16-year-old Nate Germonprez moved to #11 all-time in USA Swimming’s 15-16 ranks for the 200-yard IM with a 1:45.41. That was a massive time drop of almost six full seconds.
The swim came at the 2020 MV 18 & Under Winter Champs in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. You can find full meet results below:
Germonprez had only been 1:51.3 in the 200 IM in his career heading into the meet. But the 16-year-old was on fire over the weekend, dropping a 1:45.41 to move to #11 all-time in the age group ranks. The National Age Group record is a 1:42.77 from Michael Andrew, but Germonprez would only need to cut another .06 to move into the top 10 all-time. With this swim, he moves past names like Ryan Murphy (#13, 1:45.77), Michael Phelps (#18, 1:46.30) and Kieran Smith (#19, 1:46.41) on the all-time lists.
Germonprez is a high school sophomore who has previously competed for Greater Omaha Aquatics, but was swimming unattached this past weekend.
Empire KC’s Avery Karl is just 14, but she beat an entire field of older 50 freestylers by more than half a second. Karl was 22.72, her first time under 23 seconds and a time that checks in at #11 in 13-14 age group history. She moved past Simone Manuel (#14, 22.75) on that list.
Also in this meet, 16-year-old Aubree Brouwer smashed three-and-a-half seconds off her lifetime-best in the 200 breast to move into the top 20 in USA Swimming age group history.
Brouwer competes for Springfield Aquatics. She’s a current high school junior who is rapidly rising up our list of the top recruits in the nation. She’s verbally committed to the NC State Wolfpack for the fall of 2022.
Over the weekend, Brouwer blasted from 2:14.12 to 2:10.58 in the 200-yard breaststroke. That checks her in at #22 in USA Swimming’s history for the 15-16 age group. It’s a pretty select group who have been under 2:10 in that age group, and Brouwer could continue to vault up that list with another drop.
Brouwer also dropped from 1:01.54 to 1:00.68 in the 100 breast. That moves her to 32nd in age group history. She piled up six lifetime-bests in this weekend’s meet, including a 1:59.44 in the 200 IM, which was a six-second drop.
The meet was a good one for breastrokers all-around. 17-year-old Luke Barr won the 100 breast in 52.81 – that’s a time drop of 1.2 seconds and accounted for Barr’s first swim under 54 and 53 in one fell swoop. Barr also time-trialed a lifetime-best of 1:56.05 in the 200 breast, a drop of three seconds.
Barr is a high school senior who is verbally committed to Indiana for next season.
Meanwhile fellow high school senior and Virginia commit Daniel Worth time-trialed a lifetime-best 53.07 in the 100 breast. That takes a half-second off his career-best. Worth also won the 200 breast in 1:57.63, a drop of a second and a half.
A few other notable swims from this weekend’s MV 18 & Under Champs meet:
- 18-year-old Mateo Miceli won the 100 fly (47.01) and 200 fly (1:44.86). Those are both huge lifetime-bests for the unattached high school senior and Alabama commit. He dropped three and a half seconds in the 200 fly and more than a second in the 100 fly.
- Springfield’s Kate McCarville won all four of her races. The 17-year-old high school senior is committed as a Tennessee Volunteer for next season. She won both the 100 fly (53.62) and 200 fly (1:56.63) in lifetime-bests, along with the 200 IM (1:58.86) and 200 free (1:47.61). Those time drops were highlighted by a 2.1-second cut in the 200 fly and close to one-second margins in the 200 IM and 200 free.
- Springfield 17-year-old Casaundra Moses won the 100 back in 54.52 and 100 free in 49.76, both lifetime-bests. She also went 22.89 for a lifetime-best in a time trialed 50 free.
Covid is requiring some rewiring for my brain in terms of what a time drop means. The lack of intermediate meets means things like “oh, I’m a 1:45 200 IMer now, not a 1:51 IMer” is a realistic thing.