2025 U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Tuesday, June 3 – Saturday, June 7, 2025
- Indianapolis, Indiana
- Indiana University Natatorium
- LCM (50 meters)
- World Championship Selection Criteria
- SwimSwam Preview Index
- Meet Central
- Psych Sheets (Updated 6/02)
- Live Results
- How To Watch (USA Swimming Network)
- Prelims Live Recap: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3
- Finals Live Recap: Day 1 | Day 2
Thomas Heilman added another National Age Group Record to his impressive resume on Thursday morning at the U.S. National Championships in Indianapolis, chipping two one-hundredths off his own mark in the heats of the men’s 100 butterfly.
Heilman produced the top time of the session in 50.78, eclipsing his previous boys’ 17-18 record of 50.80 set at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials.
The 18-year-old showed more front-half speed than he did last summer, turning in 23.90 at the 50, 33 one-hundredths under his record pace, before closing in 26.83.
Split Comparison
| Heilman, 2024 Olympic Trials | Heilman, 2025 Nationals |
| 24.23 | 23.90 |
| 50.80 (26.57) | 50.78 (26.83) |
When Heilman initially broke the NAG record last year as a 17-year-old, he erased the longstanding mark of 51.10 set by Michael Phelps at the 2003 World Championships.
All-Time Performers, U.S. Boys’ 17-18 100 Butterfly (LCM)
- Thomas Heilman (Cavalier Aquatics), 50.78 – 2025
- Michael Phelps (NBAC), 51.10 – 2003
- Kaii Winkler (Eagle Aquatics), 51.51
- Luca Urlando (DART Swimming), 52.04 – 2019
- Ian Crocker (Unattached), 52.25 – 2001
Heilman also maintains his place as the 2nd-fastest 18 & under (year of birth) performer of all-time, only trailing Kristof Milak, who clocked 50.62 at the 2017 World Championships.
All-Time Performers, Boys’ 17-18 100 Butterfly (LCM)
- Kristof Milak (HUN), 50.62 – 2017
- Thomas Heilman (USA), 50.78 – 2025
- Andrei Minakov (RUS), 50.83 – 2019
- Josif Miladinov (BUL), 50.93 – 2021
- Li Zhuhao (CHN), 50.96 – 2017
- Michael Phelps (USA), 51.10 – 2003
- Egor Kuimov (RUS), 51.16 – 2017
- Ilya Kharun (CAN), 51.22 – 2023
- Kaii Winkler (USA), 51.51 – 2024
- Hubert Kos (HUN), 51.52 – 2021
Now with multiple sub-51 swims under his belt, Heilman enters tonight’s final as a favorite to book his ticket to the 2025 World Championships, having narrowly missed with a 3rd-place finish in the 200 fly on Tuesday. He was also in last night’s final of the 50 fly, placing 7th in a lifetime best of 23.57.
The Virginia commit heads into the ‘A’ final with a gap of nearly four-tenths on the next-fastest qualifier, 50 fly champion Dare Rose (51.15), while Shaine Casas, who owns the quickest best time in the field at 50.40, advanced in 3rd in 51.46.
After qualifying for his first Olympic team at last summer’s Trials in the 100 and 200 fly, Heilman was a semi-finalist in the 200 fly in Paris, placing 10th in a time of 1:54.87, while in the 100 fly, he failed to earn a second swim, adding more than a second from his Trials PB in the prelims (51.82) to finish 18th.
He did, however, walk away with the first Olympic medal of his career, earning a silver medal after swimming a prelim leg of the men’s 4×100 medley relay.
The 100 fly is Heilman’s only 17-18 NAG record in the long course pool, though he owns the 15-16 marks in the 100 fly (51.19) and 200 fly (1:53.82), plus the 13-14 records in the 50 free (22.95), 100 free (51.12) and 100 fly (53.27) in LC.
This past December, he reset the boys’ 17-18 NAG records in the short course 100 fly (43.86) and 200 fly (1:38.95) at the 2024 Winter Junior Championships – East.
Let’s not forget Heilman just graduated HS and cut him some slack too. Dude has already accomplished more than most ever will.
Still waiting for shaine to have a “big” swim. At this point heilman is a slight favorite over shaine in finals
Nah, it’s over. Picking the 50 fly over the 200 free was the beginning of the end. He’ll get the IM but that’s because he’s 3 seconds in front of everyone else. DOn’t see him getting anything else except maybe the 50 back
You might be going a little overboard ….
I REALLY hope I’m wrong. There’s a lot I can say about this, but I’m just gonna cross my fingers he’s still good.
You were wrong
He’s not the next Michael Phelps, he’s the next Thomas Heilman. We can’t contain him, we can only hope to understand him.
So…Reports that TH is washed may have been overstated!
We’re people actually saying that
There was some buzz about it after he missed in the 200 fly. Personally I think everyone who said that didn’t look at the times and only saw that he missed the team
I’ve gotta say fate is not kind to Heilman. Missing a domestic team with 1:54.0 is wild. The 1:54.8 he swam for 10th in Paris would’ve been second out of the semis in Tokyo
Yes.
holy moly
holy moly
jeff
maheny
Not bad
An impressive morning swim, hopefully he can drop a little more tonight and go on to win worlds.
He’d have to go at least 50-low tonight to be in consideration to win worlds. Don’t think that’s happening
Not great for our Medley if none of these guys can get to 50 low. Especially with how slow our breast leg could potentially be now
I think Dare has a good shot at it and looks great. Shaine can, and I hope he does, but is he ready to be clutch in big moments? I thinkHeilman will eventually be one of the greats, but I’m not sure he’s got the raw speed for the first 50 in his arsenal yet to get that next drop to 50 low. We’ll see, and I hope he goes nuts and proves me wrong tonight.
He’s not beating Illya or liendo
this kid is my goat