Women’s College Performance of the Year: Gretchen Walsh Goes Out With a Bang
One final time, Gretchen Walsh is the clear choice for the year’s superior performance among college swimmers. The University of Virginia star concluded her run in NCAA competition this March as she led the Cavaliers to a fifth consecutive national crown. For the second consecutive year, Walsh won all three of her individual races to finish her career with six such titles. Walsh also helped Virginia win a whopping 16 national titles on relays.
Her finale season saw Walsh become the third-fastest swimmer ever in the 200 freestyle, an event she hardly races, and Virginia established the fastest times ever in both medley relays along with the 800 free relay. Individually, Walsh matched or exceeded her best times in all three of her main events at the NCAA Championships. After missing her national record in the 50 free by 0.12, she came back to tie the mark of 20.37 leading off Virginia’s 200 free relay. On the final day, Walsh clipped her own record in the 100 free while winning by more than a second.
But the top overall effort came in the 100 fly as Walsh established a mark sure to last for generations. She became the first swimmer ever under 47, going out in 21.61 and coming back in the wall in 25.36 for a final time of 46.97. That swim marked the third time Walsh had set American, U.S. Open and NCAA records in just that college season; she had previously gone 47.21 in prelims and 47.35 at the midseason Tennessee Invitational.
“I was definitely over the moon. I wanted to swim it the same way I did this morning and hope my body would let me go faster, and it did,” Walsh said. “I have been thinking about 46 all season long and to finally say I was capable of doing it is pretty darn cool. I am very proud.”
Upon touching the wall, Walsh knew she had won the race comfortably over longtime rival Torri Huske, but the scoreboard inside King County Aquatic Center had gone out, leaving Walsh and everyone in attendance in the dark as to her time. Walsh shrugged and laughed before celebrating when the board finally revealed the historic nature of her swim.
Walsh finished her college career with history’s top-eight performances in the 100 fly. She redefined the limits of what was possible during her final two years. The all-time record in the event was 48.89 when Walsh first arrived at UVA. In March 2023, former teammate Kate Douglass swam a time of 48.43, which already seemed like a huge jump. Not for Walsh, as she would quickly lower that mark during her junior season, topping out at 47.42 at the NCAA Championships. But even that was not insurmountable, with another half-second to come in 2025.
Honorable Mention
While Walsh was the clear choice for the top spot among female college swimmers this year, we must also note a few other standouts. One was Claire Curzan, a teammate of Walsh’s at Virginia who achieved the fastest time ever in the 200 back at the NCAA Championships, going 1:46.82 to hold off Bella Sims. In the 200 fly, Texas’ Emma Sticklen achieved an NCAA record of 1:49.11 to beat out Alex Walsh, Gretchen’s older sister, for a third consecutive national title. Finally, Huske achieved her first individual NCAA title with an impressive time of 1:49.67 in the 200 IM, becoming the third-fastest swimmer ever in the process.
