Gretchen Walsh Sets 100 Free Pool Record, 21.50 Fly Split in Virginia Tri-Meet

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

Gretchen Walsh Sets 100 Free Pool Record, 21.50 Fly Split in Virginia Tri-Meet

Virginia’s Gretchen Walsh continued her torrid season by setting a pool record in the women’s 100 freestyle and laying down the fastest 50 fly split in NCAA history Saturday.

Walsh went 46.40 in the 100 free to take down the Aquatics and Fitness Center mark. She had earlier gone 21.50 in the 50 fly on Virginia’s winning 200 medley relay that went 1:35.98.

Walsh contributed to the top-ranked Cavaliers’ wins over No. 8 NC State, 265.5-87.5, and No. 20 North Carolina, 272.5-80.5

On the men’s side, No. 4 NC State beat No. 18 Virginia, 244-109, while the Cavaliers topped UNC, 222-131.

Virginia started Day 2 of the tri-meet by winning the 200 medley relay, with Alex Walsh, Zoe Skirboll, Gretchen Walsh and Aimee Canny. The Cavaliers went 1-2 in that race.

Gretchen Walsh won the 100 free in 46.40, exactly 2.5 seconds ahead of NC State’s Katharine Berkoff. Maxime Parker of UVA was third.

Walsh split 46.41 off the Cavs’ winning 400 free relay, joining Alex Walsh, Canny and Jasmine Nocentini. The foursome clocked in at 3:13.04, their winning margin 5.5 seconds.

Alex Walsh won the 100 fly in 52.25, edging teammate Tess Howley. Walsh was second to Canny in the 200 free, the latter winning in 1:45.61.

Cavan Gormsen completed the distance double for Virginia by winning the 1,000 free in 9:44.83. Tess Howley won a narrow race in the 100 backstroke in 52.76. Nocentini led a 1-2-3 in the 100 breaststroke in 59.05, Emma Weber joining her in second at 59.95. Ella Nelson wrapped up the session with a time of 1:59.06 to win the 200 individual medley.

NC State’s Emma Hastings was second in the 1,000 free, as was Kennedy Noble in the 100 back.

UNC’s win on Saturday came via Aranza Vazquez Montano, who was tops in 1-meter diving with a score of 319.40 points. Second was Virginia’s Elizabeth Kaye.

On the men’s side, NC State stamped its authority on Day 2 with a 1-2-3 finish out of the gates in the men’s 1,000 free. Ross Dant bested the field in 9:02.19, six seconds up on teammate Owen Lloyd. James Plage rounded out the trio.

The Wolfpack dominated both relays. Aidan Hayes, Sam Hoover, Kacper Stokowski and Quintin McCarty went 1:24.92 to win the 200 medley. Stokowski and McCarty teamed with Luke Miller and Jerry Fox for a tie of 2:52.05 in the 400 free, the Wolfpack going 1-2.

McCarty won a thrilling race over Matt Brownstead in the 100 free, the NC State sprinter going 42.78 to edge Brownstead’s 42.93. Hayes was second to Stokowski’s 46.02 in the 100 back and second to Miller’s 46.35 in the 100 fly. Fox captured the 200 free in 1:35.04.

NC State also went 1-2 in diving, with Renato Calderaro winning 3-meter with a score of 372.60 to start the day. Teammate Bayne Bennett was second.

In his first meet as a collegiate, NC State’s Daniel Diehl finished third in the 200 free (1:36.08) and third in the 200 IM (1:47.46).

Virginia eventually got on the winning side of the ledger. Sebastien Sergile had been second in the 200 free, then took home the 200 IM in 1:46.76. Noah Nichols polished off the breaststroke double by going 52.38 in the 100, a 1-2 result with Max Iida.

UNC’s Louis Dramm was second in the 200 IM. Boyd Poelke was third in the 100 fly.

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