no visual reference or watching the fastest kid whatever meet you were at.
Since… Read more »
I’m guessing an article will be out shortly but I just wanted to say at the IHSA meet in prelims history was just made. Earlier tonight Kaelyn Gridley who I went to HS with just demolished the state record and put up the first ever sub minute *100 breast in Illinois history (59.92) does this put her in the top 10 fastest HS swimmers ever?
And Leah Hayes going 1:56 in the IM as a Soph.!
Yeah that was also insane I was under the impression that Leah wasnt going to do high school swimming but I was very wrong then there was the 200 free Deerfield sophmore destroyed Rachel Stege’s state record
2 seniors and 2 sophomores have been dominating this meet, Novelline, Gridley, Hayes, and the Deerfield sophmore, then there’s the up and comers like palpanicolas.
So happy for Madeline doing so well. Dropping 6 seconds in the 500 must have been a great race. Was this the winning time?
She placed 2nd to Elise Clift who swam a 4:49. Great race
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKHsuCK38bk Here is the video of Maximus’ 2 Free race
44.28? 11th fastest 15 year old in history? I feel like I’m living in an alternate dimension. That’s so fast…
Indeed. I remember when any male under the age of 18 broke 46 it was a really big deal. Now, it’s pedestrian.
Not sure I’d say “pedestrian”, but it’s almost becoming the norm to see a 45 100 free guy committing to a high D3. Before, it would get you looks from pretty much any D1 school.
Really? Really? How are kids so much faster today than 30 years ago?
Nutrition / advanced biometric monitoring / not must more practice, but better practices / more scientific approach to drylands / etc. — an finally, I think the top tier of national coaching is simply better educated in the area of their athletic expertise
“advanced biometric monitoring” get outta hereeee
Skeptic though you may be, just check out what’s going on at THE RACE CLUB and many other places and tell me I’m wrong.
Smarter practicing, more specific to actual races, instead of just beating athletes into oblivion
Gotta love it, not too long ago 1:32-1:33 was winning NCAAs in the 200 free, and aside of the coaching and the Nutrition/training aspect, swimming is simply getting more talented athletes, plain and simple. The Phelps effect is going on 20 years now of pulling the top kids from following other sports long term and instead focusing younger on swimming
Better technique/rule changes and we (for the most part) stopped training swimmers like cro-magnons. Most coaches today have realized that raising fast swimmers from mega distance programs is the exception, not the rule.
My husband went a 1:37.10 at 15…before 1990.
gonna need a name on that bold claim!
EDIT – swim swam did an article in 2014 about NAG record holders, either I’m reading this wrong or your claim is bogus:
https://swimswam.com/scy-national-age-group-record-progressions/
says the 15-16 boys 200 free NAG went from 1:37.69 in 1981 to 1:36.19 in 1990 – so either they left out some data points or your source is “trust me, bro.”
Scott Hubbard
Sorry, I’m sure your husband was a great swimmer, but here’s the all-time top-100 for 15-16 boys 200y Free:
https://www.usaswimming.org/times/popular-resources/all-time-top-100-age-group
For what it is worth that list is not complete and I think there is a possibility it is true. Scott was a 1:51 in the 200 as a 15-16 and that isn’t listed either. And it is totally believable that a 1:51 went a 1:36. Scott swam on Arden Hills, which had a Y squad. So I’ll keep my mind open that this is true.
That’s really funny that you believe these lists to be accurate
In addition to the coaching and training comments from others, the softening of rules has produced faster times. The underwaters, which I abhor, have turned some strokes (freestyle and backstroke mostly) into a farce.
Back in the good old days, you weren’t even allowed to kick! C’mon man. There’s been no rule change in FREESTYLE. If anything – it’s gotten more restrictive b/c you can only go 15m underwater now.
I guess you never heard of dolphin kicking off starts and turns. AND “only 15m underwater…” – cuts out a huge part of swimming above water. I stand by my comment, and the down voters don’t phase me in the least. It’s been getting worse since ’91 when backstroke got ruined with the freestyle flip turns. The Blast from ’88 was short-lived, but the ’91 flip turns changes have ruined backstroke. My opinion of course, but I am entitled to it as you are to yours.
“Softening of the rules”–what the heck are you talking about? This isn’t the NBA or NFL. Underwaters have been allowed for a very long time, but we should look down on modern swimmers because they’ve finally figured out how to optimize them?
watch some races from 70s and 80s, early 90s. You might learn something, though I’m skeptical. 🙂
–Better athletes are participating in swimming now. The Phelps effect. Dressel could be an NFL free safety. Ryan Murphy might be a Tight End or NBA power forward. They both chose swimming.
–Underwater dolphin kicks . . . a game changer!
–Better technique generally — and, more importantly, better practices. More quality – less quantity.
–The suits do help (less important for boys than girls b/c jammers don’t really cover that much of the body — but they do a lot more than the tiny “paper suits” we wore in the 90s)
Lol at nba power forward
6’4 NBA power forward 😭 would barely be an NBA shooting guard. I could see Adrian as a tight end though.
Dressel is the only athlete I would say that had pro potential in a variety of sports — I could see him thriving in almost anything.
The rest? Not nearly as much. I can’t think of many other swimmers with the raw athletic ability he has.
I think Kaii Winkler went 44.00 this season so I think he might be second. Still absolutely crazy tho
Someone call Eddie and Wyatt