Claire Curzan broke the NISCA national high school record in the 100-yard back over the weekend with her time of 50.47. Her time is also a second faster than NISCA’s public school record (51.43), held by Olivia Smoliga since 2012.
That makes Curzan’s time the fastest in high school swimming history, though Smoliga retains the public schools record.
Curzan, swimming for Cardinal Gibbons High School in North Carolina, broke the record at the 2022 East NCHSAA Regional Championships for Class 4A. Curzan broke the independent school national record set by fellow Tokyo Olympian Phoebe Bacon in 2020 at 50.89.
| Curzan’s 100 back | Bacon’s 100 back |
| 24.48 | 24.70 |
| 25.99 | 26.19 |
| Total: 50.47 | Total: 50.89 |
At the meet, Curzan also almost broke her own 100 fly national yards record. Curzan swam the event in 50.42. The current record is 50.35, set by Curzan in 2020.
The NISCA independent school records are owned by many of USA’s top swimmers. For example, Katie Ledecky holds the NISCA yards record in the 200 (1:41.55) and 500 (4:26.58) free; Gretchen Walsh and her sister Alex both have yards records in the 50 free (21.59) and 100 breast (58.88), respectively; and 12-time NCAA champion Ella Eastin has the yards record in the 200 IM (1:53.90).
Curzan already has a slew of NISCA meters records. She’s the record-holder in the 50 free, 100 fly, and 100 back.
SwimSwam ranked Curzan as the No. 26 swimmer, internationally, for 2022. The rankings include swimmers of all ages, and Curzan is one of the youngest top-30 swimmers. Her times are incredibly fast, both within high school meets and outside of them. In late January, she posted the #2 all-time 100 back for 17-18 year-olds.
Curzan is also heading to Stanford in the fall–her time puts her within a second of future teammate Regan Smith’s best 100 back time this season.
Her incredible times earned her the 2021 Swammy for 15-16 swimmer of the year. She currently owns six NAGs in the 15-16 age group. She also competed for Team USA at the Olympics, getting to the semi-finals of the 100m fly, finishing 11th, and she swam the prelims relay of the 4×100 medley relay, for which she earned a silver medal.
Anyone knows what type of speed curzan has in the breast??? Seems like there are a lot of very good fly back free swimmers..
Crazy fast Backstroke time shows her incredible versatility. Thought she was a butterflier!
She’s been 58 in long course. Obviously elite in 3 strokes.
I was at the meet- her underwaters were amazing. She didn’t even look like she was working that hard. Curious to see how fast she can go at the state meet on Thursday.
If the Olympics were 6 months earlier or later, the results would be greatly different.
???
If my grandmother were round, she’d be a wheel.
Can’t wait to be crushed by her on Thursday💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼
Next year Stanford will have Curzan, Reagan, Huske, Ruck, and the Nordmann sisters, plus others. Practice on the farm might be more challenging than the Olympics in the back and fly!
Is Ruck a senior?
My kingdom for a breaststroker!
I think Ruck is graduating this year. Would love to see her stay for Master like Forde did this year.
Umm quite a few Olympic medalists from other countries like MacNeil and McKeown say hello.
Plus McKeon, Yufei, Seebohm, Masse, Sjostrom etc.
Lots of great female swimmers out there at present. But Stanford group is crazy good for one training group, sure.
Lol no.
McKeown and Masse in back are faster than any Stanford swimmers
MacNeill, Zhang Yufei, and McKeon in fly (not to mention a dozen other flyers) are faster than any Stanford swimmers
Regan Smith has been faster than Kylie Masse in both the 100 and 200 back.
I think dave was referring to a “depth of speed” versus just “fastest #1 swimmer.”
She has also been faster than McKeown in the 200
Troo.
How long ago? 3 years
mid