Jillian Crooks Sets Four Cayman Islands Records At CIASA National Championships

2023 CIASA National Championships

• February 18-21, 2023
• Camana Bay Sports Complex, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
• SCM (25 meters)
• Results on Meet Mobile: “2023 CIASA National Championships”

I guess you could say it runs in the family.

On the same weekend that University of Tennessee sophomore Jordan Crooks set the NCAA on fire by becoming the second swimmer in history under 18 seconds in the 50-yard freestyle, his younger sister Jillian Crooks was lighting up the pool at the Cayman Islands Amateur Swimming Association (CIASA) National Championships in Grand Cayman.

Jillian, just 16, is a Tokyo 2020 Olympian herself and is committed to join Jordan at the University of Tennessee in the fall of 2024. She has recently been training and racing with the TAC Titans in the U.S., but was in attendance for nationals over the last few days and really tore things up.

Crooks set new Cayman Islands National Record in four different events (short course meters), and had a number of other standout swims at the four-day competition that served as a last-chance qualifier for the CARIFTA (Caribbean) Championships in April.

Crooks broke her own Cayman Record in the women’s 50 back, clocking 27.48 to down her previous mark of 28.04 set at the Indianapolis stop of the FINA World Cup circuit in November. She also lowered her own record in the 100 fly by more than two seconds in 1:00.05, and cracked her 50 free mark of 25.90 in a sizzling 25.19.

In the 200 back, Crooks clocked in at 2:12.58 to take nearly two seconds off the previous record of 2:14.38, set by Lara Butler in 2015.

Crooks also neared her National Record in the 200 free (2:00.55), having been 2:00.16 at the World Cup, and in the 100 free she clocked 55.96 after going 54.20 at the Short Course World Championships in December. She also went 27.36 in the 50 fly after setting the record of 26.40 at SC Worlds.

JILLIAN CROOKS‘ TOP TIMES – CIASA Nationals (SCM)

• 50 free – 25.19 NR
• 100 free – 55.96
• 200 free – 2:00.55
• 50 back – 27.48 NR
• 200 back – 2:12.58 NR
• 50 fly – 27.36
• 100 fly – 1:00.05 NR
• 200 fly – 2:17.80

The momentum created by Jordan Crooks with his record performances in the NCAA and World Championship-winning effort in December is certainly being felt throughout the Cayman Islands, as Jillian wasn’t the only standout at the competition.

James Allison, a 16-year-old who competed at the 2021 Short Course World Championships and last summer’s Commonwealth Games, was on fire, producing times of 22.98 in the 50 free, 49.82 in the 100 free, 1:48.21 in the 200 free and 3:54.93 in the 400 free, plus a 25.36 showing in the 50 fly.

All of those swims were new personal best times. To contextualize these SCM swims, Allison’s 200 free performance would rank tied for eighth all-time among 16-year-olds in Canada, and his 100 free swim would rank ninth.

Another 16-year-old that impressed at the competition was Harper Barrowman, who became the first female swimmer from the Cayman Islands to qualify for a final at the Commonwealth Games last summer in the 800 freestyle.

Barrowman set a new Cayman Islands Record in the women’s 1500 free, clocking 17:25.71 to dip under the previous mark of 17:26.26 set by Raya Embury-Brown in July 2019.

Barrowman also went 4:21.57 in the 400 free, less than two seconds shy of the National Record (4:19.75), and clocked 9:06.20 in the 800 free to come within eight seconds of the mark (8:58.16). In the 200 free, Barrowman placed second to Crooks in 2:04.59.

Barrowman is the daughter of U.S. Olympic champion Mike Barrowman, who won the men’s 200 breaststroke at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona and was also the 1991 world champion in the event.

One surprising entrant at the meet was Ziyang Zhang, who represented China at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in the men’s 800 free relay and also swam at the 2021 Short Course Worlds and 2022 Long Course Worlds.

Zhang, 21, put up notable times of 3:43.40 in the 400 free and 7:52.79 in the 800 free, adding in a 49.79 performance in the 100 free. His best long course times on record are 3:48.23 in the 400 free and 8:03.36 in the 800 free, both from May 2021.

In short course meters, he swam respective times of 3:55.19 and 8:09.21 in the two events at the 2021 SC Worlds in Abu Dhabi.

The Jordan Crooks effect appears to be real in the country, as not only have their swimmers continued to impress in the water, but there are also plans for the construction of a new 50-meter pool to begin by the end of this year.