Virginia wins 800 free relay to open NCAA Championships

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

The Virginia women’s swimming & diving team won the 800-yard freestyle relay to open the 2021 NCAA Championships on Wednesday at the Greensboro Aquatic Center.

“I’m just thrilled and proud for our women,” head coach Todd DeSorbo said. “This meet has been a year in the making and our women have taken full advantage of that. I’m grateful for their commitment to excellence. Their perseverance shines bright tonight with a great start to the competition. To win UVA’s first ever national title in a relay is special. I know these four women, as well as our entire team, will savor that moment. Looking forward to more excellence the rest of the week.”

It was the first NCAA Championship win in a relay in program history. The Cavaliers finished five seconds ahead of the field with a time of 6:52.56 to earn 40 points and the lead after the first event.

Kyla Valls (Miami, Fla.) led off the relay, followed by Paige Madden (Mobile, Ala.), Ella Nelson (Nashville, Tenn.) and Alex Walsh (Nashville, Tenn.) was the anchor for the Cavaliers.