2025 W. NCAA Previews: US Olympians Looking for Redemption Highlight 100 Backstroke

2025 Women’s NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships

• March 19-22, 2025
• Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatics Center, Federal Way, Washington
• Short Course Yards (25 yards)
• Meet Central
• Pre-Scratch Psych Sheets
• SwimSwam Preview Index
• Live Stream

Women’s 100 Backstroke – By The Numbers: 

• NCAA Record: 48.10 – Gretchen Walsh, Virginia (2024)
• American Record: 48.10 – Gretchen Walsh, Virginia (2024)
• U.S. Open Record: 48.10 – Gretchen Walsh, Virginia (2024)
• Championship Record: 48.26 – Gretchen Walsh, Virginia (2023)
• 2024 Champion: Katharine Berkoff, NC State – 48.55

The 100 backstroke will feature one of the most evenly distributed fields within the entire 2025 NCAA meet, as there’s a balance of young freshmen stars and experienced upperclassmen in the mix for the title. Notably, without the presence of NCAA record holder Gretchen Walsh, the field is much more open than it would’ve been on paper. However, there are two US Olympians in the field who are both hungry for a comeback and will be pushing each other for the top spot on the podium.

US Olympians Looking for a Comeback

Currently, Florida star Bella Sims leads the pack in her second NCAA Championship appearance after swimming a time of 48.97 at the SEC Championships. The sophomore is looking to make a comeback on the championship stage after a difficult summer that saw her miss the US Olympic Team despite being one of the country’s top freestyle stars over the last quad. 

Since the disappointment of the summer, Sims has proven that she will not be stopped. Under coach Anthony Nesty, Sims has continued to move closer to her pre-college freestyle times, while significantly expanding her range in the backstroke events with best times across all three distances (50, 100, 200) this season. Reminiscent of Cal star and US Olympian Missy Franklin, Sims now has one of the best freestyle-backstroke combinations in the NCAA. 

With her 48.97, Sims is one of only a handful of swimmers to ever dip under the 49 second barrier, making her the top contender in this race. Considering that Sims also opted to drop the 200 freestyle from her NCAA schedule this year to avoid a 100 backstroke conflict, it seems that she is all-in on this event in the hunt for a title. 

Claire Curzan (photo: Jack Spitser)

Like Sims, Claire Curzan was a member of the 2021 US Olympic Team who didn’t make the roster last summer, narrowly missing out in multiple events. Originally training at Stanford, Curzan has since transferred to Virginia and is also swimming some of the best times of her career since making the switch, adding best times across all three backstroke distances this season. 

Curzan didn’t swim the 100 backstroke at the ACC Championships last month, instead opting for the 100 butterfly. However, she holds a season and lifetime best of 49.37 that ranks her 2nd on the NCAA psych sheets. Considering that Curzan has already broken the NCAA and American Records in the 200 backstroke this season with a 1:46.87, it seems likely that she has more left in the tank for the 100, setting herself up for a great battle with Sims. Curzan also left one of her best events off of her NCAA schedule in favor of the 100 backstroke, electing not to swim the 100 butterfly, making that battle even more exciting. 

Notably, neither swimmer contested this race at last year’s NCAA Championships, with Sims opting for a different event lineup and Curzan taking an Olympic redshirt season. With that, it’s very likely that a brand new name will top the NCAA podium in the 100 backstroke this season. 

Freshman Invasion

Behind Sims and Curzan, there is plenty of young talent with a pool of freshmen lurking, all of whom would love to make a splash at their first NCAA Championships. 

Cal’s Mary-Ambre Moluh stands at the front of that pack with the 3rd seed in the event as she posted a 49.68 at the Minnesota Invite earlier this season. The French Olympian has made quite the impact in her first season of NCAA swimming, making 3 A-finals at the ACC Championships, which included a 2nd place finish in the 100 backstroke (50.22) to the aforementioned Walsh. Though she was slightly off of her best time at that meet, Cal has historically performed very well at NCAAs on both the men’s and women’s sides of the meet, making it likely that she could have a big taper. Also, as an international athlete, it is likely that she has never competed SCY before this year, only adding to her potential as she continues to progress in the short course pool. 

Erika Pelaez (via Erika Pelaez)

The NC State duo of Leah Shackley and Erika Pelaez are also in the title hunt in their first NCAA season. Both swimmers were ranked amongst the top of the High School Class of 2024 and have proven their value, with Shackley holding the 6th seed (50.22) and Pelaez seeded 8th (50.46). However, it is worth noting that both swimmers will also be taking on the 100 butterfly- 100 backstroke double on the 3rd day of the NCAA meet, meaning that it’s possible that they might not be on top form for both events. 

Beyond these athletes, there’s only one other underclassman ranked in the top 10 entries on the psych sheet: Indiana’s Miranda Grana. The Texas A&M transfer is currently ranked 9th on the psych sheets with a season best of 50.69 from the Big Ten Championships. However, Grana’s lifetime best stands at 50.65 from the 2024 SEC Championships while she was still at A&M. Last year, Grana finished 8th in this event at NCAAs, giving her the experience necessary to make it back to the ‘A’ Final this year. However, like Shackley and Pelaez, she will also be doing the 100 butterfly double this year, with the 100 butterfly being the better of her events (6th seed – 50.80). 

NCAA Veterans Making Another Run 

With multiple seniors and COVID-5th years also in the field, experience is going to be one of the key factors in making it back to the ‘A-final’ here. 

Phoebe Bacon (photo: Jack Spitser)

Despite the fact that she’s won multiple NCAA titles in the 200 backstroke, Wisconsin 5th-year Phoebe Bacon has never claimed an NCAA title in the shorter of the two backstroke distances. However, Bacon seems primed to make a run for it this year, posting a best time of 50.14 to win the 100 backstroke at the Big Ten Championships. At that meet, she also swept her events for the first time in her career, earning Swimmer of the Meet honors. Bacon’s time currently has her seeded 5th on the psych sheets, though she could move up with another big performance. 

Another 5th-year in the field is Cal’s Isabelle Stadden. The 2024 NCAA runner-up in this race, Stadden holds a season best of 50.26, currently ranking 7th on the psych sheets. That time, posted at a dual meet against USC, actually matched her lifetime best from 2023. Stadden has traditionally performed very well at NCAAs, often seeing drops off of her conference championship times. With that, she could very well be in the position to move-up in the rankings at NCAAs. 

Tennessee senior Josephine Fuller has established herself as one of the top backstroke threats over the past year, entering the meet as the 4th seed after swimming a best time of 50.05 at SECs. Like Stadden, Fuller has consistently improved between her conference championships and NCAAs in each of the last three seasons, meaning she could see more improvement on her personal best and dip under the 50 second barrier at NCAAs. Another factor to consider is that Tennessee will be knee-deep in the podium hunt on the team scale after finishing 4th last year, making Fuller’s individual points matter even more. 

Returning Finalists in the Field

With such a mix of experience in the field, it is clear that there will be multiple new finalists in this year’s field. However, the field remains packed with returning finalists. Including Stadden, Bacon, Fuller, and Grana, 7 of the 8 A-finalists from last year’s NCAA Championships are slated to compete in this field with the exception being reigning Champion Katharine Berkoff. 

Kennedy Noble (photo: Jack Spitser)

Kennedy Noble finished 3rd last year in a 50.54, marking a huge swim for the NC State Wolfpack swimmer. This season, Noble has been relatively close to that time already, swimming a 50.75 to sit tied for the 10th seed on the psych sheets. With multiple swimmers sitting in the 50.5-50.8 range, Noble will need to be right on that time to return to the A-final again and get a chance at another bronze medal. Traditionally though, she has been an extremely good swimmer at Championship meets, being one of only a handful of swimmers to have ever gone a best time in every Olympic Trials swim they’ve ever had (4/4). 

Indiana’s Kacey McKenna sits in a similar situation, seeded 13th in 50.87. McKenna threw down a 50.65 to finish 6th last year, a time that would put her right on the edge of earning another A-final berth this year. Southern Illinois’ Celia Paulo sits in a similar situation with a personal best of 50.73 from last year’s NCAA Championships, where she finished 7th. This season, Paulo has only been 51.07, seeding her 17th, meaning that she’ll need a big performance to see another A-final. 

Like the returning A-finalists, 7 of the 8 swimmers from the B-final are also slated to return, with only Reilly Tiltmann not swimming this year. 

Texas’ Berit Berglund led the B-final last year with a 50.70. This year, she enters the meet as the 16th seed in 51.02. Behind Berglund, Georgia’s Eboni McCarty (51.00) and Texas’ Olivia Bray (51.15) finished 2nd and 3rd in last year’s B-final. McCarty enters this year’s meet with a 51.28 entry time, seeded 23rd, while Bray enters with the 29th seed (51.52). 

UNC’s Geer Pattinson finished 16th last year but sits as the highest seed out of the returning B-finalists this year, entering the meet with a 50.96 entry time to sit 14th on the psych sheets. 

Other returning finalists include Ohio State’s Nyah Funderburke (19th – 51.18), USC’s Caroline Famous (24th – 51.37), and Texas’ Emma Kern (28th – 51.49). 

SwimSwam’s Picks:

Darkhorse Pick: Emily Jones (Alamaba) – Jones, an Australian native, has seen huge improvements in her junior year. In 2023, Jones finished 31st in this event at the NCAA Championships, swimming a 52.65. After taking a redshirt season and competing back home in Australia in 2024, she came back with newly-found confidence this season, dropping a best time of 50.75 to win this event at the UGA Fall Invitational. Jones was right on that time at the SEC Championships, swimming 50.92 for a 3rd place finish to enter the NCAA Championships tied for the 10th seed. As previously mentioned, the field stands incredibly close, with 7 swimmers wedged between 50.6 and 51.00, making for a great battle that Jones seems poised to do well in.