Walsh Sisters Post Nation’s Top Two Times in 100 Breaststroke at Cavalier Invite
The sisters have become stars at the University of Virginia, both winning numerous individual NCAA titles and Olympic medals, but Alex Walsh and Gretchen Walsh rarely compete in the same events unless they are joining forces for a Cavaliers relay. Thus, the 100 breaststroke Friday evening at the Cavalier Invite was a highly unusual occurrence, and the result was a pair of outstanding times in an event neither typically swims.
Alex entered with the country’s top time in the 100 breaststroke, achieved at the Eddie Reese Texas Showdown two weeks ago, but Gretchen swam a huge personal best in prelims. Her 57.34 jumped her to No. 2 in the national rankings behind her older sister while beating her previous top mark of 59.75 from last January. Before that, Gretchen had topped out at 1:01.71 in high school.
In the final, the sisters raced in the two center lanes, but Alex got the win by the slimmest of margins, 56.85 to 56.86. Those times are more than six tenths ahead of anyone else in the country this season.
Alex’s recent form in the event indicates she might race the 100 breast during championship season for the first time in her college career, but this was surely a one-time deal for Gretchen. Coming off a seven-gold-medal performance at the Short Course World Championships, the younger sister will focus on the events in which she is the fastest swimmer ever, the 50 and 100 freestyle, 100 butterfly and possibly 100 backstroke.
In other events, Claire Curzan recorded a mark of 1:41.99 in the 200 free, beating her three-year-old best time by four tenths. Curzan moved up to No. 4 in the country in the event, trailing Indiana’s Anna Peplowski, Michigan’s Stephanie Balduccini and Stanford’s Torri Huske. Curzan is in the midst of a strong season, which included swimming the fastest time ever in the 200 backstroke in November. As with Gretchen Walsh in the 200 free, Curzan is unlikely to race the event at the NCAA Championships, but her potential presence on 800 free relay for Virginia could be a difference-maker.