Thomas Heilman Clocks Lifetime Best 100 Free on Day 3 of VA Senior Champs

VIRGINIA LONG COURSE SENIOR CHAMPS

• July 14-17, 2022
• Liberty Natatorium, Lynchburg, VA
• LCM
• Meet Central
• Results on Meet Mobile as “2022 VA LC Senior Champs”

Multiple NAG record-holder Thomas Heilman has been racking up the wins this week, but for the most part had not been clocking a ton of best times recently. That changed in the 400 free relay on Saturday, when he led off the Cavalier Aquatics / Piedmont Family YMCA team with a 50.58. That took over half a second off of his previous best of 51.12, set at last December’s U.S. Open.

That swim helped Cavalier to a 3:29.38 in the relay, and it also appears to make #25 all-time in the 15-16 age group/ Additionally, he’s now also one of the fastest US 15 year-olds ever, appearing behind only Kaii Winkler (50.24) and Andrew Benson (50.47) according to the USA Swimming database.

Individually, Heilman won his fourth individual event of the meet with a 2:00.13 in the 200 fly. Heilman set his best time in the event three months ago at the US International Trials with a 1:58.01.

The NOVA of Virginia boys went 1-2 in the 100 back. Ryan Hufford lowered his personal best by nearly a second and a half, improving from 58.82 to a winning time of 57.39. Teammate Thomas Farney shaved about a tenth of a second off of his best to take 2nd in 57.86, tying with Cavalier’s Teddy Cross.

Yet another NOVA swimmer, Nathan Szobota, hit a new personal best in his first swim as a 15 year-old, clocking a 4:01.73 in prelims before winning tonight with a time of 4:02.56.

On the women’s side NOVA’s Zoe Dixon got the individual events going with a 2:13.95 in the 200 fly. Dixon, a Florida commit, won by nearly three seconds; she also swam the 100 back, finishing 6th in 1:03.52.

After winning the 200 free last night, Tide’s Kayla Wilson earned another win with a 1:02.13 victory in the 100 back. That’s a best time for Wilson, whose previous best of 1:02.64 came at this meet last year. The runner up tonight was the Gators’ Ali Pfaff (1:02.37). Like Wilson, her previous best (1:02.83) came at this meet last year; Pfaff is committed to Duke for the fall of 2023.

Wilson’s TIDE teammate Sophia Knapp picked up a win as well, taking the 400 free by nearly six seconds with a time of 4:19.88. Knapp and Wilson teamed up to help the TIDE women to a 3:49.51 win in the 400 free relay, with Wilson leading the way with a 54.59 split on the second leg.