2024 WOMEN’S NCAA SWIMMING AND DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
- March 20-23, 2024
- Gabrielsen Natatorium, Athens, Georgia
- Short Course Yards (25 yards)
- Pre-Scratch Psych Sheets
University of Virginia junior Gretchen Walsh won’t defend her NCAA title in the 100 yard backstroke, instead opting to take on the 100 yard fly on day 3 of the 2024 NCAA Championships.
With Tuesday’s release of the pre-selection entry sheets for the NCAA Championships, we learned that Walsh will keep the same individual entries for NCAAs that she had for ACCs, racing the 50 free on day 2, the 100 fly on day 3, and the 100 free on day 4.
That is a variation from last year, where in spite of the same ACC Championship entry, she switched to (and won by nine-tenths of a second) the 100 back at the NCAA Championships. She also swam the 100 free (1st), 100 back (2nd), and 50 free (2nd) at the 2022 NCAA Championships as a freshman.
While she is the fastest swimmer in the NCAA in all four events this season (and all-time), on paper the 100 fly is a surer bet than the 100 back. In the 100 fly, she swam 48.25 at ACCs, whereas the second-best this season is Texas’ Emma Sticklen in 50.36. In fact, Texas Longhorns are seeded 2-3-4 in this event, with Florida swimmers Olivia Peoples (tied-4th) and Isabel Ivey (6th) being the next two seeds. As the Cavaliers’ two main rivals on the march to what appears to be a fourth-straight NCAA title, Walsh’s win there holds pretty-significant point implications, especially with Virginia not projected to have any other individual scorers.
In the 100 back, meanwhile, her 48.10 is just six-tenths ahead of the World Championships bronze medalist Katharine Berkoff of NC State (48.70). Walsh was still the favorite there, but Berkoff seems the more likely of the two races to hit a perfect taper and pull an upset.
Plus the Cavaliers have more probable scorers in that 100 back with Reilly Tiltmann (11th seed) and Carly Novelline (18th seed).
While this means Walsh won’t swim the 100 back individually at NCAAs, she still has a shot at breaking her own NCAA Record in the event via a leadoff leg of the Cavaliers’ 400 medley relay.
Do we think she’s on the 8FR?
Would’ve been fun to be a fly on the wall during those meetings. Todd with W sisters, Nesty with Bella…… Big question, how will the streaming be for NCAA’s?? It will be quite a show.
If using relay leadoffs to swim more events (and more records)… would love to see indv 200 back! After her 1:40.3 freestyle at ACCs and 1:52 IM at uva first-chance meet . . . GW clearly has the chops for 200s. Would love to see her do a rested 200 back. She’s been 1:51 in a dual meet. 1:48 would be a conservative guess (:51/57), and Beata’s 1:47.2 record would have to be in play. DeSorbo has noted she’s done more threshold training this year to prepare for LC 100s. It seems to be working. Sprinting has not been bad either…
I think this choice was made because she can still break the NCAA record in the 100 back on the relay, and her and Todd both know there’s room for improvement in the 100 fly
While this may be true, I think the more obvious/straightforward reason is she will be swimming the 100 fly at Olympic Trials and this choice lines up with that
the question is… can Alex take down Kate’s 2:01 in the 2 breast? She is only a second off.
I don’t think so this year, but would love to be proven wrong. If she sticks around for a 5th year, I think she gets it.
This is a very very obvious move. A win is worth 20, a 2nd is worth 17. Texas likely wins the 100 fly without Walsh entered in it. That, combined with all the Texas swimmers who will move down means this is a 5 point swing at least for UVA.
This is good analysis, but this meet is simply not close enough where UVA needs to count points like this. If they were – there’s no way AWalsh would be swimming 2Breast over 2fly. UVA is loaded in 2 Breast and could easily score 5 swimmers (AW, Nelson, Keating, Weber, Canny) – all who will be pushed down at least a point by AW.
Is it bad that I want her to lead off all five relays and do two different individual events so she can go for 12 total records?
that’d be wild.
who held the most records at once?
UT/Stanford/Auburn dynasty era swimmer? Is it Gretchen, already?
Didn’t Natalie Coughlin hold: 100 Back, 200 Back, 100 Fly, 100 Free, 200 Free at one time?
I think she also had the 200 fly during that time in 2003.
2IM also maybe?
Absolute dogfight for second. Likely Texas snags it but excited to see what Florida does in those relays
I think Texas diving will keep them in second place even if Florida swims well.