Top-10 Recruit Tyler Lu Goes Sub-56 In The 100 Breast At SMAC Time Trial

2021 SMAC January Senior Time Trial

• Saturday, January 23 – Sunday, January 24, 2021
• Snohomish, WA
• Short Course Yards (25 yards)
• Results Available On Meet Mobile Under “2021 SMAC January Senior Time Trial

The Seattle Metropolitan Aquatic Club (SMAC) ran a time trial last weekend for its National and Senior Performance Groups. Among those who threw down some quick times last weekend was SMAC swimmer Tyler Lu.

Lu, a Northwestern commit and the 9th-ranked swimmer in the class of 2021, swam the fastest time in three events at the time trial, picking up the win the 100 breaststroke, butterfly, and backstroke.

In the 100 breast, Lu cracked the 56 second mark for the first time, swimming a time of 55.48. That takes a sizeable chunk off his previous best of 56.59. That was his first PB in the event in nearly two years with his previous best hailing from the Speedo Champions Series – Federal Way back in March of 2019.

While he did win both the 100 back and fly, they were both shy of his best times. In the backstroke, he was a 48.85 to trail his PB of 47.34 by just over a second. In his third event; the 100 fly, Lu swam a 50.36 to get within one second of his best time of 49.40.

Last July Lu announced his commitment to swim at Northwestern University starting in the fall of 2021. Lu was ranked as the 9th best recruit in the high school swimming class of 2021 rankings by SwimSwam last April. His solid 100 stroke swims last week are good indicators of his continued IM potential, his best events, as he closes out his high school career and moves toward collegiate swimming. Lu still holds the 13-14 NAG record in the 400 IM of 3:51.54 which he set back in 2018.

At the same time that Lu swam at the SMAC time trial, Northwestern was hosting a tri-meet with Penn State and the University of Iowa. Had Lu been racing there, he would have earned a 6th place finish in the 100 breast, 5th in the 100 back, and 8th in the 100 fly. Lu’s 400 IM best time of 3:48.14 on the other hand would have earned him a second-place behind Iowa’s Anze Fers Erzan (3:47.95) had he been racing for Northwestern last week.

Lu’s SMAC teammate Lauren Wilson also raced three events at the time trial, picking up two second-place finishes and one first place. Wilson was the quickest swimmer in the 50 freestyle, notching a 25.58. Her two runner-up finishers were in the 100 fly (58.58) and 200 IM (2:13.22). All three swims were just over her best times of 25.02 in the 50, 57.76 in the 100, and a 2:11.65 in the 200. Wilson just recently announced her commitment to swim at Liberty University beginning in the fall of 2021.

A third high school senior to deliver new personal best times at the time trial was Chris Harig who won both the 100 freestyle and 200 IM, along with coming second in the 100 fly.

All three of those swims were the fastest he’s been in the events. In the 100 freestyle, he was a 47.54, knocking 0.35 off his PB of 47.89, and in the 200 IM he won with a 1:52.45 to knock 0.39 off his previous 1:52.84. In the 100 butterfly, Harig cracked 53 for the first time lowering his time from a 53.72 to a 52.07.

Harig is an Arizona State commit.