Brent Creager Obliterates 16-Year-Old USMS National Record In 200 Butterfly

Butterfly
Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

Brent Creager is continuing to make his mark as a Masters swimmer, taking down one of the oldest U.S. Masters Swimming short course yards records Thursday at the USA Swimming Sectionals in Austin and breaking another on Saturday.

Creager, 35, placed second in the 200 butterfly with a 1:46.87. While it was three seconds behind 17-year-old Arizona Gold teammate Mark Jurek’s winning time of 1:43.72, it was far ahead of Bobby Patten’s USMS record of 1:50.74 from 1999 in the 35-39 age group. Creager first broke the record in prelims with a 1:49.90. With Creager’s swim, only seven men’s short course yards national records set in the 20th century remain.

Creager was back in the pool on Saturday for the 100 butterfly, and he set his sights on the 49.35 by Igor Marchenko swum in 2012. In prelims, Creager took down that record with a 49.04, then lowered it even further in finals with a 48.63 for fourth place.

Creager also put up a swift 3:59.98 in the 400 IM for ninth place overall, but couldn’t match the record of 3:56.76 swum by 1992 Olympian Ron Karnaugh in 2001.

Creager also owns the short course meters Masters world record in the 200 fly in the same age group with a 2:02.98 last November. Creager was a standout at Penn State and competed in the 2012 Olympic Trials.

Though the Austin sectionals is not a Masters meet, Creager’s time can be counted as a USMS record. National records can be set in any sanctioned meet, though FINA world records must be swum in Masters sanctioned meets.

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Robert Lucas
8 years ago

I used to look like that when I was 16 lol !!!

Sara Elizabeth
8 years ago

Way to go Brent !!! Good to see you still representing the fly!!

Kimberly Toro Miller
8 years ago

Way to go Brent Creager you were amazing back in the day…now look at you! Congratulations well deserved!

Tommy Wotton
8 years ago

Paul Staight

Mohamed Bentabet
8 years ago

Faracha

Mike Davidson
Mike Davidson
8 years ago

Way to go Nittany Lion! #PSUProud.

Markéta Žižkova
8 years ago
Niels Post
8 years ago

Nick van Nijburg

Dunc1952
Dunc1952
8 years ago

Great as Brent has been this season, it is fair to recognize that he’s 2.56 seconds off being the fastest 35 year old 100 Yd Fly swimmer in Arizona this spring. Kowhei Kawamoto of Japan, who has trained off and on in Arizona over the last 15 or so years, won the 100 Fly title in the Arizona Senior Swimming Championships at :46.07 in a close race with Giles Smith (University of Arizona grad) and Alex Coci (ASU grad out of Romainia) compared to Brent’s fine :48.63. The artificial consideration of Masters registration should not diminish recognition of Kawamoto’s real and still competitive performances at age 35. Swimming outdoors in the cool of the evening he would have been 11th, just 0.15 out of the A-Final at last weekend’s D-1 NCAA 100 Fly and beat a USA Swimming national team member in Smith and and an almost certain competitive Rio flyer in Coci. So great job Brent, who did a great job for years for Glendale Swimming Gauchos before going off to his college career at Penn State and in more recent years swimming with Arizona Gold. But, at least as to the 100 Yd fly, greater job Kowhei.

PACE PAL
8 years ago

Congratulations Brent! This is such an impressive accomplishment! It demonstrates that elite levels of performance are possible years after what we used to think was a swimmer’s “prime.”

Jerry Olszewski
Jerry Olszewski
8 years ago

Brent’s accomplishments are even more impressive given the situation. His club, Arizona Gold, won the Men’s Sectional Title. To do that, Brent contributed by swimming events he normally doesnt to score “team” points including a monster 3:59 in the 400 IM, his best time ever! Way to go Brent, excellent results and an even better team mate. You set a great example for a very good group for our younger swimmers on the club.

Zara Tavakoli
8 years ago

wow,fantastic

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