NCAA Women’s Championships: Phoebe Bacon, Gretchen Walsh Strong in Final Day Prelims

Phoebe Bacon -- Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

NCAA Women’s Championships: Phoebe Bacon, Gretchen Walsh Strong in Final Day Prelims

The final morning of the NCAA Women’s Championships in Athens, Ga., included qualification in four events, the 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke and 200 butterfly. Florida’s Bella Sims and the Virginia duo of Gretchen Walsh and Alex Walsh were all trying to set themselves up for runs at third individual wins in their respective events while the team race was still not decided. Virginia was up on second-place Texas by 51.5 points entering the meet’s final day, with the teams needing to set themselves up for title runs the final night.

Gretchen Walsh comfortably led the way in the 100 free prelims, but the 200 back should be a tight contest, with Wisconsin’s Phoebe Bacon leading Sims in prelims while three other swimmers will be in the mix for the win.

Women - Team Rankings - Through Event 14                     
 
  1. Virginia                        360.5   2. Texas                             319
  3. Florida                           267   4. Tennessee                         185
  5. Stanford                          177   6. Southern California               157
  7. Indiana                           138   8. Louisville                        136
  9. NC State                          114  10. California                        110
 11. Ohio St                           104  12. Michigan                        102.5
 13. Georgia                            83  14. Texas A&M                          79
 15. UNC                                76  16. Wisconsin                          58
 17. Duke                               57  18. Auburn                             49
 19. Minnesota                          27  20. UCLA                               26
 21. Lsu                                19  21. Purdue                             19
 21. Utah                               19  21. Alabama                            19
 25. Siu                                12  26. Arizona St                         11
 27. Northwestern                        8  28. Kansas                              6
 28. Notre Dame                          6  28. Virginia Tech                       6
 28. Rutgers                             6  28. Miami (Ohio)                        6
 33. Cincinnati                          4  33. Florida St                          4
 35. Houston                             3  35. Miami (Fl)                          3
 37. Akron                               2  38. Arkansas                            1

200 Backstroke

Wisconsin senior Phoebe Bacon is hoping to reclaim the 200 backstroke national title this season after previously winning the event at the NCAA Championships in 2021 and taking second the last two seasons. In the morning prelims, Bacon went head-to-head with Florida’s Bella Sims, already a two-time individual champion at this meet in the 500 free and 200 free.

Sims was ahead of Bacon for the first 125 yards, but Bacon took over with a 27.81 third 50 split before coming into the wall at 1:48.81. That time beat Bacon’s season-best mark of 1:50.05 by more than a second and marked the first sub-1:49 performance so fat this collegiate season. Sims placed second in 1:49.44, four tenths off her season best. Regarding personal-best times, Sims and Bacon are tied for ninth all-time with identical best times of 1:48.36.

Third in the prelims went to Tennessee’s Josephine Fuller, who has already placed third in the 500 free and fifth in the 100 back at this meet. Fuller clocked 1:49.57 to edge out NC State’s Kennedy Noble (1:49.78) in the first circle-seeded heat. Cal’s Isabelle Stadden, who took second in the 100 back, cruised to win her heat in 1:50.37, and she will contend for the title out of lane two in the final.

Texas A&M’s Miranda Grana (1:51.78), Virginia Tech’s Caroline Bentz (1:51.81) and Florida’s Catie Choate (1:51.99) also made it into the A-final.

Event 16  Women 200 Yard Backstroke
==================================================================
         NCAA: N 1:47.24  3/23/2019 Beata Nelson, Wisconsin
         Meet: M 1:47.24  3/23/2019 Beata Nelson, Wisconsin
     American: A 1:47.16  3/10/2019 Regan Smith, Riptide
      US Open: O 1:47.16  3/10/2019 Regan Smith, Riptide
         Pool: P 1:48.55  2/20/2021 Rhyan White, Alabama
    Name                 Year School               Seed    Prelims        
==================================================================
                      === Preliminaries ===                       
 
  1 Bacon, Phoebe          SR Wisconsin         1:50.05    1:48.81  
    r:+0.70  25.51        52.83 (27.32)
        1:20.64 (27.81)     1:48.81 (28.17)
  2 Sims, Bella            FR Florida           1:49.04    1:49.44  
    r:+0.74  25.28        52.51 (27.23)
        1:20.76 (28.25)     1:49.44 (28.68)
  3 Fuller, Josephine      JR Tennessee         1:49.75    1:49.57  
    r:+0.82  25.84        53.40 (27.56)
        1:21.66 (28.26)     1:49.57 (27.91)
  4 Noble, Kennedy         SO NC State          1:50.95    1:49.78  
    r:+0.66  26.03        54.07 (28.04)
        1:22.22 (28.15)     1:49.78 (27.56)
  5 Stadden, Isabelle      SR California        1:49.21    1:50.37  
    r:+0.79  25.62        53.43 (27.81)
        1:21.80 (28.37)     1:50.37 (28.57)
  6 Grana, Miranda         FR TAMU              1:51.06    1:51.78  
    r:+0.64  26.89        55.24 (28.35)
        1:23.78 (28.54)     1:51.78 (28.00)
  7 Bentz, Caroline        SR VT                1:52.23    1:51.81  
    r:+0.68  26.69        54.89 (28.20)
        1:23.16 (28.27)     1:51.81 (28.65)
  8 Choate, Catie          FR Florida           1:51.94    1:51.99  
    r:+0.67  26.27        54.25 (27.98)
        1:22.96 (28.71)     1:51.99 (29.03)

100 Freestyle

Already with two individual titles and two NCAA records — not to mention three relay wins — at the NCAA Championships, Gretchen Walsh will be heavily favored for a third win in the 100 free. At the ACC Championships last month, Walsh knocked four tenths off Simone Manuel’s seven-year-old NCAA record with a time of 45.16, and in the final, she will try to become the first swimmer ever under 45.

In prelims, Walsh was dominant in the final heat, going out in 21.80 and finishing in 45.78, just off the 45.61 she clocked to win her second consecutive national title in the event a season ago. Walsh finished nine tenths clear of the field, with a pair of individual champions in other events occupying the remainder of the top-three. NC State’s Katharine Berkoff, winner of the 100 backstroke, took third in 46.65 while Virginia’s Jasmine Nocentini was third in 46.90. That matched the order of finish from Thursday’s 50 free.

Ohio State’s Amy Fulmer was fourth in 47.04, with Louisville’s Christiana Regenauer fifth (47.20) and leading a tightly-packed group of Florida’s Isabel Ivey (47.26), Indiana’s Anna Peplowski (47.27) and Louisville’s Gabi Albiero (47.33). In a blow to the Tennessee Lady Vols, Camille Spink just missed the top heat with a ninth-place time of 47.36.

Event 17  Women 100 Yard Freestyle
==================================================================
         NCAA: N 45.16  2/24/2024 Gretchen Walsh, Virginia
         Meet: M 45.56  3/18/2017 Simone Manuel, Stanford
     American: A 45.16  2/24/2024 Gretchen Walsh, Virginia
      US Open: O 45.16  2/24/2024 Gretchen Walsh, Virginia
         Pool: P 45.78  3/23/2024 Gretchen Walsh, Virginia
    Name                 Year School               Seed    Prelims        
==================================================================
                      === Preliminaries ===                       
 
  1 Walsh, Gretchen        JR Virginia            45.16      45.78P 
    r:+0.76  10.35        21.80 (11.45)
          33.79 (11.99)       45.78 (11.99)
  2 Berkoff, Katharine     5Y NC State            46.81      46.65  
    r:+0.69  10.70        22.37 (11.67)
          34.45 (12.08)       46.65 (12.20)
  3 Nocentini, Jasmine     SR Virginia            46.75      46.90  
    r:+0.65  10.43        22.32 (11.89)
          34.60 (12.28)       46.90 (12.30)
  4 Fulmer, Amy            5Y OSU                 47.48      47.04  
    r:+0.68  10.89        22.60 (11.71)
          34.74 (12.14)       47.04 (12.30)
  5 Regenauer, Christiana  5Y Louisville          47.52      47.20  
    r:+0.64  10.67        22.58 (11.91)
          34.99 (12.41)       47.20 (12.21)
  6 Ivey, Isabel           5Y Florida             46.61      47.26  
    r:+0.70  10.74        22.60 (11.86)
          34.85 (12.25)       47.26 (12.41)
  7 Peplowski, Anna        JR Indiana             47.45      47.27  
    r:+0.72  10.97        22.98 (12.01)
          35.16 (12.18)       47.27 (12.11)
  8 Albiero, Gabi          SR Louisville          47.28      47.33  
    r:+0.64  10.69        22.38 (11.69)
          34.66 (12.28)       47.33 (12.67)

200 Breaststroke

Tennessee’s Mona McSharry, already the runnerup in the 100 breaststroke at these NCAA Championships, blasted the field in the second-to-last prelims heat of the 200-yard race, and that time held up as the top seed. McSharry clocked 2:05.53 to beat out Virginia’s Alex Walsh, the pre-meet favorite and already a winner in both IM events this meet, by six hundredths.

Walsh will go after a third individual win and Kate Douglass’ NCAA record of 2:01.29 in the final, but more importantly for Virginia, the the Cavaliers’ performance in the event all but locked up a team title. Virginia put three swimmers into the A-final, with Walsh going 2:05.59 for second, Ella Nelson finishing third in 2:05.75 and Anna Keating taking fifth in 2:06.98. Virginia also got two swimmers into the B-final with Emma Weber and Aimee Canny, setting up the team for a huge haul at night.

Meanwhile, Texas did not get the two-up finish the Longhorns desperately needed to have any shot at staying in contention for the title. Anna Elendt touched seventh in 2:07.24, but Lydia Jacoby struggled to a 16th-place finish, her time of 2:08.18 more than two-and-a-half seconds shy of her personal best.

Duke’s Kaelyn Gridley placed fourth in 2:06.10 while Emilie Fast made it two Tennessee swimmers in the A-final with a time of 2:07.17. There was a tie for eighth place between USC’s Kaitlyn Dobler and Washington State’s Emily Lundgren at 2:07.30, setting up a swim-off for the last spot in the championship heat.

Dobler ended up swimming much quicker in the swim-off at 2:05.96, a mark which would have placed fourth in prelims, to claim lane eight for the final, while Lundgren will swim in the B-heat after clocking 2:09.00.

Event 18  Women 200 Yard Breaststroke
==================================================================
         NCAA: N 2:01.29  3/18/2023 Kate Douglass, Virginia
         Meet: M 2:01.29  3/18/2023 Kate Douglass, Virginia
     American: A 2:01.29  3/18/2023 Kate Douglass, Virginia
      US Open: O 2:01.29  3/18/2023 Kate Douglass, Virginia
         Pool: P 2:04.80  2/23/2019 Anna Belousova, Texas A&M
    Name                 Year School               Seed    Prelims        
==================================================================
                      === Preliminaries ===                       
 
  1 McSharry, Mona         SR Tennessee         2:03.84    2:05.53  
    r:+0.68  28.80      1:00.41 (31.61)
        1:32.39 (31.98)     2:05.53 (33.14)
  2 Walsh, Alex            SR Virginia          2:02.24    2:05.59  
    r:+0.76  28.24        59.77 (31.53)
        1:32.42 (32.65)     2:05.59 (33.17)
  3 Nelson, Ella           5Y Virginia          2:04.29    2:05.75  
    r:+0.70  28.89      1:00.63 (31.74)
        1:32.80 (32.17)     2:05.75 (32.95)
  4 Gridley, Kaelyn        SO Duke              2:06.92    2:06.10  
    r:+0.72  28.78      1:00.56 (31.78)
        1:32.98 (32.42)     2:06.10 (33.12)
  5 Keating, Anna          SR Virginia          2:06.74    2:06.98  
    r:+0.69  28.95      1:01.01 (32.06)
        1:33.84 (32.83)     2:06.98 (33.14)
  6 Fast, Emelie           FR Tennessee         2:07.02    2:07.17  
    r:+0.68  28.43      1:00.66 (32.23)
        1:33.83 (33.17)     2:07.17 (33.34)
  7 Elendt, Anna           SR Texas             2:06.19    2:07.24  
    r:+0.71  28.95      1:01.21 (32.26)
        1:33.67 (32.46)     2:07.24 (33.57)
  8 Dobler, Kaitlyn        SR USC               2:06.28    2:07.30  
    r:+0.64  28.72      1:00.92 (32.20)
        1:33.71 (32.79)     2:07.30 (33.59)
  8 Lundgren, Emily        SO Washington St.    2:07.44    2:07.30  
    r:+0.71  28.99      1:01.40 (32.41)
        1:34.32 (32.92)     2:07.30 (32.98)

200 Butterfly

The Texas women have yet to win any events this week, but they sit in second place overall thanks to depth, diving and solid relay performances. Now, after occupying the second, third and fourth positions in the 100 butterfly, they look for a huge performance in the 200 fly. Olivia Bray claimed the top seed in prelims in 1:51.51, touching out teammate Emma Sticklen by three hundredths (1:51.54). Sticklen is the defending NCAA champion in this event, having clocked 1:49.95 to become the fifth-fastest swimmer in history, and she owns the quickest season best of anyone in the field at 1:50.31.

Texas also got a third swimmer into the final with Kelly Pash placing fifth in 1:52.09, but Virginia, the only team ahead of Texas in the title chase, got two up with Tess Howley dropping three seconds from her season best to qualify fourth in 1:51.95 and Abby Harter taking two seconds off to place seventh (1:52.63).

Cal’s Rachel Klinker, the fourth-place finisher in the 200-meter fly at last month’s World Championships in Doha, was the third seed in 1:51.80, so she will be the best-positioned of any non-Texas swimmer in the final. Stanford’s Lillie Nordmann took sixth (1:52.41) while Arizona State’s Lindsay Looney grabbed eighth (1:53.13).

Event 19  Women 200 Yard Butterfly
==================================================================
         NCAA: N 1:49.16  2/23/2024 Alex Walsh, Virginia
         Meet: M 1:49.95  3/18/2023 Emma Sticklen, Texas
     American: A 1:48.33  10/20/2023Regan Smith, Sun Devils
      US Open: O 1:48.33  10/20/2023Regan Smith, Sun Devils
         Pool: P 1:51.51  3/23/2024 Olivia Bray, Texas-US
    Name                 Year School               Seed    Prelims        
==================================================================
                      === Preliminaries ===                       
 
  1 Bray, Olivia           SR Texas             1:51.81    1:51.51P 
    r:+0.72  24.95        53.01 (28.06)
        1:22.10 (29.09)     1:51.51 (29.41)
  2 Sticklen, Emma         SR Texas             1:50.31    1:51.54  
    r:+0.68  24.03        51.95 (27.92)
        1:21.32 (29.37)     1:51.54 (30.22)
  3 Klinker, Rachel        5Y California        1:51.74    1:51.80  
    r:+0.68  25.48        53.45 (27.97)
        1:22.06 (28.61)     1:51.80 (29.74)
  4 Howley, Tess           FR Virginia          1:54.75    1:51.95  
    r:+0.68  25.14        53.69 (28.55)
        1:22.39 (28.70)     1:51.95 (29.56)
  5 Pash, Kelly            5Y Texas             1:51.22    1:52.09  
    r:+0.70  25.43        53.50 (28.07)
        1:22.21 (28.71)     1:52.09 (29.88)
  6 Nordmann, Lillie       JR Stanford          1:52.38    1:52.41  
    r:+0.66  25.07        53.37 (28.30)
        1:22.53 (29.16)     1:52.41 (29.88)
  7 Harter, Abby           SR Virginia          1:54.71    1:52.63  
    r:+0.75  25.38        53.75 (28.37)
        1:22.61 (28.86)     1:52.63 (30.02)
  8 Looney, Lindsay        5Y ASU               1:52.14    1:53.13  
    r:+0.65  25.49        53.89 (28.40)
        1:23.05 (29.16)     1:53.13 (30.08)

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