Southern Illinois’ Celia Pulido Becomes First Mid-Major Swimmer Under 50 in Women’s 100 Back ...Middle East

By Braden Keith on SwimSwam

2025 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships

Among the Olympians and other big names at the top of the field in the women’s 100 back prelims on Friday morning at the NCAA Championships was Southern Illinois University senior Celia Pulido.

Pulido, 22, turned heads with a 49.84 split in the event, making her the 14th woman, and first from a mid-major school, to go under 50 seconds in the event.

She already held the status as the fastest-ever mid-major woman in the event thanks to a 50.73 that she swam at last year’s NCAA Championship meet to finish 7th and earn CSCAA First Team All-America honors.

Pulido, a Mexican Record holder and 2024 Olympian, is racing in her third-straight NCAA Championship meet.

As a freshman in 2022, she swam both backstrokes and finished 31st in the 100 in 52.49. After not qualifying for her sophomore championships, she really turned heads as a junior last season when she won the 100 backstroke at the Purdue Invite, dipping under 52 seconds mid-season to secure a return to the national championship meet.

She made the most of that opportunity, placing 7th at NCAAs and swimming 50.73 – breaking the unofficial mid-major record.

With a 51.07 mid-season, she was three-quarters of a second ahead of schedule, and after managing the season well last year, that lined her up for something big at NCAAs – which is exactly what she hit on Friday. With the benefit of no relays, this is her first swim of the meet so far.

Southern Illinois has had a lot of recent success with backstrokers. Notably South African Ruard van Renen, who won the B Final and finished 9th at the NCAA Championships in 2023 as a freshman at SIU before transferring to Georgia.

100 Backstroke

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