arena Swim of the Week: Liberty Clark Hits 1:41.27 200 Free At Ohio State Fall Invite

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Disclaimer: Swim of the Week is not meant to be a conclusive selection of the best overall swim of the week, but rather one Featured Swim to be explored in deeper detail. The Swim of the Week is an opportunity to take a closer look at the context of one of the many fast swims this week, perhaps a swim that slipped through the cracks as others grabbed the headlines, or a race we didn’t get to examine as closely in the flood of weekly meets.

Indiana freshman Liberty Clark has been on fire through the early stages of the 2025-26 NCAA season, and through the first few days of this week’s Ohio State Fall Invitational, she’s gone supernova.

Clark, 18, came into the season owning a personal best time of 1:45.76 in the 200 free, set at the 2024 Winter Junior Championships – West last December. In early October, racing the event for the first time as a Hoosier, she dropped three seconds to clock 1:42.43 at the USC Invite, launching her into the top 10 all-time in the girls’ 17-18 age group (tied for 8th).

The momentum carried through into this week’s OSU Invite, which she began by leading off the Indiana women’s 800 free relay in 1:41.55, improving her best time by nearly nine-tenths and moving up into 6th in the 17-18 age group.

The following night in the final of the 200 free, Clark reset her best time again, this time in 1:41.27, maintaining her place as the 6th-fastest American in the girls’ 17-18 age group.

Compared to early in the season at the USC Invite to this week, Clark’s biggest improvement this week has come on the first 50, where she found more than half a second of front-end speed. From her relay lead-off on Tuesday to her swim in the final on Wednesday, she was notably quicker on the first and last 50s, while her middle 100 splits were nearly identical (51.62/51.66).

Split Comparison

All-Time Performers, 17-18 Girls’ 200 Freestyle (SCY)

1. Missy Franklin (Cal), 1:40.31 – 2014
2. Bella Sims (Sandpipers of Nevada), 1:40.78 – 2022
3. Katie Ledecky (Nation’s Capital), 1:41.04 – 2015
4. Claire Weinstein (Sandpipers of Nevada), 1:41.10 – 2024
5. Simone Manuel (Stanford), 1:41.15 – 2015
6. Liberty Clark (Indiana), 1:41.27 – 2025
7. Teagan O’Dell (Mission Viejo Nadadores), 1:42.27 – 2024
8. Alex Shackell (Carmel Swim Club), 1:42.28 – 2023
9. Claire Curzan (TAC Titans), 1:42.43 – 2022
10. Mallory Comerford (Louisville), 1:42.54 – 2016

In the historical rankings, Clark moves to 16th all-time, and sits #2 in Indiana history behind Anna Peplowski, who won the NCAA title last season in 1:40.50.

All-Time Performers, Women’s 200 Freestyle (SCY)

1. Missy Franklin (Cal), 1:39.10 – 2015
2. Gretchen Walsh (Virginia), 1:39.34 – 2025
3. Mallory Comerford (Louisville), 1:39.80 – 2018
4. Katie Ledecky (Stanford), 1:40.36 – 2017
5. Taylor Ruck (Stanford), 1:40.37 – 2019
6. Simone Manuel (Stanford), 1:40.37 – 2017
7. Minna Abraham (USC), 1:40.47 – 2025
8. Anna Peplowski (Indiana), 1:40.50 – 2025
9. Allison Schmitt (NBAC), 1:40.62 – 2015
10. Summer McIntosh (Sarasota Sharks), 1:40.63 – 2022
11. Siobhan Haughey (Michigan), 1:40.69 – 2018
12. Bella Sims (Sandpipers Of Nevada), 1:40.78 – 2022
13. Stephanie Balduccini (Michigan), 1:40.89 – 2025
14. Claire Weinstein (Sandpipers Of Nevada), 1:41.10 – 2024
15. Megan Romano (University of Georgia), 1:41.21 – 2012
16. Liberty Clark (Indiana), 1:41.27 – 2025
17. Isabel Ivey (Cal), 1:41.35 – 2022
18. Anna Moesch (Virginia), 1:41.42 – 2025
19. Dana Vollmer (Cal), 1:41.53 – 2009
20. Alex Walsh (Virginia), 1:41.63 – 2023

In the NCAA this season, USC’s Minna Abraham, who Clark beat head-to-head at the USC Invite, dropped a time of 1:40.47 to take over the national lead on Wednesday at the Texas Hall of Fame Invite, with Clark currently sitting 2nd.

In addition to her 200 free victory in Columbus, Clark also broke the Indiana school record in the 50 free, setting a PB of 21.54, and followed up by anchoring the Hoosiers’ 400 medley relay in a stunning 45.87. On Friday morning, Clark established a new best time in the 100 free in 47.24, putting her within striking distance of the IU record of 47.18.

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