arena Swim of the Week: Claire Curzan Downs Regan Smith’s 100 Back NAG In 49.61

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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.

Claire Curzan put on an absolute clinic on Thursday at the 4A NCHSAA (North Carolina high school) State Championships, highlighted by her American Record-setting swim in the women’s 100 butterfly (49.24).

But while Curzan’s 100 fly may have stolen the headlines, and rightly so, she also had several other monumental swims at the meet, including breaking the girls’ 17-18 National Age Group Record in the 100 backstroke.

With the 100 fly AR and a 21.40 50 free relay split already under her belt earlier in the finals session, the Cardinal Gibbons senior joined the elite club of sub-50 SCY 100 backstrokers in a time of 49.61, breaking Regan Smith‘s 17-18 NAG of 49.66 set in 2019.

Smith notably set that record just months before smashing the world record in the LCM 100 backstroke at the 2019 World Championships, where she became the first swimmer under the 58-second threshold in 57.57. Smith went on to break the American Record in the SCY event in a time of 49.16 last year.

Smith and Curzan will notably become collegiate teammates this fall at Stanford University.

Curzan, who turned 17 last June, came into the day with no 17-18 NAGs to her name (SCY or LCM), but exits with two after also claiming the 100 fly marker from another future Stanford teammate, Torri Huske. Huske held the previous NAG in the 100 fly at 49.70, while the old American Record belonged to former University of Tennessee star Erika Brown (49.38).

Curzan is the current 15-16 NAG record holder in the 100 back with her previous PB of 50.03 set in March 2021.

Curzan’s new PB makes her the third-fastest swimmer ever and the ninth to crack the 50-second barrier.

All-Time Performances, Women’s 100 Back (SCY)

1. Regan Smith, 49.16 (2021)
2. Beata Nelson, 49.18 (2019)
3. Claire Curzan, 49.61 (2022)
4. Ally Howe, 49.69 (2017)
5. Katharine Berkoff, 49.74 (2021)
6. Maggie MacNeil, 49.76 (2021)
7. Kathleen Baker, 49.80 (2017)
8. Janet Hu, 49.93 (2018)
9. Natalie Coughlin, 49.97 (2002)
10. Courtney Bartholomew, 50.01 (2014)

Curzan’s swim was also the third-fastest performance in history.

All-Time Performances, Women’s 100 Back (SCY)

1. Regan Smith, 49.16 (2021)
2. Beata Nelson, 49.18 (2019)
3. Claire Curzan, 49.61 (2022)
4. Regan Smith, 49.66 (2019)
5. Beata Nelson, 49.67 (2018)
6. Ally Howe, 49.69 (2017)
7. Ally Howe / Beata Nelson, 49.70 (2017 / 2018)
8. –
9. Regan Smith / Katharine Berkoff, 49.74 (2019 / 2021)
10. –

After the 100 fly, 200 free relay and 100 back, Curzan finished off the session with a bang, anchoring the Cardinal Gibbons 400 free relay in a blistering 46.76 as the team won the event by 18 one-hundredths over W.A. Hough. The 2021 Olympian managed to erase a 3.66-second deficit en route to the victory.

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