400 Free Jr. National Champ Jillian Cox Breaks Into All-time Top-10 for 13-14s

2019 USA Swimming Speedo Junior National Championships

Austin Trinity Aquatic Club’s Jillian Cox, who has been 14 years old all of three weeks, became the ninth-fastest swimmer in girls’ 13-14 history when she won the 400 free at U.S. Junior Nationals on Thursday. Cox came into the meet seeded fifth in the event with 4:16.27, a PB by 3.7 seconds she had swum at Mission Viejo’s SMOC in June. Last summer, her best time in the 400 free was 4:30.63. Since then, she has made steady progression in the distance. She opened the 2019 long-course season with 4:23.27 at College Station Sectionals in February, hit 4:19.95 in April and again at the beginning of June, then notched her 4:16.27 at SMOC at the end of June to earn a berth at 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials.

Cox’s improvement has come primarily up front, but she has dropped time on all four 100s:

  June 2019 August 2019
1st 100 1:02.58 1:01.12
2nd 100 1:05.85 1:04.91
3rd 100 1:04.85 1:04.48
4th 100 1:02.99 1:02.73
  4:16.27 4:13.24

With another year left to improve her standings in the all-time rankings, Cox is a second outside of the top-5.

Top Ten 13-14 Girls

Time Swimmer LSC Club Meet Date Location
4:07.15 Sippy Woodhead US UN 1978 US NAG Records 1/1/1978
4:08.65 Becca Mann AZ CAT 2012 USA Olympic Team Trials 6/24/2012 Omaha
4:09.30 Katie Ledecky PV NCAP 2012 Missouri Grand Prix 2/9/2012 Columbia
4:10.11 Claire Tuggle CC CLOV 2018 Speedo Junior Nationals 8/1/2018 Irvine
4:12.30 Maddie Homovich GA NCAC 2014 Summer Junior Nationals 7/29/2014 Irvine
4:12.41 Courtney Harnish MA YY 2/12/2014 Orlando
4:12.53 Chelsea Chenault CA TERA 2009 CA/NV Speedo Championship 7/21/2009 Clovis
4:12.83 Michele Richardson US UN 12/31/1982
4:13.24 Jillian Cox ST ATAC 2019 Speedo Junior Nationals 8/8/2019 Stanford
4:13.25 G Ryan MI PAAC 2010 Junior National Champs 8/8/2010 Irvine

Cox was runner-up in the 800 free on Tuesday night, going 8:44.99 which is also a 2020 Olympic Trials cut.

 

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Austinpoolboy
4 years ago

Wow! Congrats Jillian!

Amazing Sippy Woodhead’s record untouched from 1982

Walter
Reply to  Austinpoolboy
4 years ago

1978!

About Anne Lepesant

Anne Lepesant

Anne Lepesant is the mother of four daughters, all of whom swam in college. With an undergraduate degree from Princeton (where she was an all-Ivy tennis player) and an MBA from INSEAD, she worked for many years in the financial industry, both in France and the U.S. Anne is currently …

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