42-Year-Old Roland Schoeman Rips 19.2 50 Free, 20.4 50 Fly At KMSC Pro-Am

By James Sutherland on SwimSwam

The King Marlin Swim Club Pro-Am Classic

• December 15-18, 2022
• LISD Westside Aquatic Center, Lewisville, TX.
• SCY (25 yards)
• Meet Central
• Full Results (PDF)

A mix of Masters swimmers, age groupers and current pro Will Licon took to the LISD Westside Aquatic Center in Lewisville, Texas over the weekend for the annual KMSC Pro-Am Classic, hosted by the King Marlin Swim Club.

Stealing the show was decorated South African Olympian Roland Schoeman, who at 42, put up some times that would be competitive in the NCAA today.

Schoeman swam to times of 19.28 in the 50 free, 43.10 in the 100 free, 23.78 in the 50 breast and 20.47 in the 50 fly, all well under the existing U.S. Masters Swimming (USMS) records in the men’s 40-44 age group.

Schoeman was representing the Phoenix Swim Club, and if registered with USMS, would take hold of the following four records:

Schoeman won three medals at the 2004 Olympic Games, including leading off the South African team to a defiant gold medal victory in the 400 free relay, breaking the world record in the process. He also won three individual long course world championship titles during his career, claiming back-to-back titles in the men’s 50 fly in 2005 and 2007 as well as winning the 50 free in 2005.

Schoeman wasn’t racing on his own, however, as he had some stiff competition in the form of former NC State swimmer Jacob Molacek and former Wisconsin Badger and LA Current member Brett Pinfold.

Molacek, 27, posted the top time in the 50 free (19.18) and 100 breast (51.99), the latter of which is a new personal best time, and also went 42.75 in the 100 free and 23.91 in the 50 breast.

A two-time NCAA champion with the Wolfpack, Molacek beat Licon head-to-head in the 100 breast, with the University of Texas grad clocking 52.09 to take a close second.

Licon, who recently competed at the FINA World Cup stop in Indianapolis, posted the top time in the men’s 200 breast (1:52.53), 200 IM (1:44.30) and 400 IM (3:45.38).

Pinfold, also 27, represented Swim Houston at the meet and posted some blistering times, including the top time in the 100 free (42.43), 200 free (1:34.57) and 50 back (21.74)—all near-identical to what he produced at this meet last year.

A pair of official U.S. Masters Records fell on the women’s side, as Heidi George set a new standard in the women’s 45-49 age group in the 1000 freestyle, clocking 10:13.82. The 46-year-old’s time improved her previous record of 10:18.26 set last year.

In the 200 fly, current Boston University associate head coach Hannah Saiz swam to a time of 1:59.15, shattering the women’s 30-34 record of 2:03.46 set by Karlyn Pipes-Neilsen in 1996. Saiz, 31, also put up solid times in the 50 fly (24.58) and 100 fly (53.91).

Another notable performer at the competition was former Indiana and Michigan NCAA star Miranda Tucker, who clocked times of 59.17 in the 100 breast, 2:11.84 in the 200 breast and 52.71 in the 100 fly to lead the field.

Like Molacek, Tucker represented Texas Ford Aquatics at the competition and recently competed at the U.S. Open.

SwimSwam: 42-Year-Old Roland Schoeman Rips 19.2 50 Free, 20.4 50 Fly At KMSC Pro-Am