Knoxville Races to Watch (Men’s): Teen Stars Thomas Heilman, Maximus Williamson Set for Tough Tests Against Pros

Thomas Heilman -- Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

Knoxville Races to Watch (Men’s): Thomas Heilman, Maximus Williamson Set for Tough Tests Against Pros

The last time Thomas Heilman and Maximus Williamson showed up to a national-level competition, both were considered promising young talents, but neither had made that jump into true contender status. But during those five days in Indianapolis, Heilman broke out and qualified for the World Championships team in both butterfly events, and just over two months later, Williamson put on a show at the World Junior Championships to secure a spot in the pre-Olympic Trials conversation.

These high school juniors and future University of Virginia Cavaliers set multiple National Age Group records apiece at December’s Junior Nationals (racing at separate sites), and now, they are back competing against the big names from the college and professional ranks. At the upcoming TYR Pro Swim Series in Knoxville, Tenn., Heilman and Williamson are both entered in the 50, 100 and 200 freestyle plus the 200 IM. Heilman will also race in his signature butterfly events while Williamson adds the 100 breaststroke and 400 IM.

Heilman was seeded ninth in the 200 fly entering last year’s Nationals, only drop two seconds from his best time and take down Michael Phelps’ 15-16 NAG record. Heilman ended up dropping into 1:53-territory on the way to a fourth-place finish at Worlds. Given his ridiculous improvement last year and his age, Heilman is now considered a serious threat for an Olympic medal in the 200 fly.

In Knoxville, Heilman will not swim against fellow World Championships finalist Carson Foster, who opted to skip the event this week, but he is scheduled to race against three other men who have posted 1:54s in the past: Luca Urlando, Trenton Julian and Gabriel Jett.

Urlando is another of the six Americans who have ever posted 1:53s in the event, and after he was a World Championships finalist in the event in 2022, he has hardly raced butterfly at all since undergoing shoulder surgery in the fall of 2022. Meanwhile, Julian and Jett both had strong swims in 2022 but did not achieve their top form last year. Dare Rose, the bronze medalist at Worlds in the 100 fly and a teammate of Jett’s at Cal, is another swimmer looking to put himself in contention for the Olympic team in the event.

Maximus Williamson — Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

As for Williamson, his best chances at beating veterans will come in the 100 free, where he owns a best time of 48.38, and in the 200 IM, where he has been 1:57.29. Five others are sub-1:58 performers in the 200 IM, including a pair of veterans in Foster and Chase Kalisz who have both won World Championships medals in this event in the past.

But Williamson’s best chance to make it to Paris might be as a 400 free relay swimmer, and he will continue trying to build momentum against a really strong field which boasts seven swimmers with 47s in their careers. Don’t expect anyone to swim that fast in Knoxville, but a high placing against the likes of Jack Alexy and Caeleb Dressel would put Williamson in a strong position.

The Knoxville meet won’t make or break anyone’s seasons, but swimmers like Heilman and Williamson only have momentum to gain.

In other top men’s races:

400 Freestyle

This event has been the weakest for the American swim team in recent years, a bronze medal by Kieran Smith at the 2021 Olympics notwithstanding. Smith and David Johnston represented the U.S. at last year’s Worlds in the event, but neither qualified for the final. In 34 individual final contested in Fukuoka, only the 400 free went off without any swimmers from the United States.

The Knoxville field will include plenty of top U.S. contenders in the event, including Smith, Bobby Finke, Luke Hobson and Ross Dant, while Drew Kibler, better known for his success in the 200 free, has emerged as a true contender here after his big best time in the eight-lap race at the U.S. Open. The Americans will get a challenge from Austria’s Felix Aubock, an Olympic finalist in this event.

100 Backstroke

Ryan Murphy of the United States of America celebrates after winning the gold medal in the 100m Backstroke Men Final during the 20th World Aquatics Championships at the Marine Messe Hall A in Fukuoka (Japan), July 25th, 2023.

Ryan Murphy — Photo Courtesy: Andrea Staccioli / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

American strength in the men’s 100 back has been a constant for decades. In 14 global championship meets dating back to the 2005 World Championships, the Americans have gotten two men on the 100 back podium on nine occasions, between the likes of Aaron Peirsol, Randall Bal, Ryan Lochte, Matt Grevers, Nick Thoman, David Plummer, Ryan Murphy and Hunter Armstrong. At last year’s Worlds, Murphy touched out world-record holder Thomas Ceccon for the title while Armstrong claimed bronze.

But even though that duo has represented the U.S. internationally each of the last three years, there are always challengers to those spots. Expect to see Murphy and Armstrong race their two primary challengers in Knoxville, Shaine Casas and former 50 back world champion Justin Ress. We’ll see if one of the big four can record a statement swim at the Pro Series or if an outside threat such as Destin Lasco, Jack Aikins or teenager Daniel Diehl, could move themselves into the mix.

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