2024 NCAA Women’s Championships: Day 2 Relay Analysis – Gretchen’s 20.23 and 55 21s

2024 Women’s NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships

Women’s 200 Yard Freestyle Relay – Timed Final

  • NCAA Record: 1:23.63 – Virginia (J. Nocentini, G. Walsh, A. Walsh, M. Parker), 2024
  • Meet Record: 1:24.51 – Virginia (K. Douglass, G. Walsh, L. Cuomo, M. Parker), 2023
  • American Record: 1:23.87 – Virginia (K. Douglass, G. Walsh, L. Cuomo, A. Walsh), 2023
  • S. Open Record: 1:23.63 – Virginia (J. Nocentini, G. Walsh, A. Walsh, M. Parker), 2024
  • Pool Record: 1:26.31 – California (A. Weitzeil, A. Bilquist, V. Hull, F. Osman), 2016
  • 2023 Champion: 1:24.51 – Virginia (K. Douglass, G. Walsh, L. Cuomo, M. Parker), 2023

Top 8:

  1. Virginia – 1:24.05 *Pool and Meet Record*
  2. Louisville – 1:25.47
  3. Texas – 1:26.17
  4. USC – 1:26.47
  5. Michigan – 1:26.55
  6. Tennessee – 1:26.65
  7. NC State – 1:26.75
  8. Indiana – 1:26.84

Virginia’s Jasmine Nocentini (21.26), Gretchen Walsh (20.23 – yes, you read that correctly), Alex Walsh (21.23), and Maxine Parker (21.33) went 1:24.05 to take down the meet and pool records, winning by a body length ahead of Louisville.

Nocentini’s leadoff split of 21.26 was the fastest in the field, but by only .06 over NC State’s Katharine Berkoff, who was swimming next to her in lane 3 of the third heat. Berkoff had touched out Nocentini, 21.09 to 21.10, for second place behind Gretchen Walsh in the 50 free final earlier in the evening, but Nocentini gave her relay squad the advantage with the first leg of the relay.

USC’s Caroline Famous was the third-fastest, helping the Trojans get out to an early lead in heat 2. They ended up beating Ohio State, 1:26.47 to 1:26.85, in that heat and placing 4th overall.

Nine more swimmers notched sub-22s on their leadoff legs, including Gabi Albiero, Brady Kendall, Teresa Ivan, Grace Cooper, Anna Peplowski, Bella Sims, Hailey Tierney, Lexi Mulvihill, and Mona McSharry.

Leadoff Leg

Swimmer Team Split
Virginia Jasmine Nocentini 21.26
NC State Katharine Berkoff 21.32
USC Caroline Famous 21.71
Louisville Gabi Albiero 21.77
Michigan Brady Kendall 21.82
Ohio State Teresa Ivan 21.88
Texas Grace Cooper 21.91
Indiana Anna Peplowski 21.91
Florida Bella Sims 21.94
Wisconsin Hailey Tierney 21.94
Auburn Lexi Mulvihill 21.96
Tennessee Mona McSharry 21.99
Duke Tatum Wall 22.02
Stanford Gigi Johnson 22.09
Alabama Cadence Cinvent 22.19
Virginia Tech Carmen Weiler Sastre 22.20
Georgia Helena Jones 22.23
Princeton Sabrina Johnston 22.29
LSU Katarina Milutinovich 22.47
UNC Delaney Carlton 22.50
Texas A&M Olivia Tehall 22.61

Nocentini handed off to teammate Gretchen Walsh, who had just broken the American, U.S. Open, NCAA, meet, pool, school, and hemispheric records with 20.37 from a flat start. Walsh scorched a 20.23 to put UVA pretty much out of reach of the competition. Louisville’s Christiana Regenauer split 21.11, which would have been the most impressive split of the day had it not been for Walsh. Only one other swimmer was under 20.2, and that was her teammate Julia Dennis on the third leg.

Camille Spink, Lyndsay Flynn, and Ashley Turak went 21.2s on the second leg.

Second Leg

Swimmer Team Split
Virginia Gretchen Walsh 20.23
Louisville Christiana Regenauer 21.11
Tennessee Camille Spink 21.24
Michigan Lindsay Flynn 21.27
Indiana Ashley Turak 21.28
Texas Ava Longi 21.31
Florida Isabel Ivey 21.33
Stanford Amy Tang 21.43
NC State Abby Arens 21.54
Alabama Kailyn Winter 21.57
USC Minna Abraham 21.59
LSU Michaela Devillers 21.63
Virginia Tech Caroline Bentz 21.65
Ohio State KitKat Zenick 21.74
Auburn Emma Steckiel 21.82
Wisconsin Phoebe Bacon 21.87
Princeton Ela Noble 21.89
Texas A&M Kaitlyn Owens 21.92
Georgia Julianna Stephens 21.95
UNC Greer Pattison 22.12
Duke Kyanh Truong 22.20

Dennis’s 21.17 was the fastest third leg, and it cut into Virginia’s lead by .06. But she was up against Alex Walsh in the number 3 spot and the older of the two sisters clocked a 21.23. Emma Sticklen of Texas went 21.35 to get past Michigan, Tennessee, NC State, and Indiana.

In heat 2, USC’s Anicka Delgado held off Ohio State’s Nyah Funderburke, 21.62 to 21.65 to maintain the lead there.

Florida’s Olivia Peoples, who swam butterfly, went 22.25.

Third Leg

Swimmer Team Split
Louisville Julia Dennis 21.17
Virginia Alex Walsh 21.23
Texas Emma Sticklen 21.35
USC Anicka Delgado 21.62
Ohio State Nyah Funderburke 21.65
Auburn Polina Nevmovenko 21.71
LSU Megan Barnes 21.72
Michigan Stephanie Balduccini 21.80
Stanford Anna Shaw 21.80
Tennessee Jasmine Rumley 21.86
Georgia Briana Roberson 21.89
Wisconsin Abby Wanezek 21.89
NC State Meghan Donald 21.98
Alabama Gaby Van Brunt 22.11
Virginia Tech Anna Summers 22.21
Duke Sarah Foley 22.24
Florida Olivia Peoples 22.25
Indiana Kacey McKenna 22.28
Texas A&M Jordan Buechler 22.40
UNC Skyler Smith 22.43
Princeton Heidi Smithwick 22.55

Virginia’s Maxine Parker had the quickest anchor with 21.33. Indiana’s Kristina Paegle cracked a 21.37 to pass Florida and claim 8th place overall. Louisville’s Ella Welch went 21.42, securing second place for the Cardinals with the only other sub-1:26 in the final (1:25.47).

USC’s Vasilissa Buinaia was 21.55 on the end of their relay, outpacing Ohio State’s Amy Fulmer (21.58).

Fourth Leg

Swimmer Team Split
Virginia Maxine Parker 21.33
Indiana Kristina Paegle 21.37
Louisville Ella Welch 21.42
USC Vasilissa Buinaia 21.55
Tennessee Amber Myers 21.56
Ohio State Amy Fulmer 21.58
Texas Kelly Pash 21.59
Michigan Claire Newman 21.66
Alabama Diana Petkova 21.66
Georgia Eboni McCarty 21.70
Florida Micayla Cronk 21.71
Duke Ali Pfaff 21.86
NC State Miriam Sheehan 21.91
Virginia Tech Emily Claesson 22.06
Stanford Lillie Nordmann 22.11
Auburn Elveta Klevanovich 22.13
LSU Reagan Osborne 22.15
UNC Georgia Nel 22.16
Wisconsin Abby Carlson 22.17
Texas A&M Bobbi Kennett 22.29
Princeton Isabella Korbly 22.93

 

 

In This Story

4
Leave a Reply

Subscribe
Notify of

4 Comments
newest
oldest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Kevin
6 months ago

Maxine parker being so good at the 50 yard free is crazy considering she takes like 3 UW kicks in the whole race lol. Just swims a completely different race than everyone else

Cannonball
6 months ago

Of the “non sprinters” (by events swam today), Is it correct that Alex Walsh had the fastest split of those on a relay who competed in the 200 IM today, and megan Barnes (LSU) had the fastest relay split of those who also swam the 500 ??

Go Cards
Reply to  Cannonball
6 months ago

Anna P did 21.91 leadoff

DMSWIM
Reply to  Cannonball
6 months ago

Technically, but Peplowski’s 21.91 flat start is close if not better than Barnes’s 21.72 rolling start and Peplowski swam the 500.

Last edited 6 months ago by DMSWIM

About Anne Lepesant

Anne Lepesant

Anne Lepesant is the mother of four daughters, all of whom swam in college. With an undergraduate degree from Princeton (where she was an all-Ivy tennis player) and an MBA from INSEAD, she worked for many years in the financial industry, both in France and the U.S. Anne is currently …

Read More »