Jordan Crooks Becomes 4th Fastest Freshman In 100 Free

After Tennesee sprinter Jordan Crooks passed Caeleb Dressel to become the fastest freshman ever in the 50 free, he made the all-time freshman list again to become the fourth-fastest freshman in the 100 free when he finished second at SECs in a time of 41.64, a lifetime best for him.

The only freshmen that have been faster than Crooks are Jimmy Feigen and Daniel Krueger of Texas, and Matt King of Virginia (when he was a freshman, he swam for Alabama).

All-Time Fastest NCAA Freshman in the Men’s 100 Yard Free:

1. Jimmy Feigen (2009)/Danny Krueger (2019), Texas- 41.49

3. Matt King, Alabama- 41.63 (2021)
4. Jordan Crooks, Tennessee- 41.64 (2022)
5. Bjorn Seeliger, Berkeley- 41.65 (2021)
6. Adam Chaney, Florida- 41.74 (2021)
7. Brooks Curry, LSU – 41.81 (2020)
8. Matt Brownstead, UVA- 41.87 (2021)
9. Vlad Morozov, USC- 41.88 (2011)
10. Caeleb Dressel, Florida- 41.90 (2015)

Coming into SECs, Crooks’ best time in the 100 free was a 42.33 from the 2021 Tennessee Invitational. At this meet, in addition to improving his flat start, he also anchored Tennessee’s 400 medley relay in a 41.61 freestyle split.

Crooks also broke the Tennessee school record, surpassing Kyle DeCoursey’s 41.71 from 2019.

Although Crooks, who represents the Cayman Islands internationally, delayed his enrollment for a year, he was born on May 2, 2002. That makes him 19 years and 9 months old, an age that is a little older than the average freshman, but not out of the ordinary.

Brooks Curry, who beat out Crooks for the 100 free title, swam a 40.99 to become the 9th fastest performer in NCAA history.

In addition to his 100 free, Crooks is also an SEC champion in the 50 free and took third in the 100 fly.