15-Year-Old Cullen Cashman Pops a 1:02 in the 100 Breast at New England Senior Champs

2026 New England Swimming LCM Senior Championships

• July 9-12, 2026
• Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
• Long Course Meters (50m), Prelims/Finals
• Full Meet Results

The latest salvo in a wave of revival from American men’s breaststroking came from 15-year-old Cullen Cashman earlier this month at the New England Swimming Senior Championships in Rhode Island.

There, Cashman knocked more than a second off his best time in the 100 meter breaststroke to win in 1:02.96. In spite of being in the younger half of the age group, that swim ranks him 47th-best all-time among American 15-16s in the event.

He ranks 12th all-time among just 15-year-olds and is 2nd nationally this season at swimmers his age behind only Floridian Reef McMeeking, who swam 1:02.68 at the Westmont Pro Swim in March.

Cashman’s previous best time was a 1:04.27 that he swam to finish 8th at the Ocala Futures meet last summer.

Almost all of that drop came in the second 50 of the swim. While he opened the race a tenth faster, he finished it 1.1 better over the second length, and that was the majority of the difference in the final time.

Perhaps unsurprisingly given his 100 meter splitting, Cashman also went a best time in the 200 breaststroke, dropping from a 2:18.24 a year ago to a 2:17.27 at this meet. He finished 2nd behind Commonwealth Swimming’s Gerhardt Hoover, who knocked half-a-second off his best time in victory.

While Cashman is just a rising high school sophomore, Hoover is preparing to start his freshman season at the University of Virginia. That was one of five individual event wins at the meet, including the 100 back, 200 back, 200 IM, and 400 IM.

Hoover still holds the 15-16 100 meter breaststroke record over Cashman – but not by much: just .05 seconds.

Cashman swims for the South Shore Mill Pond YMCA.

Other Notable Results from the meet:

• Gianna Mattrey swam 28.09 in the girls’ 50 fly to break the 13-14 LSC Record.
• Mena Boardman swam 29.20 in the girls’ 50 back to break the 17-18 LSC Record. Boardman won 8 total races for Commonwealth Swimming, including five of six in her individual events.
• At 15, Revolution Swimming’s Joey Eaddy won both the 800 free (8:09.78) and the 1500 free (15:37.91), in addition to five runner-up finishes. That swim in the 1500 was a new best time, as was his 1:52.41 in the 200 free for 2nd place.