2025 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships
- March 19-22, 2025
- Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatics Center — Federal Way, Washington
- Short Course Yards (25 yards)
- Start Times: Prelims: 10 AM ׀ Finals: 6 PM (Pacific Daylight Time)
- Meet Central
- Official Psych Sheets
- SwimSwam Preview Index
- Live Results
- Live Stream
- Live Recaps:
The penultimate finals session of the 2025 Women’s NCAA Championships is in the books, and Celia Pulido continued her impressive run in the 100-yard backstroke. After shattering her personal best time from 50.70 to 49.84 during prelims, Southern Illinois’ Pulido lowered her fastest-ever mid-major mark to 49.77 in tonight’s championship final.
Pulido’s time in the final placed her 4th overall, improving on her 7th-place finish from last year’s championships. She was 0.23 seconds slower through the first 50 tonight but powered home three-tenths quicker over the back half to eclipse her prelim time. See a full splits comparison below.
Splits Comparison:
| Pulido’s Final | Pulido’s Prelim | |
| First 50 | 24.19 | 23.96 |
| Second 50 | 25.58 | 25.88 |
| Total Time | 49.77 | 49.84 |
The Southern Illinois swimmer will contest the 200-yard backstroke on Saturday, where she’s ranked 40th with a time of 1:53.67. She will be in an early heat, swimming in the eighth lane in the second heat, so keep an eye on her to potentially move up into the top 16, which would book her a ticket into a final. She was 13th in the longer backstroke distance last year, with her 1:52.31 from that swim still standing as her lifetime best.
Pulido, a Mexican record holder and 2024 Olympian, is racing in her third-straight NCAA Championship meet. She was 21st in the 100 LCM back at the Paris Olympics, notching a time of 1:01.20. She holds the national record with her 1:00.60 clocking from a month prior to the Games.
Southern Illinois Head Coach Geoff Hanson sent SwimSwam a quote after her prelim performance, saying, “I am extremely proud of Celia and the work she has put in during her four years as a Saluki. She has steadily developed year over year, and from the moment NCAAs finished last year she has been solely focused on this meet and being at her best. I’m very happy for her, but not necessarily surprised at her breakthrough this morning. We are all excited to see how the rest of her meet goes!”
Pulido was 31st in the 100 back during her freshman year, clocking a time of 52.49, before failing to qualify during her sophomore campaign.
Women’s 100 Backstroke Final Results:
- Claire Curzan (Virginia) – 49.11
- Bella Sims (Florida) – 49.12
- Miranda Grana (Indiana) – 49.62
- Celia Pulido (Southern Illinois) – 49.77
- Phoebe Bacon (Wisconsin) – 50.00
- Leah Shackley (NC State) – 50.06
- Mary-Ambre Moluh (California) – 50.13
- Carmen Weiler Sastre (Virginia Tech) – 50.75
Women’s 100 Backstroke All-Time Mid-Major Rankings:
| RANK | SWIMMER | SCHOOL | TIME | SEASON |
| 1 | Celia Pulido | Southern Illinois | 49.77 | 2024-25 |
| 2 | Scarlett Ferris | Nevada | 51.49 | 2023-24 |
| 3 | Madeline Padevic | Miami (OH) | 51.52 | 2024-25 |
| 4 | Maddy Gatrall | Akron | 51.59 | 2022-23 |
| 5 | Elise Haan | FGCU | 51.65 | 2015-16 |
| 6 | Kira Toussaint | FGCU | 51.68 | 2013-14 |
| 7 | Laticia-Leigh Transom | Hawaii | 51.88 | 2022-23 |
| 8 | Anika Apostalon | San Diego State | 51.92 | 2013-14 |
| 9 | Alex Roberts | San Diego State | 51.95 | 2023-24 |
| 10 | Izzy Ackley | FGCU | 51.97 | 2024-25 |
