Swimming & Diving: Douglass, Walsh tabbed as finalists for Honda Sport Award

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

Virginia senior Kate Douglass and sophomore Gretchen Walsh were named 2023 Honda Award Finalists for Swimming & Diving, as announced Tuesday by Chris Voelz, Executive Director of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards.

Douglass and Walsh were key contributors to Virginia’s third consecutive NCAA Championship. The duo combined for five individual NCAA titles and four relay championships.

Douglass, the Class of 2022 Honda Award winner, is a two-time Honda Award nominee and two-time CSCAA and ACC Women’s Swimmer of the Year. The Pelham, N.Y., native, has won 15 NCAA titles and accumulated 28 All-America honors. She led the Cavaliers with three individual wins at the 2023 NCAA Championship, setting American, NCAA & US Open records in all three. She was also part of UVA’s fourth-straight ACC Championship, winning three ACC individual titles to total 25 ACC titles overall (individual and relay). Douglass is the 2023 ACC Women’s Most Valuable Swimmer and was named to the CSC First Team Academic All-America.

Walsh captured two individual championships (100 back, 100 free) and four relay championships at the 2023 NCAA Championship. The Nashville, Tenn., native, is an 11-time NCAA Champion overall and a two-time Champion in the 100 free. She has earned 14 All-America honors and set American, NCAA and US Open records in the 100 free and with the 400 free relay. She is an eight-time ACC Champion and 14-time All-ACC. Walsh won the ACC Championship in the 100 back with a meet record.

The Honda Sport Award has been presented annually by the CWSA for the past 47 years to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA- sanctioned sports and signifies “the best of the best in collegiate athletics”.  The winner of the sport award becomes a finalist for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the prestigious 2023 Honda Cup which will be presented during the live telecast of the Collegiate Women Sports Awards Presented by Honda in downtown L.A., on Monday, June 26, at 9 pm ET/6 PT on CBS Sports Network.

The swimming & diving finalists were selected by a panel of experts and coaches from the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA). The Honda Sport award winner for swimming & diving will be announced later this week after voting by administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Each NCAA member institution has a vote.