Jilian Crooks sets new PB, CR, NR in PAN AM A time of 56.44 in the 2023 CARIFTA Aquatics Championships, which was recently held in Curaçao. The 2023 CARIFTA Championships were held recently in Curaçao in a pool named after the legendary Enith Brigitha.
Lifespan 007 Open Water Swim took to Facebook to share the update. It added, “The Olympic icon set regional standards at the World Champs representing the Netherlands. At the 1973 World Champs in Yugoslavia, she was the first woman from the CARIFTA region to set a CR in the 100 free at 59.16.”
She would take the Bronze in the final in 59.16. In 1975 there would be another Bronze in 58.20. In the heats she would clock 58.14. In her swan song in 1982 she would place fifth in 57.17. Fast forward to 2023 and Olympian Jillian Crooks is blazing her own impressive aquatic path. In the heats of the same event she took the record of another regional Olympic icon Bahamian Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace.
The mark had stood from from 2008 at 56.77. Jillian lowered that to 56.54, a ne wNR. No Cayman Islands girl had won consecutive 15-17 100 freestyle titles. That would change in Curaçao as Jillian would take the crown in a new PB, CR, NR time of 56.44. Last year she had won the title in 57.50 , victory margin of just over a second, this time it was over 3 seconds.
Jillian is on a great path as Arianna would go on to become a legend at Auburn and become the only CARIFTA region woman to win the NCAA titles in the 50 and yard freestyle. Arianna is the only woman from the region to hold the title of the fastest woman of all time in the 100 yard freestyle.
Jillian with another year in the 15-17 age group is seeking to be the all time best junior in the 100 freestyle. She has the Cayman best times as well in the 100 scm race with a swim of 54.20 and the 100 scy event at 48.47. The yards time is also the fastest regional time this season. The future University of Tennessee student will be chasing Elan Daly’s scm and lcm times of 53.35 and 55.39 and Arianna’s yards mark of 47.90.
