Who Would Be 15-16, 17-18 National Age Group Record Holders In The Stroke 50s?

One of the proposed amendments to the USA Swimming Rules & Regulations, announced earlier this week, was to introduce National Age Group Records for the 50m butterfly, backstroke and breaststroke.  This follows on from the announcement that the stroke 50s would be added to the schedule for the LA 2028 Olympics.

• See the full document here.

Previously, these events were only on the recognized list through the 13-14 age group, but with the new international focus they have received more attention domestically.  Of note, the corresponding yards events will not be eligible for NAG Records.

We have put the following top-ten lists together for each of these events in the respective 15-16 and 17-18 Age Groups.

Who Are The Familiar Names

Notable new record holders include Michael Andrew, who would gain an additional four NAG Records to add to the nine he already owns. That comes as no surprise, as Andrew made a significant dent in the record books as a junior, turning pro at 14 and owning records in every stroke in both yards and meters.

He would take the 15-16 and 17-18 records in both backstroke and butterfly, and put him just one record behind Luka Mijatovic in terms individual NAG records. Ahead of both of those two is Thomas Heilman, who owns a stunning 22 across fly, free and IM – although gains no new ones here.

Andrew made a niche for himself on the world stage as a versatile sprint specialist, competing in all four 50m events at the World Junior Championships in both 2015 and 2017. He won medals in all bar breaststroke in 2015, and then took gold in all bar breaststroke two years later.

Prior to this season Andrew would have added the breaststroke records in both of the age groups as well. However, the last couple of months have seen Ian Call and Campbell McKean beat out his times in the respective age groups.

McKean’s came in the final of the 50 breast at U.S. Nationals at the start of June, where he outtouched none other than Andrew himself, taking the win by two-hundredths of a second in 26.90. He would go on to win the 100 breast later in the meet, breaking the 17-18 record in that event with a time of 58.96 as he became (at the time) the youngest swimmer to break 59 seconds.

Another new record that came from a junior who broke out on the senior international stage. Lydia Jacoby set the 17-18 50 breast record in the spring of 2022, just months after winning Olympic gold in Tokyo.

Claire Curzan also gains a record set a year after an Olympic appearance. She was 25.43 in the 50 fly to lead the women’s 17-18 age group by three-quarters of a second,  with that time placing her just 0.11 seconds outside the medals at the 2022 World Championships.

There are several other current Team USA stars who make an appearance near the top of each of these lists – Regan Smith and Torri Huske, would both gain another record, with Thomas Heilman, Jack Aikins, and Jonny Kulow also near the top of the rankings.

Please note that although we have taken every care, there may be some swims missing from these lists. If you know of any, do let us know in the comments!

50 Backstroke (LCM)

Women’s 15-16

Women’s 17-18

Men’s 15-16

Men’s 17-18

50 Breaststroke (LCM)

Women’s 15-16

Women’s 17-18

Men’s 15-16

Men’s 17-18

50 Butterfly (LCM)

Women’s 15-16

Women’s 17-18

Men’s 15-16

Men’s 17-18