16-Year-Old Claire Curzan Hits 21.51 50 Free, Faster Than NAG, At TAC Titans Intrasquad Meet

Photo Courtesy: Connor Trimble

16-year-old Claire Curzan of the TAC Titans in Cary, North Carolina raced a 21.51 50 free SCY at her team’s intrasquad meet on Friday night, reported first by Swim Swam News. Curzan’s swim, if sanctioned, would count as a national age group record, breaking her own mark of 21.77 from Junior Nationals in December. This was Curzan’s first swim meet since Speedo Sectionals in March.

USA Swimming had indicated that although swim meets will be allowed to be held if the clubs complied with social distancing guidelines, that times would not be sanctioned. But that rule has since been lifted starting in the month of August.

Claire Curzan was swimming in the final heat of the 2-hour session, as the only girl in the heat. TAC Titans live-streamed the meet, and the announcer can be heard in the background calling for each heat to report to the blocks, with no more than two heats back there at all times. Holding swim meets in an indoor pool during the COVID pandemic may cause some parents to get nervous, but video evidence (as shown below) that all timers were wearing masks and even some swimmers stretching behind the blocks were doing so as well. Races were done in mixed fashion.

Claire Curzan just finished her sophomore year of high school at Cardinal Gibbons in North Carolina as she is one of the top recruits in the class of 2022. She is coming off a season where she briefly held the national high school record in the 100 backstroke, only for it to being broken a few hours later. She did break the 100 butterfly national high school record this season, and will likely swim that race again this weekend at her club’s time trial. Curzan swims for coach Bruce Marchionda at the TAC Titans, the former head coach at Western Kentucky University.

15-16 Women’s 50 Free All-Time Rankings:

21.77, Claire Curzan, 2019
21.82, Gretchen Walsh, 2018
21.95, Torri Huske, 2019
22.04, Simone Manuel, 2013
22.04, Kate Douglass, 2016

Claire Curzan’s swim came in the very last heat of the session. The TAC Titans will be continuing their intrasquad meet all weekend.

Name*

Email*

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use

Name*

Email*

28 Comments

Oldest

Newest Most Voted

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments

Jaclyn Kile

3 years ago

Stacy Skeen Kirkpatrick Jill Massie-Braun Karen Thor Bland Spencer Royer Jacqueline Rader WOW!

Rilette Avenant

3 years ago

Jeanri Buys

Amber Crothers

3 years ago

Wow! Ronald Crothers

Anonymous

3 years ago

I swim for the TITANS

Sharon Chocko Gallagher

3 years ago

Mike Ferrari

3 years ago

Pass the Geritol. Tim Riley Randy Greenfield Daniel Ferrari John Lambert

John Lambert

3 years ago

Reply to Mike Ferrari

Mike Ferrari in 1968, I placed 17th in the NCAA championships with that time. Now 16 year old girls in their sophomore year of high school are doing the same. Thanks so much for sharing

Mike Ferrari

3 years ago

Reply to Mike Ferrari

John Lambert

Mike Ferrari

3 years ago

Reply to Mike Ferrari

John Lambert not to worry. You can handle her 100 fly time from last year, right?

Mike Ferrari

3 years ago

Reply to Mike Ferrari

John Lambert of course her backstroke isnt far behind her fly.

Daniel Ferrari

3 years ago

Reply to Mike Ferrari

Mike Ferrari nice!!!!

..I still do 21.5 tho ??

Daniel Ferrari

3 years ago

Reply to Mike Ferrari

Pretty soon they will be doing that in meters!

Darryl Gouveia

3 years ago

Mark Rivas

3 years ago

Reply to Darryl Gouveia

Darryl Gouveia yea I saw this but yet those dumb ones think you have to be over 25 to go to the Olympic Games

Mark Rivas

3 years ago

Reply to Darryl Gouveia

Darryl Gouveia look at the age eh not27 Katie one Olympic gold at age 15 800 free ,we going to get there even tho it is yards

Darryl Gouveia

3 years ago

Reply to Darryl Gouveia

Mark Rivas she also swam 50 in a 100 fly

Mark Rivas

3 years ago

Reply to Darryl Gouveia

Darryl Gouveia when you have a coach who knows what they doing anything it possible

Katarina Kovac Ticha

3 years ago

CONGRATS !!!

Alberic Hueber

3 years ago

https://youtu.be/WryyI-8YzqM

Kara Muscillo

3 years ago

Kim Pfarrer DiJoseph dammmmm!!!

Dave Johnson

3 years ago

Luke Johnson

Kristy Soden Wyatt

3 years ago

Wow!

Christie Thomas

3 years ago

Evidence that the break helped the kids? More rest, better nutrition? A study will follow for sure. Way to go girl!

Jennifer Pearson-Hardin

3 years ago

Reply to Christie Thomas

Christie Thomas our coaches used it as a way to work on the basics. My 14 year old went back to practice the last week in May. They started out only working on freestyle and slowly added strokes in, they just started fly last week. The head coach was super positive about everything and I think that makes a huge difference!

Alicia Swiderski-Caraballo

3 years ago

Nice to see meets happening! These kids deserve the opportunity to race.

John Jangle

3 years ago

Honestly no judgement here but are you guys following social distance protocol or throwing caution to the wind?

Meg KN

3 years ago

That’s insane! Nice job!!!

Fredrick Wanjala Wanyonyi

3 years ago

Do it lady, congratulation