NCAA Women’s Championships Pre-Cut Psych Sheet: Claire Curzan, Anna Moesch Lead Virginia in Pursuit of History; Torri Huske Opts for Sprints
The pre-cut psych sheets for the upcoming NCAA Women’s Championships were released Tuesday morning. These are not the final entry lists for the meet, which will be held March 18-21 at McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta. Only a select number of athletes will be invited to compete in each event, but the entries for the top swimmers in each event will remain unchanged.
The psych sheets revealed that the reigning NCAA champion in the 200 IM is dropping that event. In her final collegiate meet, Torri Huske has opted to swim the 100 butterfly, 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle. Huske holds the top seed in the butterfly and second in the sprint freestyle races. She would have been a slight favorite in the individual medley, but the race is scheduled for directly before the 100 free. That forced Huske to pick between the events, and the choice was the 100 free.
The new event schedule slated to debut at this year’s NCAAs worked out perfectly for the University of Virginia, the five-time defending national champions aiming to become the first school ever to win six consecutive women’s national crowns. Claire Curzan returns to her traditional program of the 100 fly plus both backstroke events, with the 100-yard races of fly and back no longer clashing. Curzan is seeded second behind Huske in the 100 fly and first by a significant margin in the 100 and 200 back.
Anna Moesch, a breakout sophomore freestyler for Virginia, owns the top mark this season in the 200 free and 100 free. Virginia has traditionally had tough lineup decisions to make for versatile swimmers, and this year was no different; senior Aimee Canny, previously best known for her 200 freestyle abilities, will swim the 200 breaststroke plus both IM events this season. Additionally, the Cavaliers have the top seed in all five relays.
In addition to Huske, Stanford has two other reigning national champions forced to pick between events. Caroline Bricker, last year’s winner in the 400 IM and the U.S. Nationals winner in the 200-meter fly, will drop the 200 IM from her program and return to the 200 breast. Lucy Bell, the 2025 NCAA champion in the 200 breast, will be the top seed in that event and a contender in the individual medley races.
The only non-Virginia swimmer with multiple top times is Texas’ Jillian Cox, who will aim to defend her 2025 national crowns in the 500 and 1650 free. Michigan has a pair of top-ranked swimmers in Bella Sims (400 IM) and Hannah Bellard (200 fly). Sims, the 2024 NCAA champion in the 500 free and 200 free, is completely bypassing mid-distance races this time to concentrate on the aforementioned 400 IM plus backstroke.
Schedule of Events and Top Seeded Swimmers
Wednesday, March 18
- 1650 Freestyle: Jillian Cox, Texas (15:32.75)
- 200 Medley Relay: Virginia (1:31.91)
- 800 Freestyle Relay: Virginia (6:45.34)
Thursday, March 19
- 100 Butterfly: Torri Huske, Stanford (48.26)
- 400 IM: Bella Sims, Michigan (3:58.02)
- 200 Freestyle: Anna Moesch, Virginia (1:39.72)
- 100 Breaststroke: Eneli Jefimova, NC State (56.77)
- 200 Freestyle Relay: Virginia (1:23.75)
Friday, March 20
- 100 Backstroke: Claire Curzan, Virginia (48.38)
- 200 Breaststroke: Lucy Bell, Stanford (2:02.67)
- 500 Freestyle: Jillian Cox, Texas (4:30.53)
- 50 Freestyle: Camille Spink, Tennessee (20.87)
- 400 Medley Relay: Virginia (3:20.42)
Saturday, March 21
- 200 IM: Anastasia Gorbenko, Louisville (1:51.30)
- 100 Freestyle: Anna Moesch, Virginia (45.71)
- 200 Butterfly: Hannah Bellard, Michigan (1:50.34)
- 200 Backstroke: Claire Curzan, Virginia (1:46.09)
- 400 Freestyle Relay: Virginia (3:05.30)