Jack Alexy Pops 22.67/49.31 Freestyles in Long Course; Adds New Wave II Cut

2021 May 813 Meet

• May 21-23
• St. Petersburg, Florida
• Long Course Meters (LCM)
• Results available on Meet Mobile, “2021 May 813 Meet”

Jack Alexy of Greater Somerset County YMCA swam to two new best times during the May 813 Meet in St. Petersburg, improving on his 50 enough to earn him his second Wave II Trials cut. Prior to the start of the meet, Alexy had already qualified for three events at Trials, including the 50 free, 100 free, and 100 back. His 100 free, however, was his only Wave II cut. 

At the TYR 18&U Spring Cup in early May, Alexy swam his entry time of 22.82 in the 50 free. It was the first 50 free LCM time he had posted since the 2019 Phillips 66 Summer National Championships, where he swam a 22.93. On Friday, Alexy swam the 50 free again, finishing in a 22.67 and dipping under the Wave II Trials standard of 22.71. His time would put him at 5th in the nation for the 17-18 age group. 

Peter Tanner took second in a 23.51, followed by Chance Tirheimer in a 23.66. The top-three finishers were the only swimmers to break the 24-second barrier. Tirheimer, 17, met the 2021 Speedo Summer Championships 18&U qualification time of 23.99. In February, he announced his commitment to swim for the University of Florida as part of their class of 2025.

The 50 free was offered again during the 13&O Saturday and Sunday sessions. Alexy swam the race again on Saturday, but gained .2, finishing in a 22.88. Tyler Robertson touched behind Alexy in a 23.86, marking his first sub-24 time and qualifying him for the 2021 Speedo Summer Championships in the event. On Sunday, no swimmers were under the 24-second barrier. 

Also on Friday, Alexey swam the 100 freestyle and bested his entry time of 49.67 by .4 seconds, touching in a 49.31. His new time will put him third in the nation for the 17-18 year-old age group, and 19th overall (open age group). 

To make his swims even more impressive, according to the head coach of St. Petersburg Aquatics Fred Lewis, Alexy swam his 50 and 100 free times on Friday after attending a 5 AM morning practice. Leading up to the May 813 Meet, Alexy had been training with St. Petersburg Aquatics under Coach Lewis, doing doubles three times a week. In our recent podcast with Alexy, he discussed the training camp and Lewis’ expertise. He noted that his time down in Florida marked one of the best training blocks he’d had since the beginning of the pandemic, and felt pushed at practice. 

In October of 2019, Alexy announced his commitment to Berkley, where he will join the Bears for their 2021-2022 season. His best time in the 50 SCY (19.61) would’ve made him the fourth fastest 50 freestyler for the Bears this season, and his 100 would’ve put him in third (42.63). On the NCAA stage, Alexey would’ve finished at 32nd overall in the 50, and 21st overall in the 100.

Alexy’s teammate, UPenn commit and #8 class of 2021 recruit Matthew Fallon, swept five events at the meet, including the 50 breast, 50 back, 100 breast, 200 breast, and 200 IM. The only event that he dropped in was the 50 breast, which he won by nearly three seconds with his time of 28.55. He still dominated the field in other breaststroke events, leading by roughly eight seconds in the 100 breast (1:02.56) and over 20 seconds in the 200 breast (2:14.02). 

At the TYR 18&U Spring Cup in Orlando, Fallon shattered numerous best times, including his 200 breaststroke. Currently, Fallon ranks 12th in the US (during the Olympic Trials qualification period) in the 200 breaststroke, and the 8th best of all-time in the 17-18 year-old age group. For the 2020-2021 season, Fallon’s best time of 1:01.57 in the 100 breaststroke puts him at 6th in the 17-18 age group. 

Future UNC Tarheel Michelle Morgan impressed in the distance events, placing amongst the top-5 in the mixed 400 and 800 freestyle events. Amongst the women, she won both by large margins. Her 800 free clocked in at 8:57.93, which was a 9 second gain from her entry time of 8:48.50. Nonetheless, the time is still a 2021 Speedo Summer Championships cut. In the 400 she swam a 4:20.08, which was only a 2 second gain from her entry time of 4:18.01.