Ultra Swim Swimmer of the Month is a recurring SwimSwam feature shedding light on a U.S.-based swimmer who has proven themselves over the past month. As with any item of recognition, Swimmer of the Month is a subjective exercise meant to highlight one athlete whose work holds noteworthy context – perhaps a swimmer who was visibly outperforming other swimmers over the month, or one whose accomplishments slipped through the cracks among other high-profile swims. If your favorite athlete wasn’t selected, feel free to respectfully recognize them in our comment section.
Freshman Maggie MacNeil has had one of the finest – and busiest – months of November in NCAA history.
The Wolverine rookie is on her third meet of the month this weekend, and while the Georgia Fall Invitational will extend past the end of November, her performances so far have been so impressive that anything else she adds on the month’s final two days are just gravy. MacNeil’s signature swim of the month was a 50.09 in the 100 fly that puts her 6th in history in that event. She’s on the cusp of joining Kelsi Dahlia, Louise Hansson and Erika Brown as the only sub-50 swimmers in history.
MacNeil will swim that event again tomorrow in Georgia. Already this morning, she put up a solid 22.30 in the 50 free, and she’ll swim that event again tonight. Her season-best is a 22.08 from the ACC-Big Ten Challenge that, prior to this weekend’s invites, ranked 6th in the nation this season. MacNeil also leads the 100 fly by three tenths of a second over Hansson of USC.
She’s also split 23-mid twice in the 50 fly, with her best split (23.31) already matching or outpacing the fly legs of 6 of the 16 NCAA scoring 200 medley relays from last spring. MacNeil has also split as fast as 48.6 in a 100 free, and looks like a huge relay weapon for a scary-looking Michigan squad.
Here’s a chronological look at MacNeil’s swims this November, with season-bests bolded:
- 23.66 split – 50 fly vs Iowa/Denver
- 22.46 – 50 free vs Iowa/Denver
- 49.81 split – 100 free vs Iowa/Denver
- 53.46 split – 100 fly vs Iowa/Denver
- 51.57 – 100 fly vs Iowa/Denver
- 22.53 leadoff – 50 free vs Iowa/Denver
- 50.66 split – 100 fly at ACC-Big Ten Challenge
- 50.09 – 100 fly at ACC-Big Ten Challenge
- 23.31 split – 50 fly at ACC-Big Ten Challenge
- 22.08 – 50 free at ACC-Big Ten Challenge
- 48.61 split – 100 free at ACC-Big Ten Challenge
- 22.30 – prelims 50 free at UGA Invite
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Even better was a flat start 23.05 fly on Oct. 19th