arena Swim of the Week: Kaelyn Gridley Blasts 58.14 100 Breast For New Duke Record, #3 In NCAA

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Disclaimer: Swim of the Week is not meant to be a conclusive selection of the best overall swim of the week, but rather one Featured Swim to be explored in deeper detail. The Swim of the Week is an opportunity to take a closer look at the context of one of the many fast swims this week, perhaps a swim that slipped through the cracks as others grabbed the headlines, or a race we didn’t get to examine as closely in the flood of weekly meets.

Duke junior Kaelyn Gridley fired off a lifetime best in the 100 breast as the Blue Devils took on UNC last Friday in Chapel Hill, resetting her school record and moving into the top three in the NCAA this season.

Gridley, 20, put up a time of 58.14, lowering the Duke Record of 58.59 she set at the Wolfpack Elite Invite in November.

Coming into the season, she held the school record at 58.74, set at the 2023 Wolfpack Elite Invite.

Gridley showed improved back-half speed in her swim last week relative to her previous PBs, closing in a blistering 30.13 after going out slightly slower at 28.01.

Split Comparison

Gridley’s time moves her into #3 in the NCAA rankings this season, trailing Florida’s Anita Bottazzo and Tennessee’s McKenzie Siroky.

2024-25 NCAA Rankings, Women’s 100 Breaststroke

1. Anita Bottazzo (Florida), 57.49 – 2024 UGA Fall Invitational
2. McKenzie Siroky (Tennessee), 58.00 – 2024 Tennessee Invitational
3. Kaelyn Gridley (Duke), 58.14 – 2025 Duke v. UNC
4. Skyler Smith (UNC), 58.26 – 2024 Gamecock Invitational
5. Emelie Fast (Tennessee), 58.41 – 2024 Tennessee Invitational

UNC’s Skyler Smith, who ranks 4th in the NCAA with her time of 58.26 from the Gamecock Invitational in November, was the runner-up to Gridley in the dual last Friday, clocking 58.80.

At the meet, Gridley also won the 200 breast (2:08.75) and was the runner-up in the 200 IM (2:08.52).

Last season as a sophomore, Gridley placed 4th in the 200 breast at NCAAs, setting a Duke Record of 2:04.94, but failed to earn a second swim in the 100 breast, placing 17th in 59.28.

In her freshman year, she was 6th in the 200 breast and 10th in the 100 breast.

Heading into her third NCAA Championships, Gridley appears poised to crack her first ‘A’ final in the 100 breast after her standout performance against UNC.

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