SwimSwam Pulse is a recurring feature tracking and analyzing the results of our periodic A3 Performance Polls. You can cast your vote in our newest poll on the SwimSwam homepage, about halfway down the page on the right side.
Our most recent poll asked SwimSwam readers what the best individual performance from a first-year swimmer was at Women’s NCAAs:
Question: What was the top freshman performance of Women’s NCAAs?
RESULTS
- Liberty Clark, 200 free (2nd) – 35.5%
- Claire Weinstein, 500 free (1st) – 30.6%
- Sara Curtis, 50 free (2nd) – 14.8%
- Eneli Jefimova, 100 breast (1st) – 13.7%
- Sara Curtis, 100 free (3rd) – 2.5%
- Claire Weinstein, 1650 free (2nd) – 1.3%
- Teagan O’Dell, 200 IM (2nd) – 0.9%
- Alex Shackell, 200 fly (2nd) – 0.7%
Two freshmen won individual titles at the Women’s NCAA Championships a few weeks ago in Atlanta, but neither performance was voted as the best by a first-year swimmer at the meet.
Indiana’s Liberty Clark became the fifth woman in history to break 1:40 in the 200 free on the opening night of competition, clocking 1:39.70 while leading off Indiana’s 800 free relay to become the third-fastest performer of all-time.
The following night, in the individual 200 free final, Virginia sophomore Anna Moesch opened up a near half-second lead on Clark through the halfway mark, and then managed to hold Clark at bay coming down the stretch to win the title in a time of 1:39.23, moving her to #2 all-time behind Missy Franklin (1:39.10).
Clark was the runner-up in 1:39.88, making Moesch and Clark the first two swimmers in history with multiple sub-1:40 swims on their resumes. Moesch also went 1:39.72 at the ACC Championships in February.
The other swimmers who have broken 1:40, Franklin, Gretchen Walsh and Mallory Comerford, have only done it one time apiece.
All-Time Performances, Women’s 200 Freestyle (SCY)
- Missy Franklin (Cal), 1:39.10 – 2015
- Anna Moesch (Virginia), 1:39.23 – 2026
- Gretchen Walsh (Virginia), 1:39.34 – 2025
- Liberty Clark (Indiana), 1:39.70 – 2026
- Anna Moesch (Virginia), 1:39.72 – 2026
- Mallory Comerford (Louisville), 1:39.80 – 2018
- Liberty Clark (Indiana), 1:39.88 – 2026
- Gretchen Walsh (Virginia), 1:40.23 – 2024
- Anna Moesch (Virginia), 1:40.25 – 2025
- Mallory Comerford (Louisville), 1:40.26 – 2019
In our most recent poll asking SwimSwam readers what the most impressive swim from a freshman was at Women’s NCAAs, Clark’s 200 free came out on top with 35.5% of votes.
In addition to joining the sub-1:40 club, she also reset the Big Ten and Indiana program records, and broke Franklin’s 17-18 National Age Group Record of 1:40.31 from 2014.
Having entered college with a personal best time of 1:45.76, Clark showed steady progress throughout her first year with the Hoosiers, lowering her best time at the USC Invite in October (1:42.43), at the Ohio State Invite in November (1:41.27) and at the Big Ten Championships in February (1:40.84) before her groundbreaking pair of sub-1:40 swims in March.
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Ranking 2nd in the poll was Cal’s Claire Weinstein and her triumphant victory in the 500 free, which came two nights after she led the fastest seeded heat of the 1650 free with 300 yards to go before being overtaken by Texas’ Jillian Cox.
Cox, who swept the 500 and 1650 at the 2025 NCAAs, was the favorite to do the double once again coming into the 500 free final, but Weinstein jumped out to the early lead and never relinquished it. After Cox pulled with a half-second with 100 to go, Weinstein turned on the jets and pulled away to book the victory in 4:30.09, with Cox nearly a second and a half back in 4:31.56.
Despite winning the national title, the swim was only the third-fastest of Weinstein’s career, having clocked 4:29.38 in December 2023 and then going 4:29.42 in March 2025.
Ranking 3rd in the poll was the 50 free performance from Virginia’s Sara Curtis, as the Italian freshman fired off a time of 20.74 in the final, placing 2nd to Stanford senior Torri Huske (20.66) and moving to #3 all-time behind only G. Walsh (20.37) and Huske. Curtis also became the fastest freshman ever in the event.
Close behind Curtis’ 50 free in the poll was the other title won by a freshman, Eneli Jefimova‘s victory in the 100 breast.
The Estonian native and NC State Wolfpack put up a time of 56.30 in the 100 breast final, comfortably winning the title by seven-tenths of a second while moving into #3 all-time behind Lilly King (55.73) and Jasmine Nocentini (56.09).
Below, vote in our new A3 Performance Poll, which asks: What was the biggest surprise of the Men’s NCAA Championships:
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The A3 Performance Poll is courtesy of A3 Performance, a SwimSwam partner.
Her improvement this year is insane and I am excited to see what more she does.
Love Liberty Clark.
Liberty Clark is amazing
Some other outstanding freshman I would like to shout out are Kennedi Dobson, Eva Okaro, Teagan Odell, and Grace Rabb. All of them were some of the only few freshman to A final at NCAAs. All of them have done well this whole season and very fast. I want to shout them out for being amazing.
i agree all have done so well and been very good for their teams
Also Madi Mintenko
why Jefimova so low when she became the 3rd fastest woman ever and won her event 😭
I think people are just used to her being fast, so they take it for granted. She’s been a force since her early teens
Sure but then why was Weinstein’s 500 so high when she didn’t even go a best time
I wondered the same about Weinstein. My guess is that most that voted for her were unaware she was faster in HS.
Breaststroke sucks
Clark definitely deserved it.
With Curtis, the perspective I have is that her 20.74 is faster than the record set by Maggie MacNeil just three years ago at NCAAs (20.79). That’s pretty insane.
Weinstein should definitely not have been that close to Clark in the poll
I’m excited to see what she can go in LCM. The 200 free next year at trials (nationals) will be a blood bath. Weinstein, Ledecky, Gemmell, Sims, Huske, Peplowski all 1:55 or faster, and Smith and Shackell in the 1:56’s, throw in Cavan Gormsen and Isabel Ivey who have been 1:57’s last season and Clark who’s on a trajectory like no other, this is going to be insane. I also know I’m missing a name or like 9.
That’s not even all of it. You also got Manuel and Mintenko both at 1:56s and then you also don’t know where Moesch will be.
And Erisman.
American womens 200 Free LCM will be exciting to watch over the next 2 years
to see who claims the individual and relay spots for LA28
I wonder if Regan will swim it. If she did, she could very well make the team.
I don’t see her doing it, shes for a lot of other events