{"id":613455,"date":"2025-06-05T17:35:17","date_gmt":"2025-06-06T00:35:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=613455"},"modified":"2025-06-06T06:42:25","modified_gmt":"2025-06-06T13:42:25","slug":"us-nationals-katharine-berkoff-shatters-american-record-in-womens-50-backstroke","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/us-nationals-katharine-berkoff-shatters-american-record-in-womens-50-backstroke\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. Nationals, Day 3 Finals: Katharine Berkoff Shatters American Record in 50 Backstroke"},"content":{"rendered":"

US Nationals, Day 3 Finals: Katharine Berkoff Shatters American Record in Women’s 50 Backstroke<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Katharine Berkoff<\/strong> was within reach of an American record in the prelims if the 50 butterfly.<\/p>\n

Just five hundredths away, the question was: Could she go faster in finals?<\/p>\n

Going head-to-head with Regan Smith<\/strong>, the American record holder, and Claire Curzan<\/strong>, couldn’t hurt. Curzan pushed her to a 27.15 in prelims, and with the brightest lights on the biggest stage, she was even faster breaking the American record in a 26.97.<\/p>\n

“I was really excited with it. That was the goal, to go under 27. I want to be a tiny bit faster, but that is good motivation for five weeks from now (at worlds),” Berkoff said.\u00a0 “Honestly, I felt like the details were perfect today, so it wasn’t the details. But the past month, I really shifted in practice and started pushing some really fast 50s, so I knew I was capable of a good time drop. I have gotten a lot stronger this year and I have been able to translate it to the water.”<\/p>\n

Smith was just behind in 27.20, one of her fastest times. Curzan finished third in 27.26.<\/p>\n

“Honestly, it was a super weird race, and I couldn’t see where everyone was. It felt kind of weird, so I didn’t expect to see that time when I hit the wall, but I was really happy with it,” Berkoff said. “It has been more of a trust-the-process year without there being an NCAA season. It was a lot more yardage than I was used to, but it was the start of a new four-year cycle where it is going to be like that.”<\/p>\n

Berkoff said she responded physically to the changes without issue, but mentally, it was a little more difficult.<\/p>\n

“These past couple months I have been turning around my mindset,” she said. “We have a super unique situation because like half the backstroke group for the national team is at NC State. It is a good dynamic and we are really lucky to have each other.”<\/p>\n

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