Swimming

Josephine Fuller Swims 58.37 in the 100 Fly at TNAQ Invite; 10th-Best American This Season

April 27, 2024

2024 Tennessee Aquatics April Invite

April 19-21, 2024
Alan Jones Aquatics Center, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee
Long Course Meters (50 meter), Prelims/Finals
Full Meet Results

Tennessee Aquatics hosted an invite last weekend that was open to the region’s top swimmers of all ages, but that was dominated in the senior age group by varsity members at the University of Tennessee like Erika (Brown) Connolly, Gui Santos, and Josephine Fuller. A few swimmers from the University of Kentucky also interjected, while there were a handful of standout age group performers as well.

The 25-year-old Connolly put up an encouraging mid-season marker in the 100 free two months out from the US Olympic Trials. She won the race in 54.48, which is her best time of the season by almost a second – she swam 55.39 at an intrasquad meet in November.

Connolly, for a period a fixture in the US sprint relays, finished 25th in the 100 free at the 2023 World Championship Trials in 55.07. Connolly now has her best swim in over a year, since the 2023 Pro Swim Series in Ft. Lauderdale. In an increasingly-deep American sprint field, it seems likely that it will take a 53-low to make the US Olympic Team, which means Connolly will have to find her way near, or past, her best of 53.42 from 2019.

Last weekend, she also swam 25.20 in the 50 free, which is also a season-best time, shaving .01 seconds off her time from the Westmont Pro Swim in early March.

On the men’s side, her sprint counterpart Gui Santos was the top performer, winning the 50 fly in 24.02, the 50 free in 22.25, and the 100 free in 49.56. That time in the 50 free is a new season best as he winds up for Brazil’s Olympic Trials in May.

His Volunteer sprinting compadre Jordan Crooks, the 2024 NCAA runner-up in the 50 free, didn’t race at this meet.

Another highlight on the women’s side was rising senior Josephine Fuller. She won her primary events, the 50 back (28.23) and 100 back (1:00.88), but also swam a lifetime best in the 100 fly of 58.37, marking a new Olympic Trials cut in that event.

That moves her up to 10th place among Americans this season.

Top 10 Americans, Women’s 100 LCM Fly, 2023-2024 Season

Torri Huske – 55.68
Gretchen Walsh – 56.14
Regan Smith – 56.36
Claire Curzan – 56.61
Alex Shackell – 57.58
Alex Walsh – 57.59
Kelly Pash – 57.85
Leah Shackley – 58.29
Olivia Bray – 58.36
Josephine Fuller – 58.37

Her previous best time was a 1:01.98 done in January 2021.

Fuller was the 2023 Pan American Games gold medalist in the 200 back and is best known as a backstroker, however her US rank this season in the 100 fly is now the same as her US rank in the 200 back (10th) and higher than her US rank in the 100 back (11th) this season.

Other Highlight Results:

Tennessee freshman Camille Spink followed a breakthrough collegiate season that saw her win SEC titles in the 50 and 100 free with a personal best time in her first long course results since the NCAA Championships. She swam 25.28 in the 50 free, finishing 2nd to Connolly. She also added season best times in the 100 free (54.91 – 2nd to Connolly) and 50 back (29.85 – 3rd).
Brazilian Kayky Mota, who had to withdraw from the Pan American Games in the fall due to “immigration issues,” swam one race at the April Invite – a season-best of 52.82 in the 100 fly prelims. He scratched the final.
Kentucky went 1-2-3-4 in the men’s 800 free led by an 8:05.36 personal best from Carson Hick. That’s a 7-second improvement on his previous person, pushing him under the Olympic Trials standard and ranking him 14th this season among Americans. His teammate and training partner Isaac Fleig, who was 8:01 in this event last summer, was only 8:15 at this meet. He did, however, win the 400 IM in 4:25.69, with a 4:23.60 in prelims.
14-year-old Ellie Stanley from Prime Aquatics raced in the open age group rather than the in the 13-14 age group and won the 400 IM in 5:17.30. In total, she swam personal bests in five different events, including a 59.70 in the 100 free and a 1:03.52 in the 100 fly.