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Teagan O’Dell Breaks Girls 200 IM National High School Record With 1:53.38

2023 CIF SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

GIRLS 200 IM — FINALS

  • National High School Record: 1:53.73 — Torri Huske, 2021
  • CA State Meet Record: 1:54.31 — Ella Eastin, 2015

Podium:

  1. Teagan O’Dell (Santa Margarita) — 1:53.38 (National HS Record)
  2. Kathryn Hazle (University City) — 1:58.36
  3. Kelsey Zhang (Saratoga) — 1:59.69

Teagan O’Dell broke the girls national high school record Saturday at the CIF State Championships as she swam to a final time of 1:53.38. That time broke the previous record of 1:53.73 set by Torri Huske back in 2021. O’Dell won the event almost a full five seconds.

Splits comparison: 

O’Dell Huske
Fly 25.38 23.51
Back 26.94 28.64
Breast 33.61 33.74
Free 27.45 27.84
Final Time 1:53.38 1:53.78

The biggest difference between O’Dell’s and Huske’s swims was the way they each went out in the first 100. Huske went out fast in the first 50 swimming fly. O’Dell on the other hand used her strength in backstroke splitting a 26.94. Although Huske was faster than O’Dell at both the 100 and 150 marks, a strong finish by O’Dell on the freestyle leg of the race pulled her ahead of the record.

O’Dell’s personal best in the 200 IM coming into the meet stood at a 1:54.07 which she swam a week and a half ago at the CIF Sectional Championship. She has now dropped almost a full two seconds in the event over the last year as at this meet a year ago she swam a 1:55.15 in her win.

O’Dell is currently a sophomore at Santa Margarita High School. Earlier in the session, O’Dell led off Santa Margarita’s 200 medley relay splitting a 24.20 on the backstroke leg. That helped the team to a second place finish as they touched in a final time of 1:41.33 finishing just behind Campolindo who touched in a 1:41.14.

O’Dell is the top seed in the 100 back later in the session as she swam a meet record of a 51.11 during prelims. She also was a member of Santa Margarita’s 200 free relay which also is the top seed for finals.

O’Dell’s swim was also a 15-16 National Age Group record as that previously stood at a 1:54.02 which Alex Walsh swam back in 2017.

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tea rex
1 year ago

I’ve got a list of 37 swims sub-1:53. Teagan is right outside that cutoff, which proves this list is not exhaustive, but these are the fastest back splits I’ve found:

  • 27.07 Ella Eastin ’19, en route to 1:51.81
  • 27.09 Missy Franklin ’15, 1:52.11
  • 27.24 Kate Douglass ’20, 1:51.25 (her 1:48 AR split is 27.40)
  • 27.25 Bella Sims ’22, 1:52.73
  • 27.33 Kathleen Baker ’18, 1:51.25

Teagan has a killer backstroke, but some of this was probably race strategy. Of the sub-1:53 swims only Sydney Pickrem ’19 had a 25+ fly split (25.14). Teagan was out in 25.38. She’s not a bad flyer, so she might actually have more to drop with a better-paced swim.

Anyway, that’s a lot… Read more »

Shannon
Reply to  tea rex
1 year ago

Fly leg she breathed every stroke to prepare for her amazing and hypoxic underwater backstroke leg.

Friederang Stephen
1 year ago

This is no mean feat! Think about all the Olympians who came before! No real weaknesses. Her finish in free could have been a little cleaner, but it and her backstroke turns were sharper between this meet and the CIF southern section champs. She isn’t enamored of the 400 I.M., but I encourage her to reach for it and all other middle distance events (2 back, obviously, 4 free, etc.), as well as the sprints, of course. The best swimmer on American soil is Canadian, so that shows an open door on the U.S. National team. Teagan has always had an advantage being tall in short course so now is the time to focus on getting one third fitter for… Read more »

ReneDescartes
1 year ago

I remember when Mary Beck went a pretty fast 200 IM in HS.

Draft chase
1 year ago

All of the strokes and turns looked great. Special swim

Stephen
1 year ago

Is that in a SC 25 yards or less pool???

Coachymccoachface
Reply to  Stephen
1 year ago

Go away Stephen. It’s a high school kid at a hs meet. What the hell is wrong with you?

Steve Nolan
Reply to  Stephen
1 year ago

Yes.

jeff
1 year ago

is that the fastest swim from a high schooler ever? Alex Walsh was 1:53.69 by the end of high school, Torri Huske was 1:53.73, Douglass didn’t really swim it, and Eastin was 1:53.9 at her last high school state meet

Yikes
Reply to  jeff
1 year ago

Yes, that’s why it’s called a national record

LBSWIM
Reply to  Yikes
1 year ago

They could be asking outside of HS swimming. Maybe someone went faster in a non high school meet. Not sure.

jeff
Reply to  LBSWIM
1 year ago

yeah asking about outside of just the high school season, for any swim produced by a swimmer still in high school

edit: it is not, I forgot to check swimmers still in high school and Bella Sims has a 1:52.7 from junior nationals last year. I think this swim might be the second fastest ever by a high schooler tho which is pretty wild for a sophomore

Last edited 1 year ago by jeff
Swim2win
Reply to  jeff
1 year ago

Definitely nuts as a sophomore girl. Even more nuts as a sophomore boy. Which I think Thomas Heilman has with his 44.67 100 fly.

Swim2win
Reply to  Yikes
1 year ago

Lot of the fastest swims aren’t national high school records. The juniors meets in the winter don’t count for example

Wow
1 year ago

That’s one of the fastest 50 backs in a 200 IM ever. Don’t see nearly anyone break 27…incredible

cynthia curran
1 year ago

Go Teagan

About Braden Keith

Braden Keith

Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and a co-founder/co-owner of SwimSwam.com. He first got his feet wet by building The Swimmers' Circle beginning in January 2010, and now comes to SwimSwam to use that experience and help build a new leader in the sport of swimming. Aside from his life on the InterWet, …

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