2025 Virginia Sprint Olympics
- March 11, 2025
- Charlottesville, Virginia
- Short Course Yards (25 yards)
- Full Results
A Virginia tradition, the Cavaliers’ annual “Spring Olympics,” held during spring break every year, is a 4×50 yard quadrathalon that stacks up the Cavaliers’ best, in tech suits, ahead of the NCAA Championship meets.
All eyes this week were on perhaps the best college sprinter ever Gretchen Walsh, who even while racing against a loaded field that included her sister Alex Walsh, was more than five seconds ahead of the field on the aggregate, averaging an astonishing 1.32 second margin, per 50, over the next best finisher.
All four swims were done in about 90 minutes.
Gretchen Walsh‘s Results
- 50 fly – 21.79
- 50 back – 22.96
- 50 breast – 27.04
- 50 free – 20.75
- Aggregate – 1:32.54
Alex Walsh‘s Results
- 50 fly – 23.78
- 50 back – 24.60
- 50 breast – 26.97
- 50 free – 22.50
- Aggregate – 1:37.85
The buzz was around whether Gretchen’s aggregate time could beat the NCAA Record of 1:31.51. While she didn’t quite hit that mark, a 1.03 second allotment for relay exchanges would probably get her there.
For reference, her best splits of all-time in each 50 (with rolling starts for fly and free, though her best breaststroke split is on a flat-start), add to a 1:29.73. Those splits are 22.10 backstroke, 26.81 breaststroke, 20.87 fly, and 19.95 free.
The standout split for Gretchen was the 20.75 freestyle, which is not her personal best (20.37 from NCAAs last year), but is faster than anyone else in history has ever been. But maybe the real show-stopper was actually her 21.79 50 fly (albeit a fresh 50 fly to start the session). That is faster than Maggie MacNeil’s best relay-start time of 21.85, which means that it is faster than any woman not named Gretchen Walsh has been in a 50 yard fly even without the benefit of a flying start.
For comparison, last year, Gretchen went an aggregate 1:34.57, so she’s over two seconds better than that swim, and the overall Meet Record was a 1:33.86 done by Kate Douglass in 2023.
That sets Gretchen up for a mind-bending NCAA Championship performance, with that meet starting a week from today in Federal Way, Washington.
On the men’s side, Spencer Nicholas swam 1:26.93, which puts him within four-tenths of Matt Brownstead‘s Meet Record of 1:26.56 from last year.
The men are a week further from their NCAA Championship than the women are.
Meet Records
Gretchen broke 4 out of 5 women’s records, with Jasmine Nocentini’s 50 breaststroke from last year being the only one to survive.
On the men’s side, freshman Spencer Nicholas broke the overall 50 fly record by almost half-a-seocnd, while both he and his fellow freshman David King got the 50 back freshman record, with King’s 21.37 standing atop that pile.
King’s 19.70 in the 50 free also tied the freshman record in that race.
Women:
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WOMEN’S RECORDS:
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| 50 BREAST |
2024 NOCENTINI 26.77
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| Freshman OVERALL |
2022 G. WALSH 1:35.38
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| Fr. 50 FLY |
2022 G. WALSH 22.86
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| Fr. 50 BACK |
2022 G. WALSH 23.04
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| Fr. 50 BREAST |
2023 WEBER 27.09
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| Fr. 50 FREE |
2022 G. WALSH 21.06
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Men’s Records:
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MEN’S RECORDS:
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| OVERALL |
2024 BROWNSTEAD 1:26.56
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| 50 BACK |
2024 BROWNSTEAD 21.19
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| 50 BREAST |
2024 NICHOLS 23.61
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| 50 FREE |
2024 BROWNSTEAD 19.32
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| Fr. 50 BREAST |
2021 NICHOLS 24.79
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| Fr. 50 Free |
2022 AIKINS 19.70
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Their final results had Claire going 22.94 in the 50BK! Not sure if they’re still up on their story
How many women have broken 23 in a 50 back? Is Curzan the fourth after Gretchen, Berkoff, and Maggie? I don’t think Regan ever did because she slipped on the wall as a freshman at NCAAs
Regan Smith, Isabelle Stadden, Rhyan White, and Rachel Bootsma are the #5 through #8 performers at 23.18, 23.34, 23.35, 23.36 respectively if the list I have is right. Regan’s time was from 2022 Pac-12s where she didn’t slip; she was 24.31 at NCAAs where she did slip
We are getting near the end with Gretchen. Very sad, but look out when she is 100% on LCM.
Nope!
The World Aquatics Swimming World Cup awaits. K. Douglass and R. Smith will have company.
I’m not gonna be surprised if she somehow improves in the LCM too .
Analyzing and scrutinizing times posted during a practice is diabolical.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Novelline on the backstroke, and Curzan on the 800 free relay … a 23.7 is still very competitive in the NCAA, esp with the Walsh sisters + Moesch behind her. Wouldnt be surprised to see her go 23.6 or better even.
Curzan / Canny / Grimes / [Parker or Hayes or Gormsen] could probably still contend for a title too …
If they want to win all five relays, and not necessarily set records in three or four of them, then I’d consider:
800 FR: Canny, A Walsh, Moesch, Curzan (6:47ish)
200 MR: G Walsh, A Walsh, Novelline, Parker (1:31 high)
200 FR: Curzan, Moesch, G Walsh, Parker (enough to beat Louisville)
400 MR: Curzan, A Walsh, G Walsh, Moesch (record watch)
400 FR: Curzan, A Walsh, G Walsh, Moesch (record watch)
Don’t sleep on that 200 free relay crew- could see 21 low/21 low/19 high/21 low-mid. I did a few add-ups and optimistic splits gets them as low as ~1:23.3. Like I said, those are optimistic splits and would require all four women to nail their swims, but I’d say that crew would have the relay on record watch
if I’m doing my math right isn’t 200 MR faster noveline, a.walsh, g.walsh, parker?
gretchen 1 sec faster than carly in back, but 2 seconds faster in fly?
Maybe? Novelline is was a 22.3 (22.4 at ACCs this year) fly leg at last year’s NCAAs and Walsh was at 22.1 on back.
Walsh has gone a 20.87 fly leg (that’s 1.5 seconds there), but would Desorbo feel comfortable needing a 23.6 back leg from Novelline? They went with Howley over Novelline for back at ACCs.
You can get away with C. Novelline on the butterfly leg of the 4 x 50 yard medley relay if G. Walsh posts a 22.10 backstroke split and J. Nocentini posts a 25.72 breaststroke split. G. Walsh’s season best time leading off the 4 x 50 yard medley relay has been 22.80 at the Tennessee Invite. It’s too risky to pull C. Curzan off the 4 x 50 yard medley relay.
I must be missing something. K. Grimes swam in the final of the women’s 4 x 200 meter freestyle relay at the 2024 Short Course World Championships. The women’s freestyle relay in which USA Swimming broke the World Record.
https://youtu.be/gnr8iELqIGM?si=OPniLFRNp75iKmB9
yes, katie can sub in for alex in the 4×200.
avoids two relay swims for alex the night before her 200IM.
walshes, curzan and moesch can go for records on three remaining relays.
time for us armchair quarterbacks to just sit back and enjoy!
With C. Curzan on the backstroke leg (23.25) and G. Walsh on the butterfly leg (20.87), the University of Virginia can place E. Weber on the breaststroke leg and the University of Virginia will still win the women’s 4 x 50 yard medley relay by more than a second. Note: Splits from the Virginia vs Virginia Tech meet.
A rested A. Walsh is one of the keys to the women’s 4 x 200 yard freestyle relay.
You’re not wrong. But here’s the thing — this meet isn’t gonna be close. They don’t need to maximize points. They are chasing historic records that wont’ be broken for a decade.
The University of Texas women’s diving program is the wild card.
Sorry, it’s not a 100-point wildcard.
Particularly because it looks as though they qualified just three divers.
MacNeil’s 21.85 from 2022 midseason is the second fastest (behind Gretchen) 50 fly relay split ever, right? So Gretchen’s flat start 50 fly, not even at a major meet, just beat out every woman in history – including relay starts. absolutely insane behavior from her
Yes that’s right.
26.9 for alex flat start is promising, just off Nocentini who went on to go off in the 100 breast at ncaas last year, nocentini is definitely sprintier than alex, so could see her getting close to Nocentini’s 100 time
Nice to see a 21.9 50 free from Anna Moesch. She’s had good relay splits this year but has mostly been stuck at 22 low from a flat start, only went 21.8 once…hoping this means that she’s hitting a good taper for NCAAs.
Canny’s range is crazy, who else can swim a 27.2 50 breast and a 4:35 500 free?!
Carly Novelline looking sneaky good in sprint fly and back, hoping to see some more PBs from her in a week. Guessing she’s going to be a go-to for them on medley relays next year.
Not to hate on canny, she is a stud, but someone on her own team can do that lol, Alex Walsh. Still crazy impressive
Alex’s best time in the 500 is 4:38, not 4:35
Anna Moesch has yet to match her personal best time (21.73) in the 50 FR from high school. I was expecting more from A. Moesch and M. Parker in the 50 FR during the 2024-2025 NCAA Season.
Season isn’t over yet, right?