Claire Curzan Named Finalist for Honda Sport Award for Swimming & Diving

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia junior Claire Curzan has been named as a finalist for the 2026 Honda Sport Award for Swimming & Diving, as announced by Chris Voelz, Executive Director of the Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) today (March 30).

The other finalists are Stanford swimmers Lucy Bell and Torri Huske, and diver Sophie Verzyl of South Carolina.

The Honda Sport Award has been presented annually by the CWSA for the past 50 years, recognizing the top women athletes in 12 NCAA-sanctioned sports and symbolizing “the best of the best in collegiate athletics.” The recipient of the sport award will become a finalist for the prestigious Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the 2026 Honda Cup, to be presented live on Monday, July 27, at 7 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network.

The swimming & diving finalists were selected by a panel of experts and coaches from the College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA). The Honda Sport award winner for swimming & diving will be announced after voting by administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Each NCAA member institution has a vote.

Curzan, a junior from Cary, N.C., won six titles at the 2026 NCAA Championships, including the 100 Back, 200 Back and four relay events. A 21-time CSCAA All-American, Curzan helped Virginia capture its sixth consecutive National Championship. She was also named the ACC Championship Most Valuable Swimmer after setting an NCAA record in the 200 Backstroke in one of her two individual event victories that helped the Cavaliers earn their seventh-consecutive conference title.

This is Curzan’s second time being named a finalist for the honor.

The CWSA, in its 50th year, has honored the nation’s top NCAA women athletes for their superior athletic skills, leadership, academic excellence and eagerness to participate in community service.  Since commencing its partnership in 1986, Honda has provided more than $3.4 million in institutional grants to the universities of the award winners and nominees to support women’s athletics programs.