2024 ACC SWIMMING AND DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Tuesday, February 20 to Saturday, February 24, 2023
- Greensboro Aquatic Center, Greensboro, North Carolina
- Defending Champions: NC State men / Virginia women
- Full Event Schedule
- Championship Central
- Psych Sheets
- Live Results
- Live Streaming
- Day 1 Finals Live Recap
WOMEN’S 800 FREE RELAY – TIMED FINALS
- NCAA Record: 6:45.91, Stanford – 2017 NCAA Championships
ACC Record: 6:49.82, Virginia – 2023 NCAA ChampionshipsACC Championship Record: 6:53.27, Virginia (2022)- NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 7:00.86
Top 8:
- Virginia – 6:46.28 (A)
- Louisville – 7:00.31 (A)
- NC State – 7:04.16
- UNC – 7:04.31
- Miami (FL) – 7:04.79
- Virginia Tech – 7:05.01
- Duke – 7:06.32
- FSU – 7:08.51
Gretchen Walsh led off Virginia’s 800 freestyle relay in a 1:40.23, the third-fastest swim of all-time. That was also the fastest swim in six years as Mallory Comerford swam a 1:39.80 at 2018 NCAAs.
ALL-TIME TOP 200 FREESTYLE PERFORMERSÂ
- Missy Franklin 1:39.10 (2015)
- Mallory Comerford 1:39.80 (2018)
- Gretchen Walsh 1:40.23 (2024)
- Katie Ledecky 1:40.36 (2017)
- Simone Manuel (2017) & Taylor Ruck (2019) 1:40.37
Walsh came into the meet with a best time of a 1:41.32 which she swam in November 2023 at mid-seasons. Walsh was out fast and got out to the lead right off the bat. No other lead off swimmer swam under the 1:45 mark. Walsh notably flipped at the 100 mark splitting a 47.15.
Although a 47.15 (to the feet) is not a historic swim as far as a 100 freestyle goes, it is still a time that should not be downplayed. It would currently sit at the #3 time in the NCAA this season only behind Walsh’s own best (46.40) as well as teammate Jasmine Nocentini who swam a 46.75. Katharine Berkoff of NC State has the 3rd fastest time in the NCAA this season with a 47.18.
Walsh will not compete in the individual 200 freestyle later in the meet as she is instead entered in the 50 free, 100 free, 100 fly, and 100 back.
Virginia’s relay of Gretchen Walsh, Alex Walsh, Aimee Canny, and Ella Nelson went on to set an ACC record swimming a 6:46.28. That broke the team’s own ACC record of a 6:49.82 that they set just last year.
Race Video
How is no one talking about just how close this was to the NCAA record? The historic record?! Great swim ladies!
Check out the ACC recap
Mostly because it wasn’t that close (1.13 seconds back) to Missy’s best ever performance, which has stood up much better than what I thought was her equivalent long course best, London 200 Back.
Out 22.2 to the feet flat start = 19.93 rolling start for her in the 50. Get ready for history, folks!
It’s hard to believe only two women have broken 1:40. And the two who did so never broke 1:55 LCM. Odd.
Missy went 1:54.81 in LCM.
So what’s Gretchen gonna go in the long course 100 with this new found endurance? Seems she might be favourite to finish top 2 at trials.
That’s not endurance my friend – she went out 22.2…
I’m sure she’ll improve but
1. Who’s to say she wouldn’t have been fast in the 200 prior to this year
2. She’s still spending a ton of time UW in the 200 SCY
3. The 100 stroke is different than the 200 stroke
I hope she can go 52+ and this seems like a good sign.
In all my years of following competitive swimming, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a swimmer go out 22 in the 200 free.
Franklin 2014: 22.98/24.76/25.17/26.19 = 1:39.10
Agreed that 6 sec is a big disparity — and GW probably overswam the 1st 50. That said, Missy was also winning the *500 free* at that meet. Her training program at that time looked nothing like Walsh’s – they’re not going to swim the race the same way.
Missy never won the 500 at NCAAs – she finished 2nd to Brittany McLean in 2014 (4:32.53 to 4:32.66). Also at that meet, she won the 200 Free (1:40.31AR) and finished 3rd in the 100 Free (47.26). At the 2015 meet, Missy won the 200 IM (1:52.11), 200 Free (1:39.10AR), and 200 Back (1:47.91).
Dang – I was trying to remember if she won the 500, and I was too lazy to fact-check myself! Thanks for the correction.
A certain commenter will be titillated by the way she paced this swim.
Looks like she spent the back half in a stats class
😆
47.15 and 53.08 – fantastic overall time, but the first 100 seems a bit too aggressive. It’s not often you see 6 second discrepancies between 100s in a 200 event. I think Missy was 47.6 and 51 low. Maybe she’ll do it again at NCAAs and get under 1:40 and challenge the 1:39.10 from Missy.
Meh, doesn’t matter how it’s done, so long as the entire distance is covered faster than others.
She is a typical fly and die kinda swimmer like she just doesn’t have the backhalf speed, which is why she is very vulnerable when it comes down to the last 15-20 meters in LCM races.
We saw it when she led off 4×100 free in Fukuoka.
BIG GRETCH