2024 Swammy Awards: Age Group Swimmer of the Year 17-18

See all of our 2024 Swammy Awards here.

2024 Honorees: Katie Grimes and Thomas Heilman

With six 18 & Under athletes qualifying for the 2024 U.S. Olympic team, and some having incredible years but not qualifying, it was a tall task to nail down our Swammy Award winners for the 17-18 age group. Ultimately, Katie Grimes and Thomas Heilman take the top honors, but every swimmer on the list, and even some not on the list, could have a case for the top spot.

17-18 Girls:

Winner: Katie Grimes, Sandpipers of Nevada

Katie Grimes had an exceptional year to earn her second straight Swammy Award for 17-18 Swimmer of the Year, finishing it off with an American Record in the 400 IM at Short Course Worlds in Budapest. Her consistent performance through 2024 is ultimately what earned her the top spot as the only swimmer on the list with an individual medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Grimes was the first U.S. Olympic qualifier, earning her spot in the Open Water 10k back in 2023. She did not stop there, however, and earned pool swims in the 1500 free and 400 IM at the Olympic Swimming Trials in June.

Her best swim of the Olympics came in the 400 IM, where she earned the silver medal in 4:33.40—matching her results from the 2022 and 2023 World Championships. Grimes was also 10th in the 1500, and 15th in the 10k.

She won two individual medals at the 2024 SC World Championships in December. Her first came in the Women’s 400 IM, where she went 4:20.14 for a massive best time and a new American Record. Her time of 4:20.14 broke the previous National Record held by Melanie Margalis by four seconds, and it makes her the 4th fastest performer in history.

She also won a bronze medal in the 800 freestyle, swimming 8:05.90, and added a gold medal as a member of the American women’s World Record-breaking 4×200 freestyle relay where she split 1:53.39 in the third position.

In the 2024 LCM worldwide rankings, Grimes appears in the top-10 in three events. She sits in 9th in the 800 free, 7th in the 1500, and 3rd in the 400 IM.

At the California/Nevada Sectionals a few weeks ago, she went new personal best times in the 100 free (49.60) and in the 1000 (9:16.69)

Grimes will be joining the University of Virginia for the Spring Semester.

Honorable Mentions:

• Claire Weinstein, Sandpipers of Nevada: Weinstein competed at the 2024 Paris Olympics as the youngest swimmer of Team USA. She swam the 200 freestyle, where she placed 8th individually, and she swam as a member of the silver medal-winning 4×200 freestyle relay, which she led off in 1:54.88, the fastest US relay split.Weinstein competed in two individual events at the 2024 SC World Championships in Budapest, swimming the 200 and 400 freestyles, and the 4×200 freestyle relay. Her first 200 freestyle of the meet was her anchor leg on the 4×200 relay, where she went a blistering 1:50.31. This was the fastest split in the field by a second-and-a-half and it not only helped the US win the gold medal, but it was also a huge factor behind them breaking the World Record by seven-tenths-of-a-second. In her individual 200 free, Weinstein broke Bella Sims’ World Junior Record in the prelims, going 1:52.51 to earn the top qualifying spot for the finals. In finals, she dropped almost a second to go 1:51.62, lowering her own World Junior Record and also breaking Allison Schmitt’s unofficial American record of 1:51.67 from 2009 and Mallory Comerford’s official record of 1:51.81 from 2018. She recently swam at the California/Nevada sectionals, earning a few personal best times, most notably in the 200 freestyle where she went 1:41.10, which is the 4th fastest 17-18 time in history.
• Alex Shackell, Carmel Swim Club: Shackell was also a member of Team USA in Paris, swimming the 200 fly individually and placing 6th. She also swam in prelims of the 4×100 medley relay, which ultimately won a gold medal, and the prelims of the 4×200 freestyle relay, which won the silver. At the 2024 SC World Championships, Shackell won four medals as a member of the United States relays. She was a finals member of the World Record breaking women’s 4×100 freestyle relay, splitting 52.01 in the third spot. She swam on the prelims relays of the mixed 4×50 medley, mixed 4×100 medley, and the women’s 4×100 medley. These swims earned her a bronze, silver, and gold medal respectively. She also competed in the individual 200 fly placing 4th overall. Shackell was the only 17-18 girl who broke any NAG records this year, going 2:06.10 in the 200m fly at the 2024 Olympic Trials.

17-18 Boys

Winner: Thomas Heilman: Piedmont Family YMCA

Thomas Heilman has won a Swammy for Age Group Swimmer of the Year annually since 2019, and this year is no exception. He is the only swimmer on the list to have broken NAG records so far this season, and he swam two individual events at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Heilman has been destroying record books for years, and 2024 has not been any different. At the Olympic Trials in June, Heilman won the men’s 200 butterfly to make his first Olympic team. A few days later, Heilman broke his first 17-18 NAG record in the 100 fly finals swimming 50.80 to earn his second swim in Paris.

At the 2024 Olympics, Heilman was 18th in the 100 fly, just out of the semi-final, and 10th in the 200 fly, getting the opportunity to swim in semis but missing the final by two positions.

Heilman did not swim at the 2024 SC World Championships, swimming instead at the East Winter Junior Nationals the same weekend. He broke two NAG records in the butterfly events, going 43.86 in the 100 fly and 1:38.95 in the 200 fly. He still has over a year remaining in the age group, so we can expect to see more records over the next year. He is committed to swim at Virginia in the fall.

Honorable Mentions:

• Maximus Williamson, Lakeside Aquatic Club: Williamson is the only swimmer on the boys or girls list who did not make the 2024 Paris Olympic team, but he still had an impressive year. At the 2024 6A High School State Championships in Texas, Williamson won the 200 IM in a new NAG record time of 1:40.81. This was Williamson’s only individual NAG record of the year, but he was also a member of the Lakeside relay that broke the 17-18 400 freestyle relay at West Winter Juniors about a month ago, splitting a monster 40.96. Also at Winter Juniors, Williamson won five gold medals, swimming new personal best times in the 50 free and 200 fly. He is also committed to swim at Virginia in the fall.
• Luke Whitlock, Fishers Area Swim Team: Whitlock was another NAG record breaker, setting a new 17-18 record in the 800 freestyle, with his 7:45.19 at the 2024 Olympic Trials to finish 2nd, earning a spot on the Paris Olympic team. Whitlock swam the 800 at the Games, finishing 18th in 7:49.26. He ended up testing positive for COVID just a few days later, which prevented him from swimming the 10k after David Johnston dropped out also due to a positive COVID test. Whitlock swam a few meets at Florida to start the season, picking up a new best time in the 1650, going 14:49.90 at the UGA Invite before deciding to go back to his club team to train for the 2025 World Championships.

Previous Winners

PAST WINNERS