Regan Smith Drops 49.74 100 Back in Prelims to Crush 17-18 NAG Record

2019 SPEEDO SECTIONALS – CARY, NC

  • March 7-10, 2019
  • Triangle Aquatic Center, Raleigh, NC
  • SCY Format
  • Live Results

Coming off the No. 2 17-18 100 fly performance of all-time Friday at Cary Sectionals, 17-year-old Regan Smith obliterated the 100 back 17-18 national group record in prelims Saturday. The next-fastest finisher was 14-year-old Claire Curzan – who obliterated a NAG record of her own in the 100 fly yesterday – in 53.14.

Smith, who represents Riptide and turned 17 in February, split 24.27/25.47 for a final time of 49.74. The previous NAG record of 50.50 was set by Amy Bilquist, now a senior at Cal, at Pac-12s in 2016. Smith also took nearly a second off her own previous best time of 50.58, set leading off a relay at 2018 Speedo Winter Juniors – West as a 16-year-old last December.

Regan Smith Previous PR (2018) Amy Bilquist NAG (2016
Regan Smith NAG (2019)
24.63 24.76 24.27
25.95 25.74 25.47
50.58 50.5 49.74

With this swim, Smith becomes the No. 3 short course yards 100 backstroker of all-time, with the fourth-fastest performance. She’s only .07 off Beata Nelson’s American record.

Top Five Performers of All-Time: Women’s SCY 100 Backstroke

  1. Beata Nelson, 49.67 – 2018
  2. Ally Howe, 49.69 – 2017
  3. Regan Smith, 49.74 – 2019
  4. Kathleen Baker, 49.80 – 2017
  5. Janet Hu, 49.93 – 2017

Top Five Performances of All-Time: Women’s SCY 100 Backstroke

  1. Beata Nelson, 49.67 – 2018
  2. Ally Howe, 49.69 – 2017
  3. Ally Howe, 49.70 – 2017
  4. Regan Smith, 49.74 – 2019
  5. Beata Nelson, 49.78 – 2018

Smith owns the 15-16 NAG records in the 100 back, 200 back (1:48.30), and 200 fly (1:51.24). At the 2018 Phillips 66 National Championships last summer, she earned her first national title in the LCM 200 backstroke (2:06.43) by tying for first with Kathleen Baker. She also finished third in the 200 fly (2:07.42) and 100 back (58.83) in Irvine.

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MikeA
5 years ago

Mind blowing. She Ledeckied the field in a 100. (Finished with nobody else even in the picture.)

JudgeNot
5 years ago

There are people in the crowd NOT EVEN WATCHING IT! I can’t imagine. What are you doing?!?

My goodness she’s talented.

Ladymanvol
5 years ago

It all this crazy underwater stuff going on – WHICH IS DANGEROUS AS HECK. Just you wait until a poor child does this and pops a lung…comes up coughing up blood and junk and cryin. Then everybody will say “Oh we shoulda done somethin about that NOW. I am just tryin ta pretect all of the swimmers from tradgedey.

Taa
5 years ago

She swims fast in the morning which is good for Tokyo.

Go For Launch!
5 years ago

Kraken released! Time to drop the hammer! Riptide Rocket = Quantam Realm! Anything is possible!

Stephen
5 years ago

Let’s not forget this is faster than Coughlin’s American Recoed that stood for a very long time until recently.

iLikePsych
Reply to  Stephen
5 years ago

This feels like when Goten and Trunks effortlessly go SSJ a few years after Goku becomes the first Super Saiyan in centuries…hello? Where did everyone go? What do you mean ‘too nerdy’?

Michael Schwartz
Reply to  iLikePsych
5 years ago

I get it!

NOFLYKICK
Reply to  Stephen
5 years ago

This was my first thought upon reading this. Regan’s time would have won NCAAs every every year in history, including eclipsing Coghlin’s insane time, until Howe went 49.6 a couple of years ago.

…wait, edit, I just realized this was a prelims swim. WTH?

Philip
5 years ago

Wow, she’s good.

Swim4
5 years ago

I miss Bobo Gigi

CBswims
Reply to  Swim4
5 years ago

Where did Bobo go?

About Torrey Hart

Torrey Hart

Torrey is from Oakland, CA, and majored in media studies and American studies at Claremont McKenna College, where she swam distance freestyle for the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps team. Outside of SwimSwam, she has bylines at Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, SB Nation, and The Student Life newspaper.

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