Eagle of the Week: Penelope Helm
This one has good vibes.
Until this weekend, I would say that the best recent swim by Emory Senior Penelope Helm was her relay start in the 800 Free at 2023 Nationals. She went 1:50.51. That’s fast. If she had swum that in the 200 Free prelims, she would have made the B Final and if she swam that in the 200 Free B Final it would have been good enough for 2nd place.1
In our estimation, she just topped that. Here’s a run-down on Penelope Helm’s big weekend.
That win in the 500 Free deserves more attention. Ms. Helm’s time was 4:56.51, the second fastest 500 Free in Division III so far this year.2 It is also the fastest 500 Free for Ms. Helm since the 2022 Nationals (4:55.49, March 16, 2022).
Hold on, we aren’t done. In assessing times, the rhythm of the swim season matters. Until last weekend, October and November weren’t always the best for Penelope Helm. That 4:56.51 represents a 10 second improvement over her 500 Free time from exactly one year ago. Until last weekend, her best 500 Free - in her entire NCAA career - during October and November was 4:58.99. Until last weekend.
Penelope Helm was already on our Eagle of the Week radar, and this week she just made it so easy on us.
Congratulations Penelope Helm: You are D3SO’s Eagle of the Week.
We should probably stop writing here and move on to another post, but something about Ms. Helm’s performance this weekend is sticking with us.
Look through her times. In 2021-22, she had a 200 Free time of 1:50.27, a 100 Free of 51.80, and a 500 Free of 4:55.49. That 200 Free time of 1:50.27 was also a relay start. There’s something very likable about a swimmer who is just a tick faster in relays.
But what we have not talked about is that Ms. Helm did not touch any of those times last season. It looks like she had one of those years. Don’t get us wrong. She swam great, and would have been a valuable addition to any team in Division III. But she did not get back to where she had been the year before. We don’t know about any contributing factors, but we do know that it just happens to swimmers sometimes. And for a lot of them, it chews them up pretty good.
So how great is it to see Penelope Helm drop a 4:56.51 in 500 Free in November of her Senior year?3 We don’t have video of the event but we do hope that, when she finished and looked up at the board and saw that time, she smacked the water like it owed her money. Or at least gave the crowd a Pat Pema-style double arm flex.
Good job out of you, Ms. Helm. Best of luck the rest of the season.
Meaning: she would have finished second in the B Final, which is the equivalent - in terms of points - of 10th overall. However, if you just compare 1:50.51 to the finals times posted by the full field, it would have been good enough for 6th place.
Care to guess who has the fastest 500 Free in Women’s Division III right now? I’ll give you some time to think about it.
Mr. Helm also PR’d in 50 Free with a 24.00.
We are too far outside to really understand these improvements. It suggests some mental toughness, adaptability, and a commitment to do the work needed to improve. And if that isn’t the story, don’t tell us, because we like that story.