Reece Whitley of the Penn Charter Aquatic Club, who is spending the summer mixing up his training a bit at the Bolles School in Jacksonville, Florida, has broken the 13-14 National Age Group Record in the 200 meter breaststroke on Sunday.
Whitley, who will be 14 until January 3rd, 2015, swam a 2:19.74 at the BSS Summer Classic, which breaks the 2010 record set by current USA Swimming National Teamer Gunnar Bentz of the Dynamo Swim Club at 2:20.48.
Although Whitley has been dominant in short course breaststroking (he holds the NAG Records in the 100 and 200 yard races for 11-12’s and the 200 yard race for 13-14’s, with time to get the 100), this is his first individual record in long course.
Whitley’s own prior personal best was a 2:23.4 done last July, and the only other time that he’s swum the race in long course this summer so far, a month ago, he was a 2:33.
Also at this meet, Whitley won the 13-14 age group in the 200 IM (2:12.43), the 400 IM (4:41.63), and the 100 breast (1:04.80).That 100 breaststroke time was about half-a-second away from Whitley’s own personal best and about a second away from Michael Andrew’s National Age Group Record.
Full meet results available on Meet Mobile. A full meet recap will be following shortly.
You go, Reece! I am so proud of you!
Ms. Hill
Impressive young swimmer. Read the article on his swim regime with the PCAC club, and sooooo refreshing to learn that he still isn’t ‘overtraining’ as so many young swimmers are doing today. He certainly has the talent to go far – sure we’ll be hearing a lot more from this young Mr Whitley. This kid has got a “big” future ahead. Congrats to him!
Gunnar and Reese have the same Birthday! Hmmm
Not much room to improve considering his size, but maybe he will help to solve the lack of world class us breaststrokers.
Thank God, finally to see a young breaststroker that does it right, after witnessing bob-fest at NCAAs. Reece is doing it right and hopefully he comes to swim for Reese 🙂 (Eddie will coach forever, right?).
His pullouts are so long, are they for real? I could not see very well on you tube videos.
Great talent.
eddie is immortal.
“maybe he will help to solve the lack of world-class US breaststrokers.”
Again I presume you talked only about the men.
But there were 2 US breaststrokers (Cordes and Fink) in the men’s 100 breast final at the world championships in Barcelona last year!
And they are still young.
They were not medalists but if you consider they are not world-class swimmers then I don’t understand anything.
And Cordes can only improve in long course in the next years.
He will be ready for big things in 2016.
And if you want other promising US breaststroker, look at Carsten Vissering in the future.
Beast! Congrats!!!
Coach Jason has posted a pic of Mr Whitley on his Twitter during his….basketball training. 🙂
He easily dunks!
http://t.co/bZrg1pUcnZ
Last time I read something about his height he was 6’6.
Is he still growing?
Congrats to Mr Whitley!
The question wasn’t IF he would break those 13/14 breaststroke NAG records but WHEN.
Already one in the pocket.
I’m sure he will lower it again later in the summer.
And the 100 breast will follow as well.
1.03.64 and 2.17.23 are my predictions before he turns 15.
RACE VIDEO PLEASE!
That kid is great. I was at that meet and spent a lot of time around the bolles group. Great person and great teammate. Incredibly huge human.