Gretchen Walsh hit three lifetime-bests at the Music City Invite, including a 21.41 in the 50-yard free that moves her to #2 all-time among U.S. 17-to-18-year-olds.
Full results available on Meet Mobile under “2020 NAC Music City Invite.”
The 17-year-old Walsh is still on the younger end of the age group. She has about 14 more months to compete in the 17-18 age group. But the Nashville Aquatic Club swimmer is wasting no time in rewriting USA Swimming’s historical ranks.
Walsh wen 21.41 to win the 50 free at the NAC Music City Invite, which featured a handful of Tennessee clubs in Nashville from Friday to Sunday. That’s a drop of .09 from Walsh’s previous best time. It also moves her from #4 all-time to #2 all-time in the U.S. 17-18 ranks. Here’s a look at those all-time rankings:
Top 50y Freestylers – 17-18 age group
- Simone Manuel (2015) – 21.32
- Gretchen Walsh (2020) – 21.41
- Torri Huske (2020) – 21.43
- Abbey Weitzeil (2014) – 21.49
- Kate Douglass (2019) – 21.53
Of special note there for college swimming fans: the University of Virginia will end up with two of those top five on their roster as of next year, assuming current high school senior Walsh doesn’t defer her enrollments. Douglass is a current sophomore on the UVA team.
Walsh also dropped her lifetime-best in the 100 back from 51.75 to 51.50. That puts her 18th all-time in the 17-18 age group. And she took her 100 fly from 52.03 to 51.73, checking in at 22nd all-time for 17-18s.
St. Charles Swim Team’s Alec Filipovic won three races and earned five new lifetime-best swims. The 16-year-old was dropped more than three seconds to go 1:45.82 in the 200 fly. We had him ranked #6 nationally in the high school graduating class of 2022, but this time should put him among the best 200 flyers in the entire class.
Filipovich was also 47.37 in the 100 fly, dropping more than half a second. He hit lifetime-bests of 44.30 in the 100 free, 48.36 in the 100 back, and 1:50.44 in the 200 back. He’s a verbal commit to the University of Texas for the fall of 2022.
A few other key swims from that meet:
- 17-year-old Evan Petty of Nashville Aquatic Club won a trio of events, including a lifetime-best 1:45.44 to win the 200 back. That’s a drop of almost a second, and he took two tenths off his 50 free (20.51) and a half-second from his 100 free (45.13). Petty is a verbal commit to the University of California for 2021.
- Sam Powe, 16, had two solid backstroke lifetime-bests for McCallie/GPS. He was 1:45.49 to very nearly knock off Petty in the 200 back, and 48.60 in the 100 back. That 200 back was a drop of almost three seconds.
- 18-year-old Alex Massey was a tick off her lifetime-best in the 200 fly, winning in 1:59.44. She also won the 200 IM (2:03.07). Massey is a verbal commit to Yale.
- Birmingham Y Blue Dolphin Ethan Schwab won the 100 breast (56.11) and 200 breast (2:03.17) with massive time drops. The 15-year-old Schwab cut almost two and a half seconds in the 100 breast and more than five in the 200 breast.
Where is she gonna go to college or is she gonna go straight to ISL??
It says in the article.
Alec Filipovic set 4 new Illinois State records during this meet: 100 free, 100 fly, 100 back and 200 fly.
Congrats to Gretchen and her coaches at Nashville Aquatic Club. They’re doing a nice job down there!
She’s moving up the charts real quick. That Phelps like wingspan is the truth.
isn’t Huske headed to Stanford or did a recommitment happen?
She is going to Stanford. Article says UVa in error.
Not sure if the article was edited before I read it:
Of special note there for college swimming fans: the University of Virginia will end up with two of those top five on their roster as of next year, assuming current high school senior Walsh doesn’t defer her enrollments. Douglass is a current sophomore on the UVA team.