2017 ARENA PRO SWIM SERIES – AUSTIN
- January 13-15th, 2017
- Lee & Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center
- Live Results
- Meet Preview
- Live Stream
- Day 2 Finals Heat Sheet
14-year-old Harrison Lierz of the Front Range Barracudas went 2:04.47 in the 200 long course meter backstroke Saturday night, becoming the 5th-fastest swimmer ever in USA Swimming’s 13-14 ranks.
Lierz first jumped up to #6 in prelims, dropping his previous best of 2:06.10 all the way down to a 2:04.88 to make the championship final at the Arena Pro Swim Series in Austin, Texas. That time qualified him 8th overall, in a heat with Olympian Jacob Pebley and besting junior world record-holder (in the 400 IM) Sean Grieshop for 8th. Lierz was the youngest swimmer to qualify for the final by 5 years.
Then in the final, Lierz improved even more, going 2:04.47 and moving up one spot to 7th overall. That also moved him up to 5th in the 13-14 age group all-time ranks, leapfrogging Benjamin Ho‘s 2:04.87 from 2013. The top 4 in the event are a pretty decorated group:
- Aaron Peirsol: 2:02.78 (1998)
- Ryan Murphy: 2:02.86 (2010)
- Destin Lasco: 2:03.28 (2016)
- Michael Andrew: 2:04.06 (2014)
- Harrison Lierz: 2:04.47 (2017)
Lierz has dropped significant time over the past three years. Here’s what his 200 back progression looks like after Saturday’s swim:
| Age | Best Time |
| 12 | 2:21.43 |
| 13 | 2:13.33 |
| 14 | 2:04.47 |
He’s doing a Phelps at a similar age with the time drops. No pressure, but he is definitely worth keeping an eye on.
Very true, wadnt crazy fast really young but killed it at 13-15