There were plenty of impressive swims from last week’s Summer Junior National Championships in Irvine, California, but only one race saw multiple national age group (NAG) records fall.
Lakeside Aquatic Club (Texas) 16-year-old Maximus Williamson led off his club’s 4x200m freestyle relay with a 1:47.29 split, crushing his own 15-16 NAG record of 1:47.62 from U.S. Trials in late June. Then his teammates finished the job as Cooper Lucas (1:48.95), River Paulk (1:54.19), and Max Hatcher (1:51.00) combined for a 15-18 NAG record of 7:21.43, breaking the previous mark of 7:22.13 set by SwimMAC in 2021.
This is your LIVEBARN Race of the Week because not only did this relay see two records go down, but the result also bodes well for the U.S. men’s 4×200 free relay moving forward. Williamson will be in his prime for the LA 2028 Olympics, but he could make an impact as soon as next summer if he keeps dropping time in the 200 free. Another second shaved off his best time in the event would likely vault him into contention for the Paris 2024 Olympics as Henry McFadden placed 6th at this year’s U.S. Trials in 1:47.02, for reference.