Two NAG Records Will Be Under Assault at World Junior Championships, Including Iconic Mark of Mary T. Meagher
A pair of National Age Group (NAG) records in the women’s 15-16 classification could be threatened at this week’s World Junior Championships, including one of the most iconic standards.
Since 1981, Mary T. Meagher has held the 15-16 record in the 200-meter butterfly, thanks to a performance of 2:05.96 in Brown Deer, Wisconsin. That time was the world record in the event for nearly 19 years, enduring until Australian Susie O’Neill clocked 2:05.81 in May 2000. Meagher’s swim is now 44 years old as an NAG record.
At the World Junior Champs, which begin Tuesday in Otopeni, Romania, American 16-year-old Audrey Derivaux is the top seed in the 200 butterfly, with a time of 2:06.46, putting her with a half-second of Meagher. Derivaux posted her time back in May, while racing at the TYR Pro Series stop in Fort Lauderdale. Derivaux is followed as the second seed in the 200 fly by China’s Gong Zhenqi, who is entered at 2:07.28.
The other NAG record that might be under assault is the standard in the 100 freestyle, which Claire Curzan set at 53.55 during the 2021 season. Rylee Erisman is seeded first at World Juniors at 53.75, a time she recorded at the 2024 Junior Pan Pacific Championships. At that meet, Erisman was also 53.76 in the 100 free, and she owns a 2025 best of 53.78 from the TYR Pro Series stop in Fort Lauderdale.
The prelims and finals of the women’s 200 butterfly are scheduled for Wednesday, August 20. The prelims and semifinals of the 100 freestyle will also be held on Wednesday, with the final slated for Thursday. There are no semifinals at World Juniors in events 200 meters and up.
