Alabama’s Rhyan White Blasts #2 50-Yard Back in History at SECs: 23.35

SEC – WOMEN SWIMMING & DIVING + MEN’S DIVING

  • Wednesday, February 17 – Saturday, February 20, 2021
  • W Swimming: Gabrielsen Natatorium – Athens, GA (Eastern Time Zone)
  • W&M Diving: Mizzou Aquatics Center – Columbia, MO (Central Time Zone)
  • Defending Champion: Tennessee (1x) (results)
  • Live results – Meet Mobile
  • Live Video – SEC Network
  • Championship Central
  • Psych Sheets

Rhyan White looks ready to defend her 2020 SEC backstroke titles. Tonight, leading off Alabama’s SEC title-winning 200 medley relay, White blew by the field, clocking a 23.35.

Only Michigan junior Maggie MacNeil has been faster than White in history in the 50 back (23.05) from the 2020 Big Ten Championships. MacNeil is also Canadian, meaning White’s overtaken Rachel Bootsma‘s American record of 23.36.

White took a gigantic chunk out of her old best, a 23.81 from this meet last year. The Alabama junior won the 100 back (50.02) and 200 back (1:48.15) at the 2020 SEC meet. If tonight’s huge best was any indication of her performance the rest of the weekend, her meet records and possibly NCAA and American records are on-notice.

Alabama won the medley relay tonight by almost a full second in 1:34.68, touching well ahead of second-place Mizzou (1:35.61).

Meanwhile, at the Women’s ACC Championships, Katharine Berkoff dropped a 23.37 back leg for NC State’s runner-up relay (which lost only to NCAA record-breaking Virginia’s 1:32.93). Berkoff moves to #4 behind MacNeil, White and Bootsma.

WOMEN’S 50 BACK – TOP PERFORMERS ALL-TIME

  1. Maggie MacNeil – 23.05
  2. Rhyan White – 23.35
  3. Rachel Bootsma – 23.36
  4. Katharine Berkoff – 23.37
  5. Natalie Coughlin – 23.40*
  6. Cindy Tran – 23.44

*Coughlin’s 23.40 was her first 50 going out in her NCAA 100 back win in 2002, where she went 50.02. 

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Mnswim
3 years ago

Having a terrific meet! Roll Tide

tea rex
3 years ago

I believe:
Natalie Coughlin- 23.40 (from 2002!)

swimfan210_
3 years ago

Berkoff vs White will be a great NCAA matchup this year. Soon we’ll see who goes the faster time in the 100/200 at their conference meet.

GASwimCoachMom
3 years ago

I cannot wait to see her in the 100 back!!!

Coach
3 years ago

So American record?

Hswimmer
Reply to  Coach
3 years ago

Technically, if they counted 50s of stroke in yards

Coach
Reply to  Hswimmer
3 years ago

It’s odd that we have American records for 50s of stroke in SCM and LCM but not SCY.

Chongo
3 years ago

Katharine Berkoff is a previous angle & she beats me in backstroke.

Austinpoolboy
3 years ago

!!!!

About Karl Ortegon

Karl Ortegon

Karl Ortegon studied sociology at Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT, graduating in May of 2018. He began swimming on a club team in first grade and swam four years for Wesleyan.

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