Maclin Davis executed the most important part of his pre-meet strategy on Friday during the preliminary round of the annual Tennessee Swimming and Diving Championships in Nashville, Tenn.
The senior from
Montgomery Bell Academy (Nashville, Tenn.) won the preliminary round of the 100-yard butterfly and set a national record with a blistering time of 46.64 seconds. The previous national record of 47.08 was set in 2009.
"He could have potentially gone faster," coach Michael Dobbs told the Tennessean. "He wanted to break the record in the morning and go faster (in the final). He expected to do that. It's amazing how much pressure they put on themselves."
Davis was victorious in the finals, but with a slower time of 46.72.
His record was no fluke, because he will be swimming next year for the powerhouse University of Southern California.