2022 NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
- March 16-19, 2022
- McAuley Aquatic Center, Georgia Tech, Atlanta, Georgia (Eastern Daylight Time)
- Prelims 10AM /Finals 6PM
- Short Course Yards (25 yards)
- Championship Central
- Official Psych Sheets
- Live Results
- Live Video (ESPN3): Day Two Finals
- Thursday night finals heat sheets
Reported by Anne Lepesant.
WOMEN 50 YARD FREESTYLE – FINALS
NCAA Record: 20.87 – Kate Douglass, Virginia (2022)Meet Record: 20.87 – Kate Douglass, Virginia (2022)American Record: 20.87 – Kate Douglass, Virginia (2022)US Open Record: 20.87 – Kate Douglass, Virginia (2022)Pool Record: 20.87 – Kate Douglass, Virginia (2022)- 2021 Champion: Kate Douglass, Virginia – 21.13
Podium:
- Kate Douglass, JR Virginia – 20.84N
- Gretchen Walsh, FR Virginia – 20.95
- Maggie MacNeil, SR Michigan – 21.38
- Morgan Scott, SR Alabama – 21.43
- Cora Dupre, JR Alabama – 21.47
- Grace Countie, SR UNC – 21.54
- Katharine Berkoff, JR NCSU – 21.55
- Kylee Alons, SR NCSU – 21.68
For the second time in the span of eight hours, Kate Douglass established herself as the fastest 50 freestyler in history. After blasting a 20.87 in prelims for her first time under 21 seconds, the Virginia junior lowered her NCAA, meet, American, and U.S. Open record by another .03 to win the 50 free final in 20.84. She was out in 10:09 and back in 10.75, or .04 slower on the front half but .08 faster on the back half than in prelims.
Teammate Gretchen Walsh touched second in 20.95, her first sub-21, to become only the third performer ever to achieve that distinction. The Virginia freshman is now within .05 of Abbey Weitzeil’s 20.90 which, until this morning, had been the American, U.S. Open, and NCAA records.
i can’t wait for her to translate that 20.84 to LCM (:
Training with Gretchen also help and vice versa. These girls keep pushing each other in practice every day.
Geez. So much talent. If she takes down the 200 breast record, that’s gotta be the most ridiculous range and stroke difference in recent memory. I mean, can you see prime Rebecca Soni or Lilly King doing a 50 free under 22?
That record is toast.
Not sure what Tracy Caulkins did in a 50, but she did have SCY ARs in the 100 and 500 free, 200 back, 100 and 200 breast, 200 and 400 IM. Plus LCM WRs in the 200 and 400 IM and 200 fly and ARs in the 100 and 200 breast. I know, not in many peoples’ recent memory, but in mine. I am old. But yes, the versatility of Kate Douglas and Alex Walsh is awesome.
Yeah. Caulkins is the GOAT. That’s why I said recent memory. I mean Natalie Coughlin could go 50 free to 200’s free and stroke too. It’s just weird to see a 200 breaststroker blister a 50 free.
I would argue that it is more impressive to do it it this era vs when Caulkins was crushing it. Women’s swimming is deeper and more competitive. Also, training has become so much more specialized.
Lilly was 23.2 in 2018.