Virginia Swim & Dive Lands Stanford Transfer and NCAA Champion Claire Curzan
The dynastic Virginia women's swimming & diving program reloaded in a big way on Monday as Claire Curzan, an Olympic medalist and 2023 NCAA national champion in the 200 backstroke, announced she is transferring to UVA from Stanford.
"I'm thrilled to announce my next chapter at the University of Virginia with UVA swim & dive!" Curzan said in an Instagram post. "Can't wait to be back on the East coast and join the Hoos Family!!"
Before she even arrived at Stanford last fall for her freshman season, Curzan qualified for the United States Olympic Team for the Tokyo Olympics. Curzan made her Olympic debut at 17 years old and earned a silver medal in the 4x100 medley relay. A year later, Curzan represented Team USA again at the 2022 World Championships and earned a total of five medals - two golds and three bronzes.
After that, Curzan, who is originally from Cary, North Carolina, began her collegiate career at Stanford as the No. 1 overall high school recruit in the country in her class. Curzan delivered on those sky-high expectations, winning the national title in the 200-yard backstroke at the 2023 NCAA Championships. She also finished third in the 100-yard backstroke, which was won by UVA's Gretchen Walsh, and fourth in the 100-yard butterfly, which was won by Virginia's Kate Douglass.
Now, Curzan will take her talents to the University of Virginia, but she won't swim for the Cavaliers until the 2024-2025 season. Before entering the transfer portal, Curzan made the decision to take an Olympic redshirt for the 2023-2024 season, a common practice for top collegiate swimmers who want to use the year to focus on preparing for the U.S. Olympic trials and the Summer Olympics. With the 2024 Paris Olympics approaching next summer, there will likely be several of the best collegiate swimmers choosing to redshirt this season.
So, Curzan will begin swimming for the Cavaliers in 2024-2025 and will have three years of eligibility remaining, a massive pickup for Todd DeSorbo and the UVA women's swim & dive dynasty.
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