Ask any Auburn fan what can happen in a second, and one of the greatest moments in not only school history but the history of college football will be retold. Just in case you need a reminder, this may help jog your memory.
"I guess if this thing comes up short he can field it and run it out. All right, here we go. Fifty-six-yarder. It's got...no, it does not have the leg. And Chris Davis takes it in the back of the end zone. He'll run it out to the 10, 15, 20...25-30...35-40...45-50...45... There goes Davis! Davis is going to run it all the way back! Auburn is going to win the football game! Auburn is going to win the football game! He ran the missed field goal back! He ran it back 109 yards! They're not going to keep them off the field tonight! Holy cow! Oh, my God! Auburn wins! Auburn has won the Iron Bowl! Auburn has won the Iron Bowl in the most unbelievable fashion that you will ever see! I cannot believe it!" – Rod Bramblett, Auburn radio broadcaster
Now take that second that you just thought about and divide it into tenths and even hundredths. For a sprinter in swimming or track, a second would be considered miles of time. But a hundredth-of-a-second? That's could be the difference between glory and total devastation.
For Claire Fisch, .01 seconds is what kept her from an Olympic Trials cut in 2016 and also what motivates her to get back on the blocks day after day, set after set, start after start at the Martin Aquatics Center as one of the newest members of Auburn's women's swimming and diving team.
Fisch, who grew up in southern California, didn't focus solely on swimming growing up.
"In southern California, there is so much to do," Fisch said. "You have the ocean, we had a pool in our backyard, but I did a lot of other things too."
Those other things included training in ballet since she was 7 as well as competitive water polo. It wasn't until Claire was a junior in high school when she decided to focus solely on swimming and where it could take her.
Fast forward to just shy of two years later and Fisch, who now stands 5-11, is in Federal Way, Washington, at the 2015 AT&T Winter National Championships, on the blocks in Lane 5, Heat 1 of the 50m free prelims.
Moments – no, seconds - after the starter's gun went off, Fisch was at the opposite wall, scanning the board for her name and her time.
"I saw my name and went across and saw my time," Fisch said. "And then I did it again. I looked for my name, went across and saw my time."
She couldn't believe it. There next to her name was her time – 26.20.
She was pleased. Very pleased.
And then she realized, had she finished in 26.19 seconds she would have advanced to the 2016 Olympic Trials in Omaha, Nebraska.
Let's be clear here. That is a really good time.
No, that's a great time.
As a matter of fact, just one cycle earlier, the US Olympic Trials cut time for women was 26.39, showing you just how much the women's sprinters had evolved in four years.
Following high school, Fisch stayed somewhat close to home, swimming at Arizona State for two seasons. But Tempe never felt like the right fit for the SoCal native.
When Mike Joyce made the jump from Arizona State to Auburn following the 2018 NCAA Championships to join Gary Taylor's staff, word spread quickly to Fisch, who was looking for something different, but who had never even been to the Southeast let alone Auburn, Alabama.
One trip to the Plains and she was sold. Then it was time for her mother to weigh in. And every time Claire tried to find something negative about Auburn, she couldn't. She and her mother agreed this was where she needed to be.
Now just four months into her Auburn career, Fisch is reaping the rewards of her transfer.
In her first meet at Auburn, Fisch swam just one individual event, winning the 50 free in 22.94 seconds.
The following weekend, Fisch put on a show, winning the 50 free, taking second in the 100 and swimming on all four winning relays as Auburn went on the road and upset No. 7 and defending ACC Champion Virginia. For her efforts she was named the SEC Women's Swimmer of the Week.
Three weekends later it was the Georgia Tech Invitational and she was back at it, winning both the 50 and 100 free in NCAA Championship provisional times – and times that are sure to get her into this year's meet. Her leadoff split on the 200 free relay of 22.05 is currently the fifth-fastest time in the country while her winning 100 time of 48.37 places her ninth in the nation. They were also personal bests and made her one of the top 10 performers in Auburn history – and it's only November. And that's without mentioning her 1:47.92 in the 200, which though not a top-10 time may have been her best race.
"Her 50 was kind of what we expected the way she's been swimming, but her 100 and 200 was what was really unexpected and pleasing to the eye," Auburn assistant coach Duncan Sherrard said. "It was, 'Alright, we're gaining some steam here.' Her 50 is always going to be good because she's that type of athlete, but those two swims really stuck out.
"We are taking it day-by-day but I think she could go down as one of the best sprinters in Auburn history based on her short trajectory here," Sherrard said. "Who knows what her end-game could be. The way she is making changes I could see some really good things happening down the road because she is new and she is fresh to the sport. She's keen on applying what everyone is telling her to do."
Fisch in the water: Transfer makes instant impact for Auburn swimming
