SwimSwam Pulse: 46.2% Pick 100 Back As Deepest Event For U.S. Women

SwimSwam Pulse is a recurring feature tracking and analyzing the results of our periodic A3 Performance Polls. You can cast your vote in our newest poll on the SwimSwam homepage, about halfway down the page on the right side.

Our most recent poll asked SwimSwam readers which event has the most depth for the American women:

Question: Which women’s event is the U.S. deepest in heading into the 2025 Nationals?

RESULTS

• 100 back – 46.2%
• 100 fly – 28.3%
• 200 back – 12.0%
• 100 free – 10.3%
• 50 free – 2.1%
• Other – 1.1%

The U.S. women have long boasted an incredible talent pool in the backstroke events, so much so that often the third-place finisher at their national selection meet would’ve been a legitimate medal contender at that year’s Olympics or World Championships.

However, at the 2024 Olympic Trials, the 100 fly emerged as arguably the deepest event for the American women as Gretchen Walsh broke the world record (55.18), Torri Huske moved to #3 all-time (55.52) and Regan Smith moved into a tie for #5 all-time (55.62) last summer in Indianapolis.

In one of our recent polls, prior to the start of the 2025 U.S. Nationals, we asked SwimSwam readers which event is deepest for the American women, and despite the performances we saw last year in the 100 fly, the 100 back still came out on top.

The 100 back earned 46.2% of votes, with Smith and Katharine Berkoff winning silver and bronze in the event at last summer’s Olympics behind Australian Kaylee McKeown.

In the 2024 calendar year, the Americans had nine women ranked in the top 20 in the world in the 100 back, while in the 100 fly, which earned 28.3% of votes, they only had five of the top 20, though Walsh, Huske and Smith ranked 1-2-3.

Top 20 – Women’s 100m Backstroke (LCM, 2024)

Top 20 – Women’s 100m Butterfly (LCM, 2024)

Interestingly, the 200 back, which only picked up 12% of votes, also had nine Americans ranked in the top 20 in the world last year, and they also had a 10th, Josephine Fuller, ranked 21st.

Top 20 – Women’s 200m Backstroke (LCM, 2024)

Of course, the poll was related to the field heading into this week’s U.S. Nationals, and we’ve yet to see the final of the 100 back, though Smith (58.06) and Berkoff (58.75) qualified 1-2 into tonight’s final with seven other women breaking 1:00 in the prelims.

In the 100 fly, we saw Walsh narrowly miss her newly minted world record in 54.76, but the rest of the field wasn’t as fast as last year’s Olympic Trials, with Huske the runner-up in 56.61 and Alex Shackell 3rd in 57.71, with Smith dropping the event from her program.

Only the top three broke 58 in the 100 fly final after seven of the eight ‘A’ finalists did so at last year’s Trials.

Earlier in the meet in the 200 back, the U.S. depth was on full display with the entire ‘A’ final proving to be more competitive than last year’s Olympic semi-finals. Teagan O’Dell finished 8th in the ‘A’ final in a time of 2:08.62, and it took a time of 2:08.79 to advance to the Olympic final last summer in Paris.

Claire Curzan pulled out an upset victory in the 200 back on Wednesday in a time of 2:05.09, topping pre-race favorite Smith (2:05.84) while Leah Shackley (2:06.66) and Phoebe Bacon (2:06.79) also posted elite times to give the U.S. four women in the top seven in the 2024-25 world rankings.

In the 100 fly, they have three of the top four, while in the 100 back, with tonight’s final still to come, the Americans have six of the top 10.

The 200 fly, which was not included in the poll, emerged as a deep event this week at U.S. Nationals, as Caroline Bricker upset Smith for the victory in 2:05.80, ranking her 3rd in the world this season. Smith, who went 2:05.85 to place 2nd, has been 2:05.38 this season, which ranks 2nd, while Shackell (2:06.13) and Audrey Derivaux (2:06.46) give the Americans four of the five fastest swimmers in the world this season.

Below, vote in our new A3 Performance Poll, which asks: What will McIntosh choose as her fifth event this summer?

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The A3 Performance Poll is courtesy of A3 Performance, a SwimSwam partner.