16-Year Old Thomas Wu Drops 2 Seconds, Swims 55.2 at Waterloo Intrasquad

South Texas Waterloo October 11th Meet

• October 11, 2020
• Waterloo Swimming, Austin, Texas
• Short Course Yards (25 yards)
• Results on Meet Mobile: “2020 ST WLOO October 11 Meet”

Uncommitted high school junior Thomas Wu of Waterloo Swimming ripped off a new personal best on Saturday in the 100 yard breaststroke, dramatically improving his recruiting stock in the process.

Wu swam 55.21 in the 100-yard breaststroke at an intrasquad meet hosted by his team in Austin on Saturday. That took more than 2 seconds off his previous lifetime best set at a Sectionals meet earlier this year and gives him a new Summer Juniors cut, based on 2019 standards, in the event.

He just beat-out his training partner Ludovico Corsini, a 27-year old former Cincinnati Bearcat who represents Italy internationally.

Wu has a very unique event specialty, which he showed off at the Texas 5A (small schools) State Championship in February, finishing 4th in the 100 fly and 7th in the 100 breast. He showed that versatility off again on Saturday, touching in 50.71 in the 100 yard fly, which was just a few tenths short of his lifetime best in that race.

To emphasize how unique it is to be that fast in that many events, over the last decade, about 1000 males aged 16-or-younger have been at least 50.46 in the 100 yard fly (Wu’s best time). Of those, only 29 have been 55.21 or better in the 100 yard breast.

Wu wasn’t the only swimmer with a statement swim on Saturday: Sonny Wang, swimming his first 100 yard free since turning 15, posted a new best time of 45.67 in the event. That knocked about half-a-second off his previous lifetime best.

Wang also swam a 59.45 in the 100 yard breaststroke, 1:57.55 in the 200 IM, and 53.44 in the 100 fly, though none of those swims were best times.

Other Notable Performers:

• 13-year old Ella Mongenel swam 3 personal best times in 4 swims. That included a 24.53 in the 50 free, 1:08.26 in the 100 breast, and a 2:11.83 in the 200 IM – the latter of which was almost a 5 second improvement on her prior lifetime best.