Alex Walsh Looking Past NCAAs, Hoping to “jumpstart my professional swimming career”

2025 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships

At her 5th NCAA Championships, Alex Walsh won another individual NCAA title, 3 more relay titles, and her 5th team title with Virginia. She leaves college as one of the winningest athletes in NCAA sports history. Looking forward, Walsh is hoping to use this meet as a springboard for her pro career.

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Springtime
1 day ago

When martial law gets declared a few weeks from now, will the US team even be allowed to travel outside the country to attend Worlds in Singapore this summer?

Thomas The Tank Engine
Reply to  Springtime
1 day ago

Only if they pass the sex test to determine they’re real biological female or male

Never in my wildest imagination that in my lifetime to see USA become a fascist country and a vassal state of Russia.

Well done, Putin! I underestimated your game.

Thomas The Tank Engine
Reply to  Springtime
1 day ago

They are allowed to travel to Singapore as long as the team contains no DEI.

So, swimmers like Casas and Torri Huske won’t be able to go.

Last edited 1 day ago by Thomas The Tank Engine
Tani
Reply to  Thomas The Tank Engine
8 hours ago

Omg!!!

Stenn
1 day ago

She slipped a bit in the 200m, but will it be her main category this summer?
I don’t think Summer will do it. Kate Douglass could also choose the 50m freestyle at trials and not do it or focus heavily on it this year. Kaylee might not either.

Eddie
Reply to  Stenn
1 day ago

I definitely feel like Kate’s gonna put some focus on the 50 free this year – it is her favorite event. Selfishly I hope she does cuz I can see her getting to a 23.7 and someone needs to take over for Sjostrom

Masters swammer
Reply to  Stenn
1 day ago

Is there any chance Alex goes all-in on the 100 breaststroke? She’s clearly capable, and it seems like there could be an opening on international teams (Lilly King announced that she will retire before 2028, Jacoby might have quietly retired, Emma Weber and Kaitlyn Dobler not at their best this NCAA champs)

Eddie
Reply to  Masters swammer
21 hours ago

Yah there’s a huge chance of this happening. She could do the 2 IM, 1 BR lineup, but they conflict at Worlds

Gary
1 day ago

How do you survive financially when going pro in swimming? And, what does life look like after a professional swim career when you have no other professional experience?

Admin
Reply to  Gary
1 day ago

https://swimswam.com/gretchen-walsh-finishes-short-course-worlds-with-290k-final-prize-money-update/ + endorsements + stipends from USA Swimming + clinics…a swimmer of this caliber can make a mint.

Life looks pretty good. Sort of depends on what you want to do, but there are MANY, many firms that are eager to hire highly successful athletes like this, Olympic gold medalists, etc. Sure, some of her peers will be getting experience in accounting or nursing or whatever. But she’s getting experience in event management, media/PR, swimming/coaching/training…all of which can be valuable for a lot of different careers. Not everyone on earth is an engineer, and pretending like somehow every 27 year old is a polished highly-experienced member of the work force is also not a realistic view of… Read more »

47.84
Reply to  Braden Keith
1 day ago

“A mint” relax Braden you don’t need to lie. Not to mention whatever they do get dried up eventually and swimmers then find themselves at the bottom of a professional totem poll years down the line.

Masters swammer
Reply to  Gary
1 day ago

I knew someone from college who played in the NFL for 5-6 years. He got traded a few times, and mostly saw action on special teams. While all NFL players make good money, I think he understood that his football career could end at any time, and he might not be “set for life” financially.

He had a degree from a good university, and actually took various internships (!) during the off-season to see figure out what kind of career he wanted after the football thing was over.

I think a lot of people were excited to hire an NFL player as an intern, and I imagine being an Olympian with a degree from UVA (even without any professional experience)… Read more »

Swimmer
1 day ago

I don’t know why but I went back and looked at KD’s commitment post and while she was already good, her improvement over the last 7 years has just been mind-blowing https://swimswam.com/nag-record-holder-kate-douglass-adds-verbal-uva-class-2023/

Awsi Dooger
Reply to  Swimmer
1 day ago

I remember when she was the #1 recruit I was reading the SwimSwam article and thinking it must be a down year.

I’ve chuckled at that memory many times.

Last 15 Meters
1 day ago

Austin beckons, Alex. Under Bob you would have been a multi event threat in Tokyo and Paris — 200 Back, 200 Breast, 200 IM, 400 IM, 4×200 Free.

5 Gold Medals.

You have the potential to dethrone Summer. Your choice. 🤷

ScovaNotiaSwimmer
Reply to  Last 15 Meters
1 day ago

Dethrone Summer in…what?

Last 15 Meters
Reply to  ScovaNotiaSwimmer
1 day ago

Don’t be scared. 🫶

Alex Walsh is the rightful heir to Katinka’s iron throne, but Summer’s ascendancy will be assured so long as Alex abdicates her seat in Olympic history.

Just Keep Swimming
Reply to  Last 15 Meters
1 day ago

Obvious troll is obvious

Vaswammer
Reply to  Last 15 Meters
1 day ago

You’re right — she probably made a mistake not going to ASU, which scored a total of 71 NCAA points in the four years Bob was their coach when Alex was at Virginia. Meanwhile, Alex herself has scored — checks notes — 221 *individual* points in those four years and made two Olympics teams and medaled.

How many ASU undergrad women made U.S. Olympics teams in 2021 and 2024?

I’ll help you — starts with a ‘z” and ends with an “o.” Z-E-R-O. That’s right.

All hail, Bob the King!

Last edited 1 day ago by Vaswammer
Vaswammer
Reply to  Vaswammer
1 day ago

And I’ll add, no woman who’s ever trained under Bob Bowman has won an Olympic gold in an individual event while he was principal coach. Not Simone, not Regan, not Hali, not Alison. But yeah, Alex would have five under his highness.

Bob sycophants are the worst sort of sycophants.

Last edited 1 day ago by Vaswammer
I miss the ISL (Go dawgs)
Reply to  Vaswammer
1 day ago

Actually while I would love to give Jack Bauerle the credit for Schmitt’s gold in 2012 I’m pretty sure she took a year off at UGA to go train with Bob for the Olympics. But I was like 12 in 2012 so correct me if I’m wrong

Bobthebuilderrocks
Reply to  Vaswammer
1 day ago

For your knowledge:

https://www.onlineathens.com/story/sports/high-school/swimming-diving/2012/07/15/after-year-intense-training-uga-swimmer-schmitt-ready-olympics/15604129007/

Also, If you think Last 15 Meters” is serious, I don’t think the internet is for you.

Stenn
Reply to  Vaswammer
1 day ago

Katie hoff

Admin
Reply to  Stenn
1 day ago

Hoff only trained with Bowman for a brief time after the 2008 Olympic Games.

martinswam
Reply to  Stenn
1 day ago

That would be (I think) Paul Yetter.

Walter
Reply to  Stenn
1 day ago

I kind of feel like Bob ruined Katie. And he pretty much apologized to her on Katie’s podcast.

Last 15 Meters
Reply to  Vaswammer
1 day ago

Aren’t you forgetting a certain former Virginia Cavalier who fulfilled her full potential under the tutelage of Mr Bowman?

If I recall this former Cavalier dropped an unfathomable amount of time in an Olympic final to nearly beat two Olympic legends, score a surprise individual Olympic medal, and place her name among some of the greatest distance swimmers in history…

Yikes
Reply to  Vaswammer
1 day ago

Idk, what about UVA sycophants?

Redbar is watching
Reply to  Last 15 Meters
1 day ago

Everyone is hating on this take (mostly because of the weird tone hopefully) but Alex is basically the same type of swimmer as Leon in terms of stroke strengths.

If she is willing to embrace the LC 4IM, Alex to Texas totally makes sense. Bella too, lowkey.

Eddie
Reply to  Redbar is watching
1 day ago

I think Bella more so than Alex – Bella needs the yardage. I personally would love to see Alex train with David Marsh

Freddie
Reply to  Eddie
1 day ago

I wouldn’t wish that on anybody.

YSwim
Reply to  Eddie
1 day ago

“let Bella sprint”
and why would Alex train anywhere else?

Last 15 Meters
Reply to  Redbar is watching
1 day ago

Alex can no longer score any points for UVA. Not sure why its rabid fans are in such a tizzy that Alex might follow a coach who can fulfill her full potential. 🤷

Stenn
1 day ago

She slipped a bit in the 200m, but will it be her main category this summer? She can have open door.
I don’t think Summer will do it. Kate could also choose the 50m freestyle at trials and not do it or focus heavily on it this year. Kaylee might not either.

Last edited 1 day ago by Stenn
Eddie
1 day ago

Alex – such a joy to watch you swim at NCAAs. And who else can say they’ve been a part of 5 national championships in a row?!

Now let’s see you in the 2 IM and both breaststrokes this summer!

Tani
Reply to  Eddie
1 day ago

❤️❤️❤️

Ranger Coach
1 day ago

I only started watching NCAA swimming post-COVID because it was never on a network I had pre-COVID. It is going to be weird not seeing either Walsh next year since they have been present in each NCAA meet I watched.

I think that she and her sister are both going to have good professional careers.

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