College Swimming Reset (Women’s Freestyle): Jillian Cox Maintaining Distance Dominance
The college swimming season has entered its home stretch. January features the final dual meets of the season before conference championships in February and the NCAA Championships in March. Prior to the holiday break, swimmers set themselves up for championship season with strong performances at various midseason invitationals. Here is a look at every women’s individual event as of right now, including the records, the winners from the 2025 NCAA Championships, the top returning swimmers, the top times in the country this season and the top performances in history.
Below are the statistics for the women’s freestyle events, which see the departure of Gretchen Walsh but the return of Jillian Cox following her wins in the 500 and 1650 free last season.
50 Freestyle
- U.S. Open Record: Gretchen Walsh – 20.37 (2024/2025)
- American Record: Gretchen Walsh – 20.37 (2024/2025)
- NCAA Record: Gretchen Walsh – 20.37 (2024/2025)
- 2025 Champion: Gretchen Walsh, Virginia – 20.49
- Top Returning Finisher: Claire Curzan, Virginia – 21.11
Current 2025-26 Rankings:
- Torri Huske, Stanford – 21.01
- Sara Curtis, Virginia – 21.18
- Julia Dennis, Louisville – 21.21
- Camille Spink, Tennessee – 21.25
- Brady Kendall, Michigan – 21.34
All-Time Rankings (bold = currently in college):
- Gretchen Walsh – 20.37
- Maggie Mac Neil – 20.79
- Kate Douglass – 20.84
- Abbey Weitzeil – 20.90
- Torri Huske – 20.92
- Erika Brown Connolly – 21.03
- Julia Dennis – 21.08
- Katharine Berkoff – 21.09
- Jasmine Nocentini – 21.10
- Claire Curzan – 21.11
Walsh has graduated after a legendary NCAA swimming career, leaving only one swimmer currently in college that has ever gone under the 21-second barrier. Torri Huske has eschewed the 50 free in favor of the 200 IM at previous NCAA meets, but the new schedule set to debut this year makes a run at the event more likely. However, we should still expect a close contest in a race this short. Claire Curzan and Julia Dennis are the top returners while Sara Curtis has made an impact already at Virginia.
100 Freestyle
- U.S. Open Record: Gretchen Walsh – 44.71 (2025)
- American Record: Gretchen Walsh – 44.71 (2025)
- NCAA Record: Gretchen Walsh – 44.71 (2025)
- 2025 Champion: Gretchen Walsh, Virginia – 44.71
- Top Returning Finisher: Torri Huske, Stanford – 46.01
Current 2025-26 Rankings:
- Anna Moesch, Virginia – 45.98
- Torri Huske, Stanford – 46.15
- Eva Okaro, Texas – 46.49
- Camille Spink, Tennessee – 46.54
- Sara Curtis, Virginia – 46.62
All-Time Rankings (bold = currently in college):
- Gretchen Walsh – 44.71
- Simone Manuel – 45.56
- Erika Brown Connolly – 45.83
- Kate Douglass – 45.86
- Anna Moesch – 45.98
- Torri Huske – 46.01
- Maggie Mac Neil – 46.02
- Anna Hopkin/Mallory Comerford – 46.20
- Katharine Berkoff – 46.23
As with the 50 free, the absence of Walsh opens the door for Huske to win the national title, but she will get a huge push from Anna Moesch, the fourth-place finisher at last year’s meet who has already become the fifth member of the sub-46 club this season.
200 Freestyle
- U.S. Open Record: Missy Franklin – 1:39.10 (2015)
- American Record: Missy Franklin – 1:39.10 (2015)
- NCAA Record: Missy Franklin – 1:39.10 (2015)
- 2025 Champion: Anna Peplowski, Indiana – 1:40.50
- Top Returning Finisher: Minna Abraham, USC – 1:40.56
Current 2025-26 Rankings:
- Anna Moesch, Virginia – 1:40.25
- Minna Abraham, USC – 1:40.47
- Bella Sims, Michigan – 1:41.17
- Liberty Clark, Indiana – 1:41.27
- Stephanie Balduccini, Michigan – 1:41.40
All-Time Rankings (bold = currently in college):
- Missy Franklin – 1:39.10
- Gretchen Walsh – 1:39.34
- Mallory Comerford – 1:39.80
- Anna Moesch – 1:40.25
- Katie Ledecky – 1:40.36
- Simone Manuel/Taylor Ruck – 1:40.37
- Minna Abraham – 1:40.47
- Anna Peplowski – 1:40.50
- Allison Schmitt – 1:40.62
Moesch has also emerged as a legitimate title contender over 200 yards after dropping her best time by more than two seasons in the early portion of this season. However, this event has plenty of firepower that should present an intriguing race come March. Minna Abraham has steadily improved each year of her college career while Bella Sims was the 2024 winner of this event before opting for other races last year. This is one of five different races in which Sims is a possible title contender. Claire Weinstein is not currently among the top-ranked swimmers in the country, but she was the World Championships bronze medalist in the 200-meter free.
500 Freestyle
- U.S. Open Record: Katie Ledecky – 4:24.06 (2017)
- American Record: Katie Ledecky – 4:24.06 (2017)
- NCAA Record: Katie Ledecky – 4:24.06 (2017)
- 2025 Champion: Jillian Cox, Texas – 4:31.58
- Top Returning Finisher: Jillian Cox, Texas – 4:31.58
Current 2025-26 Rankings:
- Jillian Cox, Texas – 4:32.92
- Kennedi Dobson, Georgia – 4:33.61
- Aimee Canny, Virginia – 4:34.26
- Claire Weinstein, Cal – 4:34.81
- Julie Brousseau, Florida – 4:35.14
All-Time Rankings (bold = currently in college):
- Katie Ledecky – 4:24.06
- Summer McIntosh – 4:27.52
- Katie Grimes – 4:28.27
- Bella Sims – 4:28.64
- Leah Smith – 4:28.90
- Claire Weinstein – 4:29.38
- Katie Hoff – 4:30.47
- Jillian Cox – 4:30.68
- Dagny Knutson – 4:31.18
- Brooke Forde – 4:31.34
Three of the six women who have ever swum under 4:30 are currently active college swimmers, but none of those women have close to those times since they were club swimmers with the Sandpipers of Nevada. Sims was the 2024 NCAA champion in the event before falling to a stunning 17th place last year while Katie Grimes was fourth in her college debut. Cox was dominant in the event last season, but Sims, Grimes and Weinstein would all be favored for the title if they approached their lifetime bests.
1650 Freestyle
- U.S. Open Record: Katie Ledecky – 14:59.62 (2025)
- American Record: Katie Ledecky – 14:59.62 (2025)
- NCAA Record: Katie Ledecky – 15:03.31 (2017)
- 2025 Champion: Jillian Cox, Texas – 15:33.54
- Top Returning Finisher: Jillian Cox, Texas – 15:33.54
Current 2025-26 Rankings:
- Jillian Cox, Texas – 15:41.70
- Kennedi Dobson, Georgia – 15:47.61
- Claire Weinstein, Cal – 15:52.28
- Katie Grimes, Virginia – 15:52.95
- Emma Finlin, Ohio State – 15:55.09
All-Time Rankings (bold = currently in college):
- Katie Ledecky – 14:59.62
- Erica Sullivan – 15:23.81
- Katie Hoff – 15:24.35
- Leah Smith – 15:25.30
- Katie Grimes – 15:26.17
- Brittany MacLean – 15:27.84
- Kate Ziegler – 15:29.15
- Jillian Cox – 15:30.33
- Lotte Friis – 15:30.84
- Ashley Twichell – 15:30.95
It would be a stunner if anyone came within 25 seconds of the incredible sub-15:00 performance Katie Ledecky blasted in December. For college purposes, Cox is the strong favorite to defend her national title, but a lot depends on the form Weinstein and Grimes bring this season. Grimes faded badly at last year’s NCAAs to end up 13th. The second-through-fifth-place finishers from last year’s NCAAs all graduated.
