Former Georgia Swimmer Maxine Parker Announces Transfer to Virginia

In March, we reported that former Georgia swimmer Maxine Parker had entered the transfer portal. Today, she announced that she would be transferring to the University of Virginia for the 2022-23 season. She will have two years, plus a bonus COVID 5th year, of eligibility remaining.

Parker swam at NCAAs in both her freshman and sophomore year at Georgia. This year, she finished 20th at the meet in the 50 free (22.09), and 51st in the 100 free (49.35). However, she did lead off the 400 free relay with a 48.31, which is her season-best this year in the 100 free. Her season-best of 21.95 in the 50 free was from SECs this year.  She has been as fast as 21.93 and 47.75, going both of those best times at 2021 SECs her freshman year and proceeding to add from her seed time in both events at 2021 NCAAs. The one PB that Parker set in the 2021-22 season was in the 200 free when she swam a 1:44.24 leading off of Georgia’s 800 free relay at NCAAs,

Maxine Parker‘s Best Times Progression:

HS BEST NCAA FRESHMAN BEST
NCAA SOPHOMORE BEST
50 free 22.20 21.93 21.95
100 free 49.24 47.75 48.31
200 free 1:46.21 1:44.71 1:44.24

Given that the Virginia women are already the biggest powerhouse swim team in the country, winning the last two national titles, the addition of Parker only makes the rich get richer. She will provide the Cavaliers NCAA valuable points next year if she figures out how to peak and swim season bests at NCAAs.

Virginia is already dominant in the sprints. They have reigning 50 and 100 free national champions Kate Douglass and Gretchen Walsh, and Lexi Cuomo also helped score in the 50 free last season by placing 14th. They have American-record caliber 200 and 400 free relays, and all members in both of these relays will be returning next season.

However, the 200 free is one of the “weaker” events for UVA. At NCAAs, it was one of the only events where the team did not have anyone make the A-final (Alex Walsh‘s ACC-winning time of 1:42.28 would have been third, but she chose not to swim the event). Their highest and only scoring finisher, Reilly Tiltmann, placed ninth with a time of 1:43.55. Parker didn’t compete in the individual 200 free at NCAAs, but her relay leadoff would have finished 11th.

More importantly, Parker could be crucial to UVA’s 800 free relay, the only relay that they did not win at NCAAs (they finished second to Stanford). Her best time is faster than the 1:44.80 anchor leg that Emma Weyant produced at NCAAs, and there’s no reason that Parker wouldn’t be able to split 1:43-point on a relay start with a 1:44-low flat start time. With Stanford losing Brooke Forde, a member of their NCAA-winning 800 free relay this year that won by over five seconds, Parker is potentially the key for the Cavaliers to cut the deficit between them and the Cardinals.

Here’s how Parker’s best times would look on UVA’s depth charts compared to the members of their 200/400/800 free relays at NCAAs (NCAA relay splits included):

50 Free:

  1. Kate Douglass– 20.84 (20.55 relay split)
  2. Gretchen Walsh– 20.95 (20.58 relay split)
  3. Lexi Cuomo– 21.80 (21.86 relay split)
  4. Maxine Parker– 21.93
  5. Alex Walsh– 22.35 (21.46 relay split)

100 Free:

  1. Gretchen Walsh– 46.05 (46.02 relay split)
  2. Kate Douglass– 46.62 (46.18 relay split)
  3. Maxine Parker– 47.75
  4. Alex Walsh– 48.59 (46.49 relay split)
  5. Reilly Tiltmann– 50.30 (47.79 relay split)

200 Free:

  1. Alex Walsh– 1:42.28 (1:41.92 relay split)
  2. Reilly Tiltmann– 1:43.17
  3. Maxine Parker– 1:44.24
  4. Ella Nelson- 1:47.15 (1:43.58 relay split)
  5. Emma Weyant– 1:48.39 (1:44.80 relay split)

Considering that all of Parker’s times are competitive with all of Virginia’s freestylers, the question of whether to include her on the team’s 200 and 400 free relays might make Todd DeSorbo‘s job a little more interesting, while putting her on the 800 free relay is a no-brainer.

Parker won the silver medal in the 50 free at the 2019 FINA Junior World Championships, and won gold as a part of Team USA’s mixed 4×100 free relay. Prior to college, she swam for Chelsea Piers, the same club that her future college teammate Kate Douglass swam for.

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sam
1 year ago

Hope is always eternal and champions are made without nothing here in Swimswam comments

IvyGrad
Reply to  sam
1 year ago

Welp there is that.

Idek
1 year ago

Don’t know if they overlapped but both Walsh’s briefly swam for cpac too. Would be funny to see four kids who swam on one club team compete on the same relay at ncaas.

Soapy
1 year ago

Maxine Parker? More like MAXimum swimming! Love the Dawg and Cavalier combo!!!!

Willswim
1 year ago

200 Medley
G. Walsh
A. Walsh
L. Cuomo
K. Douglass

400 Medley
R. Tiltmann
A. Walsh
K. Douglass
G. Walsh

200 Free
K. Douglass
M. Parker
L. Cuomo
G. Walsh

400 Free
K. Douglass
A. Walsh
M. Parker
G. Walsh

800 Free
A. Walsh
E. Nelson
M. Parker
R. Tiltmann

Greg
Reply to  Willswim
1 year ago

The 400 medley falls on the same day as the 200 free/100 back double for Reilly Tiltmann. Because of that I think it’s likely Gretchen on back. They’ll figure out the fly/free combo – so many options.

Joel Lin
1 year ago

Welcome to The Hook, Maxine Parker!

Hoos are just ridiculously stacked for a threepeat.

yeahyeahyeah
Reply to  Joel Lin
1 year ago

It’s gonna be close battle with Stanford

Huske Curzan gonna be the next Douglass Walsh

Can’t wait

Joel Lin
Reply to  yeahyeahyeah
1 year ago

Stanford gets better next year, but Virginia brings in more points than they lose from the 2022 scoring at the NCAA meet. Like this year’s Texas men, Virginia is a prohibitive favorite to win it again in 2023 but the meet is scored in the pool, not on paper. Anything is possible but the Lady Hoos are definitely the team to beat next year.

Last edited 1 year ago by Joel Lin
swimgeek
Reply to  yeahyeahyeah
1 year ago

UVA is too loaded an loses too little (largely just Wenger) — and is adding too much. I don’t see 2023 being too competitive even with Curzan arriving at Stanford. Maybe in 2024 this meet could get more interesting b/c UVA will lose a massive class of Douglass, Ellan Nelson, Cuomo, and Donahoe. But that’s assuming none of them take their bonus covid year — and that’s not necessary a safe assumption (notwithstanding the precedent set by Paige Madden and Wenger).

Harmon
1 year ago

She is a massive team hopper. Should be interesting.

AcademyKid
Reply to  Harmon
1 year ago

Some call it team hopping. Others call it strategic.

UVA Fan
Reply to  AcademyKid
1 year ago

And a phenomenal school.

Rich Teller
Reply to  UVA Fan
1 year ago

How could anybody downvote UVA as a phenomenal school? That’s just sore feelings because you’re talking #4 public university in the country(as high as 2 and as low as 5 over 20+ years).

Ol' Longhorn
Reply to  Rich Teller
1 year ago

Define phenom. Excellent to outstanding, yes, phenomenal, no.

Swimpop
Reply to  AcademyKid
1 year ago

Some call it strategic, others might say desperate. 7+ Club teams? If someone knows that her family had to move 7+ times for work and not to chase the family plan, I will apologize. It just doesn’t seem unfathomable know how crazy some swim parents are.

IvyGrad
Reply to  Swimpop
1 year ago

Then feel free to apologize. Please go to Linkedin and do a little research instead of popping off and hoping everyone is lazy. All of these keyboard warriors are funny.

Tuck Front
Reply to  Harmon
1 year ago

@harmon
It’s a shame how (haters) just don’t want to see kids succeed…if Parker feels UVA is a great fit, then good for her for having the courage to find the right place for her!

Laura
Reply to  Tuck Front
1 year ago

@harmon don’t get negative comments. Super strange….Maxine is a great kid and UVA is lucky to have her.

Admin
Reply to  Harmon
1 year ago

Mags/Harmon – please follow SwimSwam commenting guidelines by sticking to just one username in a given comment section. Thanks.

Guy
1 year ago

Time for Hailey Galbraith to step up for the Dawgs!

jeff
1 year ago

I like this, Tiltmann can focus on the backstrokes and 200 free and leave that 400 free relay spot to Parker now

swimgeek
Reply to  jeff
1 year ago

That’s very possible . . . or Tiltmann might LIKE to swim on an American Record relay and will fight to keep her spot. It’s at the end of the meet and doesn’t impact her other swims at all.

About Yanyan Li

Yanyan Li

Although Yanyan wasn't the greatest competitive swimmer, she learned more about the sport of swimming by being her high school swim team's manager for four years. She eventually ventured into the realm of writing and joined SwimSwam in January 2022, where she hopes to contribute to and learn more about …

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