By James Sutherland on SwimSwam
Ultra Swim Swimmer of the Month is a recurring SwimSwam feature shedding light on a U.S.-based swimmer who has proven themselves over the past month. As with any item of recognition, Swimmer of the Month is a subjective exercise meant to highlight one athlete whose work holds noteworthy context – perhaps a swimmer who was visibly outperforming other swimmers over the month, or one whose accomplishments slipped through the cracks among other high-profile swims. If your favorite athlete wasn’t selected, feel free to respectfully recognize them in our comment section.
Rylee Erisman has been on fire throughout the 2024-25 season, and after capping off her summer campaign with a dominant performance at the World Junior Swimming Championships, she earns Ultra Swimmer of the Month honors.
The 16-year-old racked up five gold and eight total medals in Otopeni to lead all swimmers, playing a pivotal role as the United States topped the medal table. The U.S. won 10 gold and 22 total medals, meaning Erisman factored into half of their gold medals and more than a third of their total medals.
Erisman’s top performances came in the 100 freestyle, as she broke the Championship and U.S. National Age Group Record for 15-16 girls in the prelims (53.17), semis (53.09) and final (52.79), blowing away the field as she won the gold medal by 1.40 seconds over fellow American Lily King (54.19).
In Erisman’s prelim swim, she lowered the Championship Record of 53.63 set by Taylor Ruck in 2017, and the U.S. 15-16 NAG of 53.55 set by Claire Curzan in 2021.
Additionally, despite having yet to enter the age group, Erisman went under the existing 17-18 NAG record of 53.25 set by Simone Manuel in 2014, making her the fastest American junior ever.
Erisman became the seventh American woman to break the 53-second barrier with her swim in the final, moving into #6 all-time in the national rankings.
All-Time U.S. Performers, Women’s 100 Freestyle (LCM)
- Simone Manuel, 52.04 – 2019
- Torri Huske, 52.29 – 2024
- Kate Douglass, 52.56 – 2024
- Mallory Comerford, 52.59 – 2017
- Gretchen Walsh, 52.78 – 2025
- Rylee Erisman, 52.79 – 2025
- Abbey Weitzeil, 52.92 – 2023
- Amanda Weir, 53.02 – 2009
- Olivia Smoliga, 53.28 – 2023
- Dana Vollmer, 53.30 – 2009
Erisman also won individual gold in the girls’ 50 free, clocking 24.70 (after going 24.69 in the semis) to edge out runner-up Theodora Taylor (24.72) of Great Britain while narrowly missing her personal best of 24.66 set last summer.
In the girls’ 200 free, Erisman won silver in a time of 1:56.76, lowering her personal best time of 1:57.29 while falling to China’s Yang Peiqi (1:56.25).
Erisman played a crucial role on the U.S. relays, including leading off the World Junior Record-setting girls’ 4×100 free squad in a time of 53.41, and anchoring the winning girls’ 4×100 medley relay with a 52.75 split. She swam the third leg on the victorious U.S. mixed 4×100 free relay as well, splitting 53.11.
She also anchored the silver medal-winning girls’ 4×200 free relay (1:56.69) and the mixed 4×100 medley relay (53.05), giving her a total of 13 swims over the six-day meet.
With her eight-medal haul, Erisman became the most decorated swimmer in history at a single World Junior Swimming Championship in terms of sheer medals, with only Mack Horton, Maximus Williamson, Gretchen Walsh and Ruck having topped her gold medal tally with six apiece.
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