Kate Douglass Beats Maggie MacNeil By 0.05 To Break 100 Fly NCAA Record In 48.46

2023 NCAA WOMEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

What. A. Race.

The women’s 100 fly event at the 2023 NCAA Championships lived up to every single bit of hype it got, and it concluded in Virginia’s Kate Douglass getting her hand on the wall first in a time of 48.46. She took down her old NCAA, US Open, and American record time of 48.84 by 0.36 seconds, though the race was far from a blowout for the Virginia senior.

Douglass was challenged by Maggie MacNeil from start to finish, as MacNeil was out really fast at the first 25. Douglass then out-touched MacNeil by 0.08 seconds at the 50 mark with a 22.48 opening split compared to MacNeil’s 22.56, but in the closing few yards of the race it seemed like MacNeil was going to take back her lead and win the race. She outsplit Douglass 25.95 to 25.98 on the back half, but Douglass did just enough to beat out MacNeil by a slim margin of 0.05 seconds at the end.

MacNeil’s time of 48.51 was also well under Douglass’s previous NCAA record. She dropped 0.38 seconds from her previous best time of 48.89 from the 2021 NCAA Championships, a mark that had been the NCAA record prior to this season.

In addition, third-place finisher Torri Huske also broke the 49-second barrier, taking a few tenths off her best time of 49.17 to clock a 48.96. She joins Douglass and MacNeil as the only women in history who have been 48-point in the 100 fly.

Douglass, MacNeil, and Huske’s swims from tonight are the first, second, and fifth-fastest in history respectively.

All-Time Top Performances, Women’s 100 Fly

1. Kate Douglass, Virginia — 48.46 (2023)
2. Maggie MacNeil, LSU – 48.51 (2023)
3. Kate Douglass, Virginia — 48.84 (2023)
4. Maggie MacNeil, Michigan – 48.89 (2021)
5. Torri Huske, Stanford — 48.96 (2023)

As you can see from the splits, Douglass matched her back half from ACCs where she set her previous record, and improved entirely on her front half tonight.

Comparative Splits:

Race Video: