CHARLOTTESVILLE (WINA) – Following five days of competition at the IUPUI Natatorium in Indianapolis, local swimmer Thomas Heilman earned a spot on the United States roster for the upcoming FINA World Aquatics Championships. Heilman trains with Cavalier Aquatics at Piedmont Family YMCA, and is a rising Junior at Western Albemarle High School in Crozet.

In order to qualify for Team USA, a swimmer must finish in the Top 2 of their respective event. Thomas Heilman did just that in both the 200m Butterfly and the 100m Butterfly.

See Brooks Family YMCA release below:

Thomas Heilman Qualifies for 2023 World Aquatics Championships; Cavalier Aquatics Shines at Phillips 66 National Championships

 

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, JULY 1, 2023 — Following five days of competition at the IUPUI Natatorium in Indianapolis, Indiana, Thomas Heilman earned a spot on the United States roster for the upcoming FINA World Aquatics Championships. Heilman trains with Cavalier Aquatics / Piedmont Family YMCA, and is a rising Junior at Western Albemarle High School in Crozet, VA.

 

The Phillips 66 National Championships is a multi-day event that brings together the best swimmers in the United States, based on qualification standards. In order to qualify for Team USA, a swimmer must finish in the Top 2 of their respective event.

 

Thomas Heilman did just that in both the 200m Butterfly and the 100m Butterfly. On June 27th, Heilman qualified for Finals with a time of 1:55.11 in the 200m Butterfly, then went faster in the evening to capture second place with a time of 1:54.54. Notably, at the age of 16, this makes Thomas Heilman the youngest male swimmer to qualify for a Team USA World Championships roster since Michael Phelps in 2001. The time of 1:54.54 also broke Phelps’ 15-16 National Age Group Record of 1:54.58. Phelps’ 1:54.58, at the time in 2001, was the World Record.

 

Just a few days later, Heilman achieved similar marks in the 100m Butterfly. In preliminaries, Heilman qualified for Finals with a time of 51.78. In the evening, he blasted his way to a 51.19, again taking second place and securing a World Championships spot in another event. His time broke his 15-16 NAG record of 51.98 from August 2022.

 

Heilman’s Cavalier Aquatics teammate David King also traveled to Indianapolis to compete in the five-day competition. King competed in four events (1500m Freestyle, 200m Backstroke, 400m Freestyle, and 400m Individual Medley), and set personal best times in three of the four. He qualified for Finals in the 200m Backstroke. King is a rising Senior at Albemarle High School, and is verbally committed to swim for the University of Virginia starting in the Fall of 2024.

 

The 2023 World Aquatics Championships will take place in Fukuoka, Japan, from July 14-30. Preliminary heats for the Men’s 200m Butterfly are on July 24th, with Semifinals and Finals being contested on July 25th and July 26th. Preliminary heats for the Men’s 100m Butterfly are on July 27th, with Semifinals and Finals being contested on July 28th and July 29th.

 

Cavalier Aquatics / Piedmont Family YMCA is a Charlottesville based team that trains out of the Brooks Family YMCA. The head coach of the program is Gary Taylor. For the 2023 season, the club received Gold Medal Status from USA Swimming, which means the club is ranked in the Top 20 of all USA Swimming Clubs nationwide based on the performance of the athletes.

 

 

 

About Cavalier Aquatics

Cavalier Aquatics is a competitive swim program run by the Piedmont Family YMCA association in Charlottesville, VA. Cavalier Aquatics is dedicated to developing, educating, and leading youth in the Charlottesville area following the guidelines set forth by the YMCA and USA Swimming. Cavalier Aquatics is led by Head Coach Gary Taylor and Director of High Performance Todd DeSorbo. Visit piedmontymca.org for more information.

 

About Piedmont Family YMCA

The Y is a nonprofit working to strengthen the foundations of community through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. Established in 1994 in Charlottesville, Virginia, the Piedmont Family YMCA currently provides programs and services to over 15,000 community members with a volunteer network of over 2,000 people. The Y provides over $1,000,000 annually in scholarships to ensure that nobody is turned away from the Y for inability to pay. Learn more at piedmontymca.org.