2023 TENNESSEE INVITATIONAL
- November 15-17, 2023
- Knoxville, Tennessee
- Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center
- LCM (50-meter) prelims / SCY (25-yard) finals
- Prelims: 9:30am (EST)/ Finals: 6pm (EST)
- 2024 NCAA Championships Standards
- Psych Sheets
- Live Stream
- Live Results: “2023 Tennessee Invitational” on MeetMobile
- Day 1 Prelims Recap | Day 1 Finals Recap
- Day 2 Prelims Recap | Day 2 Finals Recap
- Day 3 Prelims Recap | Day 3 Finals Recap
After swimming butterfly in the morning long course prelims of the 100 free, Gretchen Walsh dropped a 48.30 from lane 8 to place 2nd overall. And yes, she was still swimming butterfly.
What that means is Walsh just became the fastest woman in the 100 yard butterfly, eclipsing her former Cavalier teammate Kate Douglass’ American and NCAA record by 0.16 seconds.
Compared to Douglass’ swim, Walsh was actually out 0.1 seconds slower, but blazed home 0.26 seconds faster. See the splits comparison below:
Gretchen Walsh (New Best time) | Kate Douglass (Record) | |
50 | 22.58 | 22.48 |
100 | 48.30 (25.72) | 48.46 (25.98) |
However, Walsh will not add another American or US Open record to her already impressive resume. Since the swim was done in a 100 freestyle heat, it is unlikely to be ratified due to USA Swimming rule 102.23.1A2, which states:
“An official time for an event or a stroke can be achieved only in that event or stroke, or in an initial distance of such event or stroke (e.g., a backstroke time must be achieved in a backstroke event or the backstroke leg of a medley relay). Regardless of the stroke(s) used, times achieved in freestyle events can be recorded only as freestyle times.”
I asked someone at USA Swimming what would happen if she was faster than the butterfly US Open/American Record in finals of a freestyle event, if it would be ratified.
"I highly doubt it." https://t.co/AD7m9wqyQ2
— Braden Keith (@Braden_Keith) November 17, 2023
There is a chance it will be ratified as an NCAA record, however, since the NCAA rulebook does not officially address this situation explicitly. The Secretary Rules Editor, a position currently held by Greg Lockhart, is responsible for certifying NCAA records. The position has the responsibility of interpreting the rule book and determining if there is an applicable rule or previous precedence that addresses it. The SRE can also ask the entire rules committee to weigh in.
This swim joins a list of quirky and confusing records that sit in the gaps between the rules, like Libby Lenton’s fastest-ever 100 free swum on the leadoff leg of a mixed relay, World Records that weren’t American Records after USA Swimming outlawed polyurethane suits before FINA did, and Claire Curzan’s National Age Group Records set in mixed-gender heats shortly after COVID.
Walsh has been on fire throughout this season, and her invite performances have only continued that trend. She’s already dropped the third fastest 50 free split in history (20.36), lowered her American record in the 50 free and tied Maggie Mac Neil’s NCAA record (20.79), and improved her 200 free time in both meters (2:01.17) and yards (1:41.32), the latter of which would have won the event at last season’s NCAAs by over a second. And now she’s (unofficially) the fastest swimmer in history in another event, following the 100 back set at the 2023 NCAAs.
Walsh finished 2nd overall to Camille Spink, who clocked a 47.28 swimming freestyle. Had she swam the 100 fly earlier in the meet, Walsh would have easily cleared the field by 5.01 seconds over UVA teammate Maggie Schalow.
Today is also Kate Douglass’ 22nd birthday.
Last year the 100 free NCAA invite time was 48.37 … so she’s in, doing butterfly now too 😳 I don’t even know how to contextualize how other worldly of a swimmer she is. She would be invited in the 100 free whether or not she chose to ACTUALLY swim freestyle – or she could do bk/fl and still qualify. Standing ovation!
The most surprising and impressive thing is that she outsplit Kate on the backhalf! I say she hits sub-56 LCM this summer.
She might do it next week at US open
I hope she does. The US needs a superb butterflier.
She’s an in-season beast like MA
Happy birthday Kate!!!
Why doesn’t she just race. Too many games.
It’s entertaining, something swimming needs desperately.
FYI – 2 free and 100 fly are back to back events at a championship meet. This was a way to do both of these events.
Forget about freestyle, she’s definitely wearing fins. Only way it makes sense.
Natalie Coughlin was the first to break 51 seconds in both in 2002, Regan Smith was the first to break 50 in 2021, Gretchen Walsh is the first to break 49 in 2023, and she very well may get under 48 by 2024
kate broke 49 first
I meant 49 in both, otherwise it would’ve been Maggie/berkoff
yeah srry i meant maggie
You talking about backstroke or butterfly?
Joseph Schooling also went a 46.9 100 yard breast unofficially in practice during his 100 fly
I remember that! Wasn’t that with a drag suit on too?
Yeah he had a parachute on too