14-year-old phenom Regan Smith just posted the 6th-fastest-time-ever in the girl’s 13-14 age group in the 500 free, and she didn’t even taper for it.

Smith, swimming at the Foxjet Invite at the University of Minnesota, posted a blistering 4:41.93 in the 500 freestyle tonight to easily win the race and establish the 6th-fastest time ever in the in the girl’s 13-14 age group. It should come as no surprise that the NAG record holder in the event is Katie Ledecky with a 4:35.14 established in 2011.

Speaking to SwimSwam this evening, Regan’s father, Paul (a USA Swimming coach, though not Regan’s coach) said that it was a huge swim and that the family was really happy with the results.

The 500 was one of several events that Smith passed on swimming at the Speedo Junior Championships (West) in December. Concerning the swim this evening Regan’s father, Paul Smith, said “Regan dropped a 4:41 in the 500 tonight. No shave or taper. Huge swim. Really happy. Wish she could have swam it tapered.” Regan herself said that she “really felt it on the back half.”

However Smith felt on the back half of the race, her splits remained solid. While it’s impossible to know how fast Smith might have gone had she swam the 500 at Junior’s, it is reasonable to conclude that she could become a national-contender in the middle-distance freestyles in the future. Ledecky will likely remain atop the heap for years to come, though even she will someday rely on great up-and-comers such as Smith to keep pushing her to continued greatness.

Smith’s splits this evening are as follows:

Increment All By 50 By 100 50 24.67 24.67 100 52.21 27.54 52.21 150 1:20.20 27.99 200 1:48.35 28.15 56.14 250 2:16.28 28.47 300 2:45.59 28.77 57.24 350 3:14.76 29.17 400 3:43.99 29.23 58.40 450 4:13.08 29.09 500 4:41.93 28.58 57.94

AB