MISSOULA — Missoula native Katharine Berkoff and Team USA won gold at the FINA World Swimming Championships in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on Thursday.
Berkoff, a Missoula Hellgate High School graduate, and her teammates won the women's 4x100 freestyle relay in 3 minutes, 28.52 seconds as they tied with Canada for the gold medal. Berkoff completed her leg in 52.6 seconds as she swam with teammates Kate Douglass, Claire Curzan and Torri Huske.
Berkoff added a bronze medal finish in the 100-meter backstroke on Friday with a time of 55.40, just .2 seconds away from the winning time.
A junior at North Carolina State, Berkoff's success at the World Swimming Championships add to what's been a decorated career for her after leaving Missoula. Berkoff recently competed in the Olympic Trials for the Tokyo Olympics in the 100- and 200-meter backstroke back in June. She took fourth in the finals in the 100-meter backstroke, narrowly missing qualification for Tokyo.
At NC State, Berkoff is a three-time NCAA champion where she won the 100 backstroke and was a leg on both of the Wolfpack's 400-medley and 200-medley relays in 2021. She's a 12-time All-American and three-time ACC champion as well.
