Swimming & Diving: Top-ranked Virginia sets two NCAA records, wins four titles

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

Senior Kate Douglass led a stacked field in the 100-yard butterfly to win the NCAA Championship and set a NCAA, American and US Open record. Sophomore Gretchen Walsh matched the feat with the same records in the 100-yard backstroke to lead the Cavaliers on night three of the 2023 NCAA Championships in Knoxville, Tenn.

Douglass won her sixth individual NCAA Championship and her second consecutive 100-yard butterfly title with another American, NCAA & US Open record of 48.46. In one of the best races in NCAA history, Douglass beat LSU’s Maggie McNeil by .05. Douglass led the top three finishers that were all under 49 seconds and had three of the top five times ever in the event. Douglass now owns two of the top three times. It is her fifth-straight NCAA individual race that she has set an American record.

Gretchen Walsh avenged her runner-up finish in the 100-yard backstroke from 2022 with an incredible American, NCAA and US Open record time of 48.26 to win the 100 back NCAA title. Walsh never trailed in the race and earned her second career NCAA individual title and first of the 2023 championships.

Junior Alex Walsh also completed a two-peat in her event, winning the 400-yard IM with a UVA and pool record time of 3:57.24. Walsh won her fifth NCAA individual title and first of the 2023 meet. Walsh and senior Ella Nelson opened the night with a one-two finish in the event. Nelson matched her career-best finish, placing second in the 400 IM with a time of 3:59.54.

Freshman Aimee Canny won bronze with her third-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle. Canny swam a personal-best time of 1:42.50, just .09 seconds out of second and .14 behind first.

UVA closed out the night with a win in the 400-yard medley relay, setting a pool record with a time of 3:22.39. G. Walsh, A. Walsh, Douglass and Canny combined for the win and secured the fourth relay win (of four relays) so far at the NCAAs.

UVA currently leads the standings with 374.5 points, ahead of second place Texas (272.5).

ALL-AMERICANS

• Junior Maxine Parker swam a huge personal-best time in prelims of the 200-yard freestyle with a 1:43.28 to make the A Final. Parker earned All-America honors with her fifth-place finish in a time of 1:43.48.
• Freshman Emma Weber made her NCAA Championship debut in the championship final of the 100-yard breaststroke. Weber finished eighth with a time of 58.95 to earn All-America honors.
• Senior Lexi Cuomo finished 14th in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 51.28 to earn honorable mention All-America honors.
• Sophomore Reilly Tiltmann finished 12th in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 51.46 to earn honorable mention All-America.

PRELIMS

• Junior Abby Harter swam a personal best time with a 51.71 in the 100-yard butterfly to place 18th, just missing the finals by two spots.
• Freshman Carly Novelline was 27th in the 100 fly with a 52.15 and junior Sam Baron DQ’d from a false start.
• Tiltmann was swimming a double, starting the day with a 200-yard freestyle. She finished 21st in the event with a time of 1:44.89. Also in the 200 free was senior Maddie Donohoe (1:47.34) and freshman Sophia Knapp (1:47.44), who finished 53nd and 53rd, respectively.
• Junior Anna Keating was 20th in the 100-yard breastroke with a season-best time of 59.41 and graduate student Jaycee Yegher clocked in with a 59.67 to finish 25th.
• Novelline also swam a double, finishing 21st in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 52.01. Sophomore Ella Bathurst finished 43rd in the event with a 53.12.
• Sophomore Lizzy Kaye made another run at the finals, finishing 17th on the 3-meter board. Kaye scored a 302.80 and just missed finals by one spot of the second event in a row. Senior Jenn Bell was 26th with a 279.90.

UP NEXT

The final day of competition will feature the 200-yard backstroke, 100-yard freestyle, 200-yard breaststroke, 200-yard butterfly, platform diving, 1650-yard freestyle and 400-yard freestyle relay.