Fritz Bedford Explained

Strokes:	Freestyle, backstroke, butterfly

Fritz C. Bedford (born 1963) is a competitive American swimmer who currently holds eight U.S. national records and has held seven world records.

College

Bedford attended St. Lawrence University where he was a nineteen time All-American. This included all four years in both the 50-meter freestyle and 400-meter medley relay. He qualified for the NCAA Championships as an individual all four years. He was the New York state champion in the 50-meter freestyle and 200-meter backstroke as an individual and the 400 medley relay. He was named Outstanding Male Senior Athlete in 1985 and inducted into the university's Hall of Fame in 2006. While at St. Lawrence he joined Sigma Pi fraternity. He earned his master's degree from the University of New Hampshire and his PhD from the University of Wisconsin.^{[1] [2]}

Masters

Bedford began swimming in the Masters in 2009.

U.S. records held

Age group	Event	Time	Age	Date	Current	Ref
45–49	50 Fly (SCM)	25.74	46	December 13, 2009	Yes	^[3]
50–54	50 Back (SCY)	24.57	50	May 4, 2014	Yes
50–54	100 Back (SCY)	52.72	52	March 21, 2015	Yes
50–54	50 Back (SCM)	26.69	53	October 24, 2015	Yes
50–54	100 Back (SCM)	58.47	53	October 24, 2015	Yes
55–59	50 Back (SCY)	25.30	55	March 23, 2019	Yes
55–59	100 Back (SCM)	1.00.78	55	October 20, 2018	Yes
55–59	50 Fly (SCM)	26.55	55	October 20, 2018	Yes

World records held

Age group	Event	Time	Age	Date	Current	Ref
45–49	50 Free (SCM)	23.80	46	December 13, 2009	No
45–49	50 Fly (SCM)	25.74	46	December 13, 2009	No
50–54	50 Back (SCM)	27.36	50	October 26, 2013	No	^[4]
50–54	100 Back (SCM)	59.91	50	October 26, 2013	No	^[5]
50–54	100 Back (SCM)	58.47	52	October 24, 2015	No	^[6]
50–54	50 Back (SCM)	26.69	52	October 24, 2015	No
55–59	100 Back (SCM)	1.00.78	55	October 20, 2018	Yes	^[7]

SCM – Short Course Meters
SCY – Short Course Yards

Personal

Bedford works as a mechanical engineer^[1] and is the brother of Olympian BJ Bedford.^[7]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Fritz Bedford . St. Lawrence University Athletics.
2. Langhammer. Jay. Spring–Summer 1985. 73. 1 and 2. The Emerald of Sigma Pi. Sigma Pi Standouts in Sports. 28.
3. Web site: USMS National Records Currently Held for Fritz C. Bedford . U.S. Masters Swimming . December 28, 2020.
4. Web site: Stewart. Mel. Two Masters World Records for Fritz Bedford. SwimSwam.com. October 28, 2013. December 28, 2020.
5. Web site: FINA WORLD MASTERS TOP 10 – SHORT COURSE METERS 2013 . Federation Internationale de Natation . July 2, 2020.
6. Web site: FINA WORLD MASTERS TOP 10 – SHORT COURSE METERS – ALL TIME (1986–2019) . Federation Internationale de Natation . March 7, 2020.
7. Web site: Ross. Andy. Fritz Bedford Breaks Masters World Record in Vermont. SwimmingWorldMagazine.com. October 23, 2018. December 28, 2020.