2023 SCSC SPRING AGE GROUP CHAMPIONSHIPS
- March 10-12, 2023
- Santa Clara, California
- SCY (25 yards)
- Results on MeetMobile: “2023 Spring Age Group Championships SCSC”
At 13 years old, Luka Mijatovic dropped 43 seconds in the 1650-yard freestyle to demolish the boys’ 13-14 national age group (NAG) record in the event by nearly five seconds on Sunday.
1650 Free, Boys’ 13-14 NAG Rankings
- Luka Mijatovic – 15:00.95 (2023)
- Sean Green – 15:05.83 (2022)
- Arthur Frayler – 15:14.17 (2008)
- Matthew Hirschberger – 15:14.42 (2013)
- Cooper Lucas – 15:19.78 (2019)
- Noah Brune – 15:21.16 (2016)
- Lleyton Plattel – 15:22.96 (2016)
- Brennan Morris – 15:26.93 (2005)
- Michael Brinegar – 15:28.29 (2014)
- Eegan Groome – 15:28.86 (2007)
The Pleasanton Seahawks standout clocked a time of 15:00.95 at the Spring Age Group Championships in Santa Clara, California, winning his heat of 13-year-olds by over a minute and 45 seconds. Mijatovic improved on his previous-best 15:44.30 from November. It was only his third time entering the event according to Swimcloud, with a 16:30.59 from last March being his only other swim on record.
The 13-14 NAG record for the 1650 free used to be the oldest yards mark until last March, when Sean Green (15:05.83) erased Arthur Frayler’s 15:14.17 from 2008.
The 13-14 NAG record for the 1500-meter free dates back to 1976, still held by the legendary Jesse Vassallo at 15:31.03. Mijatovic’s lifetime best in the 1500-meter free is a 16:41.14 from last July, so he’s still got a ways to go, but there should be some big drops on the horizon if this weekend was any indication.
Mijatovic has now broken three NAG records in less than three months. He first cracked Lleyton Plattel’s 500 free record with a 4:24.72 before becoming the first boy in the 13-14 age group to go sub-9:00 in the 1000 free (8:59.29). Mijatovic turns 14 in April, meaning he still has more than a year left to lower 13-14 NAG records.
Mijatovic led off the Seahawks’ 200 medley relay team with a 24.61 backstroke split as well as the 200 free relay with a 21.85 leadoff, which shaved six-tenths off his previous best from January. He also earned a runner-up finish in the 100 fly with a 50.49, lowering his previous-best 52.03 from January. That time ranks just outside the top 100 in his age group.
Luka turned 14 yesterday 4/21 so he has another whole year left to go
Bro had to 1 up ledecky
great swim from a future longhorn
And they said it couldn’t be done
Bruh my 50 free at 13 was 27… and he’s doing 30 of them in a row with no rest…
This kid is answering the bat signal to be the next distance great for the US
Simmer down…
No u
Good time to remember this: https://swimswam.com/asca-establishes-jack-simon-award-for-excellence-in-distance-coaching/
He doesn’t need to be the next anything. He simply needs to be the first Luka Mijatovic.
Good lord this comment just gets cringier every time I see it. There’s nothing wrong with saying he might be next up for America in distance swimming.
At this point I’m finding myself genuinely hoping something bad happens to you
Incredible swim! Would love to see him try to break Vassallo’s iconic record this summer…
If he doesn’t get Jesse’s record this summer, Luka should schedule a long course meet one year from now. It’s time for this legendary record to be put to pasture. If he also manages to get Bobby Hackett’s 15-16 record, that would leave Chas Morton with the only pre-2000 record on the male side (1983, 11-12 100 fly). After that there is a big gap until the two Phelps 13-14 records from 2000.
I’m really curious to see how he does long term. NAG records for 13-14s are usually a sign you’ll make noise for the rest of your swimming career, at least on the national level, but that seems much less true for distance. Frayler and Brinegar were excellent distance swimmers for the NCAA level, but no one on the top ten list has been competitive on an international level.
Brinegar was the other Olympian in the 1500 free in Tokyo.
Morris competed in the 1500 at 2009 Worlds, but that was a funky year for US men’s distance
Listen not trying to hate but with Morris’ build the rubber suits helped him a lot.
I know Luka is extremely tall for his age, but he is really off the scale here. A fine collegiate career is probably the worst case outcome unless he becomes disinterested or is recruited for basketball.