Sophomore Rylee Erisman Breaks Abbey Weitzeil’s National HS Record, Curzan’s NAG Record

Florida 4A High School State Championships

• November 9, 2024
• Florida Aquatics Swim & Training (FAST), Ocala, Florida
• Short Course Yards (Prelims/Finals)
• Full Meet Results (PDF)

Windermere High School Sophomore Rylee Erisman won a pair of Florida 4A State Championships on Saturday in Ocala, setting State Records in each in the process. The 4A meet is for the state’s largest public high schools.

National High School Record

Erisman, 15, swam 21.61 in the 50 free to break the National Public High School Record that was set by Olympian Abbey Weitzeil in 2015. Weitzeil swam for Saugus High School in Saugus California.

Erisman crushed the state record that was set last season by another age group phenom Erika Pelaez. Another Olympian, Gretchen Walsh, who is also the fastest swimmer of any age in the 50 yard free, holds the overall high school record of 21.59 from 2020.

Erisman’s previous best in the 50 free was a 22.42 set in March.

National Age Group Record

In the 100 free, Erisman swam 47.14, which missed Weitzeil’s Public High School Record of 47.09 that was also set in 2015. Walsh holds the overall record in that race as well in 46.98, and Erisman again crushed an Erika Pelaez State Record, swimming 47.14 versus the old mark of 47.67.

It did, however, break the 15-16 National Age Group Record in the 100 free. The old mark of 47.23 was set by Claire Curzan in 2020.

Splits Comparison:

In the process, Erisman, again in spite of being only 15, surpassed a who’s-who of swimmers in the all-time 15-16 rankings. The top 4 have all represented the U.S. at the Olympics: Claire Curzan, Alex Shackell, Gretchen Walsh, and Simone Manuel.

Erisman’s previous best in the 100 free was 48.32 set in December. Erisman now has more than a year to continue lowering this record before her 17th birthday.

Erisman also split 21.37 to anchor Windermere High School’s runner-up 200 medley relay and 48.56 to anchor the school’s state title winning 400 free relay.

A member of the high school class of 2027, she is likely to be the #1 recruit in the class of 2027 later this season when SwimSwam first ranks that class. Her times from this meet would have placed her 6th and 5th, respectively, at the 2024 NCAA Championships.

She qualified for finals in  the 50 free at the U.S. Olympic Trials with a 24.62 in the long course meters version of the event.

Overall, her team finished 2nd in the state title race with 311 points. That put them 67 behind Riverview Sarasota High, who won their fourth consecutive state title.

Rylee’s older brother Ryan Erisman won the 200 free (1:36.20) and 500 free (4:17.63) on Saturday and is committed to Cal for next fall.

Full Meet Recap to Follow.