2022 CARY SECTIONALS (ESSZ)
- March 10-13, 2022
- Triangle Aquatic Center, Cary, North Carolina
- Short Course Yards (25 yards), prelims/finals
- Psych Sheet
- Live Stream ($$)
- Championship Central
- Preview
- Results on Meet Mobile as “2022 Speedo ESSZ Spring SC Champs – 2 Pools”
Claire Curzan can’t stop won’t stop. After breaking Regan Smith‘s 17-18 girls SCY 100 back NAG a month ago, the 17-year-old lowered the time again. She did it leading off TAC’s 400 medley relay tonight at the Cary Sectionals meet.
The U.S. Olympian and future Stanford Cardinal still hasn’t yet raced individually in Cary, but swam on the relay tonight, throwing down a blistering 49.52 100 back. The swim comes in 0.09 seconds faster than the NAG-setting 49.61 she swam at the NCHSAA 4A State Championships on February 10th. Of course, that means the 17-year-old has now chipped even more off the NAG and is inching closer and closer towards the American Record of 49.16.
With the swim, Curzan remains the #4 performer all-time in the event, behind only Regan Smith, Beata Nelson, and Katharine Berkoff. Here is the newly-updated list of all-time top 5 performers in the women’s SCY 100 back:
| Rank | Time | Swimmer | Meet |
| 1 | 49.16 | Regan Smith | 2021 MN AQJT March Invite |
| 2 | 49.18 | Beata Nelson | 2019 NCAA Championships |
| 3 | 49.41 | Katharine Berkoff | 2022 ACC Championship |
| 4 | 49.52 | Claire Curzan | 2022 Speedo ESSZ Spring SC Champs |
| 5 | 49.69 | Ally Howe | 2017 Pac-12 Championships |
Curzan’s swim also marks the #6 performance all-time, putting her in the all-time top 10 twice. Only American Record holder Regan Smith has been faster than Curzan’s 49.52 multiple times. Here is the list of all-time top 10 performances in the women’s SCY 100 back:
| Rank | Time | Swimmer | Meet |
| 1 | 49.16 | Regan Smith | 2021 MN AQJT March Invite |
| 2 | 49.18 | Beata Nelson | 2019 NCAA Championships |
| 3 | 49.23 | Regan Smith | 2022 Pac-12 Championships |
| 4 | 49.41 | Katharine Berkoff | 2022 ACC Championship |
| 5 | 49.50 | Regan Smith | 2022 Pac-12 Championships |
| 6 | 49.52 | Claire Curzan | 2022 Speedo ESSZ Spring SC Champs |
| 7 | 49.61 | Claire Curzan | 2022 NC 4A NCHSAA State Championships |
| 8 | 49.66 | Regan Smith | 2019 Sectionals – Raleigh |
| 9 | 49.67 | Beata Nelson | Texas Hall of Fame Swimming Invite |
| 10 | 49.69 | Ally Howe | 2017 Pac-12 Championships |
Damn, Remember when Coughlin’s 49.97 seemed untouchable? Now it’s not even in the top 25 performances.
It was always inevitable I guess. Underwaters, pioneered by people like Coughlin herself, have taken swimming to another level, especially in sprints + short course
wonder when her 100 free will “catch up”- 47.23 is obv very fast but not on the level that her sprint fly/back is
With how good she is in the LC 50 free, no reason why she shouldn’t be 46 mid in the 100 free.
How do you do a 3+ day meet every weekend? …. and keep going fast!
Racing is the best training.
With her speed I would not be surprised if she beat Kylie Mckowen world record
She will need a hell of a back half to beat that record though.
Yeah and the back half problems are always more likely in elite company. Very easy to relax and keep going in open water. But when you feel somebody nearby, and already have a tendency to weaken late, everything can magnify. Curzan and Huske need to be aware of that. Regan Smith learned the hard way.
I don’t think Regan Smith learned the hard way. Her backstroke was just better in 2019. In every meet leading up to 2020/2021 she was slower than in 2019.
58.8 is still a long way from 57.4
49 low 1 fly if she swims it this meet