INDIANAPOLIS — Wyatt Davis was speaking for himself, not for Lilly King. What he said applies to both:
“I still got it.”
Two of the most decorated swimmers in Indiana history reprised big moments Thursday on the third night of the national championships at the IU Natatorium.
King won the 50-meter breaststroke in 29.77 seconds — just .11 off her nationals record from six years ago. She out-touched Lydia Jacoby, second in 29.81.
Davis, of Carmel, was third in the 50-meter backstroke in 24.62 and beat global gold medalists. It was his first “A” final at a nationals since 2019.
Because of an afternoon storm, finals were delayed 30 minutes by power outages at downtown hotels.
The 50 breaststroke is not an Olympic event but is in the World Championships, and King won gold medals in 2017 and 2019. She was recovering from COVID-19 at last year’s worlds and finished seventh.
After winning Wednesday’s 200, she dropped in distance and reaffirmed she is a sprint breaststroker ... and a force in this sport, seven years after winning gold in the 100 at the Rio Olympics.
“It’s definitely a much different perspective,” said King, 26, an Indiana University graduate from Evansville. “Not that it didn’t mean everything when I won in Rio. But now, I think, I just realize how special that moment was. It seemed so easy seven years ago. ‘Wait, wait a second. What I did was really special.’
“If it does happen again, I think I’ll have a larger appreciation of it.”
King will try to make her third Olympic team in the 2024 trials at Lucas Oil Stadium. She said the Natatorium is her favorite venue.
“I come here, and I feel like the crowd is here for me,” King said. “I feel so special swimming here. I feel so loved and supported by the fans.”
She will go for a breaststroke sweep Friday in the 100.
In the men’s 50 backstroke, Davis was beaten by the reigning world champion, Justin Ress, and the world record-holder, Hunter Armstrong. Their times were 24.10 and 24.16, respectively. Davis’ time was 24.62.
Ryan Held was fourth in 24.66, Shaine Casas fifth in 24.70 and Notre Dame’s Tommy Janton seventh in 25.03.
Davis, 21, is heading into his senior season at Michigan. He won a record 14 state championships while at Carmel and six medals at the 2019 World Junior Championships.
“I’ve just really embraced competing in my swimming recently,” Davis said. “I’m an older guy. Best times don’t come as often. I’ve looked at it more as an opportunity to race and compete against the best swimmers. I think I took full advantage of that tonight.”
In perhaps the deepest final of the five-day meet to select a world team, Carmel swimmers Kelly Pash and Alex Shackell finished fifth and sixth, respectively, in the 100 butterfly.
Torri Huske (56.18) and Gretchen Walsh (56.34) took the two world team spots, followed by Kate Douglass (56.43). Those are the top three times in the world this year. Claire Curzan was fourth in 56.61, followed by Pash, 57.53, and Shackell, 57.59.
Huske and Curzan represented Team USA in the 100 fly at the 2021 Olympics and 2022 worlds, and Huske set an American record of 55.64 in winning the world title. In Wednesday’s 50 fly, Walsh broke Huske’s American record.
Only Curzan and Huske are ahead of Shackell on the U.S. all-time 15-16 list.
“Her trajectory is on the right path,” Carmel coach Chris Plumb said. “It’s a high trajectory right now, and we want to stay on that.”
On Wednesday, Shackell, 16, became the first Carmel swimmer to make a U.S. women’s world or Olympic team by finishing fifth in the 200 freestyle. She and Pash were together recently for a workout and a social gathering.
“I never thought a month ago we’d be in the same final together,” Shackell said.
Pash, 22, is eligible for a fifth college season at Texas and said she would return to Austin in build-up for the trials.
“Alex inspires me, I think,” Pash said. “I don’t know how much I inspire her. People look up to older swimmers, but I honestly look up to her a lot. I think she’s totally changed the program at Carmel."
In the men’s 100 butterfly, Cal’s Dare Rose won in 50.74 over Thomas Heilman, 16. Heilman’s time of 51.19 is nearly two seconds faster than Michael Phelps’ best at the same age. He will be the youngest U.S. male swimmer to compete in two individual events at a worlds or Olympics since 1972.
World record-holder Caeleb Dressel, coming back from a long layoff, tied for fifth in 51.66.
Contact David Woods at dwoods1411@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.