Watch: Pool Records and Nation-Leading Times at UVA-Texas Day 2 (Race Videos)

Virginia vs. Texas

• Friday, November 5th-Saturday, November 6th, 2021
• Aquatic and Fitness Center, Charlottesville, VA
• Dual Meet Format
• SCY
• Live Results
• Results on Meet Mobile: “Virginia vs Texas”
• Live Stream (ACCN)
• Diving Results
• Swimming Results
• Day 1 Recap
• Day 2 Recap

UVA and Texas wrapped up a two-day dual meet Saturday morning. The UVA women downed several AFC pool records and improved nation-leading times in events like the 400 medley relay, the 200 back (Alex Walsh), and the 100 free (Gretchen Walsh). Both teams had plenty of fast swims, but the Cavalier women ultimately won 201-152.

All videos courtesy of YouTube user UVa Swimming

Women’s 400 Medley Relay

UVA threw down the fastest time in the nation to get the morning going. Gretchen Walsh led off in 50.89, followed by Alexis Wenger (58.17, Kate Douglass (50.93), and Alex Walsh (49.08), to go 3:29.07. Walsh set the AFC pool record with that leadoff, while the quartet shattered the previous pool record of 3:34.93 from 2020.

Walsh’s leadoff time also moves her up #1 in the nation this season, ahead of Maggie MacNeil’s 51.09 from the SMU Classic. That time would’ve put Walsh 6th in the individual 100 back at last year’s NCAA Championships.

Texas got a 52.78 backstroke leadoff by Olivia Bray, then Anna Elendt split 58.90 on breast, Kelly Pash went 52.07 on fly, and Bridget Semenuk actually just outsplit Walsh’s anchor with a 49.07. The combined time of 3:32.82 was also under the old pool record, and moves the Longhorns to #4 in the nation this season.

Women’s 500 Free

Emma Weyant took over the lead by the 100 mark and never relinquished it, touching first in 4:46.11. That’s a season-best for Weyant by nearly a second, and moves her up to #5 in the nation this season.

Depending on how UVA has set their lineup, this may have been Texas’ best chance at a win today. Instead, they had to settle for 2nd and 3rd, as Evie Pfeifer took 2nd in 4:47.82, followed by Erica Sullivan in 4:48.49. Each of those two were a bit faster again Texas A&M a few weeks ago, where Pfeifer went 4:45.12 and Sullivan went 4:46.25.

After winning the first two events of the morning, UVA now leads 127-114.

Women’s 200 Breast

UVA got a 1-2 finish, courtesy of Ella Nelson and Alexis Wenger. It was a three-women race at the 100, as Texas’ Anna Elendt led the pair of Cavaliers by about a tenth of a second. But Nelson dropped the hammer on the third 50, splitting 32.68, and maintained that lead to the end, touching in 2:08.79. Wenger took 2nd in 2:09.95, followed closely by Elendt at 2:10.12.

Nelson moves to #2 in the nation, behind only Kate Douglass‘ 2:07.68 from last weekend.

Women’s 200 Back

Alex Walsh shaved exactly a tenth of a second off of her nation-leading time of 1:53.47, improving to 1:53.37 this morning. That time put her nearly two seconds ahead of the 2nd-place finisher, Texas’ Olivia Bray (1:55.26).

It can be a bit tough to keep track of these sort of things when you’ve got two sisters with such crazy versatility, but remember that it was Gretchen Walsh who won the 100 back yesterday and went sub-51 leading off UVA’s medley relay earlier this morning. Bray has taken 2nd in both backstroke events this meet.

The UVA women have steadily built their lead, and the score now stands at 155-124.

Women’s 100 Free

Gretchen Walsh built nearly half-a-body-length led by the halfway point, and she extended that lead on the back half to throw down a fast 48.00. That times breaks Mallory Comerford’s pool record of 48.37 from 2017, and it also shaves 0.02s off of her already-nation-leading best time.

Texas swept the next three spots. Bridget Semenuk led the trio of Longhorns with a 49.69, followed by Grace Cooper (50.05) and Kyla Leibel (50.05).

Women’s 100 Fly

Another pool record goes down, at Kate Douglass blasted a 51.99 to win by nearly a second. Her time broke the pool record of 52.19, set by Alex Walsh last year. Douglass owns the fastest time in the nation this season, a 51.51 from the Cal dual meet a few weeks ago. Texas got 2nd and 3rd place finishes from Emma Sticklen (52.91) and Olivia Bray (53.07).

Women’s 200 IM

Fans were treated to another great race here. Texas’ Kelly Pash went out in 54.93 to take the lead, but UVA’s Ella Nelson split 33.82 on the breaststroke lead to take a narrow lead. Nelson hung on on for the free leg to touch out Pash, 1:57.33 to 1:57.46. Those times now rank 4th and 5th, respectively, in the nation this season.

With just the last relay to go, UVA leads 190-146.

Women’s 200 Free Relay

UVA put together yet another pool record-breaking swim. Gretchen Walsh led off in 21.88, Kate Douglass followed with a 21.56 split, then Alex Walsh (22.07) and Lexi Cuomo (22.60) wrapped it up for an overall time of 1:28.11. That lowers the pool record by nearly two seconds –  the previous mark was a 1:29.86 from 2020. UVA holds the top time in the country with a 1:27.82 from the Cal meet.

Texas got four pretty event splits to go 1:30.08, which puts them at #6 in the nation this season.