Courtney Bartholomew snagged a Duel in the Pool win and an new American record Saturday in the 100 meter backstroke.
Bartholomew, a current college star at the University of Virginia, takes a huge American swimming name off the books: multi-time Olympian Natalie Coughlin, who set the old American record at 55.97 at the 2011 version of the Duel in the Pool in Atlanta.
Bartholomew went 55.92 to just sneak under the four-year-old record, and her time also stands up as the new U.S. Open record, a mark also held by Coughlin’s 2011 swim.
Bartholomew closed very well to take down the record – she was two tenths back of Coughlin’s pace at the 50, but blasted home in time to etch her name into the books.
Bartholomew 2015
- 27.19
- 28.73
- Total: 55.92
Coughlin 2011
- 26.98
- 28.99
- Total: 55.97
This is a nice get for Bartholomew, who has spent much of her collegiate career chasing a different Coughlin mark. Coughlin still holds the short course yards American record in the 100 back at 49.97. Bartholomew came within a tenth of a second of the record last NCAA season, and will get another chance to chase the elusive record-breaking swim over the next three months, when NCAA season really heats up.
In the meantime, Bartholomew holds the short course meters version of the same record, and put 5 points on the board for the dominant U.S. Team that won its 7th-straight Duel in the Pool.
This is just scm but missy is getting a danger alert of missing og individually except for the 200 back.
Just a couple more months till she breaks the SCY American record.
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