2024 Tennessee Invite
- November 19-22, 2024
- Where: Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center — Knoxville, Tennessee
- Start Times: 10 am ET prelims/5 pm ET finals
- Psych Sheets
- Results on Meet Mobile: “2024 Tennessee Invitational”
- Live Stream
- Day 1 Finals Recap
- Day 2 Prelims Recap | Day 2 Finals Recap
- Day 3 Prelims Recap | Day 3 Finals Recap
- Day 4 Prelims Recap | Day 4 Finals Recap
Claire Curzan has officially cemented her place in the pantheon of the Virginia women’s swimming dynasty, breaking the NCAA, U.S. Open, and American Records in the 200 yard backstroke on Friday evening in Knoxville. Her record-breaking performance is the program’s 60th American Record since 2021 (men and women combined).
She swam 1:46.87, which broke the previous fastest-ever time that was done by her former Stanford teammate Regan Smith at the 2019 Cary Sectionals meet. The runner-up in that meet was a 14-year-old Curzan.
Curzan’s Friday night swim also broke the NCAA Record that was set by Wisconsin’s Beata Nelson at the 2019 NCAA Championships in Austin.
Splits Comparison:
| Beata Nelson | Regan Smith | Claire Curzan | Claire Curzan | |
| 2019 NCAAs | 2019 Cary Sectionals | 2024 Tennessee Invite | 2023 Pac-12s | |
| Previous NCAA Record | Previous US/US Open Record | New Best Ever | Previous PB | |
| 50y | 25.24 | 25.05 | 25.22 | 25.45 |
| 100y | 27.20 | 26.49 | 26.77 | 27.01 |
| 150y | 27.44 | 27.59 | 27.30 | 27.24 |
| 200y | 27.36 | 28.03 | 27.58 | 27.73 |
| Total Time | 1:47.24 | 1:47.16 | 1:46.87 | 1:47.43 |
Curzan didn’t go out as fast as Smith or close as fast as Nelson, but as is so often the cast in these 200 yard races, her third 50 made the difference. That has always been the strength of her 200 back, including in her previous best time from 2023.
This is Curzan’s first big taper meet representing Virginia’s varsity squad. Her previous best time was done at Pac-12s in her one season at Stanford before redshirting last season to prepare for the Olympic Trials. She finished 3rd in the 200 back, 4th in the 100 fly, and 8th in the 100 back at those Trials, missing the Olympic Team in this event by just .07 seconds.
Incidentally, she broke the Virginia Record of 1:49.35 that was set by Courtney Bartholomew in 2015 and the ACC Record of 1:48.43 set last season by NC State’s Kennedy Noble.
Curzan set the record in a head-to-head battle with her teammate Gretchen Walsh, who on Thursday set the NCAA, American, and U.S. Open Records in the 100 fly. Walsh’s 2nd-place time of 1:48.18 also cleared the old Virginia and ACC Records and would have won the NCAA title last season. In a race she doesn’t swim very often (only five times coming into this meet, to be exact) she is now the #9 performer all-time in the event.
Race Video:
Awesome, impossible to root against someone like Claire!
What NCAA records DONT the Cavaliers have at this point? Hard to deny they are the best all around team ever at this point. Congrats, Todd + team! The dynasty reigns
800 Free Relay
200 Free
500 Free
1660 Free
100 Breast
400 IM
They have a decent shot at the relay at ACCs, and they’ll lead off with G. Walsh, who’ll take aim at the 200 free record.
And A. Walsh will be going after Eastin’s 400 IM record.
It might take Grimes a few years to get the 500 record, but she’ll have plenty of competition (Cox, Sims, others).
No one anywhere is touching the 1650. The 100 breast is also out of reach for now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0om3AswVqU
Any chance we can see a video of this?
Race video here https://youtu.be/c0om3AswVqU?feature=shared
14-year-old Claire Curzan placed 2nd to Regan Smith at those 2019 Cary Sectionals when Regan set the American record. Truly a full-circle moment to break that record some 5.5 years later. Congrats Claire!
OOOOH I forgot about that, great pickup!
Wonder how her 200 fly is looking. I think 100/200 back are clearly two events she should swim at NCAAs, but it seems like she’d potentially be able to score more points in the 200 fly than the 100? Although the 200 butterback double is more grueling than the 100 so maybe not
Other way to do it would be to go 50 free-100 back-200 back. But I think she has a better shot at 17 in the 100 fly than in the 50 free.
Claire swimming the 2 fly doesn’t make any sense – the double is absolutely brutal and off the top of my head, the only woman to do it somewhat successfully was Regan.
The way I see it is that she’s likely going to win the 100/200 back, and is co-favorite for 3rd in the 100 fly with Sticklen behind Gretchen and Huske. She could do the 50, but it seems like she hasn’t really focused on this in recent years, and would likely need to match her best time from 2021 (21.50) to get third, since Gretchen and Spink have already been faster than that, and that assumes there are no other breakthrough swims by others this year, and… Read more »
I was pushing 100 fly. Her 49.50 on Thursday is faster than Sticklen’s PB of 49.60. Only Huske and Walsh are faster — but she’s the only one in that group who trains with Walsh, which will help her.
I think she’ll be sub-49 in March.
That double is nasty. And going up against Sticklin and Alex Walsh wouldn’t be a picnic, either. I’d really love to see what she could put up though.
A. Walsh is going to go with the 2 breast.
Oh duh, of course
Can we talk about how UVA probably doesn’t need to worry about strategically maximizing points?
Talk about the sum being greater than the parts. Claire and Gretchen swimming side by side spells ZOOM. Congrats, Claire.