Led by Jack Harvey Records, Caribbean Swimmers Impress at Pro Swim Series
Caribbean swimming, especially on the men’s side, is having a moment of renewed international relevance. That group showed its danger in more than just the short-course pool at last week’s TYR Pro Swim Series in Fort Lauderdale.
Jack Harvey was the headliner, the Bermuda international improving three national records. But Mikel Schreuders of Aruba also made two A finals. Lamar Taylor, off a successful college season at Tennessee, added a pair of top-nine finishes. Add in Trinidad and Tobago stalwart Dylan Carter being typically influential in the 50s, and races on the men’s side gained an international flair.
It wasn’t just the tokenism that usually pervades representation for smaller countries. The swimmers are knocking on the door of automatic qualification for the World Championships this summer, which brings them into the finals conversation if not quite medal contention.
Harvey turned heads in both placement and time. He rocked prelims of the men’s 50 backstroke with a time of 25.21, just a tenth off the auto cut for Worlds. He then was the runner-up in the 100 backstroke to Hubert Kos, Harvey’s time of 54.46 just over a half-second shy of the auto standard. Granted it wasn’t the deepest backstroke field the PSS has had to offer, but he still ended up in front of a U.S. national team aspirant in Jack Aikins.
Harvey, a Penn State swimmer, also placed fourth in prelims of the 200 back in 2:01.05. All three times improve his national records. He eschewed finals of the 50 and 200.
Attaining an A cut is something that Schreuders knows, the Aruban securing one in the 50 free for the Paris Olympics. He finished fourth in the 100 free in Fort Lauderdale in 48.74, a time four tenths off the A cut and .34 shy of his national record. He was even closer in the 50 breast, his prelims time of 27.38 within five hundredths of an automatic trip to Singapore. He finished fifth in that event and took part in two B finals.
Taylor is another intriguing figure. An integral part of two NCAA championship-winning relays at Tennessee, the grad transfer from Henderson State is translating short-course speed to the bigger pool. He finished sixth in the 50 free in Fort Lauderdale, brushing within .11 seconds of his Bahamian record with a 22.24 in prelims. He’s seeking the A cut of 22.05. Taylor also won the B final of the 100 free in 48.99, missing his national record from the Paris Olympics by .15 seconds.
Then there’s always Carter, who at 29 is still an international factor. Carter finished second to Ilya Kharun in the 50 fly in 23.24, a Worlds A cut. He was eighth in the 50 free.
The rise for the Caribbean has mostly been on the men’s side. The leader of the pack is Jordan Crooks, a two-time World Short-Course Champion representing the Cayman Islands. Standouts on the women’s side are fewer and further between – Emma Harvey of Bermuda warrants special mention from Fort Lauderdale, having set best times in the 50 fly (26.75) and 100 fly (59.88) that are both national mark.
In a region that has produced the likes of George Bovell and Anthony Nesty, this current crop can’t quite claim discovery rights to fast swimming. But their recent growth is a significant chapter to add to the story. Fort Lauderdale’s speed may be a prologue to a fast summer on the international stage.
