Last night, University of Michigan junior and 2019 100 fly World Champion Maggie MacNeil dropped a 57.2 100 fly in long course meters in the middle of practice.
The time trial was prompted by a challenge from Michigan associate head coach Rick Bishop. He tells SwimSwam that he sent MacNeil a text before practice to bring a racing suit and that she’s only been back training for a month. When she got to practice, he challenged her to race a 100 fly all-out, suited.
“The goal was to push Maggie out of her comfort zone and take a risk at challenging for a great time. With only a little over a month of training we were very pleased with the result,” said Coach Bishop. “As we prepare for the Olympics there will be a lot of uncomfortable moments. Meeting the small uncomfortable moments head-on now will better prepare us for the BIG moments.”
With swimmers going easy (likely warming up or down) in the lane next to her, MacNeil cruised out with a 26-mid and came back to hit a 57.2. SwimSwam hand-timed the race from the video and clocked 57-low on three attempts.
According to the race video’s Instagram caption, her swim, had it been official, would’ve broken former World Record-holder and current American Record-holder Dana Vollmer‘s Canham Natatorium pool record of 57.50. That swim was done in 2011, a year before Vollmer became the first woman ever under 56 seconds with a 55.98 at the 2012 London Olympics.
MacNeil is coming off of an upstart 2019 where she defeated 100 fly favorite and current World Record-holder Sarah Sjöström at the 2019 World Championships. She had never broken 58.0 seconds in this race until the year 2019 when she got down to 57.04 at the 2019 Canadian Worlds Trials, and she’s only been under 57 seconds twice, ever: a 56.52 at the Worlds semifinals and her gold medal-winning 55.83.
Her time yesterday is only a tenth off of what she went in prelims at those Worlds last year.
MacNeil wasn’t done yet, though. After crushing a 57.2 in the 100, she returned to the blocks for a 50 fly time trial. There, she hit a 26-flat, an unofficial best time. Her current official best is a 26.14 from 2019 Worlds.
When you’re the defending world champ you answer the challenge. Maggie MacNeil drops a 57.2 in the middle of practice then follows it up with a 26.0 50 Fly💪@swimswamnews @SwimmingCanada @mags_swims26@umichswimdive pic.twitter.com/pRyKzYzxhN
— Rick Bishop (@CoachRickBishop) October 15, 2020
Just happen to have a tech suit handy mid-practice?
It says in the article that the coach texted her before practice to bring a race suit.
I counted 41 strokes. 19-22. Remarkable DPS for someone her size. Her kick is spectacular. Painful for me to admit this.
When she swims by herself you can really appreciate just how FAST she’s moving wow. It looks like she was long on her turn too, so it could’ve been even faster
I just love watching her swim. She’s going to have a great next couple of years.
She always seems to be fast year round, didn’t she drop like a 50.point in the middle of October/November last year or a couple years ago? That got her on everyone’s radar
She sure did.
If she decides to do ISL once she graduates, she’s going to have a lot of success.
If ISL is still viable
yes, she broke the school record unsuited in the first meet of her freshman year
Yes a 50.0 at the B1G v ACC challenge 2018
49.57 at 2019 Michigan intrasquad, wearing a tech suit
A few hours later, Schooling responds with a blazing 57.1
Honestly that would be a good time for him at this point
I feel like a horrible person for chuckling at this.
I hate all of you for beating me to the punch line with Schooling and feeling guilty for doing so. 😜 notwithstanding my snarkiness, she’s the bomb
Smokin’!
ANIMAL!!! Can’t wait to see her go 48 low SCY…just provide her the opportunity!