INDIANAPOLIS – Mizzou swimming and diving's Hannah Stevens (Lexington, Ohio) claimed the U.S. women's 50m back national title at the 2017 Phillips 66 U.S. National Championships Thursday night in Indianapolis, Indiana. Stevens' win, her first-ever title, gives the Tiger a tentative spot on the U.S. World Championships team.
Stevens, who entered finals as the second-seed, swam a Championship Meet record time of 27.63 to take the win. Her time was also just over a tenth of a second off the American Record time of 27.51. The field included 2016 Olympic silver medalist and 2017 NCAA national champion Kathleen Baker, who placed second.
"I looked at the scoreboard and was like 'no, that's not possible' because you see all of these amazing names in the heat and I'm with them – this is amazing," Stevens said.
A two-time U.S. National Team member, Stevens finished third in the 100y back at the 2016 NCAA Champions and fifth in the 100m back at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. She owns 10 total All-American honors, five first team and five honorable mention. She also claimed All-Southeastern Conference second team honors in 2017 with a runner-up finish in the 100y back at the SEC Championships.
She is slated to swim the 100m back on Friday at the National Championships, where she entered the meet with the fifth-fastest time in the world (59.40) this year.
Stevens joins fellow Tigers Lauren Reedy,Michael Chadwick, Azra Avdic, Jordy Groters and Mikel Schreuders as probable 2017 World Championship participants. Reedy earned her spot in April as she and diving partner Briadam Herrera won the USA Diving Mixed Sychronized 3-Meter national title. Chadwick owns a tentative relay spot on the U.S. Team after a fifth-place finish in the 100m free on Tuesday. Groters and Schreuders will represent Aruba and the Championships, while Avdic will swim for Peru.
The 2017 FINA World Championships run July 14-22 in Budapest, Hungary.
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