Mike Rice Cracks Top 10 All-Time In 15-16 100 Free (43.16) To Close Best of the South Meet
03/18/2025 10:12 AM
By James Sutherland on SwimSwam
2025 Swim Atlanta Best of the South
- March 14-16, 2025
- Atlanta, Georgia
- McAuley Aquatic Center
- SCY (25 yards)
- Meet Central
- Day 1 Meet Results | Day 1 Recap
- Day 2 Meet Results | Day 2 Recap
- Day 3 Meet Results
- Also available on Meet Mobile at "2025 Swim Atlanta Best of the South
The final day of racing at the Swim Atlanta Best of the South meet at the McAuley Aquatic Center saw a number of standout swims from some of the best age group swimmers in the area, with the 200 IM, 200 back, and 100 free on the schedule.
BOYS’ HIGHLIGHTS
Coming off his standout performance in the 50 free on Saturday, Mecklenburg Swim Association’s Mike Rice was back in action on the final night of racing and delivered in a big way in the 100 free.
The event was won by McCallie Gps Aquatics’ Marvin Johnson, a 19-year-old Florida commit who set a new lifetime best of 43.04, but close behind him was Rice, who touched in 43.16 to vault himself up the historical rankings in the boys’ 15-16 age group.
Rice, 16, moves into 10th all-time in the age group, improving on his previous best of 43.56 set last month.
Taking 3rd in the 100 free was SwimAtlanta’s Connor Christopherson, another 16-year-old who moves into 82nd all-time with his 44.24 clocking.
Earlier in the session, Rice was in the water in the 200 IM, placing 3rd in the event won by Marlins of Raleigh’s Ian Stutts. The 18-year-old Stutts posted a time of 1:45.09 to book the win, improve on his personal best (1:45.41) and move into 100th all-time in the 17-18 age group. His 17-year-old teammate Alex Townsend touched 2nd in 1:46.09 after he set a best time of 1:45.94 in the prelims.
Rice claimed 3rd in a new lifetime best of 1:46.54, ranking him 40th all-time in the boys’ 15-16 age group.
The all-time rankings in the boys’ 15-16 age group were also shuffled in the 200 back, where SwimAtlanta’s Collin Holgerson, 16, touched in 1:43.34 to launch himself into 22nd all-time.
Holgerson hadn’t broken 1:50 coming into the meet (1:50.04 best time) and went 1:47.53 in the heats before dropping down to 1:43 in the final.
His SwimAtlanta teammate Cade Anderson, 18, was the runner-up in 1:45.33, also a sizeable new best time.
During the morning preliminary session, the timed final heats of the 1650 free went off, with North Carolina Aquatic Club’s Ian Platts-Mills claiming victory in 15:01.86 to drop nearly 14 seconds off his previous best (15:15.41) and win the event by nearly 24 seconds. The swim ranks him 6th this season among 17-year-old boys.
SwimAtlanta’s Kohlston Katz, 15, topped the 1000 free field in 9:28.11, knocking 11 seconds off his PB.
GIRLS’ RECAP
North Carolina Aquatic Club’s Isabel Wolk kicked off the girls’ finals session with a big win in the 200 IM, clocking 2:01.36 to best a wild race for 2nd behind her. Wolk’s lifetime best sits at 2:00.96, set last March.
The swimmers who finished 2nd through 6th were separated by just over six-tenths, with SwimAtlanta’s Natalia Amescua snagging 2nd in 2:02.25 to lower her previous best of 2:02.90.
Mecklenburg’s Shaelyn Shields, who was 4th in the 200 IM (2:02.63), followed up by winning the 200 back in a personal best of 1:55.91, marking her first time sub-1:56. The swim ranks her 14th this season among 17-year-old girls.
Placing 2nd was 14-year-old Karina Plaza, who touched in 1:56.67, just shy of her PB of 1:56.06 from Winter Juniors – East.
SwimMAC’s Plaza was back in action later in the session in the 100 free, posting a time of 50.67 to fall just shy of her best time (50.48) and place 2nd while Mecklenburg’s Eliza Wallace claimed the win in 50.58. Wallace, a Tennessee commit, set a best time of 50.30 last month.
Medley winner Wolk was notably a close 3rd in the 100 free (50.71), and 16-year-old Maddy Boland clocked a PB of 50.90 for 4th.
North Carolina Aquatic Club’s Daisy Collins, 16, dominated the girls’ 1650 free, getting an official split at the 1000 in 9:43.45 to drop three seconds from her best time and rank 62nd all-time in the girls’ 15-16 age group.
Collins went on to finish the mile in a time of 16:02.94, improving on her previous best of 16:10.33 to move up to 28th all-time in the 15-16 age group.
In the 1000 free, SwimAtlanta’s Kara Cullinan, 18, took the win in 10:15.64, dropping nearly 11 seconds from her best.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
- On Saturday, the SwimAtlanta 10 & under boys’ quartet of Baylor Thompson, Jonah Lamb, Elijah Palafox, and James Tackie clocked 1:51.79 in the 200 free relay to break the Georgia Swimming LSC record for 10 & under boys set by SwimAtlanta in 2015.
FINAL TEAM SCORES
Boys' Top 5:
- SwimMAC – 3014.5
- SwimAtlanta – 1993.5
- MSA – 1150
- NCAC – 1124.5
- Marlins of Raleigh – 724
Girls' Top 5:
- SwimMAC – 3186
- MSA – 1960.5
- SwimAtlanta – 1854.5
- NCAC – 1707.5
- Lifetime Southeast Swim Team – 454.5
Combined Top 5:
- SwimMAC – 6586.5
- SwimAtlanta – 4312
- MSA – 3580.5
- NCAC – 2956
- Team Greenville – 1139.5
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