2022 CARY SECTIONALS (ESSZ)
Claire Curzan is just simply on another level. The TAC 17-year-old has broken another 17-18 girls NAG, this time in the SCY 200 fly. At the Cary Sectional meet last night, Curzan clocked a massive personal best in the 200 fly. Winning the race in 1:50.85, the U.S. Olympian brokeElla Eastin‘s 17-18 NAG of 1:51.04.
The swim was a personal best by nearly 3 seconds for Curzan, and breaking the NAG is really just the tip of the iceberg. With the performance, Curzan is now the #7 performer all-time in the women’s SCY 200 fly, the #6 American all-time, and her performance is the #10 performance all-time.
Before I reveal the new all-time top 5 for the girls 17-18 SCY 200 fly, we need to note that Curzan wasn’t the only swimmer in the field last night with a historic swim. Fellow 17-year-oldKiley Wilhelm (Life Time Swim Team), who, as far as I can tell, hasn’t yet made a college decision, roared to a new personal bet of 1:52.54. For Wilhelm, the swim marked a new personal best by 7 seconds. With the performance, she’s now the #3 performer all-time in the 17-18 age group.
Now, without further ado, let’s get into it. Her is the newly-updated list of all-time top 5 performers in the girls 17-18 200 fly:
| Rank | Time | Swimmer | Meet |
| 1 | 1:50.85 | Claire Curzan | 2022 Speedo ESSZ Spring SC Champs |
| 2 | 1:51.04 | Ella Eastin | 2016 NCAA DI – Women |
| 3 | 1:52.54 | Kiley Wilhelm | 2022 Speedo ESSZ Spring SC Champs |
| 4 | 1:52.70 | Charlotte Hook | 2021 NC TAC EESZ SC Sectional |
| 5 | 1:52.92 | Janet Hu | 2014 FL AP NCSA Spring Championship |
Curzan has bumped herself up into a whole new echelon in the event. Here are the all-time top 10 performers in the women’s SCY 200 fly:
| Rank | Time | Swimmer | Meet |
| 1 | 1:49.51 | Ella Eastin | 2018 Pac-12 Champs |
| 2 | 1:49.78 | Regan Smith | 2021 MN AQJT March invite |
| 3 | 1:49.92 | Elaine Breeden | 2009 PAC 10 Champs |
| 4 | 1:50.28 | Louise Hansson | 2019 NCAA DI – Women |
| 5 | 1:50.61 | Kelsi Dahlia | 2016 NCAA DI – Women |
| 6 | 1:50.80 | Grace Oglesby | 2019 NCAA DI – Women |
| 7 | 1:50.85 | Claire Curzan | 2022 Speedo ESSZ Spring SC Champs |
| 8 | 1:51.02 | Katinka Hosszu | 2010 NCAA DI – Women |
| 9 | 1:51.09 | Katie McLaughlin | 2019 NCAA DI – Women |
| 10 | 1:51.18 | Kathleen Hersey | 2009 NCAA DI – Women |
Curzan is also now the #6 American all-time in the event, behind onlyElla Eastin,Regan Smith, Elaine Breeden,Kelsi Dahlia, andGrace Oglesby.
Here is the list of all-time performances in the women’s SCY 200 fly:
| Rank | Time | Swimmer | Meet |
| 1 | 1:49.51 | Ella Eastin | 2018 Pac-12 Champs |
| 2 | 1:49.78 | Regan Smith | 2021 MN AQJT March Invite |
| 3 | 1:49.92 | Elaine Breeden | 2009 PAC 10 Champs |
| 4 | 1:50.01 | Ella Eastin | 2018 NCAA DI – Women |
| 5 | 1:50.28 | Louise Hansson | 2019 NCAA DI – Women |
| 6 | 1:50.46 | Ella Eastin | 2019 NCAA DI – Women |
| 7 | 1:50.61 | Kelsi Dahlia | 2016 NCAA DI – Women |
| 8 | 1:50.68 | Louise Hansson | 2019 Pac-12 Champs |
| 9 | 1:50.80 | Grace Oglesby | 2019 NCAA DI – Women |
| 10 | 1:50.85 | Claire Curzan | 2022 Speedo ESSZ Spring SC Champs |
Finally, here is a split comparison between Curzan’s swim last night,Ella Eastin‘s previous NAG of 1:51.04 from the 2016 NCAAs, and Eastin’s American Record of 1:49.51 from the 2018 Pac-12s.
| Split | Claire Curzan – 2022 Cary Sectional (17-18 NAG) | Ella Eastin – 2016 NCAAs (Previous 17-18 NAG) | Ella Eastin – 2018 Pac-12s (American Record) |
| 1st 50 | 24.48 | 25.15 | 25.27 |
| 2nd 50 | 27.89 (52.37) | 28.25 (53.40) | 28.24 (53.37) |
| 3rd 50 | 28.31 (1:20.68) | 28.60 (1:22.00) | 27.87 (1:21.38) |
| 4th 50 | 30.17 | 29.04 | 28.13 |
| Final Time | 1:50.85 | 1:51.04 | 1:49.51 |
What’s most notable here is just how differently Curzan and Eastin approach the race, Typically thought of as more of a sprinter, Curzan used her speed to her advantage on the front half of the race last night, getting out to a 52.37 on the first 100 of the race. Curzan’s 3rd 50 split of 28.31 is fairly competitive with Eastin’s AR split of 27.87, but the 30.17 on the final 50 is vastly slower than Eastin’s closing speed.