NC State sophomore Katharine Berkoff kept the ball rolling for the Wolfpack on Friday night at the 2021 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships in Greensboro, North Carolina with her first time under 50 seconds in the 100 backstroke at 49.74. Berkoff used a big last turn to kick away from Alabama’s Rhyan White to win her first individual NCAA title in her career, backing up her 400 medley relay win last night. This isn’t the first NCAA title for the Berkoff family and not even the first in the event as father David won two 100 back NCAA titles at Harvard in 1987 and 1989.
This is the second win for the Wolfpack on the night as Berkoff followed 100 breast champ Sophie Hansson and also became the first NC State woman to win this event at NCAAs as the Wolfpack are looking for their first top four finish at NCAAs and currently sit second. Berkoff is now fourth all-time in the 100 backstroke, just slipping past Michigan’s Maggie MacNeil after her 49.76 last night in leading off the 400 medley relay.
“I have been wanting this for so long, it is a relief to finally do it,” Katharine Berkoff said after the race.
Alabama’s White got agonizingly close to the 50 second barrier yet again with a 50.21 for second place as she has been as fast as a 50.02 this season. White just got out of the 100 butterfly where she was fifth as Cal junior Izzy Ivey was also in that butterfly final and finished fourth here at 50.85 behind Wisconsin freshman Phoebe Bacon (50.39).
Cal closed the gap on Texas for third with freshman Isabelle Stadden in fifth at 50.87 while Longhorn junior Julia Cook was sixth at 51.32.
North Carolina’s Grace Countie (51.55) and Virginia’s Caroline Gmelich (51.78) also swam in the championship final.
All-Time Rankings:
- 49.16, Regan Smith, Riptide, 2021
- 49.18, Beata Nelson, Wisconsin, 2019
- 49.69, Ally Howe, Stanford, 2017
- 49.74, Katharine Berkoff, NC State, 2021
- 49.76, Maggie MacNeil, Michigan, 2021
- 49.80, Kathleen Baker, California, 2017
- 49.93, Janet Hu, Stanford, 2018
- 49.97, Natalie Coughlin, California, 2002
Event 12 Women 100 Yard Backstroke
=========================================================================
NCAA: N 49.18 3/22/2019 Beata Nelson, Wisconsin
Meet: M 49.18 3/22/2019 Beata Nelson, Wisconsin
American: A 49.16 3/14/2021 Regan Smith, Riptide
US Open: O 49.16 3/14/2021 Regan Smith, Riptide
Pool: P 49.76 3/18/2021 Maggie MacNeil, Michigan
Name Year School Prelims Finals Points
=========================================================================
=== Championship Final ===
1 Berkoff, Katharine SO NC State 50.16 49.74P 20
r:+0.54 24.07 49.74 (25.67)
2 White, Rhyan JR Alabama 50.16 50.21 17
23.99 50.21 (26.22)
3 Bacon, Phoebe FR Wisconsin 50.58 50.39 16
r:+0.59 24.38 50.39 (26.01)
4 Ivey, Isabel JR California 51.09 50.85 15
r:+0.73 24.56 50.85 (26.29)
5 Stadden, Isabelle FR California 51.18 50.87 14
r:+0.60 24.57 50.87 (26.30)
6 Cook, Julia JR Texas 51.19 51.32 13
r:+0.66 24.64 51.32 (26.68)
7 Countie, Grace JR UNC 51.42 51.55 12
r:+0.74 24.67 51.55 (26.88)
8 Gmelich, Caroline SR Virginia 51.43 51.78 11
r:+0.61 24.90 51.78 (26.88)
=== Consolation Final ===
9 Tiltmann, Reilly FR Virginia 52.08 51.33 9
r:+0.73 24.98 51.33 (26.35)
10 Thompson, Sarah SR Missouri 51.72 51.41 7
24.51 51.41 (26.90)
11 Atkinson, Emma FR Virginia Tech 51.84 51.65 6
r:+0.76 24.81 51.65 (26.84)
12 Crane, Emily JR Ohio St 52.25 51.91 5
r:+0.69 24.97 51.91 (26.94)
13 Lindner, Sophie JR UNC 51.56 51.95 4
r:+0.67 25.07 51.95 (26.88)
14 Rees, Meredith SO Missouri 52.25 52.00 3
r:+0.76 25.13 52.00 (26.87)
15 Shuppert, Emma SO Duke 51.89 52.38 2
r:+0.64 25.09 52.38 (27.29)
16 Bray, Olivia FR Texas 52.26 52.64 1
r:+0.74 25.37 52.64 (27.27)
Women - Team Rankings - Through Event 12 1. Virginia 310 2. NC State 201 3. Texas 186 4. California 180 5. Ohio St 142.5 6. Alabama 129 7. Michigan 125.5 8. Kentucky 114 9. Stanford 112 10. Georgia 109 11. UNC 77 12. Louisville 71 13. Florida 70.5 14. Tennessee 70 15. Missouri 65 16. Northwestern 52 16. Texas A&M 52 18. Indiana 47 19. Wisconsin 39 20. Southern California 38 21. Virginia Tech 28 22. Miami 20 22. Minnesota 20 24. Arizona 17.5 25. Arkansas 16 26. Nebraska 11 27. San Diego St 6 27. Houston 6 29. Duke 4 30. Akron 3 30. Notre Dame 3
