U.S. Nationals, Day 3 Finals: Shaine Casas Goes Wire-to-Wire For 100 Butterfly National Title; Heilman Qualifies For Worlds With NAG Record
In the years Shaine Casas has ranked among the top American swimmers across numerous strokes and distances, he had never won an event at a selection meet and never represented his country internationally in a butterfly event. But Thursday evening, Casas got his long-awaited win and secured his spot in the 100 fly at the upcoming World Championships.
Casas has been among the most impressive American men thus far in the long course season, securing double-digit victories in three stops of USA Swimming’s Pro Series, but he had yet to secure his spot in Singapore prior to this race. Previously, Casas had finished sixth in the 100 free and third in the 50 fly. He still has the 50 back to come later in the session and the 100 back and 200 IM over the next two days.
The 25-year-old would wait no longer to make his mark. Racing against Olympian Thomas Heilman and 2023 Worlds bronze medalist Dare Rose, Casas established an early lead and turned at the wall in 23.40, more than three tenths clear of the field. Both Heilman and Rose made pushes during the the second length, but they could not shake Casas. He hit the wall in 50.51, less than two tenths ahead of Heilman, with Rose fading to third.
Casas entered the meet with the quickest time among Americans this year (50.82) and the top personal best in the field, his 2022 mark of 50.40 tied with Ian Crocker as the 10th-fastest performer ever and fourth-fastest American. Casas had not replicated that form since, but he came close with his performance in this final. His time of 50.51 ranks fourth in the world this year, with only Noè Ponti, Ilya Kharun and Hubert Kos having gone quicker.
Heilman clocked 50.70 for second, beating the 17-18 National Age Group record he set in prelims and moving to No. 6 in the world rankings. He qualified for Worlds after finishing just outside the top-two in the 200 fly, previously considered his best event.
Heilman did not swim poorly in the longer event by any means; his 1:54.09 was the third-fastest time in the world this year and quicker than his marks that qualified him for the Worlds team in 2023 or the Olympic team last year, but Luca Urlando and Carson Foster were simply better. In the two-lap race, though, Heilman asserted himself by clipping his best time in prelims and then going several hundredths quicker at night.
Last year, no American man reached an Olympic final in either the 100 or 200 butterfly, but the Americans will now send six different butterfly swimmers to the Singapore Worlds, with all in position to contend for medals. Urlando, who surged on the second length to place fourth here, will swim the 200 fly on the global level along with Foster. Rose finished third here in 51.06, replicating his result from Olympic Trials, but he was already back on the World Championships team following his 50 fly victory one night earlier. He will be joined by Michael Andrew in that event.
Additionally, the U.S. men entered Nationals major concerns regarding the 400 medley relay, with all four members of the finals squad from the Paris Olympics absent from this year’s selection meet. The Paris Games marked the first occasion in which the Americans have not claimed Olympic gold, and the uncertainty surrounding this year’s squad meant big swims would be required this week in Indianapolis to ensure even medal contention.
However, developments over the past three days have alleviated concerns considerably. Jack Alexy is entrenched as the top U.S. 100 freestyler after clocking 46.99 and 47.17 in the event Tuesday, and the American butterfly might be the best of any medal-contending nation, even in the the absence of Caeleb Dressel. In this final, Casas swam only three tenths behind Dressel’s 2024 best time of 50.19, with Heilman not far behind.
