Less than 48 hours after winning the NCAA title in the 200 backstroke, Wisconsin’s Phoebe Bacon has announced that she will return this fall to use her COVID-19 fifth year.
“Let’s run it back for one more year with the Badgers‼️
I’m so excited to have the opportunity to be a badger for another year! As well as get the chance to swim with @fbacon7 again! #5thyear“
Bacon has won two NCAA titles, winning the 200 back in both 2021 and 2024. Bacon won the title in 2021 in a 1:48.32 and on Saturday in a 1:48.23. This past weekend, she also finished 4th in the NCAA in the 100 back (50.55) and 5th in the 200 IM (1:53.16). Her 200 IM and 200 back were personal best times. Bacon scored a total of 49 individual points at 2024 NCAAs, which was more than half of the team’s 95 total (that includes relays).
Bacon has been a consistent ‘A’ finalist for Wisconsin at NCAAs the last four years. She has made the ‘A’ final of the 200 back in all four seasons as well as the 100 back and 200 IM in three of the four years, with the exception being in 2022 when she made the B final of the 100 back and 200 IM.
In her post-race interview at NCAAs this past weekend, Bacon had originally said that after the 2024 Olympic Trials this summer “post trials, we’re just gonna have to wait and see.” She made sure the wait was not too long as she will return to the Badgers.
Bacon looks to make another Olympics for the US this summer. In 2021, she finished 2nd in the LCM 200 backstroke at the US Olympic Trials in a 2:06.46, a personal best at the time. She went on to finish 5th in the event in Tokyo swimming a 2:06.40.
Not only is the return of Bacon big for the Badgers but they also will welcome the #6 ranked recruit in the girls high school class of 2024 as Maggie Wanezek arrives this fall. Wanezek has the fastest 200 backstroke in the class of 2024 with a best time of a 1:50.63. She also has a best time of a 51.09 in the 100 back.
Wanezek is not the only big arrival for Bacon this fall. Phoebe’s younger brother Finn Bacon has committed to the Badgers for this fall. Finn primarily specializes in sprint free and backstroke.
Phoebe told SwimSwam she plans on continuing to pursue her studies in Health Promotion and Health Equity.
She’s going to be dangerous at trials, even with Curzan and Regan (Regan wins)
Great, more spit on the pool deck
Ever been to a men’s meet?
I have and feel the same way about them. Bacon is just fresh in my mind from last Saturday’s walkout to the 2bk final
Bacon, Noble, Sims, Curzan, Fuller, maybe Smith and Stadden (three of them 200 back champs) — shaping up to be another great race.
Maybe Smith? 🤔
If she decides to swim college again next year. Was talking about the 2025 NCAAs, not Trials. Smith is a given there.
Claire Curzan posted three personal best times at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships (LCM):
W 50 BK
W 100 BK
W 200 BK
Can Todd DeSorbo coach or what? No thanks to Greg Meehan.
This made my week! I was hoping that if I over commented about it, that some sort of manifestation would occur. Let’s go PB!
The second spot behind Regan Smith in the women’s 200 meter backstroke at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials is going to be a bloodbath:
Bacon
White
Curzan
Stadden
Noble – dark horse
With Regan Smith posting a time of 2:03.99 in the women’s 200 meter backstroke at the recent 2024 TYR Pro Swim Series – Westmont, IL, the rest of the competition can forget about first place.
Not really. Smith was heavily favored at the last Olympic Trials and got 3rd.
Regan Smith is currently coached by Bob Bowman not Greg Meehan and qualified for the women’s 200 meter backstroke at the 2023 Phillips 66 National Championships. The post-COVID lockdown doldrums are now behind Regan Smith:
2023 Toyota U.S. Open – 2:04.27
2024 TYR Pro Swim Series – 2:03.99
12/02/2023 & 03/09/2024
Meanwhile, none of the other female swimmers have ever posted a sub 2:05 performance.
Regan Smith was NOT at Stanford during the Olympic Trials in July 2021. She did not enter Stanford until Fall of 2021. She chose to stay with her club coach Mike Parrato for the Olympic Trials. It’s in her Swimswam Bio. So you can blame Greg Meehan for the demise of Western civilization, but not for Regan Smith’s failure to make the team in the 200 backstroke in 2021.
Regan Smith was at Stanford when she failed to qualify in the women’s 200 meter backstroke at the 2022 Phillips 66 International Team Trials.
https://www.omegatiming.com/File/00011700010202EE0104FFFFFFFFFF01.pdf
Oh wait, let’s try to sweep that disaster under the rug. No wonder Regan Smith left Stanford University.
Please go back in your hole. The adults are trying to have a conversation. The swimming world was so much happier without you.
It was so nice! Relay Names Guy was gone from this site for a few blissful months…back to the irrelevant commentary
Yes this was considered a lock in 2021 a and she didn’t make the team
The top several places at us Olympic trials are all going to be athletes capable of medaling in Paris?
“She didn’t make the team.” WTF!
Regan Smith qualified in the women’s 100 backstroke, women’s 200 meter butterfly not the women’s 200 meter backstroke at the 2021 U.S Olympic Team Trials.
What has transpired in the women’s 200 meter backstroke since the 2021 U.S. Olympic Team Trials:
2022 under Greg Meehan
https://www.omegatiming.com/File/00011700010202EE0104FFFFFFFFFF01.pdf
2023 under Bob Bowman
https://www.omegatiming.com/File/00011600030202EE0104FFFFFFFFFF01.pdf
I think we could get a post on paralympics in Afghanistan and THIS dude would turn it into a conversation about Greg Meehan.
Listen, I know that Regan Smith has performed better under Bob Bowman. And going to his coaching may or may not have been better for her — certainly that is her opinion by choosing to go there.
You, however, cannot PROVE the counterfactual — that such results would also have occurred (or been bettered) if she had stayed at Stanford.
Most egregious of all are two things
- The idea that it is the COACH and the COACH only that is responsible for the athletes end performance. There are so many other things going on
… Read more »Also hilarious because he’s totally turning a blind eye to the fact that Meehan was JUST declared the coach of the meet by this site after Stanford’s huge performance at NCAAs. They were projected to get 8th, which a lot of people said overrated them, and they got 5th with no superstars. I think at this point, relay names guy thinks this Meehan slander is his “brand” and it’s the only way he knows how to engage on this site. He’s a troll.
You know what they say. The longer it sizzles, the better the Bacon
Love Pheobe just as much as everyone else, but i can’t help but be excited and relieved when all the 5th year bs goes away
I do agree with this. And I understand why this class was given the 5th year, but these guys are getting 5 conference/NCAA champs which seems unfair. That said, I’m a badger fan so I’m excited our star is not done!
D1 champs were canceled their freshman year…
19-20 *NCAA CANCELLED*
20-21 freshman
21-22 sophomore
22-23 junior
23-24 senior
24-25 why is there another year of 5th year? The classes impacted by cancelled NCAA have since graduated with their free masters degrees.
The 5th year is not a reward for missing the 2020 NCAA Championships.
The 5th year was an incentive to keep schools from cancelling their 2020-2021 seasons. Which I guess worked – after the 5th year was announced, I don’t think any more schools cancelled their seasons.
A great kid and an extremely consistent swimmer. She has really been part of a great Wisconsin foundation they have been building out there. Congrats on a great fourth year — the best is yet to come!