14-Year-Old Michael Robinson Hits National Age Leading 24.0 in 50-Meter Free

2020 Mississippi Makos Intrasquad

• Monday, August 3, 2020
• University Wellness Center / Flowood, MS
• Long Course Meters (LCM) format
• Results available on Meet Mobile under “Intersquad Summer 2020 LCM”

Swimming at the Mississippi Makos intrasquad meet in Flowood, 14-year-old Michael Robinson put up the top time in the nation among 13-14 boys in the 50 free: a personal-best 24.03.

Robinson cut two tenths from his previous career-best there. He won by two and a half seconds, and checks in at #11 all-time among American 13-14s in the event. The NAG record is a 23.19 set by Michael Andrew in 2014, but Robinson isn’t far behind other big names on the list, including Caeleb Dressel (23.50), and Ryan Hoffer (23.78).

Robinson also won the 100 free, dropping from 53.43 to 53.16. That moves him to #38 all-time in the 13-14 age group.

The meet featured a morning session for 12-and-unders and an afternoon session for 13-and-overs.

12-year-old Rachel McAlpin won three races for the girls 12-and-unders. Both of her breaststroke wins check into the top 20 nationally for the season among 12-and-unders. McAlpin went 37.40 in the 50 breaststroke. That’s a time drop of more than a second, and checks her in at #4 in the nation for her age group this season. She was also 1:23.05 to win the 100 breast by almost eight seconds. McAlpin dropped more than three seconds there to move to #16 in the nation for the season among 11-12s.

McAlpin took the 200 IM in a career-best 2:57.64, her first swim ever under three minutes.

For the boys, 11-year-old Elias Abraham won three races, hitting best times in all three. The biggest drop was his 100 fly, which cut from 1:25.49 (set last summer) all the way to 1:17.14. That should crack the top 15 in this season’s national ranks among 11-year-olds.

Abraham also won the 200 IM (going 2:55.40 to shave a half-second off his best) and the 50 fly (33.38 and a drop of about a second and a half).

Ella Thomas, 15, took the 100 fly (1:06.43), 200 fly (2:27.43) and 200 free (2:15.36). That 200 fly registered a four-second drop, and Thomas took off three seconds in the 100 fly.

Other notable multi-event winners:

• 12-year-old Lily Sammons won both the 400 free (5:11.92) and 50 fly (32.48). The fly was a time drop of about a second and a half.
• DJ Lee, also 12, won the girls 50 free (33.39) and 50 back (38.43). Lee previously had no long course meters swims registered with USA Swimming.
• 12-year-old Gia Ngo won both the 200 free (2:43.56) and 100 fly (1:29.74) in new personal-best times.
• On the boys side, 12-year-old William McCaffrey took the 400 free (5:13.71) and 100 free (1:08.32) in huge time drops. McCaffery dropped almost ten seconds in the 400 free and almost four in his 100 free.
• Similarly, 11-year-old Walter Towery won the 50 back (36.53) and 100 back (1:19.47) in best times. His 100 back was a drop of more than three seconds, and his 50 back about a second drop.
• Kimberly McCaffrey, 16, won the 200 IM (2:29.56) and 100 back (1:08.30). The former was a new best time by about a second.
• 17-year-old Megan Braman won a pair of races: the 50 free (28.53) and 100 breast (1:17.34).
• Mallory Dickey, 19, won the 200 back (2:34.85) and 200 breast (3:03.25).
• Meanwhile 16-year-old Bennett Carter went 2:24.37 to win the 200 IM and 2:18.41 to win the 200 back. Both were massive drops: seven seconds in the IM and 12 in the back.
• Kenny Thomas, 18, won the 100 fly (58.93) and 100 back (1:00.17), with the latter representing a drop of about four tenths of a second.
• 16-year-old Rhodes Pharr won the 200 breast (2:44.92) and 200 free (2:06.31). That 200 free was a massive drop of six seconds.