Sims and Grimes Swim Sub-4:30 500 Frees, Four Girls Faster Than 2022 NCAAs Winning Time

2022 SPEEDO WINTER JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS – WEST

• December 7-10, 2022
• Lee & Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center, Austin, Texas
• Short Course Yards (25 yards), Prelims/Finals
• Prelims @10:00AM ET, Finals at 6:00 PM ET (except for day 1 timed finals)
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheet
• Storylines to Watch
• Live Results
• Live Stream

NCAA swimmers better buckle up and watch out, because high schoolers have taken over the women’s 500 free.

Just an hour after Summer McIntosh set the swimming world on fire with a 4:27.53 500 free to become the second-fastest performer of all-time, Sandpipers of Nevada swimmers Bella Sims and Katie Grimes followed, putting up times of 4:28.64 and 4:29.53 respectively to etch their names as the #3 and #5-ranked swimmers in history.

Prior to today, Katie Ledecky and Leah Smith were the only two women to have broken the 4:30 barrier. McIntosh, Sims, and Grimes now up that number to five.

All-Time Top Performers, Women’s 500 Free:

1. Katie Ledecky, Stanford — 4:24.06 (2017)
2. Summer McIntosh, Sarasota Sharks — 4:27.53 (2022)
3. Bella Sims, Sandpipers of Nevada — 4:28.64 (2022)
4. Leah Smith, Virginia — 4:28.90 (2017)
5. Katie Grimes, Sandpipers of Nevada — 4:29.53 (2022)
6. Katie Hoff, North Baltimore Aquatic Club — 4:30.47 (2007)
7. Dagny Knutson, A.S.K Swim — 4:31.18 (2009)
8. Brooke Forde, Stanford — 4:31.34 (2019)
9. Cierra Runge, Cal — 4:31.90 (2015)
10. Allison Schmitt, North Baltimore Aquatic Club (2015)

Interestingly enough, with three juniors joining the all-time top rankings today, six of the now ten fastest performers in the history of the women’s 500 free set their best time at a non-NCAA competition.

With Sims being 17 and Grimes being 16, the two swimmers also made age group swimming history. Sims is now the second-fastest 17-18 performer of all-time, being just over a second off of Katie Ledecky‘s U.S. 17-18 National Age Group record time of 4:28.71. Grimes is the second-fastest American performer in the 15-16 age group and third-fastest overall, with her time just trailing Ledecky’s 15-16 U.S. NAG of 4:28.71 and McIntosh’s time from tonight.

At 2021 Winter Juniors, Sims and Grimes went times of 4:32.28 and 4:32.97 respectively.

But wait, it doesn’t stop there! In that same heat, 15-year-old Sandpiper Claire Weinstein swam a massive best time of 4:33.03, taking over five seconds off her personal best of 4:38.46 coming into today. 16-year-old Virginia commit Bailey Hartman finished fourth behind the Sandpipers with a 4:33.72, also improving a significant amount from her pre-meet best of 4:41.73. Weinstein and Hartman are now ranked as the fourth and fifth-fastest performers of all-time in the U.S. 15-16 girls’ age group.

All Time Top Performers, Girls’ 500 Free, 15-16 Age Group:

1. Summer McIntosh, Sarasota Sharks — 4:27.53 (2022)
2. Katie Ledecky, NCAP — 4:28.71 (2014)
3. Katie Grimes, Sandpipers of Nevada — 4:29.53 (2022)
4. Bella Sims, Sandpipers of Nevada — 4:32.13 (2021)
5. Claire Weinstein, Sandpipers of Nevada — 4:33.03 (2022)
6. Bailey Hartman, Crow Canyon Country Club Sharks — 4:33.72 (2022)

Notably, McIntosh, Sims, Grimes, and Weinstein were all faster than Lia Thomas‘s time of 4:33.24, which won her the 2022 NCAA title in the 500 free last year. In addition, the aforementioned four plus Hartmann were all faster than Alex Walsh‘s 4:38.34, which currently stands as the top time in the NCAA for the 2022-23 season.

Combined Women’s 500 Free Rankings For Club + NCAA, 2022-23 Season:

1. Summer McIntosh, Sarasota Sharks — 4:27.53 (2022)
2. Bella Sims, Sandpipers of Nevada — 4:28.64 (2022)
3. Katie Grimes, Sandpipers of Nevada — 4:29.53 (2022)
4. Claire Weinstein, Sandpipers of Nevada — 4:33.03 (2022)
5. Bailey Hartman, Crow Canyon Country Club Sharks — 4:33.72 (2022)
6. Alex Walsh, Virginia — 4:38.34
7. Erica Sullivan, Texas — 4:39.26
8. Mabel Zavaros, Florida/Katie Crom, Michigan — 4:39.28

And of course, here are the splits from McIntosh, Sims, Grimes, Weinstein, and Hartmann’s swims tonight: