Gretchen Walsh on Out-splitting Most Freestylers on Fly Leg: “That’s where I compare myself”

2025 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships

The Virginia women made a statement on night 1 of the 2025 NCAA Championships, crushing their own NCAA record in the 200 medley relay with a 1:31.10. Notably, Gretchen Walsh split 20.88 on the butterfly leg, .01 away from the fastest split ever (held by her). She outsplit 24 of the 26 freestyle legs in the event, a benchmark that she says has become the standard for herself.

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MigBike
26 minutes ago

True humility ceases to exist when one becomes aware of ones’ own humility. A.W Tozer

I miss the ISL (Go dawgs)
26 minutes ago

I wonder where Claire would be if she had stayed at Stanford after that rough 2023 summer. Clearly paid off for Torri and the rest of the team. She’s doing well now obviously and glad she’s happy, but it’s interesting to think about.

Bull Puoy
50 minutes ago

We have begun to take this level of dominance for granted on the women’s side. 2025-2026 NCAA season very much has an “up for grabs” feeling to it, especially for the relays.

I miss the ISL (Go dawgs)
Reply to  Bull Puoy
29 minutes ago

And I’m excited for it. Seeing this level of dominance is cool and I’m gonna miss the Walshes, but I’m ready for a tight team race for champion again, like back in the 2010s where UGA, Stanford, USC, Michigan, Cal etc. were having to wait until the last few events and fight the entire time to see who was gonna come out on top (excluding Stanford’s dominance with Manuel and Ledecky).

Swimmer
2 hours ago

Honestly thought I might have this on 1.5x or 2x speed during Claire’s part of the interview.

mahmoud
4 hours ago

she’s such a bathtub swimmer. she needs to work on her freestyle long course. It hasn’t come together at all. girl thinks swimming is all about underwaters lol

John
Reply to  mahmoud
4 hours ago

mahmoud thinking one interview at NCAA’s is a career defining moment…. just enjoy swimming my man! have fun, you’ll live longer

Swimmer
Reply to  mahmoud
2 hours ago

World record holder “it hasn’t come together at all” 🙄

Swimmerj
Reply to  mahmoud
2 hours ago

My goodness you people are endlessly irritating. For one weekend can you please just be quiet? This is the culmination of a five year era of dominance in the NCAA by the Walsh sisters that is extremely meaningful to them and their fans.

I’m also confused why these bathtub comments are still a thing when she dusted everyone in the 100 fly in Paris besides her own USA teammate, split 52.5 in freestyle, and won two Olympic gold medals.

Mahmoud
Reply to  Swimmerj
1 hour ago

My opinion. Bye. This is an open forum and I’m allowed to express my views. So if you don’t like my perspective – you don’t need too.

John
Reply to  Mahmoud
1 hour ago

I don’t like your perspective – deal with it Mahmoud…. Deal with it

UVA #1 FAN!!!!!!!!
Reply to  Mahmoud
57 minutes ago

ur perspective SUCKS

Aquatic Ursine
Reply to  Mahmoud
47 minutes ago

We live in a marvelous beautiful world the sun is shining, and bro is upset with a women swimming sub 21 in the 50 fly…

gretchentruther
Reply to  Mahmoud
38 minutes ago

go pick up a baby wombat and calm down, aus

Bad Man
Reply to  Mahmoud
16 minutes ago

She is a world record holder in an LCM event. I don’t think she or really anyone else cares about your dogwater perspective.

Hmm
Reply to  Mahmoud
2 minutes ago

everyone here is allowed to express their views too! I can’t imagine what a “put together” g walsh looks like if she already owns one of the toughest LCM WRs on the books & is a multi time gold medalist. if you don’t like everyone correctly saying you’re wrong, you don’t need to*** either!

Thomas The Tank Engine
6 hours ago

She should sweep 50/100 free and fly in Singapore if her current short course prowess translate to LCM.

UVA #1 FAN!!!!!!!!
Reply to  Thomas The Tank Engine
56 minutes ago

big if but we’ll see how her lcm freestyle shapes up this summer

Swimmer.thingz
7 hours ago

She tends to be quite humble but that’s a bit cocky ngl..

jeff
Reply to  Swimmer.thingz
6 hours ago

nah I think it’s just a normal level of confidence for an athlete that’s so far above the level of anyone else in her events. Quite frankly it wouldn’t make sense for someone who splits sub 21 to compare themselves to other butterflyers. It’s like when Katie Ledecky talks about enjoying training against guys in practice

Last edited 6 hours ago by jeff
Swimmerj
Reply to  Swimmer.thingz
2 hours ago

If Gretchen was a man and said this we’d be salivating and basking him in glory.

jess
Reply to  Swimmerj
50 minutes ago

Heavy on this honestly. If this were liendo or crooks or dressel, I doubt we see these comments.

Mike
Reply to  jess
58 seconds ago

We would see these comments regardless of who it was. There are always people that are not fans of the winners. And that’s ok.

Chicago
Reply to  Swimmer.thingz
1 hour ago

Agree. The constant stuff about being “proud” of themselves and “historic” comments about 25-yard underwater swims from Walsh sisters and other Hoos are like fingernails on chalkboard at this point (but do create a good drinking game.) And I’m sure Kate Douglass just loves Gretch’s comments that this is the best UVa team ever (really? nice 800 Free relay there) while her coach and teammates cannibalize all of KD’s relay records. (But that is probably the entire point of Alex’s fifth year.)

Vaswammer
8 hours ago

Maxine Parker chose the wrong water career — because she sounds like a sailor.

alex
Reply to  Vaswammer
5 hours ago

Probably she sounds more like a normal person and less like a standard generic media-trained robot

Vaswammer
Reply to  alex
41 minutes ago

Good lord — guess I should have used an exclam or a smiley because it was a joke. Lighten up, people.

I miss the ISL (Go dawgs)
Reply to  Vaswammer
21 minutes ago

Honestly I appreciated the profanity because I know I would let my guard down and do that as well lol, i appreciated the laugh

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