17-Year-Old Daniel Li Climbs NAG Rankings with 1:55.08 200 BR at Rose Bowl Intrasquad

2023 Rose Bowl Aquatics Intrasquad

• May 9, 2023
• Rose Bowl Aquatic Center
  • Pasadena, CA
• SCY (25 yards)
• Results on MeetMobile: “2023 ROSE Post CIF Intrasquad”

The top uncommitted swimmer in the high school class of 2024 continued his recent hot streak at the Rose Bowl Aquatics Intrasquad meet earlier this month in Pasadena, California.

Daniel Li glided to a new lifetime best in the 200-yard breaststroke, clocking a 1:55.08 to shave more than half a second off his previous best from Winter Juniors in December. At 17 years old, Li now ranks 33rd in the U.S. boys’ 17-18 national age group (NAG) rankings. He’s also the second-fastest 17-year-old in the nation this season behind Jake Eccleston’s 1:54.36.

Li was listed as the No. 13 boys’ recruit in SwimSwam’s way-too-early rankings for the high school class of 2024. Since last May, when he fired off a 1:57.48 at the 2022 Rose Bowl Intrasquad meet, he’s dropped 1.4 seconds in the 200 breast.

A few days after his personal-best 200 breast time, Li won a CIF State title in the 100 breast (52.83) and placed third in the 200 IM with a personal-best 1:47.60. His best 100 breast time came at the CIF-SS Division II Championships the week prior, when he went 52.43 for a new meet record.

A couple other Rose Bowl Aquatics swimmers also won events with new lifetime bests. Nathan Kim touched first in the 200 back with a personal-best 1:46.14, taking nearly two seconds off his previous-best 1:47.91 from January. At the CIF State Championships a few days later, he placed third in the 200 free (1:37.45) and sixth in the 100 free (44.57).

In the 200 fly, Ryan Makouar also shaved nearly two full seconds off his best time from March (1:48.91) with a 1:46.94. He went on to place ninth in the 100 fly at CIF State a few days later with a personal-best 48.32.