Claire Curzan Breaks American, NCAA, and U.S. Open Records in the 200 Back in Tennessee
Yesterday at 06:37 PM
By Braden Keith on SwimSwam
2024 Tennessee Invite
- November 19-22, 2024
- Where: Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center — Knoxville, Tennessee
- Start Times: 10 am ET prelims/5 pm ET finals
- Psych Sheets
- Results on Meet Mobile: "2024 Tennessee Invitational"
- Live Stream
- Day 1 Finals Recap
- Day 2 Prelims Recap | Day 2 Finals Recap
- Day 3 Prelims Recap | Day 3 Finals Recap
- Day 4 Prelims Recap | Day 4 Finals Recap
Claire Curzan has officially cemented her place in the pantheon of the Virginia women’s swimming dynasty, breaking the NCAA, U.S. Open, and American Records in the 200 yard backstroke on Friday evening in Knoxville.
She swam 1:46.87, which broke the previous fastest-ever time that was done by her former Stanford teammate Regan Smith at the 2019 Cary Sectionals meet. It also broke the NCAA Record that was set by Wisconsin’s Beata Nelson at the 2019 NCAA Championships in Austin.
Splits Comparison:
| Beata Nelson | Regan Smith | Claire Curzan | Claire Curzan | |
| 2019 NCAAs | 2019 Cary Sectionals | 2024 Tennessee Invite | 2023 Pac-12s | |
| Previous NCAA Record | Previous US/US Open Record | New Best Ever | Previous PB | |
| 50y | 25.24 | 25.05 | 25.22 | 25.45 |
| 100y | 27.20 | 26.49 | 26.77 | 27.01 |
| 150y | 27.44 | 27.59 | 27.30 | 27.24 |
| 200y | 27.36 | 28.03 | 27.58 | 27.73 |
| Total Time | 1:47.24 | 1:47.16 | 1:46.87 | 1:47.43 |
Curzan didn’t go out as fast as Smith or close as fast as Nelson, but as is so often the cast in these 200 yard races, her third 50 made the difference. That has always been the strength of her 200 back, including in her previous best time from 2023.
This is Curzan’s first big taper meet representing Virginia’s varsity squad. Her previous best time was done at Pac-12s in her one season at Stanford before redshirting last season to prepare for the Olympic Trials. She finished 3rd in the 200 back, 4th in the 100 fly, and 8th in the 100 back at those Trials, missing the Olympic Team in this event by just .07 seconds.
Incidentally, she broke the Virginia Record of 1:49.35 that was set by Courtney Bartholomew in 2015 and the ACC Record of 1:48.43 set last season by NC State’s Kennedy Noble.
Curzan set the record in a head-to-head battle with her teammate Gretchen Walsh, who on Thursday set the NCAA, American, and U.S. Open Records in the 100 fly. Walsh’s 2nd-place time of 1:48.18 also cleared the old Virginia and ACC Records and would have won the NCAA title last season. In a race she doesn’t swim very often (only five times coming into this meet, to be exact) she is now the #9 performer all-time in the event.
Race Video coming soon.
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