Maxine Parker Edges Claire Curzan In 50 Free Swim-Off For Spot In 100 Free ‘A’ Final

2025 U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

After tying for 8th in the prelims of the women’s 100 free on Tuesday morning at U.S. Nationals, University of Virginia teammates Maxine Parker and Claire Curzan agreed to take a slightly different approach to their swim-off in determining who would have a lane in tonight’s ‘A’ final.

After posting identical times of 54.00 in the 100 free heats, Parker and Curzan brought up the idea of racing head-to-head in a 50 free to determine who would swim the ‘A’ final, with UVA head coach Todd DeSorbo telling SwimSwam both swimmers requested it and were on board.

In the swim-off, Parker pulled out the victory in a tight race, clocking 24.67 compared to Curzan’s 24.73.

Choosing to contest in a swim-off with a different event than the one in question is included in the USA Swimming Rulebook:

102.5 – .2 Swim-Offs — A swim-off is considered to be part of the total preliminary process of qualifying for the finals. In no case may a swimmer with a faster time displace another who placed ahead of him within a heat as the result of a decision by the Referee or Place Judges in accordance with 102.23. If this situation results in disputed qualifications, all swimmers having times tied or within the disputed times shall swim-off the event to qualify for the disputed place or places in the final unless the swimmers, coaches, and Referee mutually agree to resolve the tie in an alternative manner, such as coin toss or racing a different distance/ event.

The swim for Parker marks a new lifetime best, undercutting her previous mark of 24.68 set at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials, while Curzan’s time is her fastest since 2022, having been as fast as 24.17 back in 2021.

In the 100 free prelims, Parker’s 54-flat swim marked the second-fastest of her career, only trailing the 53.51 she produced at the 2023 National Championships, which earned her a berth on the World Championship team that year.

For Curzan, 54-flat was her fastest swim since 2022, owning a best of 53.55 from 2021. Scheduled to race the 200 back on Wednesday, it now seems likely Curzan scratches the 100 free ‘B’ final with World Championship selection no longer on the line.

Tonight’s 100 free ‘A’ final will feature four swimmers who train out of Virginia, with Parker joining top seed Gretchen Walsh, 3rd seed Kate Douglass, and 6th seed Anna Moesch.

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Thomas The Tank Engine
1 day ago

EDGES

Trials Parent
1 day ago

I know that only A finalists can medal but for a trials meet, could a swimmer that swims in a B final make the team?

Assuming their times are in the top 2-3 or whatever ranking is required to make the team.

Masters Swammer
Reply to  Trials Parent
1 day ago

No

Thomas The Tank Engine
Reply to  Trials Parent
1 day ago

No.

Last 15 Meters
1 day ago

Curzan is worrying me. I didn’t like how she looked coming home in the 100 Free. 😔

How did Maxine Parker outsplit a 200 Backstroker on the back half of a 100 Free? And it doesn’t look like Curzan is focusing on speed necessarily, given that Parker also beat her in the 50 swim off…

DerbyContender
1 day ago

It wouldn’t have happened in a 10-lane pool.

8108
1 day ago

Have 4 swimmers from the same college team ever won an international medal on a relay before?

DerbyContender
Reply to  8108
1 day ago

Maybe Yale swimmers in the ‘60’s or Hoosiers in the ‘70’s.

Swimgeek
Reply to  8108
1 day ago

The closest might have been Piersol/Hanson/Crocker

sadswammer
Reply to  8108
1 day ago

texas 800 free? think 3/4

Thomas The Tank Engine
Reply to  8108
1 day ago

Australia w4x200 free won in Fukuoka and they were in the same club

Swimfan27
1 day ago

Curzan’s lifetime best in the 50 free would’ve made summer teams for all of the last few years…insane

Walsh-Madden-Grimes-Weinstein
1 day ago

The stage is set from some fast swimming tonight.

Remember folks:

comment image

#1 UVA fan
Reply to  Walsh-Madden-Grimes-Weinstein
1 day ago

🙂

96Swim
1 day ago

You’d think you’d see this more particularly with longer distances. Especially since it seems like you can pick non regulation distances. Maybe do a 300 or 400 instead of a 500 swim off.

Admin
Reply to  96Swim
1 day ago

Oh interesting, I wonder if you can do a non-sanctioned distance. From what I recall of the rules, I think you can.

Hard to pull off agreement if the athletes aren’t on the same team, though. Whichever coach proposes that, the opposing coach will automatically assume they’re trying to ‘get one over’ on ’em.

Freddie
Reply to  Braden Keith
1 day ago

Yes. Could do a 150 or 25 (scy meet obviously).

Masters swammer
Reply to  96Swim
1 day ago

I vaguely remember that for long distances (not sure what events this applies to), they will just open an extra lane in the final rather than requiring a swim-off. Most of these pools have two buffer lanes (lanes 0 and 9) anyway, and you can decide who gets lane 0 vs 8 based on a coin-flip.

This certainly beats doing a swim-off in the 1500.

Swimgeek
Reply to  Masters swammer
1 day ago

I like that idea – especially for an internal selection meet. But Indy only has 8 lanes, so this wouldn’t work here.

Masters swammer
Reply to  Swimgeek
1 day ago

Shoot, it has been a minute (or 25 years) since the last time I swam at Indy, LOL.

I think you also see this with long-distance track events, where they run as a pack. For example, if someone gets knocked over by another runner in the prelim, they can petition into the final. If the petition is accepted, they just have more runners in the final.

JimSwim22
Reply to  Swimgeek
1 day ago

They should have shared the block!

Masters Swammer
Reply to  JimSwim22
1 day ago

You joke, but they used to have us split lanes at age group meets in the 1650 (back in the 90s). I’m not sure if USS still allows this, or if they really did at the time, but I think the parents and officials appreciated getting to go home hours earlier.

First kid would dive off the blocks, and they would have to stay on the left side of the lane. 15 seconds later, they would start the second kid from the same block, who would have to stay on the right. The first kid would get the automated timing, and the second kid would get a parent volunteer with a stopwatch. There would be two lap counters in each… Read more »

IU Swammer
Reply to  Masters swammer
1 day ago

They can do that if the pool has an extra lane. The Nat doesn’t have extra lanes because its lanes are so wide.

Men’s NCAAs had guys tie in the 500 and tie again in the swim off. After the second tie, I bet coaches and athletes would entertain an offer to race a 300. They’d both probably decline because they’d have to create a new race strategy on the fly. If it were me, I think I’d rather race a familiar distance. But if it happened in a 1,500, I’d consider doing a 1,000.

CheddaShredda
Reply to  Masters swammer
1 day ago

for a relay when getting top 6 usually makes the team no one would want to expand the final from 8 to 9

About James Sutherland

James Sutherland

James swam five years at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario, specializing in the 200 free, back and IM. He finished up his collegiate swimming career in 2018, graduating with a bachelor's degree in economics. In 2019 he completed his graduate degree in sports journalism. Prior to going to Laurentian, James swam …

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