Virginia Breaks American and NCAA Records in Women’s 200 Free Relay; Gretchen Walsh Anchors in 20.58

gretchen-walsh-acc
Gretchen Walsh -- Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

Virginia Breaks American and NCAA Records in Women’s 200 Free Relay; Gretchen Walsh Anchors in 20.58

The University of Virginia women opened the ACC Championships with a dominant performance in the women’s 800 freestyle relay Tuesday evening, and they began the Wednesday evening session in even more impressive fashion as they took down a three-year-old American record in the 200 free relay. Virginia’s team of Kate Douglass (21.10), Alex Walsh (21.38), Lexi Cuomo (21.41) and Gretchen Walsh (20.58) swam a time of 1:24.47, eight hundredths faster than the 1:24.55 that Cal set at the 2019 NCAA Championships.

Douglass led off in a 21.10, just one hundredth off her best time of 21.09 that ranks her as the third-fastest performer in history, while Gretchen Walsh anchored in an insane 20.58, which is the sixth-fastest 50 freestyle relay split ever. Virginia’s time was almost a second-and-a-half faster than the 1:25.78 that Cal swam at last season’s NCAA Championships.

Virginia crushed the conference record of 1:25.97 set by a Cavaliers foursome also featuring Douglass, Cuomo and Alex Walsh at last year’s NCAA Championships. But the addition of the younger Walsh sister to the squad gives the Cavaliers a group that looks essentially untouchable heading into the national championships.

NC State finished second in 1:26.51 with Katharine Berkoff, Kylie AlonsSophie Hansson and Heather Maccausland, while Louisville’s Gabi Albiero, Christiana RegenauerTristan Ulett and Arina Openysheva took third in 1:27.08.

Live Results

Event 5  Women 200 Yard Freestyle Relay
==================================================================================
         MEET: # 1:26.15  2/21/2019 North Carolina State Universit, NC St
                          K Perry, K Alons, S Rowe, S Hansson
         CONF: % 1:25.97  3/18/2021 University of Virginia, UVA
                          K. Douglass, A, Cuomo, K. Valls, A.Walsh
         AMER: $ 1:24.55  3/21/2019 California
                          M Murphy, K McLaughlin, A Bilquist, A Weitzeil
         USOP: & 1:24.55  3/21/2019 California, California
                          M Murphy, K McLaughlin, A Bilquist, A Weitzeil
         NCAA: ! 1:24.55  3/21/2019 California
                          M Murphy, K McLaughlin, A Bilquist, A Weitzeil
         Pool: ^ 1:26.80  3/17/2016 California, Calif
                          F Osman, K Vredeveld, V Hull, A Bilquist
                 1:28.43  A
                 1:29.21  B
    School                           Seed     Finals       Points 
==================================================================================
  1 UVA  'A'                      1:26.61    1:24.47$A       64  
     1) Douglass, Katherine C JR      2) r:0.39 Walsh, Alexandra SO   
     3) r:0.19 Cuomo, Alexa JR        4) r:0.12 Walsh, Gretchen FR    
    r:+0.66  21.10        42.48 (21.38)
        1:03.89 (21.41)     1:24.47 (20.58)
  2 NCSU  'A'                     1:27.61    1:26.51^A       56  
     1) Berkoff, Katharine F JR       2) r:0.17 Alons, Kylee SR       
     3) r:0.29 Hansson, Sophie SR     4) r:0.07 Maccausland, Hether JR
    r:+0.69  21.63        42.74 (21.11)
        1:04.55 (21.81)     1:26.51 (21.96)
  3 Louisville  'A'               1:27.83    1:27.08 A       54  
     1) Albiero, Gabriela M SO        2) r:0.06 Regenauer, Chriiana JR
     3) r:0.28 Ulett, Tristen SO      4) r:0.16 Openysheva, Arina SR  
    r:+0.61  21.92        43.51 (21.59)
        1:05.33 (21.82)     1:27.08 (21.75)
  4 UNC  'A'                      1:29.30    1:27.13 A       52  
     1) Countie, Grace K SR           2) r:0.08 Nel, Olivia FR        
     3) r:0.12 Pattison, Greer FR     4) r:0.07 Lowe, Heidi SR        
    r:+0.70  21.63        43.35 (21.72)
        1:05.30 (21.95)     1:27.13 (21.83)
  5 VT  'A'                       1:29.60    1:27.96 A       50  
     1) Landon, Anna G SR             2) r:0.19 Shackelford, Sarah JR 
     3) r:0.04 Bentz, Caroline SO     4) r:0.15 Atkinson, Emma SO     
    r:+0.67  21.96        43.58 (21.62)
        1:05.77 (22.19)     1:27.96 (22.19)
  6 FSU  'A'                      1:29.57    1:29.39         48  
     1) Moynihan, Rebecca E SR        2) r:0.32 Halden, Jenny SO      
     3) r:-0.02 Quaglieri, Tania JR   4) r:0.17 McDonald, Madeleine SR
    r:+0.70  22.64        44.86 (22.22)
        1:07.14 (22.28)     1:29.39 (22.25)
  7 Duke  'A'                     1:31.68    1:29.65         46  
     1) Smith, Mckenna A FR           2) r:0.23 Snyder, Sarah JR      
     3) r:0.14 Truong, Kyanh FR       4) r:0.23 Hollander, Shayna SR  
    r:+0.69  22.65        44.90 (22.25)
        1:07.48 (22.58)     1:29.65 (22.17)
  8 ND  'A'                       1:30.31    1:30.07         44  
     1) Christman, Madelyn T FR       2) r:0.05 Gillilan, Coleen JR   
     3) r:0.01 Potter, Madison JR     4) r:0.08 Scannell, Quinn 5Y    
    r:+0.64  23.10        45.23 (22.13)
        1:07.78 (22.55)     1:30.07 (22.29)
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