Swimmers Gretchen Walsh (Virginia), Alex Walsh (Virginia), Bella Sims (Florida), and diver Aranza Vazquez Montano (North Carolina) have been nominated for the 2024 Honda Sport Award for Swimming & Diving by the Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA). Chris Voelz, Executive Director of the CWSA, made the announcement on April 10th.
The nominees were selected by “a panel of experts and coaches” from the CSCAA. Each of the over 1,000 NCAA member schools receive one vote to select the winner.
The award is presented annually by the Collegiate Women Sports Awards to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA- sanctioned sports (cross country, soccer, field hockey, volleyball, swimming and diving, basketball, track and field, softball, gymnastics, golf, and tennis). The winner of each sport award automatically becomes a finalist for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the 2024 Honda Cup, which will be presented as part of a live telecast on CBS Sports Network on Monday, June 24, 2024, at 7 PM ET from New York City.
Last season, Kate Douglass became the first swimmer to win the Honda Sport Award more than once since Natalie Coughlin, who earned the honor in 2003 and 2002. Douglass won in 2022 and 2023. This is G. Walsh’s third nomination for the Honda Award. She and Vazquez Montano were both finalists last season.
See all of the past women’s sport award winners here.
Swimmers have won the Honda Cup on 9 occasions in the 48 years of the award, second-most to basketball:
- 2018 – Simone Manuel, Stanford
- 2017 – Katie Ledecky, Stanford
- 2015 – Missy Franklin, Cal
- 2004 – Tara Kirk, Stanford
- 2000 – Cristina Teuscher, Columbia
- 1987 – Mary T. Meagher, Cal
- 1984 – Tracy Caulkins, Florida (Tie)
- 1982 – Tracy Caulkins, Florida
- 1981 – Jill Sterkel, Texas
In 2023, Caitlin Clark won the Honda Cup. As this season’s sport award winner for basketball, she’ll be in the running for her second-straight Honda Cup honor.
Athlete Biographies courtesy: CWSA
Sims captured two individual 2024 NCAA Swimming Championship titles in record-setting fashion winning the 500 Free and the 200 Free with new school, conference and pool records. The freshman from Henderson, Nev., also swam the lead leg in the 800 Free Relay helping her team to the NCAA title and a school, conference and pool record. She has earned seven All-America honors in her first season.
Vazquez Montano, a diver hailing from La Paz, Mexico, was a Honda Award finalist last season and has won back-to-back CSCAA Diver of the Year honors. For the second year in a row, the senior swept the national titles in both the 1-meter and 3-meter dives. She is an 11-time CSCAA All-American with five First Team All-America honors.
The Walsh sisters, hailing from Nashville, Tenn., helped Virginia to its fourth consecutive NCAA team title and the team’s fifth consecutive ACC Championship title.
Alex Walsh, a senior, captured three individual NCAA titles in the 200 IM, 400 IM and 200 Breaststroke and also swam on three NCAA Championship relay teams- 200 Free relay, 400 Medley relay and 400 Free relay. Overall, she is a 19-time NCAA Champion and a 27-time CSCAA All-American.
Gretchen Walsh is a junior and a two-time Honda Award finalist. She was named the 2024 CSCAA Swimmer of the Year after capturing three individual NCAA titles setting the fastest times ever in those races for the 50 Free, 100 Free and 100 Fly. She also swam legs on all four of UVA’s championship relay teams- 200 Free relay, 400 Free relay, 200 Medley relay and 400 Medley relay.
The Walsh parents did something right in producing two world-class swimmers who are also really smart (both are on the ACC Academic Team). It must suck, though, for Alex and Gretchen to constantly be in competition with each other. They also seem to be good at basically everything they do, which is impressive.
who is Sarah Bacon and how did she win in 2021
Really good diver from Minnesota