One of nation’s top swimmers, Olympian Curzan, transfers from Stanford to UVA
Posted on Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023, 10:37 pm
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By Jerry Ratcliffe
Photo: instagram.com/claire.curzan
Virginia’s three-time national championship women’s swim team just became stronger with the addition of one of the nation’s most accomplished teenage swimmers.
Claire Curzan, who won silver at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics in the women’s 4×100 medley relay and captured five medals at the 2022 World Championships (two golds and three bronze), announced on her Instagram account that she has transferred from Stanford to Virginia.
The 19-year-old from Cary, N.C., is expected to enroll at UVA this fall in preparation for the 2024 Olympics in Paris. She was the No. 1 high school recruit in the nation before choosing Stanford.
Curzan, who has developed into one of the United States’ strongest performers in international competition, has decided to take an Olympic redshirt from college competition, so she may not compete for the Cavaliers this coming season, but would remain in the program in the future.
Photo: Swimming World
She was a key member of Stanford’s third-place NCAA team this past season, winning the 200-backstroke, finishing third in the 100 butterfly and fourth in the 100 back. Right out of high school in 2022, she won five medals for the American team at the Budapest World Championships, anchoring the mixed 400 medley relay and women’s 400 medley relay to a gold, and a bronze in the 100 back.
She qualified for the 2021 Olympics as the runner up in the 100 meter fly at the U.S. Olympic Trials.
Curzan was ill prior to this year’s Nationals and missed qualifying for the Fukuoka Worlds.
She announced on her Instagram:
“As the summer comes to an end I’d like to thank everyone who has supported me along the way, including @standfordswim, @gregmeehan, @tyrsport, @stokedmg, and @crocs. I’m so incredibly grateful for my Stanford swim family and will cherish the friendships and memories made the past year.
“This fall brings around a new start for me and I’m thrilled to announce my next chapter at the University of Virginia with @uvaswimdive !! Can’t wait to be back on the East Coast and join the Hoos family!!”
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