By Braden Keith on SwimSwam
University of Tennessee post-grad Maddy Banic swam a 50.69 in the 100 yard fly on Friday during practice.
Swimming in the school’s older indoor pool, without a wedge on the blocks, Banic put on a (competition legal) race suit and cut half-a-second off her lifetime best in the event.
She swam her previous best time in the 100 fly in November of 2015, during her freshman season at Tennessee.
After that big freshman season, Banic had ups-and-downs in the pool during her time as a Tennessee undergraduate. Her only best times in yards in the last 2 years have been in the breaststroke events, where at a Last Chance Meet during her senior season she dropped time in both the 100 and 200 yard races.
Her best time during the 2018-2019 college season, her senior year, was 52.05 at the SEC Championships.
In total, Banic collected 12 All-America certificates in her Tennessee career and won 9 SEC titles, including the 50 free individually in 2017 as a sophomore.
2020 started out strong for Banic in long course, however. At the Pro Swim Series meet in Knoxville in January, she swam a lifetime best of 26.01 in the 50 free, and another lifetime best of 59.95 in the 100 fly.
She swam at 2 International Swimming League meets last season representing the LA Current, both as a relay-only swimmer, including in the Las Vegas finale.
Banic has been very open about the mental health challenges she faced throughout her swimming career, including depression, anxiety, and alcohol abuse.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: Tennessee Post-Grad Maddy Banic Swims 50.6 in 100 Yard Fly in Practice (VIDEO)