Grace Rabb Downs 17-Year-Old Texas Record in 200 IM
Grace Rabb set a state record Saturday, downing a mark almost older than she is.
Rabb went 1:56.40 in the girls 200 individual medley at the UIL Class 6A Championships Saturday, the highest classification of high school competition in Texas. The time ends the lengthy reign of the 1:56.56 put up in 2008 by Mary Beck of Austin Westlake.
Rabb, a senior from Dripping Springs High School and Longhorn Aquatics, was swimming in a familiar pool at Austin’s Lee & Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center. Her splits:
- 25-.76 – 28.14 – 34.73 – 27.77 – 1:56.40.
Rabb, who is committed to the University of Florida, went 1:58.74 in prelims. Her best time is 1:55.64, from the Speedo West Junior Championships in Dec. 2023.
Maximus Williamson’s assault on the national record board grabbed headlines in the 6A meet, but Rabb’s has the historical advantage. It ends the remarkably resilient reign of the record from Beck, who went on to swim at California and LSU.
There have been near misses, to be expected in a state with the depth of talent that Texas possesses. In 2024, Campbell Chase, swimming for Dallas Wilson, set the UIL 5A mark by going 1:56.80. She had been 1:57.97 to set that record the previous year.
Flower Mound’s Julia Wozniak went 1:58.62 in 2022, while Vanessa Pearl, swimming for McKinney, clocked in at 1:57.20 in 2018. U.S. national teamers Lindsay Looney (1:59.33 in 2019) and Madisyn Cox (1:59.42 in 2013) also had cracks at the record. But Rabb is the one to finally take it off the board. Beck’s time had been the national record at the time.
Rabb also won the girls 100 backstroke in 53.01, improving from 53.65 in prelims. That allows the 2017 record of Lucie Nordmann (52.48) to survive.
Also at the UIL 6A meet, James Bowie junior Rowan Cox won the 100 fly in 46.19. That downs the Class 6A record of 46.63 set by Jacob Wimberly in 2024, though it’s shy of the unified state record from Connor Foote (46.09) in 2022.
