Indiana’s Liberty Clark Goes 1:39.70, No. 3 All-Time in 200 Free
The women’s 200 freestyle’s sub-1:40 club got a new member last year after a nearly decade-long hiatus. Within the last 14 months, its membership has more than doubled.
Liberty Clark became the third-fastest performer all-time Wednesday night at the NCAA Championships, her time of 1:39.70 leading off Indiana’s 800 freestyle relay.
Clark displaced Anna Moesch, who went 1:39.72 at the ACC Championships, by .02 seconds. Missy Franklin holds the top time in history at 1:39.10, dating to 2015, with Gretchen Walsh second at 1:39.34 from ACCs last year.
In Wednesday’s race at Georgia Tech’s McAuley Center, Clark briefly put the Hoosiers in the lead. Texas’ Nikolett Padar was second in 1:40.30 after the opening legs, with Bella Sims of Michigan third in 1:40.93. Eventual champion Virginia was only fourth in a 1:41.68, requiring Moesch to play the hero on the anchor leg with a split of 1:39.03.
Despite Clark’s opening leg and a 1:41.47 from Alex Shackell, Indiana finished just fifth, 3.6 seconds back of Virginia and eight tenths behind Michigan.
Clark entered the meet with a best time of 1:40.84 from the Big Ten Championships. The freshman from Chico, California, started college with a best time in the event of 1:45.76 from Speedo Juniors West in December 2024.
Thursday will be the showdown in the 200 free, one of the most fascinating fields in any event at this meet. Moesch is the top seed. Minna Abraham of USC is second with a seed time of 1:40.47; she anchored USC’s seventh-place relay in 1:40.25 Wednesday.
Clark entered as the third seed. Padar had been 1:41.36. Fifth is Michigan’s Stephanie Balduccini, who split 1:40.91 Wednesday. Her flat start best is 1:41.40, while Madi Mintenko, Camille Spink and Mia West are also in the 1:41s.
Sub-1:40 NCAA Women’s 200 Freestyles
- 1:39.10 – Missy Franklin, California, 2015
- 1:39.34 – Gretchen Walsh, Virginia, 2025
- 1:39.70 – Liberty Clark, Indiana, 2026
- 1:39.72 – Anna Moesch, Virginia, 2026
- 1:39.80 – Mallory Comerford, Louisville, 2018
