With many of the big names of swimming not competing at the 2022 Phillips 66 U.S. National Championships in Irvine, California, opportunities are knocking for several swimmers to claim their first national championship or first time in a finals.<\/p>\n

That opportunity was there for the taking in the men\u2019s 200 backstroke.<\/p>\n

While the women\u2019s 200 backstroke was led by a handful of Olympians, the men\u2019s field was largely unknown and unproven to the casual swim fan.<\/p>\n

That changed on Wednesday during Day 2 of the Phillips 66 U.S. National Championships as a new national champion was crowned and many more got their first taste of the finals at a meet of this caliber.<\/p>\n

Jack Aikins<\/strong> used a quick reaction time, quick first 50 and strong race to hold off the field and get to the wall first. He claimed his first national championship with a swim of 1:57.52.<\/p>\n

“This morning I was out really fast, and I definitely paid for it the second half of the race, so my goal this evening was to just control it a little better. I definitely feel like I did that, I wasn\u2019t dying as much towards the end. It wasn\u2019t a best time, but I think that is largely in part to the fact that I just don\u2019t have that much experience swimming outside. I was kind of bumping into the lane lines a little bit, but that\u2019s ok because I had fun and that\u2019s what really counts,” Aikins said.\u00a0<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

It was seven tenths of a second ahead of Dynamo\u2019s Ian Grum<\/strong>, who finished in 1:57.59.<\/p>\n

Remarkably, two more swimmers were under 1:58, making for an exciting finish. Nick Simons<\/strong> took third in 1:57.79, just ahead of<\/p>\n

Australia\u2019s Ty Hartwell<\/strong> finished fifth in 1:58.50, followed by SwimMAC\u2019s Baylor Nelson<\/strong> (1:59.19) and Caleb Maldari<\/strong> (1:59.33) and Christopher O\u2019Connor<\/strong> (1:59.52).<\/p>\n