2025 WINTER JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS – EAST
- December 10-13, 2025
- Indianapolis, Ind.
- Prelims: 10 a.m. EST
- Wednesday (1000 free): 1 p.m. EST
- Finals: 5 p.m. EST
- Wednesday (relays): 4 p.m. EST
- Prelims: 10 a.m. EST
- SCY (25 yards)
- Meet Central
- Psych Sheets
- How to Watch
- Live Results
GIRLS 800-YARD FREESTYLE RELAY – TIMED FINALS
- Meet Record: 6:59.52 – Carmel Swim Club (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 – Nation’s Capital (Duncan, Spink, Wall, Gemmell), 2020
- 17-18 NAG Record: 7:06.69 – Nation’s Capital (Duncan, Wall, Spink, Gemmell), 2022
- 15-18 Relay NAG Record: 6:52.66 — Sandpipers of Nevada (Sims, Grimes, Hodges, Weinstein), 2022
Top 3 Teams After Two Heats
- TAC Titans ‘A’ — 7:09.42
- Laker Swim ‘A’ — 7:10.46
- Bolles School Sharks ‘A’ — 7:16.61
Rylee Erisman split a stunning 1:41.86 to drag Laker Swim Club to just a second off the winning TAC Titans team in the women’s 800 free relay tonight. The 16-year-old has the fastest split of the field by nearly four seconds on the anchor tonight.
Erisman already ranks as the #6 among U.S. 15-16 year-old girls, but her time tonight indicates there could be a jump in store in the individual 200 free on Friday. Her best time sits at 1:43.51, set at the Florida Senior Championships this March.
Her time tonight was a full 1.65 seconds faster than that swim, far more than the half a second or so you would expect from a flying start. She hit halfway here in Indianapolis in 48.92 and closed in 52.94 – out nearly two seconds faster and back just over a tenth slower.
| Split | 2025 Florida Senior Championships – Flat-start best | 2025 Winter Juniors East – Flying Start | Difference |
| 50 | 24.14 | 23.16 | -0.98 |
| 100 | 26.58 | 25.76 | -0.82 |
| 150 | 26.45 | 26.31 | -0.14 |
| 200 | 26.34 | 26.63 | +0.29 |
| Total | 1:43.51 | 1:41.86 | -1.65 |
Notably, her time tonight comes in two tenths faster than Katie Ledecky‘s 15-16 NAG Record. albeit from a flying start. That is still a mark that no other 15-16 year-old girl has been much closer to a second to from a flat start, and if she can retain some of that newfound opening speed then coming close to Ledecky’s mark is a real possibility.
Ledecky split just 1:44.17 at the meet where she then set that record. While it’s unlikely Erisman will drop two seconds in the individual event – that would take her within a second of Missy Franklin‘s American Record – but she is looking in frightening form so far.
Moving up the all-time rankings in the 200 free is a realistic outcome for her this week, with Regan Smith just 0.24 seconds away in 5th. With a drop of just 0.70 seconds from her best, she would rise from 6th to 2nd.
All-Time Top 10 U.S. 15-16 Girls, 200 Yard Freestyle
- Katie Ledecky – 1:42.03, 12/05/13
- Dagny Knutson – 1:42.81, 11/14/09
- Bella Sims – 1:42.92, 12/10/21
- Missy Franklin – 1:43.15, 02/10/2012
- Regan Smith – 1:43.27, 12/07/18
- Rylee Erisman – 1:43.51, 03/14/25
- Alex Shackell – 1:43.60, 12/07/22
- Isabel Ivey – 1:43.64, 12/09/16
- Claire Weinstein – 1:43.77, 12/15/23
- Katie Grimes – 1:43.83, 12/09/22
N.B. Bella Sims swam 1:43.79 at the 2021 Nevada State Championships, which converts down to 1:42.59 with the time adjustment for altitudes of 4251-6500 feet in place. As per USA Swimming’s guidelines, altitude adjusted times are not eligible for record or recognition purposes – to match that we’re including only here fastest swim by time in the rankings above.
The all-time fastest 15-16 year old is Canadian Summer McIntosh, who swam 1:40.63 at Winter Juniors East in 2022 – the same year she won silver in the 400 free and bronze in the 200 free at worlds. McIntosh, who was swimming for Sarasota Sharks in Florida at the time, owns the meet record with that swim.
A good comparison for Erisman’s swim tonight is #3 Bella Sims. She swam her 15-16 best of 1:42.92 at Winter Juniors – West in 2021, and her 800 free relay anchor leg that year was 1:43.56 – 1.70 seconds slower than Erisman’s time tonight.
Erisman had a phenomenal summer in long course, winning gold in the 50 free and 100 free at the World Junior Championships in Romania. The latter was in a time of 52.79, just NAG Record and just 0.09 seconds off Penny Oleksiak‘s World Junior Record of 52.70.
She also won silver in the 200 free in 1:56.76, which ranks her #5 all-time among U.S. 15-16 girls. That was a three second drop from her best time of 1:59.63 coming into the 2024-2025 season.
This was Erisman’s second swim of the evening, coming after she split 21.64 to anchor Laker’s 4th-plave women’s 200 medley relay team. She had the fastest split of the field by half a second, with the next quickest a 22.16 from Leah Chin of Bolles School Sharks.
Insane.
Hot take:
Rylee Erisman will get an individual 100 free spot in 2028 LA
And shall batel with torri huske for a spot in medley relay free leg..
That wouldn’t be a big surprise. Currently she’s just behind the top USA swimmers and she’s still improving. Heck, she might even win it at trials at this rate.
Her current PB would’ve been 0.01 from making the team individually this year. Not exactly a hot take.
And Rylee Erisman will even be an Olympic champion in this distance, as her victory in this event had already suggested in 2027 in Budapest.
She went 52.7 as a 16YO 3 years before the Games and you think this is a hot take?
Bella sims went 1:42.59 when she was 16
And then 1:40.8 lead off when she was 17
Imagine her and Weinstein on the same relay.
I just saw this thing saying Grimes was gonna go to Cal and switchd last minute. Wild
That is 100% real.
She should switch back
Where to watch this? I do not see on USA network platform
Replays for finals are processing and should show up soon in the “past live streams” section. The “top list” has sessions for the rest of the week listed. Let us know if you get stuck and we’ll try to help!
Bella sims was 1:42.59 when she was 16
Sims was actually 1:43.79 at that meet (2021 Nevada State Champs) – I’m not sure why swimcloud has her down as 1:42.59.
Results can be found here (pacswim.org/userfiles/meets/documents/2081/2021-nv-state-championships.htm)
Altitude adjustment?
Ooh good spot. That is the case, but as USA Swimming state that altitude-adjusted times cannot be used for record and recognition purposes, for consistency’s sake it feels best to include her fastest actual swim instead
Y’know, if I didn’t know any better I’d say that top ten list makes a pretty good case that being historically good at the 200y free when you’re 16 is a decent predictor of future success.
(Wonder if there’s any other event that would stack up?? This had to have been an article at some point.)
Does seem to be doesn’t it? Nine of the ten have at least one world medal, and all of them either were, are, or would be competitive at a world level in at least one other event.
Is the 200 yard free similarly revealing on the men’s side or is there another event that is a better indicator for the men?
I suppose it does catch alot of the mid d/stroke 200 swimmers and some of the sprinters who favor 100/200?? Especially since 200scy has a lot more cross over with sprinters and mid d vs the LCM versions.
I actually think its really interesting we do not see many of the current *sprint* free stars here, ie GW, KD, Huske (especially since gw and huske are excellent 200scy freestylers in ncaa ). also one I would have expected to be here with her strengths is Alex Walsh
It would be fun to see a comparison across all events for women. My guess is that the last majority of top10 times for 15-16 & 17-18 are already pretty elite times overall
11-12 girls 100m back