2026 Women’s NCAAs: Day 1 800 Free Relay Analysis – Not One But Two 1:39s

2026 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships

• Wednesday, March 18 – Saturday, March 21, 2026
• McAuley Aquatic Center, Atlanta, GA
• Defending Champions: Virginia (5x)
• Championship Central
• Preview Index
• Psych Sheet
• Live Stream
• Live Results
• Live Recaps
  • Prelims: Day 1
  • Finals: Day 1

Women’s 800 Free Relay – Final Heat

• NCAA Record: 6:44.13 – Virginia (G. Walsh, A. Walsh, Canny, Curzan), 2025
• American Record: 6:45.91 – Stanford (Manuel, Neal, Eastin, Ledecky), 2017
• U.S. Open Record: 6:44.13 – Virginia (G. Walsh, A. Walsh, Canny, Curzan), 2025
• Championship Record: 6:45.91 – Stanford (Manuel, Neal, Eastin, Ledecky), 2017
• 2025 Champion: Stanford (Bricker, Roghair, Nordmann, Wilson) – 6:46.98
• 2025 8th/16th Place Times: 6:55.14/7:01.17
• Current Leader: Tennessee (Jansen, Armen, Mason Brown) — 6:53.78

Top 8 Teams

1. Virginia (Canny, Mintenko, Hartman, Moesch) — 6:45.21 **Meet Record
2. Texas (Padar, Nesty, Chase, Gemmel) — 6:46.91
3. Cal (West, Weinstein, O’Dell, Cosgrove) — 6:47.68
4. Michigan  — 6:48.04
5. Indiana – 6:48.85
6. Stanford — 6:50.12
7. USC — 6:51.17
8. Tennessee — 6:53.78

Virginia broke the nine-year-old meet record held by Stanford to win this relay, as Anna Moesch chased down Erin Gemmell on the anchor leg to reclaim the title which the Cavaliers lost last year. Five teams were under 6:49 after there was only one last year – and that team (Stanford) did not do so this year.

Indiana got out to an early lead behind freshman Liberty Clark, and held the lead through halfway. Michigan took over with 200 to go thanks to Stephanie Balduccini‘s 1:40.91, but both Moesch and Gemmell soared past Christy Liang on the final leg before Moesch streaked away to hit the wall in 6:45.21, 1.70 seconds ahead of Texas.

Leadoff Leg

Liberty Clark was the only swimmer to break 1:40 on the leadoff leg, but we saw three swimmers under 1:41. Clark’s time is a new 17-18 NAG and ranks her as the fastest swimmer in the NCAA this season, 0.02 ahead of Anna Moesch, heading into the individual event tomorrow. Clark has hacked over six seconds from the 1:45.76 she came into this season with.

Nikoletta Padar also set a big best time in her first season in the NCAA, slicing a second off her 1:41.36 from SECs to go 1:40.30, and was joined under 1:41 by Bella Sims who was slightly faster than the 1:41.15 she swam at Big Tens.

Aimee Canny and Ella Jansen, the latter of whom swam this morning, broke 1:42, but Mia West and Caroline Bricker were 1:42-point to come in a little over their best times, both of which are in the 1:41s.

Nicole Maier was just off the 1:43.19 she posted at Big Tens, while Carmen Weiler Sastre was nearly two seconds slower than the 1:42.73 she led off with at ACCs. ASU’s Albane Cachot, coming off the 200 medley relay in this morning’s session, added three seconds for the slowest leadoff in the field.

Rolling Splits

Anna Moesch had the fastest rolling split by a second, closing in 25.04 on her leg to nearly break 1:39. Minna Abraham had the second-fastest anchor with a 1:40.25 to take 7th for USC, the #9 split in history.

Last year’s individual bronze medalist, Stephanie Balduccini, was 1:40.91 on the third leg for Michigan to move them into the lead, but their anchor Christy Liang was just  the 23rd-fastest split.

Cal had three splits in the top 13, with Teagan O’Dell’s 1:41.27 the best of the bunch for them. Torri Huske had the 5th-fastest split in the field, less than an hour after becoming the #5 swimmer in history in the 50 back.

Alex Shackell, Claire Weinstein, and Madi Mintenko swam 1:41.4s at their first NCAAs,  while Michigan’s Hannah Bellard was 1.26 seconds slower than the 1:41.54 she split at Big Tens. Claire Tuggle (1:42.99), Grace Hoeper (1:43.09), and Shea Furse (1:43.39) all had solid swims that ranked them in the top 24.