2025 W. NCAA Previews: Despite No G. Walsh in 8 Fr-R, UVA still holds a Chance for Relay Sweep

2025 Women’s NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships

• March 19-22, 2025
• Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatics Center — Federal Way, Washington
• Short Course Yards (25 yards)
• Meet Central
• Official Psych Sheets
• SwimSwam Preview Index
• Live Stream

Women’s 800 Free Relay

• NCAA Record: 6:44.13 – Virginia (G. Walsh, A. Walsh, A. Canny, C. Curzan) 2025
• American Record: 6:45.91 – Stanford (S. Manuel, L. Neal, E. Eastin, K. Ledecky) 2017
• U.S. Open Record: 6:44.13 Virginia (G. Walsh, A. Walsh, A. Canny, C. Curzan) 2025
• 2024 NCAA Champion: 6:48.59 – Florida (B. Sims, I, Ivey, E, Weyant, M. Cronk)

This would be one of the more straightforward predictions if one were allowed to compete in three individual events and five relays. However, with such limitations, UVA, the presumptive favorite in both this meet and for the title, has to make some decisions on where to use their stars.

Historically, Virginia has forgone swimming the 800 free relay at mid-season, instead opting to only race it at ACCs. This year was no different and in Greensboro, the Cavaliers completed the set and earned the last of their five NCAA records in relays.

The quartet of Gretchen Walsh, Alex Walsh, Aimee Canny, and Claire Curzan, all Olympians in their own right, came together and absolutely demolished the existing NCAA and US Open record in the 800 Free Relay. Swimming 6:44.13, the foursome sliced 1.78 seconds off the 8-year-old record of 6:45.91 set by the legendary team of Simone Manuel, Lia Neal, Ella Eastin, and Katie Ledecky.

G. Walsh led off in 1:39.34, less than a quarter of a second shy of the NCAA mark set by Missy Franklin in 2015, and was followed up by sister Alex Walsh (1:41.87). The weak leg of the relay, if it can be called that, was Canny’s 1:42.03, a split that was still .8 faster than her lead-off leg from NCAAs last year. Canny, a native of South Africa, turned it over to Curzan, whose 1:40.89 secured the history-making record.

With the conclusion of the conference championships and the release of all the eligible relays, UVA leads the psych sheet with a healthy 5.7-second lead over their next closest competition, the University of Tennessee. However, despite what amounts to nearly half a pool length, recent comments lead one to make other conclusions.

“One Too Many”

Hopes for G. Walsh to lead off the relay at NCAA and have a second crack at breaking Franklin’s record were dashed quickly, as the Cavalierat ACCs in an interview stated, “I knew that, this was my one 200 freestyle of the year, my last one ever.” (start at the 24 second mark for the quote)

While Todd DeSorbo and the coaching staff could change their minds at the NCAAs, seeing as a similar pattern played out last year, it’s unlikely that G. Walsh will make a reappearance on this relay, leading to the question of who will replace her.

G. Walsh, who has shown versatility in every stroke this season, is not alone in being able to slot into every relay. Her sister, A. Walsh, can also jump into any relay, and having posted the fastest 100 breast time in the country and as the top seed in the event, A. Walsh could, like her sister, make the move over to the 200 medley relay. Curzan, too, has the versatility to be useful on every relay, as she is reliably the next fastest sprinter on the team behind G. Walsh, across the sprint free/back and fly events.

In looking at how last year’s relay carousel worked out, G. Walsh was the only swimmer to drop out of the 800 free relay, with Walsh, Canny, and Ella Nelson remaining. However, UVA had the eventual NCAA champion Jasmine Nocentini to take on the breaststroke duties for the 200 and 400 medley relays, whereas this year, it seems likely that A. Walsh will have to jump into that role, unless Emma Weber, who had a breakout summer, gets the nod.

It is a migraine-inducing math conundrum tied up with a who is in better form judgment call. If we trust that G. Walsh is on the 200 medley relay, does that mean that both Curzan and A. Walsh are to follow? At ACC’s with a loaded 800 free relay, UVA’s weakened (although still NCAA A-cut breaking) 200 medley fell out of the medals, placing 4th with a squad of Tess Howley, Weber, Carly Novelline, and Anna Moesch recording a time of 1:35.18, over three and half seconds off their seed of 1:31.53.

If UVA were to load the 200 medley relay, leaving only Canny on the 800 free, Moesch, Leah Hayes and Maxine Parker would appear to get the nod as they are the next three fastest 200 freestylers on the team, however, its likely that the freestyle leg on the 200 medley would be between Moesch and Parker, leaving one spot open. Based on times from this year, Cavan Gormsen would be the pick, mathematically, but of course, UVA has an ace up their sleeve.

Katie Grimes, a recent world record holder in the SCM 800 free relay, is ranked just 9th on UVA’s depth chart in the 200 free, with her 1:44.89 from the Cavalier Invite, but holds a personal best of 1:42.90 from December of 2023, a time that would make her the 9th seed in the individual event. If DeSorbo wishes, there is a path where he can possibly thread the needle in both the 200 medley and 800 free and attempt to win both. If either A. Walsh or Curzan stays on the relay with Canny, then with Moesch and Grimes, UVA could still find itself as the favorite in this event. However it plays out, UVA still has a shot at the title, and unless DeSorbo volunteers to let us know his thinking, your guess is as good as ours.

“SEC won’t let me be.”

(photo: Jack Spitser)

Looking to stand in UVA’s way of sweeping the relays are a trio of SEC teams: Tennessee, Texas and Florida.

The Tennessee Lady Vols stand foremost among them as the #2 seed, entering with a 6:49.83 from the 2025 SEC Championships, a time which stands as nearly a full second improvement upon their runner-up finish from last year, where the team of Brooklyn Douthwright, Camille Spink, Julia Mrozinski, and Josephine Fuller were 6:50.82.

Much of that improvement can be chalked up to the sophomore Spink, who split .8 faster at SECs this year than at NCAAs last year. While certainly lacking the top-to-bottom firepower of UVA, Tennessee could have a few moves that could bring them into contention with UVA. While Fuller was on the relay at NCAAs last year, she didn’t swim it at SECs, instead being replaced by Ella Jansen, who anchored in 1:42.33. However, Fuller, who was 1:42.48 in 2024 as the anchor, did just go a personal best in the 200 at the Tennessee Last Chance Invitational, where she dropped her flat start PB from 1:43.92 to 1:42.67. If she were to take Mrozinski’s spot on the relay, Tennessee would chop off over half a second off their seed time, and that doesn’t include any more time chopped off by a flying start. That said, Fuller is the team’s fastest backstroker and would likely have to pull double duty on the first day of the meet.

At SECs, Tennessee’s victory over the #3 and #6 seeded teams, Texas and Florida, with margins of 1.78 and 3.70 seconds, respectively, wasn’t so easy as they, in fact, trailed both teams at the halfway mark. Texas, who in their first year in the SEC easily nabbed the conference title, has a renewed 200 free corps lead by Olympic silver medalist Erin Gemmell. Gemmell, one of two returners from their 7th place 800 free relay of last year, set a new PB of 1:42.32 at the SEC Championships and formed a formidable front half with Lillie Nesty as the two split 1:42.49 and 1:41.70. For Texas to be competitive with Tennessee however, they will need to shore up their last two legs as Campbell Chase‘s 1:44.02 and Ava Longi‘s 1:43.40 don’t give the Longhorns quite the firepower they need, especially if Florida recaptures the magic of last year.

Bella Sims (photo: Jack Spitser)

Florida, coached by Nesty’s father, Anthony Nesty, stormed their way to an NCAA title in this event last year, as Bella Sims and Isabel Ivey opened with splits of 1:41.03 and 1:41.64 and were brought home by Emma Weyant (1:42.90) and Micayla Cronk (1:43.02). The quartet finished in a time of 6:48.59 and with only losing Ivey, the Gators should appear as favorites to challenge UVA for the title, but recent results speak otherwise.

At SEC’s Sim’s 1:39.55, flying start wasn’t enough to help make up for the the 1:44.18 opening of Julie Brousseau and the 1:45.94 anchor of Cronk. Cronk especially had a rough meet, failing to earn a second swim in the 50 and 100 free and splitting 2.5 seconds slower in the 800 free relay than she had at the 2024 SECs.

While one hopes that it was just an off meet for the senior Cronk, not having a replacement for Ivey’s speed likely means Florida is out of the running for the title, especially with the re-emergence of some West Coast teams as power players in this relay.

“Back home to the West Coast.”

The last time a team from the West Coast won this relay was in 2022, and while it’s a long shot this season, a few teams could be building their case for the next few seasons.

While Cal waits for Claire Weinstein and Teagan O’Dell, they still have some firepower as Lea Polonsky is seeded 8th in the individual 200 (1:42.71); however, after that, the Bears do drop off a bit, with only Ava Chavez joining Polonsky with a season-best flat start time of under 1:45.

Stanford is certainly welcoming the return of Torri Huske. Huske, who red-shirted this past year to train for the Olympics, was on that relay in 2022, where she led things off in 1:41.93. She reprised that role at ACC’s where she was 2nd only to G. Walsh with her 1:42.52. Lillian Nordmann and Kayla Wilson brought Stanford home at ACCs with 1:43.18 and 1:43.06 splits, ultimately finishing in 2nd with results of 6:51.79, but each likely has more time to drop as they were 1:42.32 and 1:42.28 on their 3rd-place relay of last year (6:51.17). Two questions remain, however: Will Huske remain on the relay as she can easily slot into every other relay, and who will likely occupy the other spots?

Torri Huske (photo: Jack Spitser)

Whereas Florida and Texas drop off suddenly, Stanford has a bit more depth to reach into. Caroline Bricker, who was 1:43.03 on the relay at ACCs, seems to be the obvious choice to fill that last spot, but Aurora Roghair certainly could be an option and, on paper, appears to be a better fit than Nordmann or Wilson. Roghair is the Cardinal’s 3rd fastest 200 freestyler this season and led off the relay last year at NCAAs but was left off of it this year at ACCs. It could have been a strategic choice, resting her for the 500 the next morning. Natalie Mannion, too, could also be a factor for the Cardinal, as she was a part of last year’s bronze medal-winning team. However, Mannion hasn’t yet shown the form she was in last year. She holds a season best of 1:45.20 and was 1:45.34 (17th) at ACCs, whereas last year she went a PB at PAC-12s, with a 1:43.67.

Former PAC-12 Rival, but now embedded in the blood bath that is the Big 10, USC will look to redeem themselves after the disappointment of last year. Seeded 5th heading into last March’s NCAA, the Trojans started the meet off, roughly adding close to three seconds to their seed and falling to 11th, ultimately finishing with a result of 6:56.34. This year, however, the team enters with different expectations. Seeded 8th with a 6:55.11, USC returns all of their relay members, being led by sophomore Minna Abraham. Abraham should enter the meet with much more confidence, having helped Hungary win the silver medal in this event at the 2024 Short Course Worlds and setting a new PB in the 200 free (1:41.29) at the Big 10 Conference Champs, a result which makes her the #3 seed in the event.  At Big 10s this year, USC swapped out Vasilissa Buinaia for Ella Ristic on this relay, with Ristic anchoring in 1:45.06, and while its an improvement upon the 1:46.03 of Buinaia from 2024 NCAAs, the Trojan are seemingly not deep enough to be contenders for the top of the podium unless Claire Tuggle and Macky Hodges can turn their 1:43 splits into 1:42s or better.

“Big Reputation, Big Enemies, Big 10”

While the fight for conference titles is intense regardless of which conference it is, nothing seems so intense as the title battle in the Big 10, and this year was no different as Ohio State reclaimed the title from Indiana, however it was Michigan who were giving them plenty of trouble in the 800 free relay.

Stephanie Balduccini (photo: Jack Spitser)

Michigan finds itself as the 5th seed at NCAAs thanks to their 6:52.04 from the Big 10 Championships. Wheras teams like Florida and USC rely upon one strong swimmer to bring down the average splits, Michigan was relatively even across the board with no swimmer slipping into the 1:44 range. Of course, having a star like Stephanie Balduccini lead you off in 1:42.10 (slower than her individual NCAA entry time of 1:41.16) doesn’t hurt, but the supporting swims of Hannah Bellard (1:43.42), Malia Amuan (1:42.42), and Christey Liang (1:42.98) are nothing to shake your head at. Michigan’s time and, in fact, that of OSU was under the old Big 10 record of 6:54.58, set by Michigan in 2019, and while OSU is just two spots back of Michigan coming in as the #7 seed, their 6:54.43, is a far margin back. However, that said, OSU used an entirely first-year lineup led by Canadian Olympic Trials finalist Sienna Angove, so the sky is the limit for their potential.

While seeded just 9th and therefore out of the final heat, one should be wary of Indiana and, in particular, Anna Peplowski. Just 4th at Big 10s (6:55.43), Indiana was only one second out of 2nd, and with Peplowski, the top seed in the 200 free (1:40.69), leading them off, the Hoosiers could ride that momentum and open water to a much higher finish than their seed would imply. Last year at NCAAs, Indiana placed 5th with a result of 6:54.03, with only Peplowski and Kristina Paegle swimming at both the 2024 NCAA and 2025 Big 10s. Miranda Grana‘s 1:43.68 2nd leg at Big 10s is an improvement upon Ristic’s 1:44.84, and if Gan Ching Hwee‘s 1:44.56 from 2024 replaces Reese Tiltmann‘s 1:45.50 from last month, Indiana could find itself in the 6:53 range.

The Verdict

With relays, it is always going to be a tough call as not only are the line-ups not set in stone, but four swimmers are required to be near or at their best at the same time, meaning that despite three swimmers performing well, one swimmer performing poorly can easily tank things. That said, the inverse can be true; if one swimmer pops off, then a relay could easily see itself moving up. While the margins between Virgina and Tennessee are vast, after those two things start to get close with just .18 separating Texas and Stanford for 3rd with Michigan just .43 back of the Longhorns, so expect the relay starts to be fast and the times to be even faster.

SwimSwam’s Picks

Dark Horse – Georgia (12th – 6:56.92): To be frank, it feels weird to have Georgia as a dark horse in this event, especially with the pedigree of mid-distance/distance freestylers that the school has put out. In a crowded SEC final, Georgia placed 4th with a result of 6:57.77, slower than the 6:56.92 they swam at their mid-season invite. Much of Georgia’s success will hinge upon Rachel Stege. Stege has a flying split of 1:42.84 at the mid-season but managed just 1:44.64 at SECs and was 1:45.63 in the individual 200. If Stege can find her form, then Georgia could find itself back in contention for a top 8 finish.