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Disclaimer: Swim of the Week is not meant to be a conclusive selection of the best overall swim of the week, but rather one Featured Swim to be explored in deeper detail. The Swim of the Week is an opportunity to take a closer look at the context of one of the many fast swims this week, perhaps a swim that slipped through the cracks as others grabbed the headlines, or a race we didn’t get to examine as closely in the flood of weekly meets.
Jersey Wahoos’ swimmer Audrey Derivaux has been making an impact on the girls’ 11-12 age group rankings for over a year now, but the 12-year-old delivered arguably the best performance of her young career last weekend.
Derivaux, 12, put up a time of 2:18.75 in the girls’ 200 butterfly at the GPAC May Long Course Derby in Sewell, N.J., a showing that stands up as the second-fastest in the girls’ 11-12 age group (U.S. only) of all-time.
In fact, it’s the fastest we’ve seen in nearly a decade, as the National Age Group Record of 2:15.02, set by Cassidy Bayer, was produced back in July of 2012.
For Derivaux, the swim marked a four-second best time, having previously been 2:22.76 in July 2021, a swim that ranks as the #1 in U.S. history among 11-year-old girls.
Split Comparison
Derivaux, July 2021
Derivaux, May 2022
31.36
30.44
1:07.92 (36.56)
1:05.88 (35.44)
1:45.21 (37.29)
1:42.19 (36.31)
2:22.76 (37.55)
2:18.75 (36.56)
She’s just the eighth 11-12 girl to swim sub-2:20, and joins Bayer and Kayla Han as the only ones to have cracked 2:19.
All-Time 200 Butterfly (LCM) Performers, Girls’ 11-12 Age Group
Cassidy Bayer (NCAP), 2:15.02 – 2012 Speedo Champions Series
Audrey Derivaux (JW), 2:18.75 – 2022 GPAC May Long Course Derby
Kayla Han (RMDA), 2:18.94 – 2021 TYR 18&U Spring Cup – Irvine
Joy Jiang (WEST), 2:19.10 – 2016 Metro Junior Olympics LCM Championships
Olivia Suarez (GU), 2:19.27 – 2019 TXLA LC TAGS
Paige Kuwata (SAND), 2:19.30 – 2017 North American Challenge Cup
Courtney Kalisz (NBAC), 2:19.32 – 2003 Domino’s Swim Classic
Maddie Wright (KA), 2:19.79 – 2009 Speedo Section 3 Championships
Amelia Lester (RACE), 2:20.29 – 2019 Futures – Des Moines
Chelsea Britt (FLA), 2:20.48 – 2007 FG Speedo Sectionals
In addition to the 200 fly, Derivaux also clocked 5:03.64 in the 400 IM last weekend, ranking her 15th all-time in the 11-12 age group. She also went 28.91 in the 50 fly (30th) and 1:06.91 in the 100 back (t-58th).
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