Spencer Nicholas Chips 0.03s Off Aiden Hayes’ 100 FL National Public HS Record at 45.44

2024 TISCA TN High School Championships

• Feb 9-10, 2024
• Hosted by Nashville Aquatic Club
• Centennial Sportsplex
• Nashville, TN
• SCY (25 yards)
• Meet Site
• Results via MeetMobile: “2024 TISCA TN HS Championship”

During prelims of the 2024 TISCA TN High School Championships, hosted by Nashville Aquatic Club, Martin Luther King (MLK) senior Spencer Nicholas broke the national public high school record in the 100-yard butterfly at 45.44, bettering his lifetime best of 46.13. The UVA commit was state champion in this event both in 2022 and 2023. He currently leads the finals seeds by 4.01 seconds over No. 2 seed Montgomery Bell Academy junior Jack Teasley (49.45).

The former national public high school record of 45.47 was held by current NC State swimmer Aiden Hayes, clocked at the February 2021 Oklahoma High School State Championships.

Martin Luther King Jr. Magnet High School is a public magnet high school, therefore making this swim fall under the national public high school record category.

Both the national private high school record, and unofficial overall HS record, is owned by Scotty Buff at 44.97. After dropping 0.69s this morning off his lifetime best, Nicholas would need to crack another 0.47s off his hours-old best to go for the unofficial overall record.

Looking at the split comparison, Nicholas opened 0.38s slower than Hayes’ 2021 public HS record effort, but closed 0.41s faster than Hayes. Buff also opened like Hayes in 21.09, yet closed in 23.88, only a tenth faster than Nicholas’ second 50 in prelims.

Split Comparison, 100 Fly National Public High School Records

Nicholas’ time also destroyed the 2012 TISCA TN state record of 46.64, set by Montgomery Ball alum Maclin Davis. Nicholas won the 2023 title in 46.74, missing the state record as a junior by a tenth of a second.

Out of the top 20 NCAA class of 2024 recruits, Nicholas is now the fastest in the class and top 17-18 US high schooler this season. Kaii Winkler now ranks second with his 45.98 best. Among 18&U US high school swimmers, Nicholas is 0.64s off 16-year-old future UVA teammate Thomas Heilman‘s top 2023-24 national time of 44.80 from 2023 Winter Juniors East.

Note: Ilya Kharun’s season best of 44.33 is listed first on the US 18&U 100 fly season rankings, however, is a high school graduate and an active NCAA swimmer with Arizona State, therefore is not included.

Peering at how Nicholas’ 100 fly time now looks for UVA, his 45.44 would have placed 2nd at the November 2023 Tennessee Invite. It would have been the only sub-46 swim from UVA, with Kamal Muhammad putting up 46.85 for 5th. At the 2023 ACC conference meet, Nicholas would have finished 6th behind Tim Connery (45.21). Nicholas’ time would have only placed 22nd at 2023 NCAA prelims, three spots higher than Connery placed 25th for the Cavaliers at 45.60.

Earlier in the prelims session, Nicholas flexed his versatility by helping MLK place 5th in the 200 medley relay prelims (1:34.50), swimming 24.46 on the breaststroke leg. Back at the 2023 Winter Juniors East meet, Nicholas threw down 19.97 on the butterfly leg to aid Nashville Aquatic Club’s 17-18 200-yard medley relay national age group record.

After contesting in the 100 fly finals later this evening, Nicholas will also swim the 100 backstroke, where he is also aiming to defend that 2023 TISCA title.