Ten American Records Fall at Jimi Flowers Classic

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The Jimi Flowers Classic delivered a record-setting showcase for U.S. Para swimming as athletes combined to break 10 American records during the long-course meet at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center.

The annual competition, hosted by U.S. Paralympics Swimming, again honored James "Jimi" Flowers, the longtime coach, mentor and U.S. Paralympics Swimming leader whose impact on the sport continues to be felt on deck and in the water.

Across two days of racing, the record total underscored both veteran excellence and rising talent within the American Para swimming pipeline. Evan Wilkerson led the way with four American records, Aspen Shelton added three, and Dillon Mezey, Piper Sadowski and Lawrence Sapp each contributed one record-setting swim.

Paris 2024 Paralympian Evan Wilkerson (Wake Forest, North Carolina; S12) continued his strong season with one of the top all-around performances of the meet, setting four American records. Wilkerson lowered the American record in the 100-meter backstroke, 50-meter butterfly and 50-meter backstroke, all previously held by Paralympic legend Brad Snyder, before breaking another American record in the 200-meter backstroke that had stood since 1992.

Two-time Paralympian Lawrence Sapp (Waldorf, Maryland; S14) also made his mark over the weekend, lowering his own American record in the 50-meter butterfly to 26.25. Sapp now holds seven American records in the S14 classification.

Freshman Dillon Mezey (Colorado Springs, Colorado; S3) continued the momentum from this year's National Championships, where he broke five American records, by adding another record-setting swim in the 100-meter backstroke.

Piper Sadowski (Grand Rapids, Michigan; S14), who trains at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs and is a member of the U23 National Team, broke the seventh American record of her career with a time of 2:23.25 in the 200-meter freestyle.

Aspen Shelton (Southlake, Texas; SB2) returned to the Jimi Flowers Classic and broke three American records, lowering her own mark in the 50-meter breaststroke while setting new standards in the 200-meter backstroke and 100-meter breaststroke.

The 10 American Records

• Dillon Mezey (S3) — 100-meter backstroke: 2:08.15

• Evan Wilkerson (S11) — 100-meter backstroke: 1:05.98

• Aspen Shelton (S3) — 200-meter backstroke: 5:15.05

• Evan Wilkerson (S11) — 200-meter backstroke: 2:24.74

• Aspen Shelton (SB2) — 50-meter breaststroke: 1:08.28

• Piper Sadowski (S14) — 200-meter freestyle: 2:23.25

• Evan Wilkerson (S11) — 50-meter backstroke: 29.90

• Aspen Shelton (SB2) — 100-meter breaststroke: 2:45.05

• Lawrence Sapp (S14) — 50-meter butterfly: 26.25

• Evan Wilkerson (S11) — 50-meter butterfly: 28.60

With momentum building, attention now turns to the 2026 Para Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, set for Aug. 28-30 in Walnut, California, where Team USA will take on top international competition.