Gretchen Walsh Moves To #6 All-Time With 49.71 100 Back On 400 MR Lead-Off

2022 ACC SWIMMING AND DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

UVA freshman Gretchen Walsh evened the score with Katharine Berkoff on the lead-off leg of the women’s 400 medley relay Friday night at the ACC Championships in Atlanta, out-touching the NC State junior with a new 100 back personal best time of 49.71.

In the individual 100 back earlier in the session, Berkoff won the event over Walsh in decisive fashion, becoming the third-fastest performer of all-time with a new ACC Record of 49.41. Walsh took second in 50.13, improving her PB of 50.61, with two locking horns about two hours later in the 400 medley relay.

This time, Walsh, got her hand on the wall first, with her 49.71 showing making her the sixth-fastest woman in history and the 10th to crack the 50-second barrier.

Berkoff wasn’t far behind in 49.75, which is only .01 slower than her NCAA-winning time from last season.

All-Time Performers, Women’s 100 Backstroke (SCY)

  1. Regan Smith, 49.16 – 2021
  2. Beata Nelson, 49.18 – 2019
  3. Katharine Berkoff, 49.41 – 2022
  4. Claire Curzan, 49.61 – 2022
  5. Ally Howe, 49.69 – 2017
  6. Gretchen Walsh, 49.71 – 2022
  7. Maggie MacNeil, 49.76 – 2021
  8. Kathleen Baker, 49.80 – 2017
  9. Janet Hu, 49.93 – 2018
  10. Natalie Coughlin, 49.97 – 2002

Walsh was out in 23.88 at the 50, the identical split to Berkoff’s in the individual event, before closing in 25.83. In Walsh’s individual swim, she split 24.05/26.08.

The 19-year-old joins Berkoff and Stanford’s Regan Smith (49.97) as the only three women sub-50 this season.

Beyond being a phenomenal individual performance, Walsh’s swim set the Virginia women up for an unbelievable showing in the relay as a whole, as the quartet of Walsh, Alexis Wenger (56.79), Alex Walsh (49.59) and Kate Douglass (46.25) combined to smash the U.S. Open and NCAA Records by more than two seconds in 3:22.34.

The previous record stood at 3:24.59, set by NC State at last season’s NCAAs.

The Wolfpack were the runners-up here in 3:24.78, the third-fastest swim in history despite being an astonishing 2.44 seconds behind the Cavaliers.

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Swimmerj
2 years ago

She also takes down Courtney Bartholomew (idk spelling)’s program record

swimfast
2 years ago

So…is UVA Women 2022 the best team, women or men, in recent memory? Can someone add up just the Walsh sisters alone’s best 400 medley relay possibility and tell me they wouldn’t get top 5 nationally in the 400 medley? And then add in Douglass, Wenger, ….., ……., etc. Ya..i think this is the best team regardless of gender as far as we can remember.

Last edited 2 years ago by swimfast
Reply to  swimfast
2 years ago

2018 stanford women though…

Ol' Longhorn
Reply to  swimfast
2 years ago

UT men with Conger, Haas, Clark Smith, Schooling all Olympic gold medalists, plus Licon, Shebat and all their other studs were kinda good. Won 6 individual events, second in another, and three relays at the 2016 NCAAs. And they were going up against Murphy, Dressel, Prenot, and Pebley — all Olympians, too.

jeff
Reply to  swimfast
2 years ago

how would you measure that? By their win margin at NCAAs?

Yup
2 years ago

she lit that candle on the 400MR

Joe
2 years ago

The past 5 years have some done some damage to coughlin time

Joe
Reply to  Joe
2 years ago

That is what I am saying. She is was only person to break 50 for 15 years

swimfast
Reply to  Joe
2 years ago

I mean this is a factual statement, but overly obvious and not contributing to much.
Coughlin STILL being in the top 15 is a tribute to her success; not her demise that people are finally beating her times (barely).

HOYA13
Reply to  Joe
2 years ago

The fact that Coughlin would still A final and compete strongly for the title 20 years later is just insane and a testament to her unbelievable talent. Also without backstroke wedges for what it’s worth.

Snarky
2 years ago

Alex on fly. Studly move. But not a surprise as to final time. It will take a 3:22 low to win NCAAS this year.

Last edited 2 years ago by Snarky
Joel Lin
Reply to  Snarky
2 years ago

That was a 3:22 low. That relay is unbeatable. Stanford doesn’t have the breaststroke leg to keep up & NCS isn’t going to make up 2 seconds in the free leg. UVa women will be racing the clock in the medley relays next month.

Snarky
Reply to  Joel Lin
2 years ago

Yeah. Just like last year.

SwimmerNotSwammer
Reply to  Joel Lin
2 years ago

PERIODTTTT

Snarky
Reply to  SwimmerNotSwammer
2 years ago

Joel Lin has cavalier underwear!

Admin
Reply to  Snarky
2 years ago

Snarky, you been drinking tonight?

Snarky
Reply to  Braden Keith
2 years ago

Lol.

Admin
Reply to  Snarky
2 years ago

I’ll take that as a ‘yes’.

swimGeek
Reply to  Joel Lin
2 years ago

I say Nobody (including uva) is going 3:22 next month. This conf meet former is ideal for relay records. No prelim relays. The studs don’t have to kill themselves in prelims individually. Empty lanes on both sides. And with this 4-day format, Douglass and AWalsh had no other swims today. NCAAs is a meat grinder and not the best format for record swims.

Last edited 2 years ago by swimGeek

About James Sutherland

James Sutherland

James swam five years at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario, specializing in the 200 free, back and IM. He finished up his collegiate swimming career in 2018, graduating with a bachelor's degree in economics. In 2019 he completed his graduate degree in sports journalism. Prior to going to Laurentian, James swam …

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