{"id":639275,"date":"2026-03-20T15:17:58","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T22:17:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=639275"},"modified":"2026-03-20T18:31:29","modified_gmt":"2026-03-21T01:31:29","slug":"ncaa-womens-championships-virginias-claire-curzan-blasts-meet-record-just-off-ncaa-mark-in-100-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/ncaa-womens-championships-virginias-claire-curzan-blasts-meet-record-just-off-ncaa-mark-in-100-back\/","title":{"rendered":"NCAA Women’s Championships: Virginia’s Claire Curzan Blasts Meet Record, Just off NCAA Mark in 100 Back"},"content":{"rendered":"

NCAA Women’s Championships: Virginia’s Claire Curzan Blasts Meet Record, Just off NCAA Mark<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Night 3 of the 2026 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships kicked off with the 100-yard backstroke from the campus of Georgia Tech in Atlanta.<\/p>\n

And it started with a bang.<\/p>\n

Defending champion Claire Curzan<\/strong> was out fast and pulled away from the field early to get to the wall in 48.24 to break the meet record.<\/p>\n

“I was really happy with it. I feel kind of spoiled this year because my goal was to break the 49 barrier and go best times and I have done that by a large margin and now multiple times. I’m just trying to get better every day, and it is crazy to think that maybe next year I could be chasing 47 barriers,” Curzan said. “It is the culmination of getting back into the college scene last year and building (on the little things).”<\/p>\n

The previous meet record was set by Curzan’s former Virginia teammate Gretchen Walsh<\/strong> (48.26) in 2023. Walsh holds the NCAA and American record at 48.10 that she set at the 2024 ACC Championships.<\/p>\n

Curzan owned the Georgia Tech pool record at 48.38 before the race – now the meet record and is the second-fastest performer in history.<\/p>\n

The start was quick as Curzan swam the first 25 in 11.39. She turned at the 50 in 23.41, then 35.82 at the 75, pulling away for the victory.<\/p>\n

Curzan won the 100 backstroke last year in 49.11, just one hundredth of a second ahead of Bella Sims<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Sims was again second in 49.62, this time finishing in a tie with Wisconsin’s Maggie Wanezek<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Fourth place was also a tie as NC State’s Erika Palaez<\/strong> and Cal’s Mary-Ambre Moluh<\/strong> both got to the wall in 49.95.<\/p>\n

NC State’s Leah Shackley<\/strong> was sixth in 49.98, followed by Pitt’s Claire Jansen<\/strong> (50.67) and Alabama’s Emily Jones<\/strong> (50.97).<\/p>\n