Katie Ledecky Breaks 500 Free National High School Record, NAG Record

It didn’t take Katie Ledecky much time to break the National High School Record at the 2013 Metro Championships in Boyds Maryland on Friday. As the meet began in earnest on Sunday with prelims of the 500 freestyle and 400 free relay, Ledecky took top honors in the 500 with a 4:33.14.

That swim took down Kate Ziegler’s 4:33.35 that had been both the National overall high school record, and the independent high school record, from 2006.

For Ledecky, the Olympic gold medalist in the 800 free, American Record holder, and only a sophomore in high school, this also nips Katie Hoff’s 15-16 National Age Group Record of 4:34.21, set back in 2006. All three of the young women mentioned above hailed from the DC/Baltimore/Northern Virginia metroplex area.

Ledecky, as she is known to do, took this race out very hard, splitting 51.85 after the first 100 yards. Total splits are below.

Ledecky 51.85 – 55.01 – 55.24 – 56.11 – 54.93.

Ledecky will also swim the 200 free, though those prelims won’t be swum until Saturday. The 2nd seed in that race belongs to Charlotte Meyer, who was a 4:51.04.

The other huge high school star at this meet, Jack Conger on the men’s side, also happens to be swimming the 500 free. He too took the top seed, though no records went down (he was faster at this same meet last year). He was a 4:20.56, also for the top seed by a large margin. He split a :22.77 on the first 50 and appeared to cruise the rest of the way. Gonzaga College High School Brennan Novak was 2nd in 4:31.77.

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