Rylee Erisman Opens Winter Juniors – East With Blazing 1:42.72 Split on 800 Freestyle Relay

2024 Winter Junior Championships – East

• December 11-14, 2024
• Wednesday Finals: 4 pm EST
• Prelims: 9 am EST/ Finals: 5 pm EST
• Greensboro, NC
• SCY (25 yards)
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15-year-old Rylee Erisman wasted no time in making her presence known at the 2024 Winter Junior Championships, throwing down a massive split to propel Laker Swimming to victory in the girl’s 800 freestyle relay. 

With her team in 7th, Erisman entered the water and threw down a 1:42.72 split, taking the team into the wall first for the victory in a final time of 7:10.93. Notably, at just 15-years-old, Erisman’s split would’ve been the 14th-fastest 800 freestyle relay split (flat or flying start) at last year’s NCAA Championships, even bettering two swimmer’s times from National Champion Florida’s relay. 

Though USA Swimming does not maintain a National Age Group Records for relay splits, Erisman may be in the position to challenge Katie Ledecky’s individual NAG in the 200 freestyle. Currently, Ledecky’s NAG record sits at a 1:42.03 from 2013, just one year after she won gold in the 800 freestyle at the 2012 Olympics. Unless she decides to time trial the 200 freestyle individually, Erisman will have to wait to take a shot at Ledecky’s mark as she won’t swim the race individually. However, even if she does not hit that mark this week, she will still have over a year left to chase it. Earlier this year, Erisman broke Claire Curzan’s 15-16 NAG record in the 100 freestyle, swimming a time of 47.14. 

Notably, just minutes before her 800 freestyle relay split, Erisman also swam the backstroke leg on Laker Swim’s 200 medley relay, helping the team finish 8th with a 24.25 split. That was the 2nd fastest split in the field only behind Charlotte Crush’s 23.56, another major performance. Based on Erisman’s early form, she’s set to have an exciting meet, with a lineup that includes the 200 IM, 50 free, 100 fly, 100 back, 200 back, and 100 free individually. 

Recap Originally by Madeline Folsom

GIRLS’ 800-YARD FREESTYLE RELAY – TIMED FINALS

• Meet Record: 6:59.52 – Carmel Swim Club ‘A’ (Shackell, Bowen, Sweeney, Han), 2023
• 13-14 NAG Record: 7:18.96 – NOVA Aquatics (G. Sheble, C. Sheble, Erickson, Ackerly), 2017
• 15-16 NAG Record: 7:08.94 – NCAP (Duncan, Spink, Wall, Gemmell), 2020
• 17-18 NAG Record: 7:06.69 – NCAP (Duncan, Wall, Spink, Gemmell), 2022

Top 3 Finishers:

1. Laker Swim ‘A’- 7:10.93
2. TAC Titans ‘A’- 7:12.27
3. Lakeside Swim Team ‘A’ – 7:14.55

Rylee Erisman’s anchor leg was the story of the final. Through the first 600 of the race, it was a race between TAC and Lakeside and Laker was back in 7th place, but Erisman yanked Laker into first place and handed them the gold medal with an absolutely blistering 1:42.72 on the final leg.

The rest of Laker’s relay consisted of Carolina Daher (1:47.81), Lilliana Krstolic (1:48.97), and Aidyn Reese (1:51.43). Their final time of 7:10.93 beat the 2nd place relay TAC by over a second.

TAC was in 2nd for most of the race, and all four of their swimmers had similar splits. Their team of Reina Liu (1:48.02), Sloane Whelehan (1:48.10), Nicole Zettel (1:48.29), and Mere Welehan (1:47.86) went a final time of 7:12.27 to pass Lakeside, who was leading, and hold them off for the silver.

The bronze went to Lakeside Swim Team, led off by Charlotte Crush in 1:45.56. The 2nd swimmer Ava Graziani (1:49.06) and 3rd swimmer Eli Summa (1:49.25) also went under 1:50 to hold onto the lead. Anchor leg Sydney Green (1:50.68) was not able to hold on, though nobody was compared to Erisman, and Lakeside got 3rd in 7:14.55.