And another smashing PB for Mia!

https://swimswam.com/mia-kragh-of-rancho-san-dieguito-drops-6-seconds-in-200-fly-to-win-in-carlsbad/

16-year old Mia Kragh of Rancho San Dieguito rolled on through day 3 of the 2020 Carlsbad Sectional meet in California.

After crushing her best time to win the 100 fly on Friday, Kragh added a new lifetime best, and victory, in the 200 fly on Saturday in 1:56.16.

While she's the defending California High School State Champion in the 200 fly, she hasn't raced the 200 fly as frequently. Saturday's swim was just her 5th career race of the 200 yard fly, and this is the first time that she's swum the event twice in the same season.

She now ranks 4th nationally in the 200 fly among 15-16 year olds (and first nationally among 16-year olds, as she's a year ahead of a very good group of butterfliers including Claire Curzan, Charlotte Hook, and Justina Kozan).

Kragh, a high school junior, is a Cal commit, and her Saturday time is already fast enough that it would have placed her 6th in the 200 fly at the Pac-12 Championships, which also held its 200 fly on Saturday evening.

TOP 20 NCAA SWIMMING RECRUITS IN THE GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 2021

9. Mia Kragh (Previous Rank: #16) Rancho San Dieguito Torrey Pines High School San Diego, CA **Verbally committed to Cal**
Best Times: 100 fly 52.01, 200 fly 1:56.16, 50 free 22.82, 100 free 49.87, 200 free 1:48.29
Kragh is your classic fly/free combo, but her junior year really proved she could be a two-distance flyer, rather than a sprint specialist. Kragh was just 2:10 in the 200 fly as of last year, and had only swum the event three times, per USA Swimming's database. But she exploded to 1:56.16 at a February Sectional meet and is on the cusp of NCAA invite time there. Not only that, but Kragh took her 100 fly from 53.3 to 52.0 and is now the top flyer in the class outside of Huske she's even faster in the 100 fly than Walsh is. Kragh had decent drops in her sprint frees and should be a multi-relay weapon at the college level. There's also a strong possibility she had a better 100 fly in her this spring California canceled its high school state championships for the year, but Kragh had a drop of nearly half a second at the CIF State meet last year. Here's Kragh at Winter Juniors, though she went six tenths faster a few months later. She's in lane 3, third from the bottom. She rides pretty high in the water, attacks all her walls and streamlines very well, though her head stays a little high and makes the front of her stroke a bit choppy. In a way, that's just potential upside for a college coach who can smooth out some of those wrinkles to keep unlocking Kragh's excellent raw talent.

BEST OF THE REST
New this year: this isn't an exhaustive list, but we can rattle off a few of the athletes we studied who wound up just outside the top 20 in each event discipline. For the purposes of space, we won't include every top event for these athletes, but just a few of their standouts. Each of these athletes is still an extremely high-level recruit:
Breaststroke:

• Melanie Julia (1:00.8/2:13)
• Shelby Suppiger (1:01.3/2:12)

IM:

• Annika McEnroe (4:12, 2:12BR, 53.8FL)

https://instagr.am/p/B-8VIe8AsQN

So, let another round of wild guesses commence whilst we are probably all twiddling our fingers in the safe shelter of our homes these days!

My initial stab at guessing our latest pair of verbals, partly based on observations that were posted to this board in the past (and quoted below), would be...hmmm...let's see, how about:

- Alicia Henry (#75 Nat, #2 GA) - sprint breast

UrsusArctosCalifornicus said:

---

Alicia Henry (#87 Nat, #2 GA) from Dynamo (Junior Elizabeth Bailey hails from the same swim club)

...lifetime best in this event is probably faster than any of SwimSwam's Top 20 recruits here: WAY TOO EARLY NCAA RECRUIT RANKS: GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 2021...

Henry's sprint prowess would be invaluable in our medley relays and she would be a natural successor to Ema Rajic following some more development, IMO.

---

bearz012 said:

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Which 2021 Recruits are Visiting Which Schools? (rankings based on NCAA finish)

#2 Cal: #1 Gretchen Walsh, #16 Mia Kragh *commit*, HM Annika McEnroe *commit*, Ellie Andrews (#14), McKenna Stone (#32) *commit*, Elizabeth Cook (#47) *commit*, ALICIA HENRY (#65), Shelby Suppiger (#67) *commit*, Melanie Julia (#75) *commit*, Ella Mazurek (#85) *commit*, Justine Murdock (#92), Izabella Adame (#99), Malia Rausch (#124), Jessica Davis (#129) *commit*, Stephanie Akakabota (#310) *commit*

Last Updated: 3/25/20

---

Swimswam said:

---

TOP 20 NCAA SWIMMING RECRUITS IN THE GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 2021

TOP TIMES IN THE CLASS OF 2021
100 Breast | Alicia Henry | 1:00.20

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Alicia Henry (Previous Rank: Unranked) - Dynamo Swim Club - Alpharetta High School - Alpharetta, GA
Best Times: 100 breast - 1:00.20, 200 breast - 2:15.36

Henry isn't very versatile yet, but she gets an honorable mention for holding the class's best overall 100 breast. There's always room in the NCAA for a speedster, and she's got the raw speed and ability to develop into a very good two-distance breaststroker.

---

2nd Cal commit could be:
- Justine Murdock (#103 Nat, #3 MI) - sprint back

...or perhaps this international prospect who has represented Israel and has trained with Team Elite, i.e Thleen's club?
- Lea Polonsky - breast & 200 fly

---------------

• UPDATES => SwimSwam & Swimming World:

TOP 2021 BREASTSTROKER ALICIA HENRY VERBALLY COMMITS TO CAL

Alicia Henry from Alpharetta,Georgia has announced her verbal commitment to the University of California, Berkeley for 2021-22. The top 100y breaststroker in the class, Henry is a 2020 Olympic Trials qualifier in the 100m breast and was recently upgraded to Honorable Mention on our list of top girls from the high school class of 2021.

"I'm super excited to announce my verbal commitment to swim and study at the University of California Berkeley! I would like to thank my family, coaches, friends, and teammates for their incredible support throughout this process. GO BEARS!! #babybear"

Henry swims for Dynamo Swim Club and for Alpharetta High School where she is a two-time USA Swimming Scholastic All-American.

Henry will join the Cal women's roster with fellow verbal commits Annika McEnroe, Elizabeth Cook, Ella Mazurek, Jessica Davis, McKenna Stone, Melanie Julia, Mia Kragh, Shelby Suppinger, and Stephanie Akakabota.

---------------

https://instagr.am/p/B_LLi29JHwK
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UrsusArctosCalifornicus said:

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No doubt a mite premature at this stage to speculate on the 2022 class lol,..but here's a preview of some of the notable talents, all waiting in the recruiting wings... :p

a) SoCal standout Justina Kozan (#2 Nat, #1 CA), who has shown an interest in Cal amongst other programmes (doesn't hurt that her coach @ Brea is none other than Cal swim alum Jimmy Johnson :p), would represent a worthy successor to Izzy on the fly leg (along with Mia) with her current best of 52.42, which surely will drop quite a bit more by the time she starts college.

Justina's times:

100 Fly - 52.42
200 Fly - 1:56.44 ->1:54.75 @ 2019 Winter Juniors! (update)
200 IM - 1:56.31
200 Free - 1:45.77 ->1:45.15 @ 2019 Winter Juniors! (update)
100 Back - 54.12
200 Back - 1:55.74


b) As for Claire Curzan (#1 Nat, #1 NC) - well just consider these SCY stats of hers, with 2 more seasons to improve upon - wow!!!

100 Fly - 50.64
100 Free - 47.67
50 Free - 21.89 -> 21.77 @ 2019 Winter Juniors! (update)
100 Back - 51.23
200 Back - 1:52.76


c) And then there's mid-distance freestyle ace Claire Tuggle (#3 Nat, #2 CA)...had reportedly moved from Clovis to DART (Chenoa's club)?

---

Above was posted back last year, and it just does seem massively early to talk about the 2022 class even now?!

But heck, seeing that Swimswam has published their rankings today (see summary below - read original article linked to for the full details & descriptions), let the discussion & speculation flow!

--------


WAY TOO EARLY RECRUIT RANKS: GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 2022


THIS CLASS

• One of the best IM classes ever
• Deep class of fly/back types
• 200s often better than 100s at this point
• A few elite sprinters, but then a dropoff
• Relatively weak distance free class

TOP TIMES IN THE CLASS OF 2022

• 50 Free - Claire Curzan - 21.77
• 100 Free - Claire Curzan - 47.67
• 200 Free - Claire Tuggle - 1:44.96
• 500 Free - Claire Tuggle - 4:41.36
• 1000 Free** - Claire Tuggle - 9:41.96
• 1650 Free - Kylee Grafmiller - 16:28.47
• 100 Back - Claire Curzan - 51.23
• 200 Back - Rye Ulett - 1:51.84
• 100 Breast - Emma Weber - 59.74
• 200 Breast - Emma Weber - 2:10.39
• 100 Fly - Claire Curzan - 50.35
• 200 Fly - Charlotte Hook - 1:53.70
• 200 IM - Charlotte Hook - 1:54.79
• 400 IM - Justina Kozan - 4:05.67

TOP 20 SWIMMERS FROM THE CLASS OF 2022

1. Claire Curzan - TAC Titans - Cardinal Gibbons High School - Cary, NC
Best Times: 100 fly - 50.35, 200 fly - 1:54.36, 50 free - 21.77, 100 free - 47.67, 200 free - 1:45.47, 100 back - 51.23, 200 back - 1:52.76, 200 IM - 1:59.63

2. Charlotte Hook - TAC Titans - Cary Academy - Raleigh, NC
Best Times: 200 fly - 1:53.70, 200 IM - 1:54.79, 400 IM - 4:07.42, 100 fly - 52.20, 100 back - 52.85, 200 back - 1:55.28, 1650 free - 16:28.61, 1000 free - 9:42.51, 500 free - 4:46.27, 200 free - 1:46.28, 100 free - 50.71, 50 free - 23.00, 100 breast - 1:01.59, 200 breast - 2:13.91

3. Justina Kozan - Brea Aquatics - Walnut High School - Brea, CA
Best Times: 400 IM - 4:05.67, 200 IM - 1:56.31, 200 fly - 1:54.75, 100 fly - 52.42, 200 back - 1:55.74, 100 back - 54.12, 200 free - 1:45.15, 100 free - 49.05, 50 free - 23.08

4. Claire Tuggle - Santa Maria Swim Club - Clovis North High School - Mariposa, CA
Best Times: 200 free - 1:44.96, 500 free - 4:41.36, 1000 free - 9:41.96, 1650 free - 17:41.17, 100 free - 49.43, 200 fly - 1:59.55, 400 IM - 4:16.91, 200 IM - 1:59.62

5. Zoe Dixon - Nova of Virginia - Mills E. Godwin High School - Richmond, VA
Best Times: 400 IM - 4:06.43, 200 IM - 1:57.22, 200 back - 1:55.42, 100 back - 53.81, 200 fly - 1:59.14, 100 fly - 54.62, 100 breast - 1:02.28

6. Rye Ulett - Dynamo Swim Club - Atlanta, GA
Best Times: 200 back - 1:51.84, 100 back - 52.87, 500 free - 4:47.92, 200 free - 1:47.30, 400 IM - 4:14.94, 200 IM - 1:59.33, 200 fly - 2:00.90, 100 fly - 54.86

7. Lucy Bell - Fort Collins Area Swim Team - Fossil Ridge High School - Fort Collins, CO
Best Times: 200 fly - 1:55.85, 100 fly - 52.24, 400 IM - 4:12.42, 200 IM - 1:59.96, 100 free - 49.17, 200 free - 1:50.01, 50 free - 23.31

8. Emma Weber - University of Denver Hilltoppers - Fairview High School - Boulder, CO
Best Times: 100 breast - 59.74, 200 breast - 2:10.39, 200 IM - 2:02.30

9. Kennedy Noble - YMCA Westside Silver Fins - Millennium High School - Avondale, AZ
Best Times: 100 back - 52.49, 200 back - 1:54.47, 100 fly - 53.74, 200 IM - 2:00.87, 400 IM - 4:16.76, 200 free - 1:49.71, 100 free - 49.81

10. Natalie Mannion - Commonwealth Swimming - Buckingham Browne & Nichols School - Boston, MA
Best Times: 100 back - 53.07, 200 back - 1:54.24, 500 free - 4:45.93, 200 free - 1:46.83, 100 free - 49.70, 200 fly - 2:00.01, 200 IM - 1:59.95

11. Emma Karam - Reno Aquatic Club - Galena High School - Reno, NV
Best Times: 100 back - 52.75, 200 back - 1:54.93

12. Hayden Miller - Cypress Fairbanks - Cypress Creek High School - Houston, TX
Best Times: 500 free - 4:42.74, 200 free - 1:47.60, 1650 free - 16:33.56

13. Carly Novelline - NASA Wildcat Aquatics - New Trier High School - Winnetka, IL
Best Times: 50 free - 22.46, 100 free - 48.82, 200 free - 1:48.33, 100 back - 53.39, 200 back - 1:57.87, 200 IM - 2:01.38

14. Katie Crom- Mission Viejo Nadadores - Tesoro High School - Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
Best Times: 200 fly - 1:56.00, 500 free - 4:46.52, 400 IM - 4:15.34, 200 free - 1:48.46, 200 IM - 2:02.48, 100 fly - 55.03, 100 free - 50.25, 50 free - 23.35

15. Zoe Skirboll - Racer X Aquatics - Fox Chapel Area High School - Pittsburgh, PA
Best Times: 100 breast - 1:00.89, 200 IM - 1:58.75, 50 free - 22.87, 100 free - 50.31, 200 free - 1:48.86, 200 breast - 2:15.71, 100 fly - 54.71

16. Blair Stoneburg - Treasure Coast Aquatics - Jensen Beach High School - Jensen Beach, FL
Best Times: 200 free - 1:46.25, 500 free - 4:46.96, 100 free - 49.35, 23.09, 1000 free - 9:56.04, 1650 free - 16:45.14, 100 fly - 53.78

17. Kayla Wilson - Tide Swimming - Norfolk Academy - Virginia Beach, VA
Best Times: 200 free - 1:46.29, 500 free - 4:48.32, 100 free - 49.70, 50 free - 23.06
.
18. Renee Gillilan - Fort Collins Area Swim Team - Fossil Ridge High School - Fort Collins, CO
Best Times: 100 fly - 52.95, 100 back - 53.76, 200 fly - 1:59.30, 200 IM - 2:00.57

19. Issie Abrajan - Mission Viejo Nadadores - Santa Margarita Catholic High School - Ladera Ranch, CA
Best Times: 100 fly - 53.83, 200 fly - 1:57.88, 100 back - 53.98, 200 back - 2:00.17, 200 IM - 2:00.72, 400 IM - 4:16.91

20. Scarlet Martin - Eastern Iowa Swim Federation - Iowa City West High School - Iowa City, IA
Best Times: 100 fly - 53.41, 200 fly - 1:57.91, 200 IM - 2:02.56, 100 back - 54.42

ONES TO WATCH

• Kylee Grafmiller (Blue Tide Aquatics / Kingwood High School / Humble, TX)
  
• Sophie Duncan (Nation's Capital Swim Club / Holton-Arms School / Bethesda, MD)
  
• Laci Black (Rockwall Aquatic Center of Excellence / Rockwall, TX)
  
• Michelle Morgan (Pipeline Swimming / Freedom High School / Tampa, FL)
  
• Ella Welch (Cardinal Aquatics / Assumption High School / Louisville, KY)
  

--------

UrsusArctosCalifornicus said:

---

bearz012 said:

---

Stephanie: "Excited to be a bear! #committed"

https://instagr.am/p/B8m4uZFF8Lt

---

2021 Baby Bear Stephanie Akakabota appears to have raw talent & speed in spades, with massive upside & potential in her sprints that may have slipped under some people's radar.

Akakabota's improvement curve in the *50 Free* from 26.60 (2017) -> 23.90 (2018) -> 22.46 (2019) is really intriguing (*100 Free* will need more work), and gives hope that she may develop into a pure sprint hammer anchoring Bears' relays under Teri's & Dani's able guidance.

In fact, a quick glance at this Swimswam ranking, WAY TOO EARLY NCAA RECRUIT RANKS: GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 2021, suggests that only 3 recruits from the class (#1 Gretchen Walsh - 21.82, #2 Torri Huske - 21.95, #13 Amy Tang - 22.06) have been swifter than Stephanie's 22.46 in this event, according to CollegeSwimming's database!

=======

• UPDATE -> CS results were revised today, bumping their previously reported 22.46 for Stephanie's 50 Free PB down to 23.12, in line with what's recorded on USA Swimming's database.

=======

Being academically oriented (interest in robotic engineering) and exhibiting mad skillz in the arts (performing the piano @ Carnegie Hall not once but twice) sure doesn't hurt either, and fits in brilliantly with Cal W Swim's reputation of recruiting well rounded prospects who are as adept out of the pool as they are in it.



-------

• bearz012...thank you for the links below

Seminole swimmer Stephanie Akakabota fine-tunes strokes in pool after playing Carnegie Hall

Stephanie Akakabota's determination leads to success in the pool and on the piano

-------

---

STEPHANIE AKAKABOTA PERFORMING AT CARNEGIE HALL

A little bit outdated of an article (pulled from SwimSwam's print magazine) that references her previous 23.12 PB, but great coverage nonetheless of a gifted student-athlete-artist.

UrsusArctosCalifornicus said:

---

Congrats Lea, welcome to the family!

Lea Polonsky said:

---

"I'm so thrilled to announce my verbal commitment to swim and study at the University of California Berkeley! I would like to thank my family, coaches, teammates and friends for their incredible support and love. Can't wait to start this journey . Go Bears!!"

---

---

EURO JUNIORS BRONZE MEDALIST LEA POLONSKY COMMITS TO CAL CLASS OF 2021

First Stanford verbal recently, courtesy of Meghan Lynch.

https://www.gametimect.com/greenwichs-meghan-lynch-announces-commitment-to-swim-at-national-power-stanford/#photo-19608334

#2 Torri Huske -> Stanford

NAG RECORD-HOLDER TORRI HUSKE, #2 IN THE CLASS, CHOOSES STANFORD

swimmer19 said:

---

Hungarian swimmer Fanni Fabian (#8 Nat) has verbaled to the Bears, per the team's IG announcement of a new commit from earlier this afternoon.

Strengths appear to lie in the mid-distance freestyles and the 200 fly, with LC times of 1:59/4:13 in the 200/400 freestyle and 2:09 in the 200 fly, achieved at the most recent Junior Worlds and Hungarian Junior Nationals.

---

Would be the highest rated so far for the class of 2021. Great get for the Bears!

Daniela Cogswell

Why am I not surprise. #4 rated swimmer Amy Tang has verbal to the Trees. Think lots of the higher rated uncommitted swimmers have been waiting for acceptance into Palo Alto.

Quote:

---

Bellevue, Washington native Amy Tang, the number 4 recruit on our list of top 20 girls from the high school class of 2021, has announced her intention to swim at Stanford University beginning in the fall of 2021. Tang is the last of our Top 20 recruits to make her decision known. She will join #2 Torri Huske, #8 Samantha Tadder, "best of the rest" category member Meghan Lynch, Anna Shaw, and Lauren Burch in the Cardinal class of 2025.

Quote:

---

"I am so excited to announce my verbal commitment to swim and study at Stanford University! It has been my dream ever since I was twelve, and I am so thrilled to join such a stellar group of swimmers. I would like to thank my family, my coach Kyle Johnson, and my teammates for all their support. Go Card!"

---

Tang is a rising senior at Lakeside High School in Seattle. She is a two-time USA Swimming Scholastic All-American and represents the United States internationally as a member of the U.S. National Junior Team. A versatile sprinter, she has Olympic Trials cuts in the 50 free (25.66), 100 free (54.71), 100 back (1:01.84) and 100 fly (1:00.53).
In SCY, Tang was 22.9/49.0 in free as a sophomore, before dropping almost a full second in the 50 and in the 100 during her junior year of high school. Swimming Unattached at 2019 Winter Juniors West, she won the 50 free (tied for first) and 100 free and was runner-up in the 100 back, earning PBs in all three events. Tang is now under NCAA invite times in the 100 free and 100 back and brings in a great 200 free that could make her a five-relay threat for Stanford.
SCY times:

• 50 free 22.06
• 100 free 48.11
• 200 free 1:46.64
• 50 back 24.61
• 100 back 52.17
• 200 back 1:57.82
• 100 breast 1:04.18
• 100 fly 52.95
• 200 IM 2:00.69

Tang represented Team USA at 2019 World Junior Championships where she won four gold medals. She swam a blistering 54.18 on the mixed 4100 free relay, in which she combined with Luca Urlando, Adam Chaney, and Gretchen Walsh to earn the gold and set a World Junior Record and Championship Record (3:25.92). She also earned gold anchoring the women's 4100 free, and as a prelims swimmer on the women's 4100 medley and mixed 4100 medley relays.

---

The recruit class of 2021 has 13 members already! GO BEARS!

UrsusArctosCalifornicus said:

---

Schroeder71 said:

---

The recruit class of 2021 has 13 members already! GO BEARS!

---

Er, make that...14?!

Welcome to the family, Reed Broaders (#255 Nat, #10 IL)!

---

Great detail surrounding Reed's commitment to Cal:

SUMMER JUNIORS QUALIFIER REED BROADERS SENDS VERBAL COMMITMENT TO CAL

"Broaders told the News-Gazette in a recent interview that she didn't feel ready to be recruited by a college program based on her high school times and was hoping to make a splash at YMCA Short Course Nationals in March. When her championship meet was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, she got her club coach Chris Freeburg to organize a time trial for herself and teammate Sally Ma the day before the YMCA pool's COVID closure."

Uni High's Broaders hope Cal-Berkeley swimming commitment can inspire Black athletes

Seems like she has been a club-only swimmer (vs. multi-sport athlete) only since high school started. Fascinating to also hear about her relationships with Ema and Dani. Sounds like an exemplary addition to the team, academically, personally, athletically. Happy to have you, Reed!

USA Swimming Announces 1,087 Scholastic All American Swimmers; Torri Huske Leads Group

Excellent performance by both the men's and women's commits and current freshmen!

Class of 2020:

• Tyler Kopp, 3rd-year
• Tea Laughlin, 3rd-year
• Jack Meehan, 1st-year

Class of 2021:

• Stephanie Akakabota, 1st-year
• Jack Alexy, 1st-year
• Reed Broaders, 3rd-year
• Kai Crews, 3rd-year
• Jessica Davis, 3rd-year
• Trent Frandson, 3rd-year
• Alicia Henry, 3rd-year
• Ella Mazurek, 3rd-year
• Annika McEnroe, 3rd-year
• Jacob Soderlund, 2nd-year
• McKenna Stone, 3rd-year
• Shelby Suppiger, 3rd-year

Lots of recruits featured on the list for 2022 and beyond, as well.

UrsusArctosCalifornicus said:

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Alicia Henry (#87 Nat, #2 GA) from Dynamo (Junior Elizabeth Bailey hails from the same swim club)

...lifetime best in this event is probably faster than any of SwimSwam's Top 20 recruits here: WAY TOO EARLY NCAA RECRUIT RANKS: GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 2021...

Henry's sprint prowess would be invaluable in our medley relays and she would be a natural successor to Ema Rajic following some more development, IMO.

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Swimswam said:

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TOP 20 NCAA SWIMMING RECRUITS IN THE GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 2021

TOP TIMES IN THE CLASS OF 2021
100 Breast | Alicia Henry | 1:00.20

HONORABLE MENTIONS
Alicia Henry (Previous Rank: Unranked) - Dynamo Swim Club - Alpharetta High School - Alpharetta, GA
Best Times: 100 breast - 1:00.20, 200 breast - 2:15.36

Henry isn't very versatile yet, but she gets an honorable mention for holding the class's best overall 100 breast. There's always room in the NCAA for a speedster, and she's got the raw speed and ability to develop into a very good two-distance breaststroker.

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CAL COMMIT ALICIA HENRY HITS 200 BR LIFETIME BEST AT DYNAMO INTRASQUAD



Alicia Henry, a Cal '25 commit, won both breaststroke events this weekend at the Dynamo Fall Special intrasquad meet.

In the 200 breast on Friday, Henry posted a 2:13.85, her first-ever instance under 2:15.

She followed that up with another easy win in the 100, going 1:00.91 to come just .71 from her lifetime best.

She also added a win in the 50 free (24.30).

SwimSwam said:

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SUMMER JUNIORS QUALIFIER REED BROADERS SENDS VERBAL COMMITMENT TO CAL

"Broaders will join Alicia Henry, Annika McEnroe, Daniela Cogswell, Elizabeth Cook, Ella Mazurek, Fanni Fabian, Jessica Davis, Lea Polonsky, McKenna Stone, Melanie Julia, Mia Kragh, Shelby Suppinger, Stephanie Akakabota in Berkeley in the fall of 2021."

---

Welcome to our incoming 2021 class of Baby Bears signees!

https://instagr.am/p/CHeB2ISgoD_
https://instagr.am/p/CHdcMtNA-6c
https://instagr.am/p/CHd5uhxA_zQ
https://instagr.am/p/CHdm3EIgLKO
https://instagr.am/p/CHdZyjxApCP
https://instagr.am/p/CHdfwfpA0Km
https://instagr.am/p/CHdW2SMAHRs
https://instagr.am/p/CHdU8gRgwLT
https://instagr.am/p/CHdjmPiAPCV
https://instagr.am/p/CHdhqaGgqI-
https://instagr.am/p/CHd3zTFACvH
https://instagr.am/p/CHddynBApYG
https://instagr.am/p/CHeC43EgsG3

https://instagr.am/p/CHd_9OJAIWC

Here's the official announcement of the 2021 recruit class:
https://calbears.com/news/2020/11/11/womens-swimming-diving-bears-sign-14-swimmer-class.aspx

GO BEARS!

Some notable, fast times achieved by our 2021 signees + current & grad Bears at the US Open this weekend (raced in the Long Course format), breaking or coming close to their lifetime bests, and/or earning 2021 Olympic Trials cuts in the process ... competition is still in progress ...

-----------

a) Lizzy Cook - 59.94 in the 100m Fly (prev PB = 1:00.98 @ 8 Aug 2019) ... OT cut = 1:00.69

2020 U.S. OPEN BEAVERTON FRIDAY PM: LIZZY COOK, NICK SIMONS EARN 1ST OT CUTS

Swimswam said:

---

Lizzy Cook of Tualatin Hills Swim Club punched her first ticket to U.S. Olympic Team Trials on Friday night with a 59.94 to win the 100 fly. Cook dropped just over 1 second to beat teammates Lily Gardner (1:01.62), and Fay Lustria (1:02.81) as well as Bellevue Club Swim Team's Ava Collinge (1:02.57).

---

-----------

b) Ella Mazurek - 57.00 in the 100m Free (PB = 56.71 @ 10 Dec 2019) ... OT cut = 56.29

2020 U.S. OPEN IRVINE: SATURDAY AM LIVE RECAP

Swimswam said:

---

Quicksilver's Ella Mazurek was second to the wall in 57.00, 3/10 off her best.

---

-----------

Current Junior Ema Rajic contributed to the personal record breaking spree, swimming a 1:08.18 best in the 100m Breast (prev PB = 1:08.93 @ 8 Dec 2019) ... OT cut = 1:10.99

Alumna & former world record holder Kathleen Baker sped to the top 100m Back time in America for the season to date, her 59.82 topping sapling & current WR holder Regan Smith's 59.95.

{UPDATE}
Thleen also holds claim to the 3rd fastest American time in the 200m Back early in the 2021 competition year, her 2:11.38 behind NC State's Katharine Berkoff's 2:10.12 and Wisconsin's Phoebe Bacon's leading 2:09.16, but ahead of Regan's 2:11.74.

2020 U.S. OPEN COMBINED RESULTS FRIDAY PM

-----------

UrsusArctosCalifornicus said:

---

No doubt a mite premature at this stage to speculate on the 2022 class lol,..but here's a preview of some of the notable talents mentioned by Swimswam above, all waiting in the recruiting wings... :p

a) SoCal standout Justina Kozan (#2 Nat, #1 CA), who has shown an interest in Cal amongst other programmes (doesn't hurt that her coach @ Brea is none other than Cal swim alum Jimmy Johnson :p), would represent a worthy successor to Izzy on the fly leg (along with Mia) with her current best of 52.42, which surely will drop quite a bit more by the time she starts college.

b) As for Claire Curzan (#1 Nat, #1 NC) - well just consider these SCY stats of hers, with 2 more seasons to improve upon - wow!!!

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A spot of speculation that our first 2022 Baby Bear may turn out to be #3 Justina Kozan...

Would be equally psyched if the commit turns out to be #1 Claire Curzan - albeit Curzan could be heading for the Farm, or Hoosville?

Stay tuned.

WAY TOO EARLY RECRUIT RANKS: GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 2022

UrsusArctosCalifornicus said:

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A spot of speculation that our first 2022 Baby Bear may turn out to be #3 Justina Kozan...

Stay tuned.

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Er, reckon my guess is completely off, as usual lol

Our 2022 commit looks to be a local get from Livermore, with OT cuts in both breaststrokes! (thx, s19 for the heads up)

Abigail Herscu (#54 Nat, #6 CA)

UrsusArctosCalifornicus said:

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Our 2022 commit looks to be a local get from Livermore, with OT cuts in both breaststrokes! (thx, s19 for the heads up)

Abigail Herscu (#54 Nat, #6 CA)

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Welcome to the family, Abby!

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CAL REELS IN VERBAL COMMITMENT FROM OLYMPIC TRIALS QUALIFIER ABIGIAL HERSCU



Abigail Herscu from Livermore, California has made a verbal commitment to the University of California, Berkeley for the 2022-23 school year.

Quote:

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"I chose to swim at Cal because it has consistently been one of the best swim teams in the country. It is also one of the best schools in the country. They have an incredible coaching staff with amazing resources as well as a great group of swimmers. They have also produced many Olympians and national team members. It will be nice to stay in the East Bay close to home with my new Cal family."

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A junior at Granada High School, Herscu placed 6th in the 100 breast (1:02.46) at the 2019 California CIF State Championships in her freshman season. She also competed in the 200 IM (24th in prelims with 2:06.37). A week earlier she had finished 4th in the breast (1:03.16) and 9th in the IM (2:05.75) at the North Coast Section Championships. She did not have a sophomore year season due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Herscu swims club for the Livermore Aqua Cowboys. She is an Olympic Trial qualifier in both the 100m breast and the 200m breast. She earned PBs in both events at the 2020 U.S. Open in Irvine, where she placed 4th in the 100 with 1:10.28 and 2nd in the 200 with 2:32.97. Her times placed her 18th overall in both events for the combined results of all 9 locations. She ranks 3rd in the girls 15-16 age group in both the LCM 100 and 200 breast for the 2019-20 swim year. At the 2019 US Open, she went 1:12.06 in the 100 and 2:38.15 in the 200. She competed in the same events at 2019 Speedo Junior Nationals and placed 6th in the 200m breast.

Herscu picked up a trio of lifetime bests in the 200 breast, 100 fly, and 200 IM at an intrasquad meet in October. Her 200 breast time of 2:13.11 ranks 4th in the 15-16 age group for the year, to date.

Top SCY times:

• 100 breast - 1:02.46
• 200 breast - 2:13.11
• 200 IM - 2:05.41
• 400 IM - 4:30.42
• 200 fly - 2:07.16
• 100 fly - 57.48

Herscu is Cal's first public verbal commitment to the class of 2026. She will join the Golden Bears just as Ema Rajic graduates, but she will overlap with Emma Davidson and soon-to-be freshmen Alicia Henry, Melanie Julia, Shelby Suppiger, and Annika MacEnroe. Her best times would have scored in the B final of the 200 breast and the C final of the 100 breast at 2020 Pac-12 Championships.

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swimmer19 said:

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TOP 20 NCAA SWIMMING RECRUITS IN THE GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 2021

BEST OF THE REST
this isn't an exhaustive list, but we can rattle off a few of the athletes we studied who wound up just outside the top 20 in each event discipline. Each of these athletes is still an extremely high-level recruit:

IM:

• Annika McEnroe (4:12, 2:12BR, 53.8FL)

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ANNIKA MCENROE WINDS UP FOR FAST MEET ON DAY 1 OF SOUTH CAROLINA SR STATES



The defending state champions, and meet hosts, from Y-Spartaquatics kicked off this year's title defense with a bang on Thursday, winning the opening girls' 200 medley relay in a dominant 1:43.83. That put them two-and-a-half seconds ahead of the runners-up.

The winning relay included Sophia Kannee (27.39), Delaney Franklin (30.12), *Annika McEnroe* (23.60), and Kirsti McEnroe (22.72).

For the older McEnroe sister, 18-year old Cal commit Annika, that split is a quarter-of-a-second better than she swam at the high school state championship meet in October, where almost the same relay (except with Caroline Byers on the breaststroke leg) won the state title.

Given that she swam best times in both the 100 fly (53.0) and 200 IM (1:59.2) at that meet, this sets her up for a big weekend of racing in her home pool.

UrsusArctosCalifornicus said:

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ANNIKA MCENROE WINDS UP FOR FAST MEET ON DAY 1 OF SOUTH CAROLINA SR STATES

Given that she swam best times in both the 100 fly (53.0) and 200 IM (1:59.2) at that meet, this sets her up for a big weekend of racing in her home pool.

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ANNIKA MCENROE WINS 3 RACES IN 3 STROKES ON DAY 3 OF SC STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Full Meet Results

Y-Spartaquatics's Annika McEnroe won three individual events to highlight Day 3 of the South Carolina Senior State Championships.

The meet kicked off with the girls' 100 back, in which McEnroe, a Cal commit, won by almost 2 seconds in a personal best time of 54.10. She then came back two events later to dominate the 20o breast, topping the field by over 5 seconds. Her winning time of 2:12.32 was a personal best by .11. McEnroe's third win came in the 100 fly, which she won in 53.46.

This means that not only did McEnroe win 3 races in the same session, but she won 3 races in 3 different strokes in the same session.

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MCENROE SISTERS WIN EVENTS ON NIGHT 2 OF YMCA SPRING FESTIVAL GREENSBORO

After winning the girl's 200 medley relay last night, Spartaquatics Swim Club (YSSC) swept the girl's relays once again. In the 200 freestyle relay, the team of Kirsti McEnroe, Gardner Anne Viney, Hayden Penny, and Camrynn Wilson combined for a time of 1:33.79, winning the event by almost 2 seconds.

Later in the night, the team of Penny, Annika McEnroe, Jenna Bridges, and Kirsti McEnroe threw down a time of 3:44.35 in the 400 medley relay. Notably, both McEnroe sisters had the fastest splits in the field for their strokes, with Annika putting up a split of 1:01.18 in breaststroke and Kirsti splitting 50.36 on the freestyle leg.

Annika McEnroe also claimed victory in the 400 IM. The Cal commit dropped came within a tenth of her best time, posting a time of 4:13.11.

The younger McEnroe sister, Kirsti, also won an individual event, coming in first in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:48.06 after putting up a time of 1:47.54 during prelims. With her prelims time, McEnroe came within .3 of her personal best.

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ANNIKA AND KIRSTI MCENROE HEADLINE NIGHT 3 OF THE YMCA FESTIVAL GREENSBORO

Spartaquatics Swim Club (YSSC) continued their streak of dominance on the women's side, sweeping the podium in the 200 butterfly. In the event, Cal commit Annika McEnroe touched first with a winning time of 1:57.73, coming within .3 of her best time.

Kirsti McEnroe then won the 100 backstroke with a time of 55.57, touching a half second ahead of the field and .2 off of her best time.

Spartaquatics continued its relay winning streak in the 800 freestyle relay, where the team of Penny, Kirsti McEnroe, Camrynn Wilson, and Bridges finished in 7:25.39

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UrsusArctosCalifornicus said:

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SwimSwam said:

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TOP 8 U.S. JUNIOR WOMEN TO WATCH AT THE 2019 U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS

CLAIRE CURZAN

JUSTINA KOZAN

OTHER TOP JUNIORS EXPECTED TO RACE THIS WEEK:

Charlotte Hook (15)

Natalie Mannion (15)

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a) SoCal standout Justina Kozan (#2 Nat, #1 CA), who has shown an interest in Cal amongst other programmes (doesn't hurt that her coach @ Brea is none other than Cal swim alum Jimmy Johnson :p), would represent a worthy successor to Izzy on the fly leg (along with Mia) with her current best of 52.42, which surely will drop quite a bit more by the time she starts college.

b) As for Claire Curzan (#1 Nat, #1 NC) - well just consider these SCY stats of hers, with 2 more seasons to improve upon - wow!!!

• 100 Fly - 50.64 -> 49.74 (update) @ 2020 NC TAC Titans Invite
• 100 Free - 47.67 -> 47.23 (update) @ 2020 NC TAC Titans Intrasquad
• 50 Free - 21.89 -> 21.51 (update) @ 2020 NC TAC Titans Intrasquad
• 100 Back - 51.23 -> 50.18 (update) @ 2020 NC TAC Titans Blizzard Blitz
• 200 Back - 1:52.76 -> 1:49.35 (update) @ 2020 NC TAC Titans Blizzard Blitz

UrsusArctosCalifornicus said:

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Would be equally psyched if the commit turns out to be #1 Claire Curzan - albeit Curzan could be heading for the Farm, or Hoosville?

WAY TOO EARLY RECRUIT RANKS: GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 2022

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Really significant pickup for the Trojanettes yesterday:

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Justina Kozan (#2 Nat, #1 CA) -> USC

USC PICKS UP VERBAL FROM NATIONAL TEAMER JUSTINA KOZAN, #3 IN CLASS OF 2022

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Keeping my fingers crossed that Teri & Dani haven't depleted their scholarship funds after a very sizeable 2021 recruiting squad (14), and are positioned to vie competitively for the remaining 2022 top play-makers, notably #1 Claire Curzan & #2 Charlotte Hook. Keep in mind that the later these top recruits announce their verbal commitments, the greater the chances that they may be bound for the Farm, or the Ivies (i.e. #10 Natalie Mannion possibly joining her sister @ Princeton?), due to the admissions timetables of those institutions.

Do have faith in McKeever's impressive track record of picking out talented, bright prospects who importantly fit in well with the programme, team & school philosophy, but will admit at the same time to harbouring some concerns about the aggressive recruiting strategies of Cal's rivals over the past couple of seasons which may have come somewhat at our expense, as witness our 4th place NCAA finish this March, the lowest in over a decade.

Yes, Teri has without question demonstrated an uncanny knack for bringing in relative unknowns and developing diamonds in the rough (Ema, Alicia, Robin, Farida, Maddie, Noemie, to name but a few...with previously unheralded Rachel, Emily & Eloise from the current cycle showing considerable promise).

However, Bears will also need to continue to reel in the blue chip studs, in the vein of Lizzie/Bootsie, Missy and of course the Dream Team (Dubs, Thleen, Billy & Katie), in order to stay competitive, and attract future top prospects in the process. Izzie & Isa have been fantastic Top 5 gets the past couple of cycles , but 2021 seemed to have been more about depth & breadth than top end superstars for Bears, with 2022 starting off with a single verbal in unranked breaststroker Abby Herscu to date.

Actually our 2021 recruiting class are a mite dodgy on elite Backstrokers (Isabelle & Izzy will be our go-tos in this dept next season, supported by Alicia, Ayla & Tea), with "Breaststroke U" appearing to be the name of the game instead, though IM & Fly talent are also fairly well-represented in the class - just consider their HS *100/200 Breast* times:
Alicia Henry (1:00.20/2:12.58)
Melanie Julia (1:00.80/2:13.80)
Shelby Suppiger (1:01.31/2:12.41)
Annika McEnroe (1:02.01/2:10.44)
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Abigail Herscu (1:02.13/2:13.11) *2022

Sprint free does look more developmental here, though there is considerable potential & promise, given time (*50/100 Free* best times below - note that several of these Baby Bears aren't sprint free specialists per se but their speed extends into this area):
McKenna Stone (22.61/49.12)
Mia Kragh (22.82/49.87)
Stephanie Akakabota (22.81/51.72)
Lizzy Cook (23.01/49.81)
Ella Mazurek (23.05/49.35)
Daniela Cogswell (23.04/50.76 *conv from LCM)
Reed Broaders (23.30/51.40)
Lea Polonsky (23.45/51.66 *conv from 26.64/58.26 LCM)
Fanni Fabian (23.66/50.10/1:45.48 *conv from 26.88/56.54/1:59.37 LCM)
Shelby Suppiger (23.62/51.13)

Meanwhile, #1 DeSorbo/UVa are continuing their massive recruiting momentum of the past several cycles, having already reeled in #4 Claire Tuggle, #8 Emma Weber , #13 Carly Novelline, and #15 Zoe Skirboll. No reason to discount the Hoos targeting #1 Claire Curzan & co. additionally.

Even #17 Florida's chiming in with their acquisition of #5 Zoe Dixon, #12 Hayden Miller, #20 Scarlet Martin.

All but 1 of Swimswam's 13 "Best of the Rest", and but 2 of SS' "Ones to Watch", have already committed elsewhere at this point in time.

Bears could have a shot at in-state #14 Katie Crom (#14 Nat, #3 CA), via the Mission Viejo Nadadores connection...although 'SC are reportedly going after her hard, and LSJU has to be in the running too.

Reckon Gigi Johnson (#43 Nat, #2 GA) and Kirsti McEnroe (#72 Nat, #1 SC) could be Baby Bear material (just a bit of wild speculation haha), the latter being the younger sibling of 2021 Bear signee Annika ... although Gigi has most certainly attracted interest from the Furd & the Horns too.

Speaking of LSJU, Meehan's surely gung ho on #1 Claire Curzan, #2 Charlotte Hook, #7 Lucy Bell, and #18 Kayla Wilson, amongst other notables.

UrsusArctosCalifornicus said:

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Our 2022 commit looks to be a local get from Livermore, with OT cuts in both breaststrokes! (thx, s19 for the heads up)

Abigail Herscu (#54 Nat, #6 CA)

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2022 Baby Bear Abby Herscu (currently #68 Nat, #6 CA in her class) hit the wall just behind our Ema Rajic in the 'B' final of the 100m Breast at the 2021 Pro Swim Series in Mission Viejo today, having previously achieved a lifetime best time of *1:10.23* during yesterday evening's prelims (old PB = 1:10.28 @ the 2020 Toyota Irvine meet). Put up a strong surge near the finish to make up some ground on the field...

Herscu followed suit with another personal best, this time in the 200m Breast prelims, of 2:31.73. Abigail's former best is a 2:32.70 from last month's PSS in San Antonio.

UrsusArctosCalifornicus said:

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Bears could have a shot at in-state #14 Katie Crom (#14 Nat, #3 CA), via the Mission Viejo Nadadores connection...although 'SC are reportedly going after her hard, and LSJU has to be in the running too.

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Katie Crom (currently #18 Nat, #3 CA) won the 400m IM 'B' final in a personal record of *4:46.61*, after having dipped under 4:50 on only one other occasion in her career to date (prev best = 4:47.92 @ 2019 Summer Nationals).

Crom hit an additional best in the 50m Free (25.94) coming in the middle of a tough triple, having already come within 0.007 sec of her 2:10.31 lifetime best in the 200m Fly earlier in the session.

UrsusArctosCalifornicus said:

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UrsusArctosCalifornicus said:

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Would be equally psyched if the commit turns out to be #1 Claire Curzan - albeit Curzan could be heading for the Farm, or Hoosville?

WAY TOO EARLY RECRUIT RANKS: GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 2022

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Keeping my fingers crossed that Teri & Dani haven't depleted their scholarship funds after a very sizeable 2021 recruiting squad (14), and are positioned to vie competitively for the remaining 2022 top play-makers, notably #1 Claire Curzan & #2 Charlotte Hook. Keep in mind that the later these top recruits announce their verbal commitments, the greater the chances that they may be bound for the Farm, or the Ivies

Meanwhile, #1 DeSorbo/UVa are continuing their massive recruiting momentum of the past several cycles, having already reeled in #4 Claire Tuggle, #8 Emma Weber , #13 Carly Novelline, and #15 Zoe Skirboll. No reason to discount the Hoos targeting #1 Claire Curzan & co. additionally.

Speaking of LSJU, Meehan's surely gung ho on #1 Claire Curzan, #2 Charlotte Hook, #7 Lucy Bell, and #18 Kayla Wilson, amongst other notables.

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CLAIRE CURZAN GOES 56.20 IN THE 100 FLY; PASSES DAHLIA FOR #2 AMERICAN ALL-TIME

16-year-old Claire Curzan, who last set the Girls 15-16 National Age Group Record in the 100 meter butterfly with 56.61 at 2020 U.S. Open last November, lowered her mark to 56.20 in the final at TAC Titans Long Course Premier Invitational on Saturday. Curzan also broke the World Junior Record and become the second-fastest American in history.

Swimming next to Curzan in lane 5, (2021 Furdette) Torri Huske dropped an eye-popping 56.69 to finish in second place with a new 17-18 National Age Group Record. That erases (2020 Sapling) Regan Smith's mark of 57.34 from last year's Pro Swim Series Des Moines. Huske, with splits of 26.21-30.48, moved to #4 on the all-time list of American performers.

Curzan remains #2 in the world for the 2020-21 LCM season while Huske takes over at #4.

ALL-TIME TOP U.S. PERFORMERS

• Dana Vollmer, PC CAL: 55.98 2012 Olympic Games 7/27/2012 London
• Claire Curzan, NC TAC: 56.20 2021 TAC Titans Premier Invite 4/10/2021
• Kelsi Dahlia (Worrell), KY UN: 56.37 2017 World Championships 7/22/2017 Budapest
• Torri Huske, PV AAC: 56.69 2021 TAC Titans Premier Invite 4/10/2021
• Christine Magnuson, US TENN: 57.08 2008 Olympic Games 8/8/2008 Beijing

Curzan jumped to the #8 spot in history worldwide.

SwimSwam Readers said:

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Swammer2009 commented:
'Woah.. so fast! Any idea where Claire wants to swim collegiately?'

Monteswim replied:
'She's followed by Greg Meehan on Insta lol'

Coach Macgyver quiped:
'Not a good look. That's a safe sport vio'

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CLAIRE CURZAN RIPS 59.3 100M BACK AT TAC TITANS LC PREMIER MEET

Starting off the last finals session of the TAC Titans LC Premier Meet in Cary tonight, 16-year-old Claire Curzan went well under the one-minute barrier in the 100 back, registering a new lifetime best of 59.37.

That's a best by over six-tenths, erasing the 1:00.00 she swam at the 2019 World Junior Championships.

Previously ranked #7 all-time in the 15-16 age group with her old best, Curzan now jumps to #4 in the historical rankings.

U.S. GIRLS 100 BACK 15-16 TOP PERFORMERS

• Regan Smith 58.83
• Phoebe Bacon 59.02
• Missy Franklin 59.18
• Claire Curzan 59.37
• Isabelle Stadden 59.71
• Rachel Bootsma 59.77
• Elizabeth Pelton 59.99
• Lucie Nordmann 1:00.16

Looking at the top performers in U.S. history, Curzan shoots up to a tie at #12 with Amy Bilquist. Bilquist's 59.37 is from the Olympic Trials final in 2016, where she placed third and just missed a spot on the Olympic team.

She's the ninth American woman to break a minute during the 2021 Olympic Trials qualifying period, which began on November 28, 2018, and she's now ranked sixth amongst those names.

Curzan's time moves her to #5 in the world this season.

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UrsusArctosCalifornicus said:

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{posted on 14 Sept 2019}
Wouldn't completely overlook #2 Torri Huske (#2 Nat, #1 VA) either :p - TH could bolster our relays in a big way after our Bears' relays likely taking a massive hit in the sprint free & fly areas following Dubs' & Madds' graduations 2 classes earlier (well, unless 2019 froskis such as Eloise & Emma develop way ahead of schedule?). Huske however could end up in the Furdette or Hoos camp going by some speculation.

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TORRI HUSKE ERASES SIMONE MANUEL'S 17-18 NAG RECORD IN 50 FREE - 24.44

Just after Claire Curzan's huge 100 back, Arlington Aquatic Club's Torri Huske shot out to a new best time to win the 50 free by almost a second.

Huske clocked a 24.44, a massive outing for just her first swim under 25 seconds in the event to snap Simone Manuel's 17-18 NAG record of 24.56 from 2014.

Huske's best coming into the meet was a 25.34, which she took down modestly with a 25.26 this morning to tie with Curzan for the top time of prelims. Curzan scratched the event tonight.

Within the Olympic Trials qualifying period (beginning November 28, 2018), Huske is now the #2 American behind Manuel (24.05) and ahead of Weitzeil (24.47). This season, though, the 18-year-old Stanford commit is now the top American in the event, coming in at #9 in the world rankings.

SwimSwam Readers said:

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NCSwimFan commented:
'Above lists Curzan as having "scratched the event", but she got DQed for a 15m violation. Went the exact same time as Huske.'

Hswimmer speculated:
'Now Abbey is in trouble'

Swimmer commented:
'Stanford is gonna be deadly next year with Huske, Smith, possibly Ruck, and the other redshirts and recruits coming in.'

NC Fan chimed in:
'And Curzan hasn't committed for the next year yet. We know what that too often means. Could she, Torri, and Regan really all swim at the same schooland would it be possible for that school to actually still be in a battle for the title?'

NCSwimFan commented:
'Charlotte Hook hasn't committed yet either. The talent in Charlottesville though, especially considering Gretchen is heading there, may be too much to overcome.'

Braden Keith Admin commented:
'I think Virginia has next year under control.
2022-2023? If Stanford got Hook and Curzan, that would make it a battle.'

Tomek commented:
'I hope Curzan will go to Virginia to create a better balance with Stanford'

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COVID Pandemic Has Opened Olympic Door For Rapidly Developing Youngsters

Claire Curzan, USA

After her 56.20 100 fly, Curzan now ranks eighth all-time and second ever among Americans, behind only the 55.98 that Dana Vollmer swam on her way to Olympic gold in the event in 2012. Curzan has jumped ahead of Kelsi Dahlia, the top American in the event since 2017. Moreover, the 56.20 ranks fifth among current active swimmers, and the time would have been good enough to take silver behind Maggie MacNeil - and ahead of Sarah Sjostrom - at the 2019 World Championships.

Also this weekend in Cary, Curzan swam a 54.40 in the 100 free and a 59.37 in the 100 back, breaking the 1:00 barrier for the first time. She now ranks as the sixth-fastest U.S. swimmer during the Olympic Trials qualifying period, although an extremely deep field will likely prevent Curzan from making an Olympic push in this event. Curzan also clocked an impressive 24.44 in the 50 free but was disqualified for going past 15 meters on the start.


Torri Huske, USA

Huske is in the same boat as Curzan, and she's now a Trials favorite in the 100 fly. While Curzan's effort ranks first in the world this year, Huske ranks third (with Australia's Emma McKeon just ahead of her), and all-time, she has moved into a tie for 15th. Among Americans, only Vollmer, Curzan and Dahlia have been faster.

Huske also threw down a monster 100 free effort this weekend in Cary, her 53.46 jumping her to fifth in the world this year in the 100 free and fifth among Americans during the Trials qualifying period, trailing Simone Manuel, Mallory Comerford, Abbey Weitzeil and Erika Brown, all professionals. With six swimmers to be selected for the Olympic team in the 100 free for relay purposes, Huske has a great shot here after dropping her lifetime best by more than a second in the past year.

On the final day of the Cary meet, Huske blasted her lifetime best in the 50 free by nine tenths. She put up a 24.44, moving her all the way to second in the U.S. during the qualifying period, just ahead of Weitzeil. She moved to sixth-fastest ever among Americans. So that's three different events where Huske could find herself in the mix in Omaha, and she could be competitive in the 200 IM, as well. Her lifetime best of 2:11.18 ranks her sixth among Americans since 2018.

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