{"id":466019,"date":"2021-03-20T15:41:15","date_gmt":"2021-03-20T22:41:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=466019"},"modified":"2021-03-24T20:36:02","modified_gmt":"2021-03-25T03:36:02","slug":"phoebe-bacon-continues-wisconsins-200-back-tradition-with-ncaa-title","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/phoebe-bacon-continues-wisconsins-200-back-tradition-with-ncaa-title\/","title":{"rendered":"Phoebe Bacon Continues Wisconsin’s 200 Back Tradition with NCAA Title"},"content":{"rendered":"

In one of the youngest fields in the entire NCAA championships that featured four freshmen, one sophomore and three juniors, it was Wisconsin rookie\u00a0Phoebe Bacon\u00a0<\/strong>who came out on top in the 200 backstroke final in Greensboro with a 1:48.32. Bacon moved up to eighth all-time with her swim as she came off the pace on the third 50 to split a 27.7 and ran away from the field on the final 50.<\/p>\n

The big favorites in the race were Alabama’s\u00a0Rhyan White\u00a0<\/strong>and NC State’s\u00a0Katharine Berkoff<\/strong>, who won the 100 last night. Berkoff showed her speed up front, flipping at 52.58 to White’s 52.61, but Bacon, much like\u00a0Paige Madden\u00a0<\/strong>in the earlier 1650, stayed poised and nailed the third 50. Bacon flipped first at 1:20.42 ahead of White (1:20.51) and Berkoff (1:20.88) at the 150 and had all the momentum on the final 50, being the only swimmer under 28 seconds on the last 50.<\/p>\n

“I am really happy. It was definitely a tough race,” Phoebe Bacon said. “I knew all three of the girls were going to be right on my hip or my head (coming into the last 50), so for me, it was keeping my legs in it and don’t slow down my tempo. I really work my back half every day in practice. It is a big focus to keep it strong throughout the whole event.”<\/p>\n

Bacon mentioned before the meet that the 200 back was the event she was looking forward to the most<\/a> heading into this meet due to her improvements in her first year with coach\u00a0Yuri Suguiyama<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

“It was pretty incredible,” Phoebe Bacon told Swimming World\u00a0<\/em>from her hotel room. “Especially competing against these other teams that had almost full seasons where they got the amount of swims that they did, and then for us to have three dual meets and then Big Tens, it was definitely a big difference. I’m happy we made it and we were able to have the meet and stay COVID safe.”<\/p>\n

White was second at 1:48.99 while Cal freshman\u00a0Isabelle Stadden\u00a0<\/strong>placed third at 1:49.66. The two other rookies placed fourth and fifth in Virginia Tech’s\u00a0Emma Atkinson\u00a0<\/strong>(1:50.43) and Virginia’s\u00a0Reilly Tiltmann\u00a0<\/strong>(1:50.66).<\/p>\n

“It really shows the freshmen class I’m in and the classes coming up, this meet is going to keep getting faster and faster,” Bacon said. “The different events are going to really start surprising some people, especially watching that 100 fly and Maggie go a 48. I think we are going to see another 48 next year and who knows if it is a freshman or someone else.”<\/p>\n

Berkoff faded in the final 50, placing sixth at 1:50.88 ahead of teammate Emma Muzzy\u00a0<\/strong>(1:51.70) and Kentucky’s\u00a0Sophie Sorenson <\/strong>(1:52.63).<\/p>\n

Wisconsin now has three NCAA titles in the 200 backstroke, which is tied for fourth all-time among Division I schools. Bacon joins\u00a0Maggie Meyer\u00a0<\/strong>(2011) and\u00a0Beata Nelson\u00a0<\/strong>(2019) as winners of the event for the Badgers.<\/p>\n

“Going into the 200 back, I was thinking, ‘Beata had this two years ago and probably could have won it last year so I might as well make it a third year in a row and keep the Wisconsin tradition and carry it on.'”<\/p>\n

All-Time Rankings:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. 1:47.16,\u00a0Regan Smith<\/strong>, Riptide, 2019<\/li>\n
  2. 1:47.24,\u00a0Beata Nelson<\/strong>, Wisconsin, 2019<\/li>\n
  3. 1:47.30,\u00a0Kathleen Baker<\/strong>, California, 2018<\/li>\n
  4. 1:47.59,\u00a0Taylor Ruck<\/strong>, Stanford, 2019<\/li>\n
  5. 1:47.84,\u00a0Elizabeth Pelton<\/strong>, California, 2013<\/li>\n
  6. 1:47.91,\u00a0Missy Franklin<\/strong>, California, 2015<\/li>\n
  7. 1:48.06,\u00a0Rhyan White<\/strong>, Alabama, 2020<\/li>\n
  8. 1:48.32,\u00a0Phoebe Bacon<\/strong>, Wisconsin, 2021<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n
  9. 1:48.34,\u00a0Gemma Spofforth<\/strong>, Florida, 2009<\/li>\n
  10. 1:48.53,\u00a0Ella Eastin<\/strong>, Stanford, 2019<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\nhttps:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/phoebe-bacon-ncaa.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n