Reported by Lauren Neidigh.
WOMEN’S 200 BACK:
- NCAA Record: Elizabeth Pelton (Cal), 2013, 1:47.84
- American Record: Elizabeth Pelton (Cal), 2013, 1:47.84
- Championship Record: Elizabeth Pelton (Cal), 2013, 1:47.84
- 2017 Champion: Kathleen Baker (Cal), 1:48.44
- GOLD: Kathleen Baker, Cal, 1:47.30
- SILVER: Asia Seidt, Kentucky, 1:49.24
- BRONZE: Beata Nelson, Wisconsin, 1:49.27
Cal’s Kathleen Baker flipped well under record pace for the early lead in 25.17. She kept pulling ahead, still under record pace with a 52.31 halfway. She was still crushing it in 1:19.47 with 50 yards to go. She never let up, swimming to a new American and NCAA Record of 1:47.30 to win it. She was well ahead of the field, as Kentucky’s Asia Seidt finished in 1:49.24 behind her. Seidt came through on the back half to run down Wisconsin’s Beata Nelson (1:49.27) for 2nd.
Texas A&M’s Lisa Bratton (1:50.74) was 4th, out-touching Michigan’s Clara Smiddy (1:50.80) at the finish.
She talks as fast as she swims.
I wondered why it was only an 83 second video compared to 3+ minutes for others. But Kathleen speaks so quickly and gets to the point rapidly so it really doesn’t need to be longer. The number of questions was the same.
When I watch interviews at NCAAs, stars always bring up their teammates’ good swims (more so than at Worlds or Summer Nationals). Even all-stars like Ledecky and Baker are thinking about their whole team’s performance more than just their own swims.