Watch 16-year-old Regan Smith of Riptide break Mary T. Meagher’s 1981 National Age Group Record for 15-16 girls in the 200 butterfly at 2018 Speedo Junior Championships – West in Austin, Texas. Meagher’s record of 1:52.99 had stood for 37 years, but Smith swam a blistering 1:51.24 to take a 1.75-second bite out of the old mark.
Smith’s not only set the 15-16 NAG, but she also downed the meet record of 1:54.37 set by Ella Eastin in 2014 and came within .20 of Eastin’s 17-18 NAG as well. In fact, Smith’s performance is the fastest 200 fly in the United States for all ages for the current swim year, and it ranks her #7 all-time behind:
- Ella Eastin – 1:49.51 – 2018 Pac-12 Championships
- Elaine Breeden – 1:49.92 – 2009 Pac-12 Championships
- Kelsi Dahlia – 1:50.61 – 2016 NCAAs
- Katinka Hosszu – 1:51.02 – 2010 SCY Nationals
- Louise Hansson – 1:51.13 – 2018 Pac-12 Championships
- Kathleen Hersey – 1:51.18 – 2009 NCAAs
- Regan Smith – 1:51.24 – 2018 Speedo Winter Juniors – West
Smith’s best time prior to Saturday night’s final was 1:53.50 from Akron Sectionals in 2018. Take a look at how she has improved in 9 months:
| Winter Juniors East, December 2018 | Akron Sectionals, March 2018 | |
| 50 | 24.63 | 25.12 |
| 100 | 52.67 (28.04) | 54.05 (28.93) |
| 150 | 1:21.38 (28.71) | 1:23.43 (29.38) |
| 200 | 1:51.24 (29.86) | 1:53.50 (30.07) |
Wow, bravo
I’m a guy and I can’t go that fast