What's a good 500 freestyle time for a 16-year-old boy?

For 16-year-old boys (SCY), USA Swimming motivational times run from a B standard of 6:08.39 to a AAAA standard of 4:36.29. Enter a time below to see exactly where it ranks nationally and which cut it's closest to.

National 500 Free times — 16-year-old boys (SCY)

Average
5:14.29
50th percentile
Top 10%
4:45.00
faster than 90%
Top 1%
4:29.70
elite

The average (median) 16-year-old boy swims the 500 freestyle around 5:14.29 (SCY). Cracking the top 10% takes about 4:45.00, and the fastest 1% go under 4:29.70. Based on 8,636 swimmers with a recorded time.

How does your swimmer's time rank?

Enter a 500 Free (SCY) time to see the national percentile for 16 boys and the nearest USA Swimming cut.

500 Free motivational standards — 15-16 boys (SCY)

StandardTime
B6:08.39
BB5:42.09
A5:15.79
AA5:02.69
AAA4:49.49
AAAA4:36.29

USA Swimming National Age Group Motivational Times. A time faster than a level's cut counts as that standard achieved.

Average 500 Free time by age — boys (SCY)

AgeAverageTop 10%
8-year-old boys7:54.836:52.83
9-year-old boys7:29.706:33.84
10-year-old boys7:04.306:10.80
11-year-old boys6:42.565:52.00
12-year-old boys6:16.715:32.62
13-year-old boys5:56.325:15.54
14-year-old boys5:36.085:00.88
15-year-old boys5:23.164:51.40
16-year-old boys5:14.294:45.00
17-year-old boys5:07.494:40.17
18-year-old boys4:57.404:32.90

Average = the median recorded 500 Free time (SCY) for that age. Top 10% = faster than 90% of boys the same age.

Frequently asked questions

What's a good 500 freestyle time for a 16-year-old boy?

A typical (median) 16-year-old boy swims the 500 freestyle around 5:14.29 (SCY). A good time is faster than that — cracking the top 10% takes about 4:45.00. For reference, the USA Swimming B motivational standard is 6:08.39 and AAAA is 4:36.29. Based on 8,636 swimmers with a recorded time.

What's a fast 500 freestyle time for a 16-year-old boy?

The fastest 1% of 16-year-old boys go under 4:29.70 in the 500 freestyle (SCY) — around the AAAA motivational standard of 4:36.29. The top 10% are under 4:45.00.

What's the average 500 freestyle time for a 16-year-old boy?

The median 16-year-old boy swims about 5:14.29 in the 500 freestyle (SCY), based on 8,636 swimmers with a recorded time.

What are the USA Swimming motivational standards for the 16-and-up 500 Free?

For 15-16 boys (SCY), the 500 Free motivational cuts are B 6:08.39, BB 5:42.09, A 5:15.79, AA 5:02.69, AAA 4:49.49, AAAA 4:36.29.

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