Curzan Blasts 48.38 100 Back, Moves Up To #2 Performer/#4 Performance In History

2026 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships

• Dates:
  • Diving: Sunday, February 15–Tuesday, February 17
  • Swimming: Tuesday, February 17–Saturday, February 21
• Location: McAuley Aquatic Center, Atlanta, GA
• Defending champions: UVA women (6x); Cal men (1x)
• Live Results
• Live Video: ESPN+ ($)
• Schedule of Events (PDF)
• Championship Central
• Pre-Scratch Psych Sheet
• Live Results
• Live Recaps
  • Prelims: Day 4|Day 5|Day 6
  • Finals: Day 1|Day 2|Day 3|Day 4 | Day 5
• Teams: Boston College, Cal, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami (women swimming & diving/men diving), NC State, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, SMU, Stanford, Virginia, Virginia Tech

WOMEN’S 100 Backstroke – Finals

• NCAA Record: 48.10, Gretchen Walsh (Virginia) – 2024
• ACC Record: 48.10, Gretchen Walsh (Virginia) – 2024
• ACC Championship Record: 48.10, Gretchen Walsh (Virginia) – 2024
• Pool Record: 48.74, Katharine Berkoff (NC State) – 2022
• 2026 NCAA Qualifying Time: 52.65

Final: 

1. Claire Curzan (Virginia) — 48.38 *Pool Record*
2. Erika Pelaez (NC State) — 49.54
3. Mary-Ambre Moluh (Cal) — 49.64
4. Claire Jansen (Pitt) — 50.32
5. Leah Shackley (NC State) — 50.48
6. Ali Pfaff (Duke) — 50.73
7. Kennedy Noble (NC State) — 51.07
8. Camille Murray (Louisville) — 51.23

After posting a 48.83 for the fastest prelims time in history this morning, Virginia’s Claire Curzan bettered her performance with a stunning 48.38 to take down Katharine Berkoff‘s pool record. That swim moves her up to the #2 performer in history, behind only Cavalier teammate Gretchen Walsh.

Top 10 Performances in History

1. Gretchen Walsh, University of Virginia — 48.10 (2024 ACCs)
2. Gretchen Walsh, University of Virginia — 48.26 (2023 NCAAs)
3. Gretchen Walsh, University of Virginia — 48.26 (2024 NCAAs)
4. Claire Curzan, University of Virginia — 48.38 (2026 ACCs)
5. Katharine Berkoff, NC State — 48.55 (2024 NCAAs)
6. Katharine Berkoff, NC State — 48.70 (2024 ACCs)
7. Katharine Berkoff, NC State — 48.74 (2022 NCAAs)
8. Gretchen Walsh, University of Virginia — 48.77 (2024 UVA vs UNC/NC State)
9. Claire Curzan, University of Virginia — 48.83 (2026 ACCs)
10. Gretchen Walsh, University of Virginia — 48.95 (2025 ACCs)

Splits Comparison:

Compared to her prelims swim, Curzan was faster on both 50s, although most of her improvement came from her back half. Her closing speed, while it has always been quick, has made immense strides since arriving at Virginia. Notably, her closing 50 was faster than Walsh’s when she swam the NCAA record.

Although she first made a name for herself as a butterflier, qualifying for the Olympics in the 100 fly back in 2021, Curzan has since leaned into her backstroke prowess. She is the defending National Champion in both the 100 and 200 backstrokes, and made Team USA in the 200 back last summer. However, that’s not to say her butterfly hasn’t progressed as well—she swam a 48.47 in the 100 fly yesterday to take silver behind Torri Huske.

Curzan was 49.12 in the 100 back during midseason and has already been as fast as 1:47.89 in the 200 back so far this season, which is just over a second off of her own NCAA record. Regarding the 200 back, which she’ll compete in tomorrow, Curzan said in her post race interview that when it comes to “backstroke pain, [she’s] a bit of a “masochist” because she “loves training it.” She went on to express her excitement for tomorrow’s race, noting that “if today was any indication, hopefully something good should happen.”