Champion Swimmer of the Year: Ages 17-18 Spotlight

Discover all of our 2024 Swammy Awards here.

With six athletes aged 18 & Under qualifying for the 2024 U.S. Olympic team, and several others having remarkable seasons yet missing out on qualification, determining our Swammy Award recipients for the 17-18 age category was quite a challenge. In the end, Katie Grimes and Thomas Heilman earned the prestigious accolades, but every swimmer listed, including some not included, could present a compelling argument for the top honor.

17-18 Girls:

Champion: Katie Grimes, Sandpipers of Nevada

Katie Grimes had an outstanding season, securing her second consecutive Swammy Award for 17-18 Swimmer of the Year, capping it off with an American Record in the 400 IM at the Short Course Worlds in Budapest. Her sustained excellence throughout 2024 ultimately validated her position as the sole swimmer on the list with an individual medal from the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Grimes was the first Olympic qualifier from the U.S., securing her place in the Open Water 10k back in 2023. Nevertheless, she did not stop there and qualified for pool events in the 1500 free and 400 IM at the Olympic Swimming Trials in June.

Her finest performance during the Olympics occurred in the 400 IM, where she captured the silver medal in 4:33.40—matching her performances from the 2022 and 2023 World Championships. Grimes also placed 10th in the 1500, and 15th in the 10k.

In December, she won two individual medals at the 2024 SC World Championships. Her first came in the Women’s 400 IM, where she recorded a time of 4:20.14, setting a significant personal best and a new American Record. This time of 4:20.14 surpassed the previous National Record held by Melanie Margalis by four seconds, making her the fourth fastest performer in history.

Additionally, she secured a bronze in the 800 freestyle, clocking 8:05.90, and contributed to a gold medal as part of the American women’s World Record-shattering 4×200 freestyle relay, where she delivered a split of 1:53.39 from the third position.

In the 2024 LCM worldwide rankings, Grimes ranks in the top-10 for three events. She is 9th in the 800 free, 7th in the 1500, and 3rd in the 400 IM.

Recently, at the California/Nevada Sectionals, she achieved personal best times in both the 100 free (49.60) and the 1000 (9:16.69).

Grimes will be attending the University of Virginia for the Spring Semester.

Notable Mentions:

• Claire Weinstein, Sandpipers of Nevada: Weinstein participated in the 2024 Paris Olympics as the youngest athlete on Team USA. She competed in the 200 freestyle, securing 8th place individually, and swam as part of the silver-medal winning 4×200 freestyle relay, leading off with a time of 1:54.88, the fastest US relay split. Weinstein engaged in two individual events at the 2024 SC World Championships in Budapest, racing in the 200 and 400 freestyles, as well as the 4×200 freestyle relay. Her first 200 freestyle of the meet was as the anchor leg on the 4×200 relay, where she delivered an astonishing 1:50.31. This was the swiftest split in the field by a second-and-a-half and not only contributed to the US winning gold, but it also played a crucial role in their breaking the World Record by seven-tenths of a second. In her individual 200 free, Weinstein shattered Bella Sims’ World Junior Record in the prelims, clocking 1:52.51 to secure the top qualifying position for the finals. In the finals, she dropped nearly a second to post 1:51.62, further improving her own World Junior Record and breaking Allison Schmitt’s unofficial American record of 1:51.67 from 2009 and Mallory Comerford’s official record of 1:51.81 from 2018. Recently, she competed at the California/Nevada sectionals, achieving personal best times, particularly in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:41.10, ranking as the 4th fastest 17-18 time in history.
• Alex Shackell, Carmel Swim Club: Shackell was also part of Team USA in Paris, individually competing in the 200 fly and finishing 6th. She participated in the preliminaries of the 4×100 medley relay, which ultimately clinched gold, as well as in the preliminaries of the 4×200 freestyle relay, which won silver. At the 2024 SC World Championships, Shackell took home four medals as a member of the US relays. She was part of the finals team for the World Record breaking women’s 4×100 freestyle relay, splitting 52.01 from the third slot. She swam in the prelims for the mixed 4×50 medley, mixed 4×100 medley, and the women’s 4×100 medley. These performances earned her bronze, silver, and gold medals respectively. Additionally, she competed in the individual 200 fly, finishing 4th overall. Shackell was the only 17-18 girl to break any NAG records this year, achieving a time of 2:06.10 in the 200m fly at the 2024 Olympic Trials.

17-18 Boys

Champion: Thomas Heilman: Piedmont Family YMCA

Thomas Heilman has secured a Swammy for Age Group Swimmer of the Year each year since 2019, and this year is no different. He is the lone swimmer on the list to have shattered NAG records thus far this season, participating in two individual events at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Heilman has been rewriting record books for years, and 2024 has shown no exceptions. At the Olympic Trials in June, Heilman triumphed in the men’s 200 butterfly, earning a place on his first Olympic team. A few days later, he set his first 17-18 NAG record in the 100 fly finals, swimming 50.80 to claim his second event in Paris.

During the 2024 Olympics, Heilman finished 18th in the 100 fly, narrowly missing out on the semi-finals, and achieved 10th in the 200 fly, getting the chance to swim in the semifinals but falling short of the final by two positions.

Heilman opted not to compete at the 2024 SC World Championships, instead participating in the East Winter Junior Nationals during the same weekend. He set two NAG records in the butterfly events, completing the 100 fly in 43.86 and the 200 fly in 1:38.95. He still has over a year left in the age group, indicating we can anticipate more records in the forthcoming year. He is committed to swim at Virginia in the fall.

Notable Mentions:

• Maximus Williamson, Lakeside Aquatic Club: Williamson is the only swimmer on either the boys or girls list who did not qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympic team, yet he still showcased a remarkable year. At the 2024 6A High School State Championships in Texas, Williamson claimed victory in the 200 IM in a record-breaking NAG time of 1:40.81. This was Williamson’s sole individual NAG record for the year, but he was also part of the Lakeside relay that set a new record in the 17-18 400 freestyle relay at West Winter Juniors about a month ago, with a phenomenal split of 40.96. Furthermore, at Winter Juniors, Williamson won five gold medals, achieving personal best times in the 50 free and 200 fly. He is also set to swim at Virginia in the fall.
• Luke Whitlock, Fishers Area Swim Team: Whitlock emerged as another NAG record setter, establishing a new 17-18 record in the 800 freestyle, finishing 2nd with a time of 7:45.19 at the 2024 Olympic Trials, thereby securing a spot on the Paris Olympic team. He swam the 800 at the Games, finishing 18th with a time of 7:49.26. Shortly after, he tested positive for COVID, which hampered him fromswimming the 10k following David Johnston’s withdrawal, which was also attributed to a positive COVID result. Whitlock participated in several competitions in Florida to initiate the season, achieving a new personal best in the 1650, clocking 14:49.90 at the UGA Invite prior to opting to return to his club team for preparation towards the 2025 World Championships.

Former Champions

HISTORICAL CHAMPIONS

YEAR	17-18 GIRL	17-18 BOY
2023	Katie Grimes	Maximus Williamson
2022	Claire Curzan	Daniel Diehl
2021	Torri Huske	Baylor Nelson
2020	Regan Smith	Josh Matheny
2019	Regan Smith	Luca Urlando
2018	Erica Sullivan	Drew Kibler
2017	Olivia Carter	Michael Andrew
2016	Katie Drabot	Michael Andrew
2015	Katie Ledecky	Andrew Seliskar
2014	Katie Ledecky	Andrew Seliskar
2013	Missy Franklin	Caeleb Dressel
2012	Missy Franklin	Jack Conger