ACC Championships: Gretchen Walsh Leads Off in 1:40.23 as Virginia Women Swim Second-Fastest 800 Freestyle Relay in History

gretchen-walsh-
Virginia's Gretchen Walsh -- Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

Left Sidebar

ACC Championships: Gretchen Walsh Leads Off in 1:40.23 as Virginia Women Swim Second-Fastest 800 Freestyle Relay in History

During each of the last three seasons, the University of Virginia women swam the fastest time ever in the 200 medley relay at the ACC Championships. That was not the case this year, for good reason — Virginia did not include any of the swimmers who swam on last year’s NCAA-title-winning and record-setting quartet.

Kate Douglass and Lexi Cuomo have both concluded their college swimming careers, but sisters Gretchen Walsh and Alex Walsh were missing. However, that absence set up both Walsh sisters to race on all four remaining Virginia relays at this meet, including the 800 freestyle relay later in Tuesday night’s session. And that 800 free relay, which featured Gretchen racing an event at a championship meet for the first time, featured a magical, near-record-breaking performance.

On the leadoff leg, Gretchen put a serious scare into the American record, the 1:39.10 set by Missy Franklin nine years ago. At the 50-yard mark, Walsh was seven tenths under record pace and still six tenths up at the halfway point before she faded slightly. Still, Gretchen came into the wall at 1:40.23, a mark that only Franklin and Mallory Comerford (1:39.80) have ever surpassed.

At that point, Virginia’s lead was enormous, and the next three Cavaliers extended the margin. Alex split 1:41.23, just off the 1:41.18 she swam on last year’s NCAA-title-winning relay, while Aimee Canny split 1:42.24 and Ella Nelson came home in 1:42.58. The Virginia women were so far ahead of the field that even Nelson, the slowest of the four swimmers, was almost a second-and-a-half quicker than the next-best split in the field, the 1:43.98 of Louisville’s Paige Hetrick.

More importantly, Virginia’s swim resulted in a final mark of 6:46.28, which was just 37-hundredths off the American, NCAA and U.S. Open records of 6:45.91 established by Stanford in 2017. That Stanford squad included three Olympians, Simone Manuel, Lia Neal and Katie Ledecky, along with multi-time NCAA champion Ella Eastin, and the Cavaliers still managed to beat the time. In the process, Virginia crushed the conference record of 6:49.82 set in winning last year’s NCAA title.

Virginia could take another shot at the mark at the NCAA Championships next month, although Gretchen could move off this relay to focus on the four sprint relays. Still, with Gretchen on the squad or another swimmer such as Reilly Tiltmann or Maxine Parker taking the fourth spot, Virginia will be heavy favorites on the national level.

Meanwhile, it was a battle for second place between the rest of the teams in the field, but Louisville distinguished itself quickly, with Fernanda Gomes Celidonio, Summer Cardwell and Tristen Ulett all going 1:45s before Hetrick shined on the anchor leg. Louisville came in at 7:00.31 for an “A” cut for the NCAA Championships. NC State’s team of Annabel Crush, Kennedy Noble, Katherine Helms and Keelan Cotter placed third in 7:04.16, with Cotter holding off North Carolina and anchor Ellie Vannote by 15-hundredths.

Event 5  Women 800 Yard Freestyle Relay
==================================================================================
         MEET: # 6:53.37  2/15/2022 Virginia, University of, UVA-VA
                          R Tiltmann, M Nelson, E Bathurst, A Walsh
         CONF: % 6:49.82  3/15/2023 University of Virginia, UVA
                          A. Canny, A. Walsh, R Tiltmann, E. Nelson
         AMER: $ 6:45.91  3/15/2017 Stanford
                          S Manuel, L Neal, E Eastin, K Ledecky
         USOP: & 6:45.91  3/15/2017 Stanford, Stanford
                          S Manuel, L Neal, E Eastin, K Ledecky
         NCAA: ! 6:45.91  3/15/2017 Stanford
                          S Manuel, L Neal, E Eastin, K Ledecky
         Pool: * 6:50.99  3/20/2015 California, CAL-P
                          C Rung, C Cheng, E Pelton, M Franklin
                 7:00.86  A
                 7:05.88  B
    School                           Seed     Finals       Points 
==================================================================================
  1 UVA  'A'                      6:52.75    6:46.28%A       64  
     1) Walsh, Gretchen               2) r:0.29 Walsh, Alexandra      
     3) r:0.15 Canny, Aimee           4) r:0.37 Nelson, Margaret      
    r:+0.76  22.24        47.15 (47.15)
      1:13.26 (1:13.26)   1:40.23 (1:40.23)
        2:03.41 (23.18)     2:28.88 (48.65)
      2:55.07 (1:14.84)   3:21.46 (1:41.23)
        3:44.90 (23.44)     4:11.03 (49.57)
      4:37.39 (1:15.93)   5:03.70 (1:42.24)
        5:27.50 (23.80)     5:53.40 (49.70)
      6:19.83 (1:16.13)   6:46.28 (1:42.58)
  2 Louisville  'A'               7:02.71    7:00.31 A       56  
     1) Gomes Celidonio, Fernanda     2) r:0.27 Cardwell, Summer      
     3) r:0.49 Ulett, Tristen         4) r:0.26 Hetrick, Paige        
    r:+0.69  24.32        50.74 (50.74)
      1:17.44 (1:17.44)   1:45.36 (1:45.36)
        2:09.00 (23.64)     2:35.31 (49.95)
      3:02.88 (1:17.52)   3:30.57 (1:45.21)
        3:54.55 (23.98)     4:21.19 (50.62)
      4:48.76 (1:18.19)   5:16.33 (1:45.76)
        5:39.66 (23.33)     6:05.75 (49.42)
      6:32.76 (1:16.43)   7:00.31 (1:43.98)
  3 NC State  'A'                 7:03.44    7:04.16 B       54  
     1) Crush, Annabel                2) r:0.18 Noble, Helen          
     3) r:0.22 Helms, Katherine       4) r:0.26 Cotter, Keelan        
    r:+0.74  24.34        50.92 (50.92)
      1:18.21 (1:18.21)   1:45.40 (1:45.40)
        2:09.55 (24.15)     2:36.13 (50.73)
      3:03.56 (1:18.16)   3:31.50 (1:46.10)
        3:55.72 (24.22)     4:23.35 (51.85)
      4:51.13 (1:19.63)   5:18.16 (1:46.66)
        5:42.11 (23.95)     6:08.91 (50.75)
      6:36.53 (1:18.37)   7:04.16 (1:46.00)
  4 UNC  'A'                      7:12.72    7:04.31 B       52  
     1) Nel, Georgia                  2) r:0.14 Sowards, Elizabeth    
     3) r:0.22 Smith, Madeline        4) r:0.22 Vannote, Elizabeth    
    r:+0.72  24.39        51.23 (51.23)
      1:18.14 (1:18.14)   1:45.47 (1:45.47)
        2:09.70 (24.23)     2:36.50 (51.03)
      3:04.11 (1:18.64)   3:32.19 (1:46.72)
        3:56.89 (24.70)     4:23.94 (51.75)
      4:51.13 (1:18.94)   5:19.18 (1:46.99)
        5:43.35 (24.17)     6:09.83 (50.65)
      6:36.83 (1:17.65)   7:04.31 (1:45.13)
  5 Miami  'A'                    7:06.48    7:04.79 B       50  
     1) Bates, Talia                  2) r:0.43 Barr, Savannah        
     3) r:0.22 Fitzgerald, Jane       4) r:0.19 Cera, Adrianna        
    r:+0.72  24.52        51.26 (51.26)
      1:18.46 (1:18.46)   1:45.48 (1:45.48)
        2:10.12 (24.64)     2:37.21 (51.73)
      3:04.42 (1:18.94)   3:32.12 (1:46.64)
        3:56.53 (24.41)     4:23.74 (51.62)
      4:51.55 (1:19.43)   5:19.23 (1:47.11)
        5:43.30 (24.07)     6:09.96 (50.73)
      6:36.94 (1:17.71)   7:04.79 (1:45.56)
  6 VA Tech  'A'                  7:10.25    7:05.01 B       48  
     1) Atkinson, Emma                2) r:0.26 Bentz, Caroline       
     3) r:0.41 Weiler Sastre, Carmen  4) r:0.42 Claesson, Emily       
    r:+0.78  24.64        50.97 (50.97)
      1:18.76 (1:18.76)   1:46.77 (1:46.77)
        2:10.56 (23.79)     2:37.01 (50.24)
      3:04.22 (1:17.45)   3:31.84 (1:45.07)
        3:56.43 (24.59)     4:23.53 (51.69)
      4:50.78 (1:18.94)   5:17.87 (1:46.03)
        5:42.24 (24.37)     6:09.43 (51.56)
      6:37.28 (1:19.41)   7:05.01 (1:47.14)
  7 Duke  'A'                     7:15.30    7:06.32         46  
     1) Foley, Sarah                  2) r:0.10 Chang, Yi Xuan        
     3) r:0.35 Wall, Tatum            4) r:0.31 Purnell, Catherine    
    r:+0.66  24.34        50.86 (50.86)
      1:18.19 (1:18.19)   1:45.16 (1:45.16)
        2:09.21 (24.05)     2:36.48 (51.32)
      3:04.65 (1:19.49)   3:32.60 (1:47.44)
        3:56.90 (24.30)     4:24.46 (51.86)
      4:51.96 (1:19.36)   5:19.70 (1:47.10)
        5:43.75 (24.05)     6:10.68 (50.98)
      6:38.41 (1:18.71)   7:06.32 (1:46.62)
  8 FSU  'A'                      7:11.91    7:08.51         44  
     1) Ratiu, Maysa                  2) r:0.36 Griffiths, Phoebe     
     3) r:0.15 Freeman, Sophie        4) r:0.22 Jernstedt, Edith      
    r:+0.69  25.13        51.86 (51.86)
      1:19.03 (1:19.03)   1:46.21 (1:46.21)
        2:10.45 (24.24)                    
      3:05.48 (1:19.27)   3:33.09 (1:46.88)
        3:57.30 (24.21)     4:24.56 (51.47)
      4:52.53 (1:19.44)   5:20.62 (1:47.53)
        5:44.85 (24.23)     6:12.04 (51.42)
      6:40.07 (1:19.45)   7:08.51 (1:47.89)

Also in the opening session of racing Tuesday evening, NC State’s men set an American record in winning the 200 medley relay while finals in women’s 3-meter diving and men’s 1-meter diving were contested.

Women’s 200 Medley Relay

No Walsh sisters, no problem, at least on this occasion. Even without the services of that powerhouse sister duo, Virginia won the opening event of the ACC Championships by four tenths, with the team of Reilly Tiltmann, Jasmine Nocentini, Carly Novelline and Maxine Parker combining for a time of 1:33.84, just 15-hundredths off Virginia’s season-best time that ranks tops in the country this season.

Virginia led wire-to-wire, with Nocentini opening up the lead with her 25.49 breaststroke split, a mark believed to be quicker than any breaststroker in history aside from Lilly King. Parker closed in 21.27 to hold off a stunning finish from NC State’s Katharine Berkoff.

Virginia was more than two seconds off the American and NCAA records of 1:31.53 a completely different Cavaliers squad set last season, but given the addition of Nocentini and the improvement of Parker, Virginia could plausibly break this mark at the NCAA Championships next month. Last year, Gretchen Walsh led off in 22.77, one-and-a-half seconds quicker than Tiltmann’s opening split here, and Alex Walsh would likely be capable of splitting a half-second quicker than Novelline on fly.

NC State came in second at 1:34.22, good for No. 5 in the national rankings, with Kennedy Noble, Abby Arens, Miriam Sheehan and Berkoff racing for the Wolfpack. Berkoff came home in 20.40, also among the quickest splits in history; Kate Douglass and Maggie Mac Neil were the only two racers to beat that time at last year’s NCAAs.

Third went to North Carolina in 1:35.15, with Greer Pattison, Skyler Smith, Ellie Vannote and Delaney Carlton racing for the Tar Heels. Louisville, with Gabi Albiero anchoring in 21.22, came in just behind at 1:35.37.

Event 3  Women 200 Yard Medley Relay
==================================================================================
         MEET: # 1:31.73  2/14/2023 University of Virginia, UVA-VA
                          G Walsh, A Walsh, A Cuomo, K Douglass
         CONF: % 1:31.53  3/15/2023 University of Virginia, UVA-VA
                          G Walsh, A Walsh, A Cuomo, K Douglass
         AMER: $ 1:31.73  2/14/2023 University of Virginia, UVA-VA
                          G Walsh, A Walsh, A Cuomo, K Douglass
         USOP: & 1:31.73  2/14/2023 University of Virginia, UVA-VA
                          G Walsh, A Walsh, A Cuomo, K Douglass
         NCAA: ! 1:31.73  2/14/2023 University of Virginia, UVA-VA
                          G Walsh, A Walsh, A Cuomo, K Douglass
         Pool: * 1:31.73  2/14/2023 University of Virginia, UVA-V
                          G Walsh, A Walsh, A Cuomo, K Douglass
                 1:36.24  A
                 1:37.00  B
    School                           Seed     Finals       Points 
==================================================================================
  1 UVA  'A'                      1:33.69    1:33.84 A       64  
     1) Tiltmann, Reilly              2) r:0.04 Nocentini, Jasmine    
     3) r:0.19 Novelline, Carly       4) r:0.21 Parker, Maxine        
    r:+0.64  24.28        49.77 (25.49)
        1:12.57 (22.80)     1:33.84 (21.27)
  2 NC State  'A'                 1:34.40    1:34.22 A       56  
     1) Noble, Helen                  2) r:0.04 Arens, Abigail        
     3) r:0.13 Sheehan, Miriam        4) r:0.01 Berkoff, Katharine    
    r:+0.96  23.80        50.68 (26.88)
        1:13.82 (23.14)     1:34.22 (20.40)
  3 UNC  'A'                      1:38.27    1:35.15 A       54  
     1) Pattison, Greer               2) r:0.22 Smith, Skyler         
     3) r:0.17 Vannote, Elizabeth     4) r:0.19 Carlton, Delaney      
    r:+0.70  23.93        50.13 (26.20)
        1:13.14 (23.01)     1:35.15 (22.01)
  4 Louisville  'A'               1:35.88    1:35.37 A       52  
     1) Barrett, Karoline             2) r:0.93 Welch, Ella           
     3) r:0.48 Regenauer, Christiana  4) r:0.20 Albiero, Gabriela     
    r:+0.72  24.55        51.24 (26.69)
        1:14.15 (22.91)     1:35.37 (21.22)
  5 Duke  'A'                     1:36.56    1:35.85 A       50  
     1) Pfaff, Alison                 2) r:0.27 Gridley, Kaelyn       
     3) r:0.12 Ozkan, Aleyna          4) r:0.14 Wall, Tatum           
    r:+0.82  24.50        51.36 (26.86)
        1:14.41 (23.05)     1:35.85 (21.44)
  6 FSU  'A'                      1:36.24    1:36.20 A       48  
     1) Evans, Sarah                  2) r:0.14 Huggins, Madeline     
     3) r:0.28 Halden, Jenny          4) r:0.08 Muzito, Gloria        
    r:+0.72  24.50        51.25 (26.75)
        1:14.17 (22.92)     1:36.20 (22.03)
  7 Miami  'A'                    1:37.38    1:37.04         46  
     1) Shuppert, Emma                2) r:0.11 Sundstrand, Emma      
     3) r:0.22 Carvalho, Giulia       4) r:0.22 Bates, Talia          
    r:+0.66  24.30        51.99 (27.69)
        1:15.05 (23.06)     1:37.04 (21.99)
  8 Pitt  'A'                     1:36.92    1:37.09         44  
     1) Jansen, Claire                2) r:0.12 Strong, Jessica       
     3) r:0.17 Yendell, Sophie        4) r:0.36 Kudlac, Avery         
    r:+0.69  24.34        52.23 (27.89)
        1:14.35 (22.12)     1:37.09 (22.74)

Women’s 3-Meter Diving

As expected, the first diving win of the meet belonged to North Carolina’s Aranza Vazquez, the winner of both springboard titles at last year’s NCAA Championships. Vazquez edged out Duke’s Mago Omera, who was the top qualifier out of prelims, by less than 11 points to take the title. Vazquez scored 366.30, followed by Omera at 355.35 and Virginia Tech’s Grace Austin at 331.70.

Event 2  Women 3 mtr Diving
=========================================================================
         MEET: # 439.70  2/19/2010 Abby Johnston, Duke
         CONF: % 439.70  2/17/2010 Abby Johnston, Duke
         Pool: * 410.25  3/20/2015 Yu Zhou, UMIN
    Name           Year School            Prelims     Finals       Points 
=========================================================================
                             === Finals ===                              
 
  1 Vazquez, Aranza  SR UNC                313.80     366.30         32  
  2 Omeara, Margo E  JR Duke               325.95     355.35         28  
  3 Austin, Grace    SO VA Tech            285.90     331.70         27  
  4 Courtney, Grace  SO Notre Dame         292.70     325.55         26  
  5 Brady, Calie E   JR Notre Dame         310.25     319.20         25  
  6 Gizzi, Lindsay   JR Louisville         305.85     317.80         24  
  7 Prassterink, El  SR Louisville         303.85     310.05         23  
  8 Vear, Samantha   SR FSU                315.50     302.30         22

The victory by Vazquez actually gave North Carolina an early lead in the team standings, although we should expect significant change once a full slate of swimming events get underway Wednesday.

Women - Team Rankings - Through Event 5                      
 
  1. North Carolina, University of     159   2. Louisville, University of         155
  3. Virginia, University of           154   4. North Carolina State Universit    144
  5. Duke University                   142   6. Notre Dame, University of         139
  7. Florida State University          128   8. VA Tech                           115
  9. University of Miami (Florida)      96  10. Pittsburgh, University of          85
 10. Georgia Institute of Technolog     85
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x