Texas – South Florida Aquatic Club's Blog

Virginia Cavaliers Three-Peat NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming And Diving Championships

By Sharon Robb
KNOXVILLE, Tenn.—Was there really any doubt about University of Virginia’s powerhouse team?

The Cavaliers, coached by Todd DeSorbo, dominated the field over four days to win their third consecutive NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship Saturday at the Allen Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center.

The Cavaliers won with a 127-point cushion. Virginia had 541.5 points, just 10 points fewer than in last year’s victory. Texas finished second with 414.5 points and Stanford was third at 333. University of Florida was ninth with 179 points.

The Cavaliers won 11 events and broke six NCAA records to officially reach the level of dynasty.

Virginia iced the win with a victory in the 400-yard freestyle relay in 3:05.84, a NCAA and American record with Kate Douglass, Alex Walsh, Maxine Parker and Gretchen Walsh.

For first time since 2018, a team swept all five relays at NCAAs. The 800 free relay win on the opening night was an upset over Stanford. Only three other teams have accomplished the feat in the history of the NCAA Women’s Championships.

Virginia is now the sixth women’s team to win the national championship in at least three consecutive seasons, joining Texas (five consecutive from 1984 to 1988), Stanford (five from 1992 to 1996), Georgia (three from 1991 to 2001), Auburn (three from 2002 to 2004) and the most recent Stanford team (three from 2017 to 2019).

“So cool,” Virginia swimmer Ella Nelson said. “After our first year, it was a terrible time with COVID taking it away from us. We were kind of the underdogs since we had never won it before my second year, and then last year, we had a big target on our back. It was a lot of pressure. This year, we have just been having so much fun. Obviously, it’s been showing in the pool that we haven’t let the pressure get to us, but we’ve just been having so much fun.”

Gretchen Walsh, the last swimmer off the block, won the Cavaliers’ first event of the evening, the 100-yard freestyle in a pool record 45.61, winning the event for the second straight year.

Teammate Katie Douglass followed with a win in the 200 breaststroke in 2:01.29. In her final individual college swim of her career, Douglass broke her own NCAA and American records. It is the third time she has broken the American record this season. She finished the meet winning all three of her individual events.

Alex Walsh was second in the 200 butterfly in 1:50.23.

Here is the complete list of 11 NCAA titles Virginia won this week:

200-yard medley relay: Gretchen Walsh, Alex Walsh, Lexi Cuomo, Kate Douglass [NCAA and American record]
800-yard freestyle relay: Aimee Canny, Alex Walsh, Reilly Tiltmann, Ella Nelson [school and pool record]
200-yard individual medley: Kate Douglass [NCAA and American record]
200-yard freestyle relay: Kate Douglass, Gretchen Walsh, Lexi Cuomo, Maxine Parker [meet record]
400-yard individual medley: Alex Walsh [program record]
100-yard butterfly: Kate Douglass [NCAA and American record]
100-yard backstroke: Gretchen Walsh [NCAA and American record]
400-yard medley relay: Gretchen Walsh, Alex Walsh, Kate Douglass, Aimee Canny [pool record]
100-yard freestyle: Gretchen Walsh [pool record]
200-yard breaststroke: Kate Douglass [NCAA and American record]
400-yard freestyle relay: Kate Douglass, Alex Walsh, Maxine Parker, Gretchen Walsh [NCAA and American record]

SATURDAY RESULTS
TEAM TOTALS: 1. Virginia 541.5, 2. Texas 414.5, 3. Stanford 333, 4. Louisville 288, 5. NC State 263, 6. Ohio State 223, 7. Indiana 219, 8. Tennessee 214, 9. Florida 179, 10. UNC 152, 22. Miami 36, 32. Florida State 11, 38. Florida International 4.
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
1,650-yard freestyle: 1. Kensey McMahon, ALA 15:43.84, 2. Ching Hwee Gan, IU 15:46.28, 3. Paige McKenna, WIS 15:48.71, 13. Emma Weyant, UF 16:01.59, 24. Anna Auld, UF 16:10.61, 30. Blair Stoneburg, WIS 16:15.44.

200-yard backstroke: 1. Claire Curzan, STAN 1:47.64, 2. Phoebe Bacon, WIS 1:49.28, 3. Isabelle Stadden, CAL 1:49.38.

100-yard freestyle: 1. Gretchen Walsh, VA 45.61, 2. Torri Huske, STAN 46.46, 3. Maggie MacNeil, LSU 46.58.

200-yard breaststroke: 1. Kate Douglass, VA 2:01.29, 2. Anna Elendt, TEX 2:03.26, 3. Ella Nelson, VA 2:04.33.

200-yard butterfly: 1. Emma Sticklen, TEX 1:49.95, 2. Alex Walsh, VA 1:50.23, 3. Kelly Pash, TEX 1:51.89.

Platform diving: 1. Delaney Schnell, ARI 352.65, 2. Montserrat Lavenant, LSU 347.00, 3. Viviana Del Angel, MINN 344.55, 14. Maha Gouda, FIU 257.05.

400-yard freestyle relay: 1. Virginia 3:05.84 (Kate Douglass, Alex Walsh, Maxine Parker, Gretchen Walsh), 2. Stanford 3:08.54, 3. Louisville 3:09.57, 8. Florida 3:12.62.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com
http://www.swim4soflo.com

Kathleen Golding Heads Talented Local Contingent At NCAA Division I Women’s Championships That Begin Wednesday

By Sharon Robb
KNOXVILLE, Tenn.—The NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships get underway Wednesday at the Allen Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center.

University of Florida senior Kathleen Golding leads a talented local contingent from South Florida.

Golding will compete in the 200 IM (1:56.49) and 400 IM (4:07.83). She will be joined by Gator teammate Anna Auld of St. Andrew’s Aquatics and West Palm Beach in the 500 freestyle (4:40.32), 1,650 freestyle (16:09.52) and 400 IM (4:10.36). Transfer Emma Weyant of Sarasota will also compete for the Gators in the 1,650 (16:08.24) and 400 IM (4:01.18).

Golding, Auld and Weyant are among 17 individual swimmers and diver and five relays from University of Florida that will compete.

Auld, Golding, Weyant. Talia Bates, Micayla Cronk, Camille DeBoer, Zoe Dixon, Nina Kucheran, Katie Mack, Tylor Mathieu, Hayden Miller, Ekaterina Nikonova, Olivia Peoples, Amanda Ray, Aris Runnels and Mabel Zavaros qualified for the big dance based on season-best times in 11 different events.

Florida’s 16 swimmers selected are the second-most swimmers among the nation, only behind back-to-back national champion Virginia (17). There are only nine schools in the country with double-digit swimmers to qualify, and only three SEC programs.

Maha Amer joined the Gators group after qualifying in the NCAA Diving Zones early last week. Amer, who won silver in the 1-meter at the SEC Championships last month, will compete in all three events.

The Gators also qualified five relays, with the 200 free relay, 400 free relay, 800 free relay, 200 medley relay, 400 medley relay all hitting the qualifying standard.

UCLA sophomore Paige MacEachern, a Boca Raton High School alum and Pine Crest club swimmer, will compete in the 400 IM (4:06.17).

University of Wisconsin freshman Blair Stoneburg, a Jensen Beach High alum and Treasure Coast Aquatics club swimmer, will compete in the 500 freestyle (4:40.38).

Florida International University’s Christie Choe qualified in the 200 breaststroke (2:08.73) and 100 breaststroke (59.28). University of Miami will be represented by diver Mia Vallee.

Florida State will have four swimmers at the meet: sophomore Madeline Huggins, 200 breaststroke (2:09.55), sophomore Edith Jernstedt, 200 butterfly (1:55.78), freshman Julia Mansson, 200 breaststroke (2:09.68) and grad assistant Daniela Anna Metzler, 400 IM (4:10.18).

No. 1 ranked University of Virginia is on the verge of a three-peat national championship. Alex Walsh, Gretchen Walsh and Kate Douglass are expected to lead the Cavaliers. Nineteen swimmers and divers qualified in 42 events.

Last year Virginia won its second-straight national title, claiming 11 events and four out of the five relays along the way, and finished with 551.5 team points, nearly 150 points ahead of the rest of the field. They may even top that this week.

Texas, Stanford and Florida are in the mix to finish among the top five.

A total of 281 swimmers from 56 colleges qualified for the four-day meet. Swimmers qualified for the championships by meeting the established minimum time for the events which they entered. Divers were determined by performances achieved at the Zone Diving Championships.

ESPN+ will provide live digital coverage for preliminary and finals sessions Wednesday through Saturday. Tape-delayed coverage of the women’s championships will be on ESPNU at 8:30 p.m. EST on March 29.

MEET SCHEDULE
Wednesday, 6 p.m., 200 medley relay,800 free relay.
Thursday, prelims, 10 a.m. and finals 6 p.m., 500 free, 200 IM, 50 free, 1-meter dive, 200 free relay.
Friday, prelims 10 a.m. and finals 6 p.m., 400 IM, 100 fly, 200 free, 100 breast, 100 back, 3-meter dive, 400 medley relay.
Saturday, prelims 10 a.m. and finals 6 p.m., 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast, 200 fly, Platform dive, 1650 free, 400 free relay.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com
http://www.swim4soflo.com

California Bears Win NCAA Division I Men’s Swimming And Diving Championship; Florida’s Bobby Finke Wins; Miami’s Zach Cooper Second

By Sharon Robb
ATLANTA, March 26, 2022—California dethroned rival and defending champion Texas to win the NCAA Division I Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships Saturday night at Georgia Tech’s McAuley Aquatic Center.

The Cal Bears won with 487.5 points followed by Texas with 436.5 and Florida with 374 points. Cal pulled away after scoring 53 points in the 200 backstroke for a comfortable margin of victory.

Cal has now won seven NCAA men’s titles, five under head coach Dave Durden. The Bears have finished in the top two every year except 2009 and 2009 and no lower than fourth in other seasons under Durden.

University of Florida senior and two-time Olympic gold medalist Bobby Finke of St. Petersburg won the 1,650-yard freestyle in 14:22.08, the fifth fastest time ever and his second consecutive 1,650 NCAA title.

“I’ll be honest, that race was one of the sloppiest miles I’ve ever done, so I’m not really happy with how it went,” Finke said after the race. “I’m glad I got the win and the points for the Gators, but individually, I don’t think it’s the best performance I could have had.”

University of Miami senior diver Zach Cooper was second on 10-meter platform with 443.05 points just behind Purdue freshman Tyler Downs with 447.20. Cooper missed his sixth dive and had to settle for second. Florida junior Leonardo Garcia was fourth with 406.05.

In other individual events:

Cal sophomore Destin Lasco, fastest morning qualifier, won the 200-yard backstroke in 1:37.71 and was his team’s only individual winner on the final night.

LSU junior sprinter Brooks Curry won the 100-yard freestyle in 40.84 to complete his sweep.

Arizona State freshman Leon Marchand won the 200-yard breaststroke in 1:48.20 just ahead of Minnesota’s Max McHugh in 1:48.76 for his second title of the meet.

Brendan Burns of Indiana won the 200-yard butterfly in a best time 1:38.71, ahead of Georgia’s Luca Urlando in 1:38.82 to become the first Indiana swimmer to win the event since 1973 when Gary Hall Sr. did it. Before that it was Mark Spitz in 1971 and 1972. It was Burns first NCAA title.

In a thrilling final event, Texas, buoyed by anchor Danny Krueger, won the 400-yard freestyle relay in 2:46.03 ahead of Arizona State in 2:46.40 and California in 2:46.42.

ESPNU will air a two-hour show at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 5. Links can be found on WatchESPN or at the Championship Central webpage.

The official website for the men’s championship is http://www.ncaa.com/championships/swimming-men/d1. As the host institution, Georgia Tech’s website also has Championship Central.

The DI Men’s Swimming & Diving Program can be viewed at http://www.NCAA.com/gameprograms. The program is free to view and can be downloaded and printed.

SATURDAY RESULTS
TEAM TOTALS: 1. California 487.5, 2. Texas 436.5, 3. Florida 374, 4. N.C. State 291, 5. Indiana 265, 6. Arizon State 236, 7. Stanford 231, 8. Georgia 194, 9. Ohio State 165, 10. Virginia 154.5, 23. University of Miami 31.

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
1,650-yard freestyle: 1. Bobby Finke, UF 14:22.28, time drop 5.42, 2. Will Gallant, NC State 14:31.34, 3. Ross Dant, NC State 14:31.72.

200-yard backstroke: 1. Destin Lasco, CAL 1:37.71, 2. Carson Foster, TEX 1:38.77, 3. Daniel Carr, CAL 1:39.06, 4. Kieran Smith, UF 1:39.39.

100-yard freestyle: 1. Brooks Curry, LSU 40.84, 2. Bjorn Seeliger, CAL 41.00, 3. Andrei Minakov, STAN 41.09.

200-yard breaststroke: 1. Leon Marchand, ASU 1:48.20, 2. Max McHugh, MINN 1:48.76, 3. Matt Fallon, PENN 1:49.16.

200-yard butterfly: 1. Brendan Burns, IU 1:38.71, 2. Luca Urlando, UGA 1:38.82, 3. Nicolas Albiero, LOU 1:38.88.

Platform diving: 1. Tyler Downs, PUR 447.20, 2. Zach Cooper, UM 443.05, 3. Bryden Hattie, TENN 418.70, 4. Leonardo Garcia, UF 406.05.

400-yard freestyle relay: 1. Texas 2:46.03 (Drew Kibler, Cameron Auchinachie, Caspar Corbeau, Danny Krueger), 2. Arizona State 2:46.40, 3. California 2:46.42, 6. Florida 2:47.39 (Adam Chaney, Eric Friese, Macguire McDuff, Kieran Smith), 17. Florida State 2:50.99.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com
http://www.swim4soflo.com

Florida Gators Third After Day Three Of NCAA Division I Men’s Swimming And Diving Championship

By Sharon Robb
ATLANTA, March 25, 2022—University of Florida dropped to third place after Friday’s action at the NCAA Division I Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships at Georgia Tech’s McAuley Aquatic Center.

The Gators, buoyed by their relay performances, are third with 272 points. California moved into is first from third with 320.5 followed closely by early leader Texas with 313.

Florida was third behind California and Indiana in the 400-yard medley relay in 3:01.00 with Adam Cheney, Dillon Hillis, Eric Friese and Kieran Smith.

Cal senior Hugo Gonzalez won the 400-yard individual medley in 3:32.88, an NCAA record, meet record, U.S. Open and pool records. Arizona State freshman sensation Leon Marchand was second in 3:34.08 after winning the 200 IM in the fastest time ever.

Stanford freshman Andrei Minakov, fastest swimmer in the morning, won the 100-yard butterfly in a pool record 43.71.

Texas senior and top seed Drew Kibler came on in the second half of the 200-yard freestyle to win in a pool record 1:30.68. Defending champion Kieran Smith faltered to fifth in 1:31.27.

Minnesota senior Max McHugh won the 100-yard breaststroke in a pool record 49.90. He was the only swimmer to dip under 50 seconds.

After finishing second last year, N.C. State junior Kacper Stokowski rallied late in the race to stun the field and win the 100-yard backstroke in a best time 44.04. Indiana’s Brendan Burns, top seed after morning prelims, was second in 44.15.

Texas A&M senior Kurtis Mathews won the 3-meter springboard diving title with 466.85 points.

Individual event competition concludes on Saturday. The top 16 advance from morning prelims to finals at 6 p.m. and relays will be included at the end of each finals session.

ESPN3 is providing digital broadcast coverage for preliminary and finals sessions. Additionally, ESPNU will air a two-hour show at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 5. Links can be found on WatchESPN or at the Championship Central webpage.

The official website for the men’s championship is http://www.ncaa.com/championships/swimming-men/d1. As the host institution, Georgia Tech’s website also has Championship Central, where heat sheets and results will be updated each day.

The DI Men’s Swimming & Diving Program can be viewed at http://www.NCAA.com/gameprograms. The program is free to view and can be downloaded and printed.

THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE
All prelims, 10 a.m., all finals 6 p.m.

Day 4, Saturday, 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, 200 butterfly, platform diving, 1,650 free (4:05 p.m. start), 400 free relay (finals only).

FRIDAY RESULTS
TEAM TOTALS: 1. California 320.5, 2. Texas 313, 3. Florida 272, 4. N.C. State 214, 5. Indiana 183, 6. Arizona State 167, 7. Stanford 159, 8. Georgiua 150, 9. tie, Louisville, Ohio State 108.
400-yard individual medley: 1. Hugo Gonalez, CAL 3:32.88, 2. Leon Marchand, ASU 3:34.08, 3. Carson Foster, TEX 3:35.09, 4. Bobby Finke, UF 3:36.83.

100-yard butterfly: 1. Andrei Minakov, STAN 43.71, 2. Luca Urlando, UGA 43.80,3. Youssef Ramadan, VT-VA 43.90.

200-yard freestyle: 1. Drew Kiblar, TEX 1:30.28, 2. Grant House, ASU 1:30.68, 3. Matthew Sates, UGA 1:30.72, 5. Kieran Smith, UF 1:31.27.

100-yard breaststroke: 1. Max McHugh, MINN 49.90, 2. Caspar Corbeau, TEX 50.49, 3. Liam Bell, CAL 50.50. 6. Dillon Hillis, UF 51.24.

100-yard backstroke: 1. Kacper Stokowski, NCS 44.04, 2. Brendan Burns, IU 44.15, 3. Adam Chaney, UF 44.35.

3-meter diving: 1. Kurtis Mathews, TAM 466.85, 2. Andrew Capobianco, IU 462.10, 3. Juan Hernandez, LSU 459.20

400-yard medley relay: 1. California 3:00.36,2. Indiana 3:00.76, 3. Florida 3:01.00 (Adam Chaney, Dillon Hillis, Eric Friese, Kieran Smith), 27. Florida State 3:07.63 (Mason Hebert, Izaak Bastian, Max McCusker, Peter Varjasi).

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com
http://www.swim4soflo.com

Freshmen Steal Spotlight, Florida Wins Second Relay On Day Two Of NCAA Division I Men’s Swimming And Diving Championship

By Sharon Robb
ATLANTA, March 24, 2022—Freshmen swimmers took center stage Thursday at the NCAA Division I Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships at Georgia Tech’s McAuley Aquatic Center.

Georgia freshman Matthew Sates broke the meet and pool record in the 500-yard freestyle in 4:06.61. Sophomore teammate Jake Magahey was second in 4:07.39 and Texas freshman Luke Hobson was third in 4:08.42. Olympian and early leader Kieran Smith of Florida was fourth in 4:08.68.

Arizona State freshman Leon Marchand became the first swimmer to go under 1:38 in the 200-yard individual medley. He won in 1:37.69 breaking Caeleb Dressel’s U.S. Open record of 1:38.13. His splits were 21.42, 24.32, 28.41 and 23.54.

Purdue freshman diver Tyler Downs won the 1-meter springboard title with 383.65 points.

LSU junior Brooks Curry won the 50-yard freestyle in 18.56, 3/100ths of a second ahead of Bjorn Seeliger of California in 18.59.

In a thrilling final event, Florida won the 200-yard freestyle relay in a pool record 1:14.11 ahead of California (1:14.36) and Texas (1:14.41). The Gator relay swimmers were Adam Chaney, Eric Friese, Will Davis and Smith swimming anchor in 18.59. It was the Gators’ second relay win of the meet.

Individual event competition continues Friday morning. The top 16 advance to finals at 6 p.m. and relays will be included at the end of each finals session.

The DI Men’s Swimming & Diving Program can be viewed at http://www.NCAA.com/gameprograms. The program is free to view and can be downloaded and printed.

THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE
All prelims, 10 a.m., all finals 6 p.m.

Day 3, Friday, 400 IM, 100 butterfly, 200 freestyle, 100 breaststroke, 100 backstroke, 3-meter diving, 400 medley relay (finals only).

Day 4, Saturday, 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, 200 butterfly, platform diving, 1650 free (4:05 p.m. start), 400 free relay (finals only).

THURSDAY RESULTS

500-yard freestyle: 1. Matthew Sates, UGA 4:06.61,2. Jake Magahey, UGA 4:07.39, 3. Luke Hobson, TEX 4:08.42, 4. Kieran Smith, UF 4:08.68, 7. Alfonso Mestre, UF 4:11.98, 10. Bobby Finke, UF 4:11.74, 11. Trey Freeman, UF 4:12.70.

200-yard individual medley: 1. Leon Marchand, ASU 1:37.69, 2. Destin Lasco, CAL 1:38.21, 3. Luca Urlando, UGA 1:39.22.

50-yard freestyle: 1. Brooks Curry, LSU 18.56, 2. Bjorn Seeliger, CAL 18.59, 3. Jordan Crooks, TENN 18.60, 9. Adam Chaney, UF 18.75, 11. Will Davis, UF 18.99.

1-meter diving: 1. Tyler Downs, PUR 383.65, 2. Jordan Rzepka, PUR 372.60, 3. Conor Casey, STAN 370.55.

200-yard freestyle relay: 1. Florida 1:14.11 (Adam Chaney, Eric Friese, Will Davis, Kieran Smith), 2. California 1:14.36, 3. Texas 1:14.41.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com
http://www.swim4soflo.com

Florida Wins Opening Event, Second On Day One Of NCAA Division I Men’s Swimming And Diving Championship

By Sharon Robb
ATLANTA, March 24, 2022—Texas and University of Florida took turns flexing their relay muscles on opening day of the NCAA Division I Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships Wednesday at Georgia Tech’s McAuley Aquatic Center.

Florida won the 200-yard medley relay in 1:21.13, faster than its’ qualifying time of 1:22.06. It was an NCAA record, meet record, U.S. Open record and pool record.

Adam Chaney led off with a 20.19 split followed by Dillon Hillis at 23.20, Eric Friese at 19.36 and Will Davis at 18.38 picking up 40 first place relay points. Friese’s split tied him with Joseph Schooling for fastest butterfly split of all time.

Texas was second in 1:21.36, also under the former NCAA and U.S. Open record. Cal and N.C. State tied for third in 1:21.69. Four of the fastest five 200 medley relays in history were produced by the field.

Florida State, with St. Andrew’s alum and Florida Gold Coast swimmer Izaak Bastian of the Bahamas, was 20th in 1:23.84, slower than its qualifying time of 1:23.15. Bastian’s split was 23.78. He was joined on the relay by Mason Herbet (20.88), Max McCusker (20.25) and Peter Varjasi (18.93). Top seed Louisville was seventh in 1:22.29.

In the 800-yard freestyle relay, Texas broke the American record, NCAA record, meet record, U.S. Open record of 6:05.08 and pool record of 6:08.03 winning in 6:30.89. Georgia was second in 6:05.59 and Stanford third in 6:06.90.

Florida was seventh in 6:09.01 with Olympian Kieran Smith, Trey Freeman, Oskar Lindholm and Alfonso Mestre. Smith’s split was 1:30.66.

Florida State finished 25th in 6:23.93 with Yordan Yanchev, Peter Varjasi, Jakub Ksiazek and Max McCusker.

After opening night action, Texas leads the team standings with 74 points, 10 points ahead of Florida with 64.

Individual event competition gets under way Thursday morning. The top 16 advance to finals at 6 p.m. and relays will be included at the end of each finals session.

ESPN3 will provide digital broadcast coverage for preliminary and finals sessions. Additionally, ESPNU will air a two-hour show at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 5. Links can be found on WatchESPN or at the Championship Central webpage.

The DI Men’s Swimming & Diving Program can be viewed at http://www.NCAA.com/gameprograms. The program is free to view and can be downloaded and printed.

THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE
All prelims, 10 a.m., all finals 6 p.m.
Day 2, Thursday, 500 freestyle, 200 IM, 50 freestyle, 1-meter diving, 200 freestyle relay (finals only).

Day 3, Friday, 400 IM, 100 butterfly, 200 freestyle, 100 breaststroke, 100 backstroke, 3-meter diving, 400 medley relay (finals only).

Day 4, Saturday, 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, 200 butterfly, platform diving, 1650 free (4:05 p.m. start), 400 free relay (finals only).

THURSDAY RESULTS
TEAM TOTALS: 1. Texas 74, 2. Florida 64, 3. California 61, 4. N.C. State 57, 5. tie, Arizona State, Stanford 54, 7. Louisville 46, 8. Georgia 34, 9. Alabama 30, 10. Virginia Tech 28.

200-yard medley relay: 1. Florida 1:21.13 (Adam Chaney, Dillon Hillis, Eric Friese, Will Davis), 2. Texas 1:21.36, 3. California 1:21.69, 20. Florida State 1:23.84 (Mason Hebert, Izaak Bastian, Max McCusker, Peter Varjasi).

800-yard freestyle relay: 1. Texas 6:03.89, 2. Georgia 6:05.59, 3. Stanford 6:06.83, 7. Florida 6:09.01, 25. Florida State 6:23.93.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com
http://www.swim4soflo.com

Virginia Wins Back-To-Back NCAA Division I Women’s Championship Titles; FGC’s Jessica Nava Leaves With Two Rings

ATLANTA, March 20, 2022—University of Virginia defended its title in style winning back-to-back national championships Saturday at the NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships at Georgia Tech’s McAuley Center.

The Cavaliers won with 551.5 points, more than 100 ahead of Texas with 406 after a dominating performance throughout the meet.

In the final event of the day, Virginia set an American record in the 400-yard freestyle relay with a time of 3:06.91.

“Being able to come here and do stuff like this is amazing,” Virginia freshman Gretchen Walsh said. “We all proved something to ourselves at this meet. It couldn’t have gone better. It is just a matter of time before we do something that is history in the making.”

The Cavaliers racked up 11 event championships – seven individual and four relays – in rolling to the title. Kate Douglass and Alex Walsh each captured three individual titles.

Douglass set American records in each of her national championships. She won the 50-yard freestyle (20.84), 100-yard butterfly (49.04) and 200-yard breaststroke (2:02.19).

Walsh won the 200-yard individual medley in an American-record time of 1:50.08, 200-yard butterfly in 1:50.79 and 400-yard IM in 3:57.25. Her younger sister, Gretchen, won the 100-yard freestyle on Saturday night in a time of 46.05, while N.C. State’s Katharine Berkoff was third (46.95).

The Cavaliers also won the 200-yard medley relay (1:32.16), 200-yard freestyle relay (1:24.96), 400-yard medley relay (3:22.34, matching their American record, set at the 2022 ACC Championships) and 400-yard freestyle relay (an American- and NCAA-record time 3:06.91).

Berkoff won her second straight NCAA title in the 100 backstroke in an American-record time of 48.74, finishing just ahead of Gretchen Walsh (49.00).

Miami’s Mia Vallee won the 1-meter diving title with a meet-record score of 365.75. North Carolina’s Aranza Vazquez earned the bronze medal with a score of 354.75. Vallee also was the ACC’s top finisher in the 3-meter event, tying for fourth place with a total score of 376.20.

The top finishers in the final day’s seven events were:

1650-yard free: Paige McKenna, Wisconsin: 20 points.

200-yard backstroke: Regan Smith, Stanford: 20 points.

100-yard freestyle: Gretchen Walsh, Virginia: 20 points.

200-yard breaststroke: Kate Douglass, Virginia: 20 points.

200 yard butterfly: Alex Walsh, Virginia: 20 points.

Platform diving: Tarrin Gilliland, Indiana: 20 points.

400-yard freestyle relay: Virginia: 40 points.

Two Florida Gold Coast swimmers competed in their final event .

University of Florida freshman Anna Auld was 33rd in the 1,650-yard freestyle in 16:20.09.

In her final collegiate race, University of Virginia senior Jessica Nava was 22nd in the 200-yard butterfly in 1:55.16.

The official website for the women’s championship is http://www.ncaa.com/championships/swimming-women/d1.

The DI Women’s Swimming & Diving Program can be viewed at http://www.NCAA.com/gameprograms. The program is free to view and can be downloaded and printed.

The men’s championships will be held March 23-26, also in Atlanta.

SATURDAY RESULTS
TEAM TOTALS: 1. Virginia 551.5, 2. Texas 406, 3. Stanford 399.5, 4. Alabama 288, 5. N.C. State 279, 6. Louisville 196.5, 7. Michigan 184.5, 8. California 180, 9. Ohio State 165, 10. Tennessee 127, 13. Florida 115, 22. Miami 41.5, 36. Florida International 3.

200-yard backstroke: 1. Regan Smith, STAN 1:47.76, 2. Phoebe Bacon, WIS 1:49.29, 3. Rhyan White, ALA 1:49.36.

100-yard freestyle: 1. Gretchen Walsh, UVA 46.05, 2. Morgan Scott, ALA 46.78, 3. Katharine Berkoff, NCS 46.95.

200-yard breaststroke: 1. Kate Douglass, UVA 2:02.19, 2. Anna Elendt, TEX 2:04.31, 3. Sophie Hansson, NCS 2:04.76.

200-yard butterfly: 1. Alex Walsh, UVA 1:50.79, 2. tie, Olivia Carter, MICH 1:51.19 and Regan Smith, STAN 1:51.19.

Platform diving: 1. Tarrin Gilliland, IU 372.95, 2. Delaney Schnell, ARIZ 345.10, 3. Jordan Skillken, TEX 315.45

400-yard freestyle relay: 1. Virginia 3:06.91 (Kate Douglass, Alex Walsh, Reilly Tiltmann, Gretchen Walsh), 2. Stanford 3:08.97, 3. Alabama 3:09.07, 7. Florida 3:11.07, 22. Florida State 3:15.70.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com
http://www.swim4soflo.com

Virginia Extends Lead On Day Three Of NCAA Division I Women’s Championships; Berkoff, Douglass Break American Records

ATLANTA, March 18, 2022—University of Virginia is sitting pretty to defend its title after third day action at the NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships Friday at Georgia Tech’s McAuley Center.

The Cavaliers have all but clinched the title going into the fourth and final day of competition. They lead with 386.5 points ahead of Stanford with 276 and Texas with 257.

Katharine Berkoff of N.C. State broke the 100-yard backstroke American record in 48.74 en route to her second consecutive 100 backstroke NCAA title. She broke Regan Smith’s American record of 49.16 by more than four tenths. Berkoff also broke Beata Nelson’s NCAA record of 49.18. There are now 10 swimmers who have been under the 50-second barrier.

Virginia’s Kate Douglass won the 100-yard butterfly in 49.04, winning her second individual NCAA title of the meet and setting her second American record. Torri Huske of Stanford was second in 49.17, also under the previous American record set by Claire Curzan (49.24).

Stanford’s Taylor Ruck, a two-time Olympian for Canada who returned to Stanford this season after a two-year hiatus, won the 200-yard freestyle in 1:41.12 just ahead of Cal’s Isabel Ivey in 1:41.59. It was Ruck’s first individual NCAA title.

Virginia sophomore Alex Walsh led from start to finish to win the 400-yard individual medley in 3:57.25, the only swimmer under 4 minutes. It was the first time she raced the 400 IM at a major championship. Virginia freshman and Sarasota’s Emma Weyant was fourth in 4:03.17.

Sarah Bacon, a redshirt senior for Minnesota, won her fifth career NCAA title with 409.25 points on the 3-meter board for the second consecutive year.

Three Florida Gold Coast swimmers also competed.

University of Florida junior Kathleen Golding was 29th in the 400-yard individual medley in 4:12.10. She has the 1,650-yard freestyle left to swim on Saturday.

University of Florida freshman Anna Auld was 40th in the 400-yard individual medley in 4:15.09. She will also swim the 1,650-yard freestyle on Saturday.

University of Virginia senior Jessica Nava was 15th in the 100-yard butterfly morning prelims in 51.79. She came back at night to place 14th in 51.88. Nava has the 200-yard butterfly left to swim on Saturday.

The competition concludes Saturday with the Top 16 from prelims in each event advancing to finals. Prelims are 10 a.m., with finals at 6 p.m.

ESPN3 will provide digital broadcast coverage for preliminary and finals sessions through Saturday.

SCHEDULE
Day 4, Saturday, 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, 200 butterfly, platform diving, 1650 freestyle (3:45 p.m. start), 400 free relay (finals only).

The official website for the women’s championship is http://www.ncaa.com/championships/swimming-women/d1.

As the host college, Georgia Tech’s website also features the Championship Central, where heat sheets and results will be updated each day.

The DI Women’s Swimming & Diving Program can be viewed at http://www.NCAA.com/gameprograms. The program is free to view and can be downloaded and printed.

FRIDAY RESULTS
TEAM TOTALS: 1. Virginia 386.5, 2. Stanford 276, 3. Texas 257, 4. NC State 193, 5. Alabama 177, 6. California 136, 7. Ohio State 131, 8. Louisville 130, 9. Michigan 126, 10. Tennessee 107, 11. Florida 85, 20. Miami 41.5.

400-yard individual medley: 1. Alex Walsh, UVA 3:57.25, 2. Brooke Forde, STAN 4:00.41, 3. Ella Nelson, UVA 4:02.45, 4. Emma Weyant, UVA 4:03.17.

100-yard butterfly: 1. Kate Douglass, UVA 49.04, 2. Torri Huske, STAN 49.17, 3. Maggie MacNeil, MICH 49.18, 14. Jessica Nava, UVA 51.88.

200-yard freestyle: 1. Taylor Ruck, STAN 1:41.12, 2. Isabel Ivey, CAL 1:41.59, 3. Kelly Pash, TEX 1:42.38.

100-yard breaststroke: 1. Kaitlyn Dobler, USC 56.93, 2. Alexis Wenger, UVA 56.97, 3. Sophie Hansson, NCS 57.01.

100-yard backstroke: 1. Katharine Berkoff, NCS 48.74, 2. Gretchen Walsh, UVA 49.00, 3. Regan Smith, STAN 49.96.

3-meter diving: 1. Sarah Bacon, MINN 409.25, 2. Kristen Hayden, IU 397.20, 3. Tarrin Gilliand, IU 382.00, 4. Mia Vallee, UM 376.20

400-yard medley relay: 1. Virginia 3:22.34 (Gretchen Walsh, Alexis Wenger, Alex Walsh, Kate Douglass), 2. NC State 3:23.29, 3. Stanford 3:25.63, 20. Florida State 3:31.96, 21. Florida 3:33.03.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com
http://www.swim4soflo.com

Virginia Remains In Lead After Day Two Of NCAA Division I Women’s Championships; Miami Diver Mia Vallee Wins 1-Meter Title, Breaks NCAA Record

ATLANTA, March 17, 2022—Two individual and one relay win enabled defending champion University of Virginia to pull away from the field Thursday on Day Two of the NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships at Georgia Tech’s McAuley Center.

Virginia leads with 210 points ahead of Texas with 128 and Stanford with 123. University of Florida is tenth with 62 and University of Miami, led by individual champion diver Mia Vallee, is 16th with 27 points.

Vallee, a junior, won the 1-meter springboard title with an NCAA record 365.75 points. UM sophomore teammate Emma Gullstrand was tenth with 328.50 to earn All-American honors.

After breaking the NCAA and American record in the prelims, Virginia’s Kate Douglass came back and did it again to win the 50-yard freestyle.

After breaking the record in 20.87 during prelims, dropping 0.13, Douglass went 20.84 to re-break her own record and gave the Cavaliers their second consecutive NCAA record after Alex Walsh broke the 200 IM record in 1:50.08. The previous 50 freestyle record was 20.90 set by Cal’s Abbey Weitzeil in 2019. Virginia teammate Gretchen Walsh was also sub-21 and finished second in 20.95.

Virginia’s 200-yard freestyle relay won in 1:24.96 with Douglass on leadoff, Alex Walsh, Lexi Cuomo and Gretchen Walsh.

Sarasota’s Emma Weyant, a freshman at University of Virginia, was second in the 500-yard freestyle in a best time 4:34.99, dropping 2.24 seconds off her previous best of 4:37.23.

Penn swimmer Lia Thomas became the first known transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I title. She won the 500 freestyle in 4:33.24.

Three Florida Gold Coast swimmers competed.

University of Florida junior Kathleen Golding was 37th in the 200-yard individual medley in 1:57.50, a time drop of 0.13 from her previous best 1:57.63. She will compete in the 400 IM on Friday.

University of Florida freshman Anna Auld was 32nd in the 500-yard freestyle in a best time 4:44.37, a time drop of 1.12 from her previous best of 4:45.49. She will also swim the 400 IM on Friday.

University of Virginia senior Jessica Nava was 55th in the 50-yard freestyle in 22.69. She competes Friday in the 100-yard butterfly.

The competition continues Friday with the Top 16 from prelims in each event advancing to finals. Prelims are 10 a.m., with finals at 6 p.m.

ESPN3 will provide digital broadcast coverage for preliminary and finals sessions through Saturday.

SCHEDULE
Day 3, Friday, 400 IM, 100 butterfly, 200 freestyle, 100 breaststroke, 100 backstroke, 3-meter diving, 400 medley relay (finals only).

Day 4, Saturday, 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, 200 butterfly, platform diving, 1650 freestyle (3:45 p.m. start), 400 free relay (finals only).

The official website for the women’s championship is http://www.ncaa.com/championships/swimming-women/d1.

As the host college, Georgia Tech’s website also features the Championship Central, where heat sheets and results will be updated each day.

The DI Women’s Swimming & Diving Program can be viewed at http://www.NCAA.com/gameprograms. The program is free to view and can be downloaded and printed.

THURSDAY RESULTS
TEAM TOTALS: 1. Virginia 210, 2. Texas 128, 3. Stanford 123, 4. Alabama 120, 5. NC State 99, 6. Louisville 95, 7. California 89, 8. Ohio State 83, 9. Michigan 66, 10. Florida 62, 16. University of Miami 27.

500-yard freestyle: 1. Lia Thomas, PENN 4:33.24, 2. Emma Weyant, UVA 4:34.99, 3. Erica Sullivan, TEX 4:35.92.

200-yard individual medley: 1. Alex Walsh, UVA 1:50.08, 2. Torri Huske, STAN 1:51.81, 3. Isabel Ivey, CAL 1:53.02.

50-yard freestyle: 1. Kate Douglass, UVA 20.84, 2. Gretchen Walsh, UVA 20.95, 3. Maggie MacNeil, MICH 21.38.

1-meter diving: 1. Mia Vallee, UM 365.75, 2. Sarah Bacon, MINN 356.60, 3. Aranza Vasquez Montano, UNC 354.75, 7. Maha Amer, UF 316.70, 10. Emma Gullstrand, UM 328.50.

200-yard freestyle relay: 1. Virginia 1:24.96 (Kate Douglass, Alex Walsh, Lexi Cuomo, Gretchen Walsh), 2. Alabama 1:25.47, 3. NC State 1:26.37, 9. Florida 1:27.16 (Ekaterina Nikonova, Talia Bates, Katie Mack, Micayla Cronk).

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com
http://www.swim4soflo.com

Texas Longhorns Win NCAA Division 1 Men’s Swimming And Diving Championships

By Sharon Robb
GREENSBORO, N.C., March 27, 2021–On an exciting final day, Texas knocked off defending champion California to win the NCAA Division I Men’s Swimming and Diving Championship Saturday at Greensboro Aquatic Center.

Texas, leading by 42 points going into the fourth and final day, took back the title with 595 points. It was the Longhorns and head coach Eddie Reese’s 15th national championship in the program’s history and sixth in the last 11 years.

Reese, the most decorated coach in NCAA history, is in his 43rd season coaching the Longhorns. He has now won a national title in five different decades.

Texas is the first team since Auburn in 2006 to win the men’s national title without winning an individual swimming event. But all 20 of its swimmers scored points in every individual and relay event.

California finished in the top two with 568 points for the 11th consecutive year. Texas was runner-up in 2019. No NCAAs were held in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Before that, Texas won it four consecutive years with California runner-up those four years.

Rounding out the top five teams on Saturday night, University of Florida was third with 367 for its first top four finish since 2017; Georgia was fourth with 268 for its first top four finish since 1997; and Louisville fifth with 211 for the second consecutive year. University of Miami was 19th with 54 points. Florida State was 23rd with 32.5.

Florida junior Bobby Finke won the 1,650-yard freestyle in a meet and pool record 14:12.52. The meet record was 14:22.41 set by Clark Smith of Texas in 2017. The pool record was 14:23.52 set by Connor Jaeger of Club Wolverine in 2014.

Texas A&M junior Shaine Casas won the 200-yard backstroke in 1:35.75, breaking the pool record of 1:37.19 set in morning prelims by Cal’s Destin Lasco, who finished second in finals in 1:35.99.

Cal senior Ryan Hoffer won the 100-yard freestyle in a pool record 40.89 breaking his own pool record set in prelims in 40.90. Florida’s Kieran Smith was sixth in 41.89.

Minnesota junior Max McHugh won the 200-yard breaststroke in a pool record 1:49.02. The previous pool record was 1:49.87 set by Cal’s Reece Whitley, second at night in 1:49.54.

Florida State junior Izaak Bastian, a St. Andrew’s alum and Bahamas national team member, was 36th in the 200 breaststroke in 1:56.50.

Louisville senior Nicolas Albiero, son of Louisville head coach Arthur Albiero, won the 200-yard butterfly in a pool record 1:38.64. He broke his own pool record set in prelims in 1:38.65.

In the men’s platform diving, Purdue senior Brandon Loschiavo won with 469.05 points. Miami’s Zach Cooper was third with 442.65. Former Fort Lauderale diver Jordan Windle of Texas was fourth with 422.75 points. Windle scored the most points for the Longhorns with 52.

With Texas leading 37 points going into the relay, California (Bjorn Seeliger, Ryan Hoffer, Destin Lasco, Hugo Gonzalez) came from behind to win the 400-yard freestyle relay in 2:46.60. Florida (Adam Cheney, Kieran Smith, Eric Friese, Trey Freeman) was second in 2:46.88. Texas (Daniel Krueger, Chris Staka, Jake Sannem, Drew Kibler) finished fourth in 2:48.28.

A total of 235 swimmers from 41 teams competed.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s championships looked a lot different, much like last week’s women’s NCAAs.

Due to the mass gathering restrictions in place in North Carolina, spectators were not allowed to attend the meet including parents, family members and friends.

There was no participant seating on the pool deck. All teams and individuals were assigned seating in the grandstand seating area.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com
http://www.swim4soflo.com