Claire Curzan Time Trials 1:42 in the 200 Free at Tennessee Invite
11/20/2024 02:57 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
- Full Day 1 Prelims Results
- Wednesday Time Trial Results
After swimming no formal individual events on Wednesday morning at the Tennessee Invite, incoming Virginia transfer Claire Curzan swam a 1:42.96 in the 200 free. That time ranks her 2nd nationally so far this season behind only USC’s Minna Abraham, who swam 1:42.01 in a dual meet against Arizona.
The time is about half-a-second shy of Curzan’s personal best of 1:42.43 that she swam at the Cary Sectionals in March 2022 when she was still in high school.
Curzan spent her freshman season (2022-2023) at Stanford before redshirting last season while training at Virginia to prepare for the Olympic Trials. While she did not make the U.S. Olympic Team, there have been signs of success in Charlottesville, including 3rd place in the 200 back at Trials, best times in all three backstroke races at the World Championships in February, and some fast dual meet times (50.54/1:51.84 backstrokes against UNC on November 1).
Curzan split her 200 free, by 50:
- 1st – 24.06
- 2nd – 25.81
- 3rd – 26.45
- 4th – 26.64
The Virginia 800 free relay finished 4th at the NCAA Championships last season, won in 2023, was 2nd in 2022, and won in 2021. Those 2022 and 2024 non-wins were the team’s only non-relay wins for the Cavaliers at the last three NCAA Championship meets combined.
The graduation of Ella Nelson, who split 1:42.37 at NCAAs last year, left a second hole in that relay heading toward the 2025 championships, but Curzan’s 1:42 should help assuage those concerns and give the Cavaliers a little more flexibility in deciding their relay lineups for NCAAs. While Curzan is also a very good sprinter with potential to contribute to all five relays, they are generally deeper in the sprint events in their current incarnation.
Other Notable Time Trials
- Virginia sophomore Hayden Bellotti swam 43.00 in the 100 free, a new personal best. He previously swam 43.14 at Sectionals during his senior year of high school.
- Virginia’s Tess Howley swam 52.73 in the 100 back.
- Tennessee’s Nick Simons swam 1:42.55 in the 200 back.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: Claire Curzan Time Trials 1:42 in the 200 Free at Tennessee Invite
