Gretchen Walsh: “I think we all proved something to ourselves at this meet”

2022 NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

Reported by Anne Lepesant.

WOMEN 100 YARD FREESTYLE – FINALS

  • NCAA Record: 45.56 – Simone Manuel, Stanford (2017)
  • Meet Record: 45.56 – Simone Manuel, Stanford (2017)
  • American Record: 45.56 – Simone Manuel, Stanford (2017)
  • US Open Record: 45.56 – Simone Manuel, Stanford (2017)
  • Pool Record: 46.70 – Olivia Smoliga, Georgia (2016)
  • 2021 Champion: Maggie MacNeil, Michigan – 46.02

Podium:

  1. Gretchen Walsh, FR Virginia – 46.05
  2. Morgan Scott, SR Alabama – 46.78
  3. Katharine Berkoff, JR NC State – 46.95
  4. Cora Dupre, JR Alabama – 47.08
  5. Iszac Henig, JR Yale / Gabi Albiero, SO Louisville – 47.32
  6. Grace Countie, SR North Carolina – 47.36
  7. Lia Thomas, 5Y Penn – 48.18

Gretchen Walsh won her first NCAA title with a new pool record of 46.05, becoming the #4 performer of all time in the 100 free. It was Alabama senior Morgan Scott who got out the fastest; she led at the 25 and 50 walls, flipping in 22.08 at the halfway point. Walsh was .02 behind, with NC State junior Katharine Berkoff running third with 22.41.

Walsh went into the 75 wall first and came home in 23.95 to win by half a body length ahead of Scott (46.78). Berkoff held at third, clocking a 46.95. Cora Dupre of Alabama was fourth with 47.08. There was a tie for fifth place, as Yale’s Iszac Henig and Louisville’s Gabi Albiero both stopped the clock at 47.32.

North Carolina’s Grace Countie (47.36) and Lia Thomas of Penn (48.18) rounded out the final.

Stanford’s Torri Huske won the B final in 46.98.

In This Story

5
Leave a Reply

Subscribe
Notify of

5 Comments
newest
oldest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Swammer2009
2 years ago

Gretchen is a star! Fantastic first NCAAs and a smile on her face the entire weekend.

John Hueth
2 years ago

She will be the MVP of NCAAs at some point in the future.

jeff
2 years ago

what’s the most individual points a teenager has scored? I don’t expect Walsh to be the highest but who else is up there?

Admin
Reply to  jeff
2 years ago

Under the current system, 60. Multiple teenagers have gone three-for-three in individual events, scoring 60 points, the most that anyone can score.

Tracy Caulkins won 5 individual events in 1982. Obviously that could never be matched without a change in rules, but I don’t know what the scoring system was back then to verify that it was still 20 for a win. If so, 100 would be the record. Based on Florida winning the meet with 505 points, even though there were fewer events back then, it feels like the scoring system was probably similar?

LBSWIM
Reply to  jeff
2 years ago

Janet Evans. Summer Sanders. Janel Jorgensen. Natalie Coughlin. Just to name a few that all went 3 for 3 as freshman. I’m sure there are a bunch of others.

About Coleman Hodges

Coleman Hodges

Coleman started his journey in the water at age 1, and although he actually has no memory of that, something must have stuck. A Missouri native, he joined the Columbia Swim Club at age 9, where he is still remembered for his stylish dragon swim trunks. After giving up on …

Read More »