Virginia’s Anna Moesch Shines in 200 Free, Breaks 1:40 To Become 3rd Fastest Performer in History

2026 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships

• Dates:
  • Diving: Sunday, February 15–Tuesday, February 17
  • Swimming: Tuesday, February 17–Saturday, February 21
• Location: McAuley Aquatic Center, Atlanta, GA
• Defending champions: UVA women (6x); Cal men (1x)
• Live Results
• Live Video: ESPN+ ($)
• Schedule of Events (PDF)
• Championship Central
• Pre-Scratch Psych Sheet
• Live Results
• Live Recaps
  • Prelims: Day 4|Day 5
  • Finals: Day 1|Day 2 | Day 3|Day 4 | Day 5
• Teams: Boston College, Cal, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami (women swimming & diving/men diving), NC State, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, SMU, Stanford, Virginia, Virginia Tech

Women’s 200 Free

• NCAA: 1:39.10 — Missy Franklin, California (2015)
• ACC: 1:39.34 — Gretchen Walsh, Virginia (2025)
• ACC Championship Record: 1:39.34 — Gretchen Walsh, Virginia (2025)
• Pool: 1:41.12 — Taylor Ruck, Stanford (2022)
• 2025 NCAA Invite Time: 1:44.74

Top 8:

1. Anna Moesch (UVA)- 1:39.72 *Pool Record
2. Madi Mintenko (UVA)- 1:41.52
3. Claire Weinstein (CAL)- 1:42.40
4. Bailey Hartman (UVA)- 1:42.64
5. Carmen Weiler Sastre (VT)- 1:43.14
6. Cavan Gormsen (UVA)- 1:43.20
7. Annam Olsewere (STAN)- 1:43.23
8. Gigi Johnson (STAN)- 1:43.25

Last year, the Virginia Cavaliers graduated arguably the greatest female sprinter in collegiate history in Gretchen Walsh. Coming into the 2025-2026 season, some swim fans began to plant seeds of doubt regarding Virginia’s ability to win their 6th straight National Championship—a “rebuild year” for their sprint freestyle group, without a clear star like they had in the years past.

Tonight, sophomore Anna Moesch put an official end to that narrative, becoming the 3rd fastest performer in history with a blisteringly fast time of 1:39.72 in the 200 free. She becomes just the 4th swimmer to break the 1:40 barrier, joining the legendary group of Missy Franklin, Gretchen Walsh, and Mallory Comerford. Her swim kicks Stanford’s Simone Manuel out of the top 5 and slots in just ahead of Comerford.

All-Time Top Performers, Women’s 200 Free

1. Missy Franklin, Cal – 1:39.10 (2015 NCAAs)
2. Gretchen Walsh, Virginia – 1:39.34 (2025 ACCs)
3. Anna Moesch, Virginia — 1:39.72 (2025 ACCs)
4. Mallory Comerford, Louisville – 1:39.80 (2018 NCAAs)
5. Katie Ledecky, Stanford – 1:40.36 (2017 NCAAs)

Splits Comparison

Compared to her previous best, Moesch was able to shave over a second off the first 100 and almost 1.5 seconds on the back half. Whereas Franklin and Walsh attacked the race from the get-go, Moesch’s race plan is more similar to that of Comerford’s; both took it out relatively conservatively before flashing their closing speed and nearly even splitting the race.

While Moesch has always had speed, this season she’s taken it to another level. Out of high school, SwimSwam ranked her as the No. 7 recruit in the class of 2024, backed by bests of 21.73/47.11/1:43.35. As a freshman at Virginia, she made an immediate impact, scoring 29 points at NCAAs with a 5th-place finish in the 200 free (1:42.39) and a 4th-place finish in the 100 free (46.94). Moesch went on to make Team USA’s World Championship team over the summer and ended up collecting two silvers thanks to her prelim swims in the 4×100 and 4×200 free relays.

The first real sign of another jump came in November at the CSCAA Dual Meet Challenge, when she rattled off two top-five all-time swims in the 100 and 200 free in the same session. She’s carried that momentum into these championships, as along with her swim in the 200 free, she took 3rd in the 50 free with a best time of 21.22. She’s also been central to continued Virginia’s relay dominance, splitting 20.94 in the 200 free relay a 1:40.42 in the 800 free relay. Both relays stand as the #2 performances in history, behind only Virginia in 2024 and 2025, respectively.

The sole individual event left on Moesch’s schedule is the 100 free, which takes place on Saturday. However, she’ll likely also be a member of UVA’s 4×100 free and medley relays.