Torri Huske Goes 24.44 in 50 Freestyle to Wipe Out Simone Manuel’s NAG Record
The weekend gathering of Torri Huske and Claire Curzan at the TAC Titans Premier Invitational has been a game of aquatic poker, with the young women saying, “raise,” every time they took the blocks. Case in point? After Curzan went 59.37 in the 100-meter backstroke to jumpstart Sunday’s evening session, Huske came back to go 24.44 for the victory in the 50-meter freestyle.
Huske’s time broke the National Age Group record in the 17-18 classification. A Stanford recruit, she bettered the 24.56 that Simone Manuel posted in 2014. The outing also moved Huske to the No. 6 all-time American in the event.
For the second time during the weekend competition, Huske uncorked a sterling performance in a sprint-freestyle event, her 24-mid effort in the 50 free complementing her 53.46 showing from the 100 freestyle. Curzan was also in the final of the 50 free, but she was disqualified when she didn’t break the surface of the water by the 15-meter mark.
While Huske won both sprint-freestyle events at the meet in North Carolina, Curzan got the upper hand in the 100 butterfly. In that race, Curzan became the No. 8 all-time performer with a time of 56.20 while Huske was timed in 56.69, good for a tie for 15th in the historical rankings. Huske also won the 200 individual medley in 2:11.65, despite minimal rest after the 50 free.
At June’s United States Olympic Trials, Huske and Curzan figure to play major roles in the construction of Team USA for this summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo. Huske is expected to contest the 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 100 butterfly and 200 individual medley. For Curzan, her program will be headlined by the 100 butterfly and 100 freestyle, with the 100 backstroke also an option.
In the men’s 100 backstroke, Justin Ress put together a winning time of 53.30 to further his contender status for the Olympic Trials.