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NCAA women's swimming and diving championships: Curzan and Bell go back-to-back, Virginia pulls away

· Yahoo Sports

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MARCH 20: Claire Curzan of Virginia competes in the 100 yard backstroke during the Division I Women's Swimming and Diving Championship held at Georgia Tech Aquatic Center on March 20, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)Todd Kirkland via Getty Images

Virginia tightened its grip on the team race Friday night at the NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships.

The Cavaliers benefited from a victory in the 100 backstroke from Claire Curzan, a fourth relay victory, and a plethora of championship final swims to maintain separation from the chasing pack.

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Cal's Claire Weinstein produced one of the biggest upsets of the meet in the 500 freestyle, setting the pace early and defeating Jillian Cox to hand the Golden Bears a crucial win. Addtionally, Torri Huske added another NCAA title to her résumé in the 50 freestyle, out-touching a loaded field.

Friday’s finals session set up an increasingly competitive battle behind Virginia as Texas and Stanford are only seprated by 29.5 points, with the Longhorns having the slight edge. Tennessee is currently fourth, with Michigan and Cal close behind.

Virginia’s Claire Curzan scared Gretchen Walsh’s NCAA record on her way to a second straight NCAA title in the 100-yd backstroke.

Curzan stopped the clock in 48.24 to secure the national championship, leading another strong event for the Cavaliers. The junior dominated from the start, leading the entire race and posting the second fastest performance of all time.

Behind her was a tie for second between Michigan junior Bella Sims and Wisconsin sophomore Maggie Wanezek who both finished in 49.62. Sims is putting together an impressive week. Adding a national runner-up finish to her title in the 400 IM.

NC State placed two swimmers into the championship final, led by Erika Pelaez, who tied for fourth with Cal’s Mary-Ambre Moluh in 49.95. Her Wolfpack teammate Leah Shackley followed in sixth at 49.98.

Rounding out the championship final was Pittsburgh senior Claire Jansen and Alabama senior Emily Jones who finished seventh and eighth.

It was a night of back-to-back NCAA champions, as Stanford senior Lucy Bell made it two in a row in the 200-yd breaststroke. Bell's mark was the third fastest swim all time, following only Kate Douglass and Alex Walsh.

Bell surged to the front of the pack on the final 100 yards, posting a winning time of 2:02.38, just ahead of Virginia’s Aimee Canny. Canny took second in 2:03.09, adding another 17 points to Virginia's total while Emma Weber contributed another eleven with an eighth place finish.

Bell and Canny were followed by a tie between Duke’s Kaelyn Gridley and Louisville’s Anastasia Gorbenko who both finished in 2:05.24.

Michigan’s Letitia Sim placed fifth in 2:05.85, followed by Florida freshman Grace Rabb in sixth at 2:06.85. Rabb’s teammate Anita Bottazzo finished seventh in 2:07.13.

Bell’s victory gives Stanford a key event win, as the Cardinal are in a tight battle with Texas for national runner-up in the team race. Virginia continues to pile up points with multiple championship finalists as well as three scorers from the prelims session.

California freshman Claire Weinstein pulled off the upset in the 500-yd freestyle. Weinstein threw down one of the biggest swims of the night, surging past the field to win the 500 freestyle in 4:30.09 and upset top seed Jillian Cox.

Weinstein led from the jump, leading the field at each turn. It was a gutsy strategy that paid off, for the Cal freshman who was able secure her first NCAA championship. Cox finished second in 4:31.56.

After prelims swimmers out of the SEC were seeded first, second, and third. Weinstein spoiled the SEC sweep, winning the national title out of lane seven.

“I just wanted to [swim] passionately and do it for my team,” Weinstein said in her post-race interview. “Swimming for your team is a different feeling and I do it all for them.”

Georgia freshman Kennedi Dobson took third in 4:32.24, while Tennessee sophomore Ella Jansen followed in fourth at 4:32.82.

Florida’s Julie Brousseau placed fifth with Virginia’s Cavan Gormsen finishing sixth in 4:35.11. Michigan junior Hannah Bellard touched seventh and Virginia freshman Madi Mintenko closed out the championship final in eighth.

Weinstein’s victory delivers a major boost for California and shakes up the landscape of women’s distance freestyle.

Torri Huske continued Stanford’s impressive night with a win in the women’s 50-yd freestyle.

Huske delivered near perfect race to capture the NCAA title, stopping the clock in 20.66. The Stanford senior is now a two time champion in 2026, adding the 50-yd freestyle to her 100-yd butterfly title.

Virginia freshman Sara Curtis followed closely in 20.74 with Tennessee’s Camille Spink also dropping under 21 seconds to place third in 20.98.

The event had a strong underclassmen presence as Texas freshman Eva Okaro finished fourth in 21.05 and Indiana freshman Liberty Clark touched sixth in 21.25,

Louisville senior Julia Dennis took fifth in 21.15 while Michigan’s Brady Kendall and Virginia’s Anna Moesch rounded out the championship final.

Huske’s win gives Stanford another imperative victory, closing the gap with Texas in the team race. Virginia once again cashed in on another cluster of points with two swimmers in the championship final.

Virginia closed the night with another relay victory, this time capturing the 400 medley relay title in 3:20.66 to secure another 40 points.

The quartet of Curtis, Canny, Curzan, and Moesch combined for a dominating performance, defeating the rest of the field by over three full seconds.

Tennessee's team made up of Jillian Crooks, McKenzie Siroky, Mizuki Hirai, and Spink finished second in 3:23.79, while Michigan took third in 3:24.44.

NC State Wolfpack placed fourth in 3:24.49, followed closely by Texas in fifth at 3:24.64.

California finished sixth, just ahead of Indiana and Louisville.

The Cavaliers are four for four in relays with one left to go tomorrow night. Notably, Stanford's relay finished ninth, several spots back from the Longhorns who they are battling for national runner up in the team race.

South Carolina’s Sophie Verzyl delivered a stunning finals performance to win the 3-meter diving title with a score of 387.90. After placing second on 1-meter by less than a point, Verzyl secured the title after six impressive dives on 3m. 

Tennessee's Desharne Bent-Ashmeil finished second with 382.25, while Minnesota junior Elna Widerstrom placed third with a score of 374.35. Prelims leader and the 1m NCAA champion Chiara Pellacani finished fourth, followed by Shiyun Lai of Kansas in fifth.

Texas junior Bayleigh Cranford took sixth, while Ohio State's Lena Hentschel and Arkansas's Maria Sanchez-Moreno finished seventh and eighth.

Verzyl’s victory earns her another 20 points for South Carolina, moving them into the top 20 heading into the final day of competition.

Saturday Event Schedule Live results

Preliminaries: 10:00 am ET, Finals 6:00 pm ET

  • 200-yard individual medley

  • 100-yard freestyle

  • 200-yard butterfly

  • 200-yard backstroke

  • 400-yard freestyle relay

  • Platform diving

Saturday’s competition can be streamed on ESPN+.

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