2026 Women’s NCAAs: Day 1 200 Medley Relay Analysis – Two 22-Point Leadoffs And A 23.0

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 200 Medley Relay – Final Heat

• NCAA Record: 1:31.10 – Virginia (Curzan, A. Walsh, G. Walsh, Parker), 2025
• American Record: 1:31.10 – Virginia (Curzan, A. Walsh, G. Walsh, Parker), 2025
• U.S. Open Record: 1:31.10 – Virginia (Curzan, A. Walsh, G. Walsh, Parker), 2025
• Championship Record: 1:31.10 – Virginia (Curzan, A. Walsh, G. Walsh, Parker), 2025
• 2025 Champion: Virginia (Curzan, A. Walsh, G. Walsh, Parker) – 1:31.10
• 2025 8th/16th Place Times: 1:34.54/1:35.38
• Current Leader: Texas (Kern, Enge, Stoll, Okaro) — 1:33.52

Top 8 Teams

1. Virginia (Curtis, Weber, Curzan, Greenwaldt) — 1:31.67
2. Stanford (Huske, Thomas, Johnson, Olasewere)/Louisville (Mishler, Gorbenko, Larsen, Dennis) — 1:32.35
3. —
4. Tennessee — 1:32.66
5. NC State — 1:33.05
6. Michigan — 1:33.18
7. Texas — 1:33.38
8. Alabama — 1:33.81

Virginia reclaimed their status as the top 200 medley team in the nation after being beaten by Louisville at ACCs, clocking the 6th-fastest swim in history to win the first relay of the meet. They had the fastest legs on both back (Sara Curtis) and fly (Claire Curzan), while Bryn Greenwaldt was the 7th-fastest legal anchor.

Louisville and Stanford tied for 2nd, with some sharp exchanges from the Cardinals (0.47 seconds combined) being the difference between them and Tennessee (0.79 seconds combined) in 4th.

Cal were DQed after touching in 1:33.04 for 5th, with anchor Mia West jumping 0.02 seconds too early with a -0.05 second reaction time.

Reaction times down to -0.03 seconds are allowed, as the timing equipment has a tolerance of 0.03 seconds.

Backstroke Leg

We saw multiple historic leadoff legs, with three of the top six swimmers in history coming from the final heat tonight. Sarah Curtis (#3) and Torri Huske (#5) were both under 23 seconds, taking the number of women to break that barrier from three to five, and Mary-Ambre Moluh was 23.04 for Cal to slot in at #6. Four other women were under 23.5 seconds.

Breaststroke Leg

Anastasia Gorbenko backed up the 25.49 she split at ACCs with an even faster 25.44, which vaulted Louisville from 8th to 4th. McKenzie Siroky swam her fastest-ever 50 breast split with a 25.59 that was second-fastest in the field. There were five women under 26 seconds, three more than last year, and Gorbenko and Siroky’s performance rank in the top-ten in history.

Piper Enge swam their fastest ever split for Texas, 0.90 seconds faster than they were at SECs. Lucy Thomas, the only returning swimmer who broke 26 seconds last year in 25.71, did so again with a 25.88 this year to give Stanford the lead at halfway.

Butterfly Leg

Claire Curzan swam the fastest-ever butterfly leg by someone not named Gretchen Walsh, shaving 0.24 seconds off the 21.75 she swam at ACCs. Gigi Johnson fully vindicated Stanford’s decision to put Torri Huske on the leadoff as she split 22.14, half a second faster than she was at 2025 NCAAs and just 0.36 slower than Huske was at ACCs.

Alex Shackell‘s 22.27 from the morning heats stood up as the 3rd-fastest butterfly leg, as Michigan’s Brady Kendall was a little off her 21.95 from Big Tens.

Freestyle Leg

Six women broke 21 seconds legally on the anchor, five of them from the final heat this evening. Julia Dennis was the fastest in 20.71, anchoring Louisville home for 7th, while Cal’s Mia West (20.78) and Auburn’s Eveta Klevanovich (20.89) jumped early to DQ their teams, but would have thrown down top-eight splits.

Cadence Vincent and Lexi Greenhawt broke 21 seconds for the first time, while Kristina Paegle was 0.02 seconds slower than she swam last year. Bryn Greenwaldt was 0.43 seconds faster thans she was at ACCs for Virginia.