TAC Titans Intrasquad Time Trial
- July 17-19, 2020
- Triangle Aquatic Center, Cary, North Carolina
- 25y (SCY) pool
- Live Stream
- Results on Meet Mobile: “TAC TITANS July Intrasquad Meet”
Confirmed Tokyo 2020 (2021) US Olympian Ashley Twichell and National Age Group Record holder Claire Curzan led the highlights on the first night of racing at the TAC Titans Intrasquad Time Trial on Friday evening.
The top finisher in the women’s 50 free was 16-year old Junior National Teamer Claire Curzan in 21.51. That’s a new lifetime best for her, and clears her own National Age Group Record of 21.77 set last year.
That time ranks her as the 4th-fastest junior (18 and under) in US history:
- Simone Manuel, 21.32 – 2015
- Abbey Weitzeil, 21.49 – 2014
- Gretchen Walsh, 21.50 – 2020
- Claire Curzan, 21.51 – 2020
- Kate Douglass, 21.53 – 2019
USA Swimming return-to-competition rules aren’t allowing times swum in the month of July to count for anything beyond LSC-level meet qualifying marks. We’ve reached out to USA Swimming to ask if records swum during July will count.
There is another confounding factor in play: she raced against male swimmers in her heat. While USA Swimming rules do say that “lead-off legs/initial distances of mixed gender relays shall not count for American or U.S. Open records,” the rules don’t address what happens in mixed gender heats of individual events. The rules specific to National Age Group Records also don’t mention any restrictions on records set in mixed gender events, individual or relay.
Curzan swam her race from lane 1 in a heat with 7 male swimmers. The swimmer next to her swam 22.00.
Curzan was the 4th-best finisher overall in the race, behind the top male finisher, 19-year old Michael Ivy, in 20.79.
Curzan is scheduled to swim the 100 fly, 100 back, 100 free, and 200 fly later in the meet. She already holds the 15-16 National Age Group Record in the 100 fly at a 50.35 set earlier this year.
Curzan trained in a backyard pool, on a tether, in a wetsuit, until her team was able to return to the water.
Twichell, who has already qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in the open water 10km event, kicked her weekend off with a 4:44.49 in the 500 free.
At her last meet before the quarantine shutdown, the 2020 Cary Sectional Championships in this same pool in early March, she swam 4:43.09.
Other Top Finishers from Friday:
- 16-year old Lance Norris won the boys’ 500 free in 4:24.19. That crushes his previous best time of 4:27.61 that was set at a high school regional championship meet on February 1. 17-year old Michael Cotter was 2nd in 4:25.11, which was a best time for him as well, by almost 4 seconds.
- Shortly after that swim, Cotter very-nearly went another best time in the 200 IM, swimming 1:50.11. Norris was 2nd in that same event in 1:50.81, which is his lifetime best.
Claires record will not count. I keep track of NAG records for USA Swimming and this will not count – she should be able to do it again in August
This makes sense. Let’s celebrate her great times anyway though, she has a very bright future. Way to go Claire
Looks like it counted after all?
We’ve been checking in with USA Swimming daily, and they’re still having internal discussions on whether it will count or not.
Breaking records with her elbow…
She got 2nd in the mixed 100 fly today with a 50.03. Another NAG record by 3-tenths.
She just nearly broke 50 in the 100 fly with a 50.03 another great swim. Out in 23.40. As usual, timed her turns really well. Touched 2nd in her heat.
Jaw dropping and mesmerizing to watch!
100 back nearly broke 51…51.01 got so close to the barrier again. Out in 24.63, touched 3rd in her heat
This young lady is obviously an exceptional talent with amazing underwaters. Considering swimmers are dealing with the Pandemic and all its difficulties, Claire is swimming some amazing swims and improved on her own PBs in all three races so far. Looking forward to see what she does in her 100 free Sunday. Being even close to best times now is mind blowing. She is swimming with great confidence and mental strength. She will only get stronger and faster in the future. She is the one to control her improvements and to be patient with her progress.
Considering no racing since Feb-March, these performances bode well for a very succesful future ahead of her.Her technique at the moment is pretty… Read more »
Video can be seen here, go to 2:31.20
where ? lol
If they do not count it, it will be a disgrace. These kids just had to go through an entire quarantine which especially hard on their mental health and had some of their meets cancelled. Why take away something they rightfully earned? Why does it matter if she swam against guys she was in lane 1 anyways?
Imagine there is a current in the outside lanes…
AC or DC?
It was a SHORT COURSE 50. So, ahem, she had to swim both directions in the pool.
Any current in any lane in a 25 yd pool is negated (nullified?) on the way back! Not true in a 50 mt race in LCMeters, though.
Technically, currents aren’t negated just because you swim in both directions. If the current does its job, you spend more time swimming into the current than you do swimming with the current, so unless every swimmer has the same current (which usually isn’t the case, the currents are usually circular), it’s still detrimental to a result.
I thought mixed-gender records are never approved…. isn’t that common?
It was an awesome swim. It should not count as a record since USA Swimming stated well in advance that it would not count. Congratulations to her.
Pretty sure they didn’t mention records, only qualifying for national meets.
LSC record but not a NAG?
Not sure what the criteria is for a LSC record but a NAG wouldn’t be possible as it was a mixed-gender heat. Likely the same for LSC
John – I’ve reviewed the USA Swimming rule book for about 25 minutes, and can’t find a rule anywhere about that. I know you’ve said it’s a rule in Canada, but if you find it in the USA Swimming rule book, can you send a cite?
I’ve looked too and I can’t find that prohibition, but I too thought that it was there.
But it appears that there may be another technicality that might preclude her taking the record. Section 104.2.1 deals with General Requirements and Conditions for Records.
If I’m reading 104.2.1F correctly, a record can only be established by a heat winner, unless one of three conditions are met. Being bested by a competitor of different gender is not one of the exceptions. Citation below. Anyone agree or disagree that this might apply?
104.2.1F
To be eligible for a record a swimmer must have won his/her heat. Only the time of the
winner is recognized for record purposes even though another… Read more »
Cross posts. The unintended consequence would be significant (unless USA Swimming granted it then shut the door by explicitly prohibiting it). It is implicit already given there are not mixed gender events except for the relays.
It does seem like that rule could preclude this from being a record, however, there’s an override in 104.2F:
The requirement to win the heat does not apply:
(1) When age or representation is a condition for setting LSC or Age Group records;
(2) To a U.S. citizen setting an American record in competition with non-U.S. citizens;
or
(3) When achieved as the lead-off leg in a relay race or at an initial distance.
While being defeated by a swimmer of another gender isn’t listed there, point 1 doesn’t read “when beaten by a swimmer of a different age,” it just says that when age is a condition for the record (which it is for a… Read more »
There are no mixed gender events other than relays so they will likely not count them. Not sure it matters as she will quickly take care of them. Awesome swims and swimmer. If they do, it will become common as it is clearly an advantage to have male swimmers.
There is also this: 104.2F. To be eligible for record a swimmer must have won his/her heat. It is a bit ambiguous on its intent but not language.
Great job Claire! You would look great in an NC STATE swim cap!
not sure she is going to go anywhere where she would have all of the school records from day one
She’d have two records for NC State with her current times.
And in one of those races, the 100 fly, her best time would be the school record for all but 5 programs.
By the time she graduates high school she will probably have multiple races faster than any University’s record…..
I’m sure she would look great at even more prestigious swim schools like Stanford or Berkeley. not to mention th slight academic advantage those schools have over bc state
Berkely education is overrated, good swim program though.😄
How is Berkeley education overrated? As one of the top public universities consistently at the top in so many fields (STEM, business etc), I’d like to hear your rationale.
uva or Stanford for sure w her talent
No it shouldn’t count! But anyone in NC knows that rules don’t matter to TAC so I’m sure they’ll fight for the exception. This is a program that relabeled itself a camp so that they could skirt rules for reopening, so of course they held a meet despite the ban from USA Swimming. They’re boasting “no new positive Corona cases in 2 weeks” on their website so safety matters to this team about as much as rules.
There’s no ban on meets from USA Swimming in place. Meets are allowed to happen and are being sanctioned.
There are a number of LSC’s that made the decision not to sanction meets. Teams are trying to have small meets and are being told too bad. They can still run the meet, but times won’t count. It’s something, but looks bad that the LSCs are working in the opposite direction of USAS.
NC Swimming coaches/parents are always so petty in these comments. Their favorite target used to be SwimMAC, now it appears they’ve moved on to TAC. Always desperate to take down the teams who are doing well
Yeah the above thought from Coastal is one I absolutely disagree with. I know I’ve been guilty of being petty toward other NC teams in the past, but TAC is doing everything by the book here, operating well below their maximum capacity and maintaining social distancing policies all across the deck and stands. So many teams have labeled themselves as a camp to resume operations, they are not alone if that is what they are doing! Not my favorite team in the world by any means but to insinuate they’re breaking rules to run a meet now is absurd and wrong.
Interesting if you look at the video, you’ll see groups of coaches standing right next to each other, no masks. Swimmers coming up to talk to them closely after races. Doesn’t look like appropriate social distancing to me.
Pretty much every year round, rec and water polo team in CA relabeled themselves a camp. Anything to get kids in the water, and they’re doing it safely, too.