2023 CA FRAN CRIPPEN SWIM MEET OF CHAMPIONS
Sandpipers of Nevada 17-year-old Katie Grimes clocked a new personal-best 4:31.81 to win the women’s 400 IM final at the 2023 Fran Crippen SMOC meet on Saturday night.
The time makes Grimes the second-fastest swimmer ever in the U.S. girls’ 17-18 national age group (NAG) rankings just .03 seconds behind Elizabeth Beisel‘s 4:31.78 from the 2011 World Championships.
Top 400 IMers, U.S. Girls’ 17-18 NAG Rankings
- Elizabeth Beisel – 4:31.78
- Katie Grimes – 4:31.81
- Katie Anderson – 4:32.89
- Emma Weyant – 4:35.47
- Dagny Knutson – 4:36.02
The craziest part about Grimes’ swim is that she posted such a fast overall time despite splitting 1:22.72 on the breaststroke leg, nearly five seconds slower than Beisel. Grimes now ranks as the 13-fastest swimmer in the history of the event.
Splits Comparison
| Elizabeth Beisel, 2011 | Katie Grimes, April 2023 | |
| 100 Fly | 1:03.32 | 1:00.66 |
| 100 Back | 1:08.64 | 1:08.22 |
| 100 Breast | 1:17.84 | 1:22.72 |
| 100 Free | 1:01.98 | 1:00.21 |
| 400 IM | 4:31.78 | 4:31.81 |
Grimes also now ranks as the second-fastest in the world this season behind Summer McIntosh‘s world-record 4:25.87 from earlier this month. Grimes shaved over four seconds off her season-best 4:35.92 from January’s Pro Swim Series stop in Knoxville.
| 2 | Freya Colbert |
GBR | 4:35.50 | 04/04 |
| 3 | Katie Grimes |
USA | 4:35.92 | 01/12 |
| 4 | Sara Franceschi |
ITA | 4:35.98 | 04/13 |
| 5 | Katie Ledecky |
USA | 4:36.04 | 03/03 |
Impressively, Grimes hit her new lifetime best on the back end of a tough 200 free/400 IM double. Less than an hour before her 400 IM victory, she placed second behind Bella Sims (1:57.63) with a personal-best 1:57.85. Grimes remains the ninth-fastest 200 freestyler in the U.S. girls’ 17-18 NAG rankings after her .19-second drop.
