NCAA Women’s Championships: Phoebe Bacon Full Circle With 200 Back Title: ‘Never One to Shy Away From a Fight’

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

The 200 backstroke was perhaps the most up-for-grabs event this week at the 2024 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships.

Five swimmers looked within striking distance out of prelims and none of them were from Virginia.

It turns out it was a familiar face touching the wall first with Wisconsin senior Phoebe Bacon, who won the title as a freshman, won the event in 1:48.23, breaking the pool record in the process – the ninth-fastest performer of all-time.

“Everybody is hurting on the last day, but you have to push through and finish. (Winning) feels awesome,” Bacon said. “It is pretty special to win a national title. To do it my senior year and book end it like that is really fun. It makes it that much more special – especially how my career went post-the last national title. This summer should be looking pretty good.”

Bella Sims was strong off the wall on the first turn and split a 25.04 to take the early lead.

Phoebe Bacon caught her at the 100 and they were neck-and-neck with Bacon slightly pulling ahead at the 125 and 150 marks of the race (1:19.59).

Bacon turned first on the final turn but Sims and Kennedy Noble each had huge pushes off the final wall to close the gap.

But Bacon had just enough to earn the win in 1:48.23, her second NCAA title.

“It was a mixture of working with my coach on the mental side and being able to know that I am fast enough to compete with the best swimmers in the country and the world. I just need to put myself in the race and get to the wall,” Bacon said. “It will always be fun to be a champion. It shows how the hard work that pays off comes to this one moment, and it just feels great.

“Growing up I have always been a big competitor and never one to shy away from a fight, and the past couple years, I was a little bit shy, or not want to fight as hard. Being able to acknowledge that to myself was big – I want to win.”

That is the mantra she is taking into the Olympic Trials.

“Fight or flight kicked in and I want to fight,” she said. “The fight really kicks in when it needs to in the backstroke races in the U.S. I have to hope it is there, and put on my blinders and race, because I know what I can do.”

Noble, of NC State, took second in 1:48.43 after that strong final 25. Her time is 12th on the all-time performer list.

Sims finished third in 1:48.47, just ahead of Cal’s Isabelle Stadden (1:49.19), who had a strong race, but just didn’t have as much as the other three off the final wall.

Tennessee’s Josephine Fuller finished fifth in 1:50.49, followed by Texas A&M freshman Miranda Grana (1:51.96), Virginia Tech senior Caroline Bentz (1:52.39) and Florida freshman Catie Choate (1:53.54).

The NCAA and meet record is 1:47.24 set by Wisconsin’s Beata Nelson in 2019. The American record is held by Regan Smith (1:47.16) set in a short-course sectional meet.

Sims was coming off wins in the 500 freestyle and 200 freestyle already this meet.

Bacon, a U.S. Olympian in Tokyo, won this event in 2021 as a freshman with the Badgers.

Earlier Stadden finished third in the 100 backstroke, her highest finish at an NCAA Championships.

Event 16  Women 200 Yard Backstroke
=========================================================================
         NCAA: N 1:47.24  3/23/2019 Beata Nelson, Wisconsin
         Meet: M 1:47.24  3/23/2019 Beata Nelson, Wisconsin
     American: A 1:47.16  3/10/2019 Regan Smith, Riptide
      US Open: O 1:47.16  3/10/2019 Regan Smith, Riptide
         Pool: P 1:48.23  3/23/2024 Phoebe Bacon, Wisconsin
    Name                 Year School            Prelims     Finals Points 
=========================================================================
                       === Championship Final ===                        
 
  1 Bacon, Phoebe          SR Wisconsin         1:48.81    1:48.23P  20  
    r:+0.77  25.25        51.91 (26.66)
        1:19.59 (27.68)     1:48.23 (28.64)
  2 Noble, Kennedy         SO NC State          1:49.78    1:48.43   17  
    r:+0.59  25.55        53.08 (27.53)
        1:20.64 (27.56)     1:48.43 (27.79)
  3 Sims, Bella            FR Florida           1:49.44    1:48.47   16  
    r:+0.64  25.04        51.85 (26.81)
        1:20.20 (28.35)     1:48.47 (28.27)
  4 Stadden, Isabelle      SR California        1:50.37    1:49.19   15  
    r:+0.68  25.23        52.75 (27.52)
        1:20.59 (27.84)     1:49.19 (28.60)
  5 Fuller, Josephine      JR Tennessee         1:49.57    1:50.49   14  
    r:+0.66  25.21        52.91 (27.70)
        1:21.44 (28.53)     1:50.49 (29.05)
  6 Grana, Miranda         FR TAMU              1:51.78    1:51.96   13  
    r:+0.62  26.72        54.79 (28.07)
        1:23.44 (28.65)     1:51.96 (28.52)
  7 Bentz, Caroline        SR VT                1:51.81    1:52.39   12  
    r:+0.72  26.18        54.30 (28.12)
        1:23.08 (28.78)     1:52.39 (29.31)
  8 Choate, Catie          FR Florida           1:51.99    1:53.54   11  
    r:+0.70  26.24        55.02 (28.78)
        1:24.29 (29.27)     1:53.54 (29.25)

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