Katie Grimes on 200 Fly as Potential 3rd Event: “I haven’t really been sure about the mile”

2025 ACC Swimming and Diving Championships

At her first ACC Championships, 2x Olympian Katie Grimes put on a show, winning the 500 free and 400 IM. However, we didn’t see the distance and open water specialist in the 1,650, as Grimes opted for the 200 fly instead.

Grimes says that the UVA coaching staff has put her in the driver’s seat in terms of choosing her event lineups, so she wanted to see how the 200 fly felt after being unsure about where her mile is at. She ended up placing 5th with a 1:53.63, so we will see what Grimes ends up choosing as her NCAA event lineup.

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JonathanNC
26 days ago

Katie Grimes always had my respect for grinding out the distance without fear. I wonder if this event thinking reveals a turning point for her. I would have loved to be in the 50-100 conversation, I just did not have that talent. I think Katie does have ever-increasing speed talent (maybe not 50, but I suspect she is a great 4×100 option). More fun, less pain! Obviously, the 200 Fly has pain; but two minutes vs a quarter-hour is a different mindset. I know she has proven she does not shy away from pain, but …

As in, I believe Gretchen Walsh could swim a nice mile; or any event she wants! But why? Gretchen is so talented she can… Read more »

swimfan#1
1 month ago

Honestly its cool to see Grimes swim any event.

Walsh-Madden-Grimes-Weinstein
Reply to  swimfan#1
1 month ago

comment image

Last edited 1 month ago by Walsh-Madden-Grimes-Weinstein
Sherry Smit
1 month ago

hate to say it, but I don’t think that she’s winning anything and NC’s. If the trend follows, it’s that historically, fast mile specialists from Sandpiper’s usually regress once they enter college. It’s nothing against them or the team, it’s just the fact that their atmosphere is so different from a college team that it’s almost impossible to replicate or even get close to replicating. I remember Erica Sullivan came off of her silver medal in the 1500, she was not even 20 seconds within her best time in the 1650 NCAA‘s. I think Grimes if she swims it will be somewhere around 15:47-15:51, and if she swims the 200 fly, probably not much faster than 1:52. Her other events… Read more »

I miss the ISL (Go dawgs)
Reply to  Sherry Smit
1 month ago

Sullivan is different – she clearly stopped seriously caring about swimming after Tokyo because of the silver and focused on having fun with it and her film major.

Walsh-Madden-Grimes-Weinstein
Reply to  I miss the ISL (Go dawgs)
1 month ago

Don’t even bother.

Of course E. Sullivan was different. E. Sullivan was coached by Carol Capitani. Carol Capitani ruins former Olympic medalists. In addition, Carol Capitani drove E. Sullivan into early retirement, drove L. Jacoby out of the country, and dispatched both into international obscurity.

Cassandra
Reply to  Sherry Smit
1 month ago

i see what youre saying but just because somethings happened in the past doesnt mean it has to happen again in the future.

ilya notably had a lot of success at asu and rebecca diaconescu (another elite sandpiper recruit part of the same graduating class as katie) has hit pbs in all her primary events this season at michigan (dropping 10 secs in her 500 and 1650)….

Pamela
Reply to  Cassandra
1 month ago

Rebeca only swam for the Sandpipers for her senior year, not a good comparison. Happy for her doing well though.

Walsh-Madden-Grimes-Weinstein
Reply to  Pamela
1 month ago

Meanwhile, Jillian Cox did not even qualify for the final of the W 1500 FR at the 2024 USA Swimming Olympic Team Trials:

Ledecky
Grimes
Twichell
Hurst
Roghair
Stege
Sullivan
Denigan

Which begs the question, how was Jillian Cox even allowed to swim the W 1500 FR at the 2024 Short Course World Championships?

Last edited 1 month ago by Walsh-Madden-Grimes-Weinstein
Walsh-Madden-Grimes-Weinstein
Reply to  Cassandra
1 month ago

Jillian Cox can’t even qualify for the USA Swimming Open Water Team. USA Swimming is far better off with the current/former Sandpipers of Nevada than any 2024 USA Swimming Olympic Team Trials failures from the University of Texas.

Last edited 1 month ago by Walsh-Madden-Grimes-Weinstein
emmie
Reply to  Sherry Smit
1 month ago

400 IM? I think she should be able to win that.

Tani
Reply to  Sherry Smit
1 month ago

I like your take!

Walsh-Madden-Grimes-Weinstein
Reply to  Tani
1 month ago

Balderdash!

While Jillian Cox was swimming with a gaggle of 2024 USA Swimming Olympic Team Trials failures at the University of Texas, Katie Grimes was picking up victories in the W 400 FR, W 800 FR, W 400 IM at the 2024 World Aquatics Swimming World Cup – Singapore stop.

Last edited 1 month ago by Walsh-Madden-Grimes-Weinstein
Walsh-Madden-Grimes-Weinstein
Reply to  Sherry Smit
1 month ago

What a joke! Since we are talking short course, Katie Grimes broke the American Record in the women’s 400 IM at the 2024 Short World Championships. Furthermore, I’m talking about breaking the bona fide record set by Julia Smit on 18 Dec 2009.

https://www.worldaquatics.com/swimming/rankings?gender=F&distance=400&stroke=MEDLEY&poolConfiguration=SCM&year=all&startDate=&endDate=&timesMode=ALL_TIMES&regionId=all&countryId=

If it’s posted in the World Aquatics database, it’s legitimate. I don’t care what USA Swimming says about the matter.

jeff
1 month ago

is she still planning to continue with open water?

SHRKB8
Reply to  jeff
1 month ago

It would be borderline criminal if she were to pass that opportunity up, she is an absolute gun in the Openwater.

Winter Apple
Reply to  SHRKB8
1 month ago

I mean she was 2nd in the 400 IM and like 15th in Open Water in Paris….

Katie
Reply to  SHRKB8
1 month ago

Grimes is capable of more than I can imagine and I don’t doubt her abilities, but finding time to train for OW during college would be a feat!

Klewww
1 month ago

Would she be seeded in top 8 in mile with cavalier invite time? I feel like if she swims the fastest heat at NCs she will race well even though she won’t likely beat Cox and roghair with how they’re swimming it right now. But a daytime swim would be hard to be throw down in

Walsh-Madden-Grimes-Weinstein
Reply to  Klewww
1 month ago

If the combination of C. Curzan and K. Grimes tally 105 points, that makes up for the departure of A. Harter (13 points), E. Nelson (41 points), J. Nocentini (51 points).

Unfortunately, the departure (medical) of R. Tiltmann (12 points) puts additional strain on the depth of the roster.

https://swimswam.com/ncaa-champion-reilly-tiltmann-announces-retirement-just-weeks-before-accs/

Last edited 1 month ago by Walsh-Madden-Grimes-Weinstein
LawHoo
Reply to  Walsh-Madden-Grimes-Weinstein
1 month ago

First of all, UVA does not need to score the exact same number of points each year to win. Please internalize that now – I can’t imagine what your comments will be like next year if you expect UVA’s freshmen to make up for the Walshes, Maxine Parker, etc. Remember that other teams lose athletes and points too – for example, Texas lost Kelly Pash last year, and will lose Sticklen, Bray, Cooper, Arens, and Longi this year.

Secondly, this assumes that none of the other freshmen will score points this year (which is honestly insulting to them and their talent – Hayes and Moesch will definitely score and Hartman and Wilson have at least fair chances), and it assumes… Read more »

Walsh-Madden-Grimes-Weinstein
1 month ago

I currently have the University of Virginia women’s swimming & diving program projected to score 511 points without any contributions from the diving program and based upon a few assumptions:

C. Curzan – 100 FL in lieu of the 50 FR
A. Walsh – 200 BR in lieu of the 200 FL
K. Grimes – 1650 FR in lieu of the 200 FL
4 x 200 FR-R – 4th (same as 2024)

The placement of the 4 x 200 FR-R is a conservative projection.

https://data.usaswimming.org/datahub/ncaa/divI/timeseventrank

Walsh-Madden-Grimes-Weinstein
1 month ago
Coach
Reply to  Walsh-Madden-Grimes-Weinstein
1 month ago

How in the world do you know what Katie Grimes needs?

Summer Swim fan
Reply to  Walsh-Madden-Grimes-Weinstein
1 month ago

that’s pretty much what Todd said they’re doing, so I guess he anticipated your demand…

Walsh-Madden-Grimes-Weinstein
Reply to  Summer Swim fan
1 month ago

Yes, I listened to the interview:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-1jdjfn0tPg

2:29

Maybe some other posters should listen before spouting off garbage.

Eddie
1 month ago

I hope she swims the 200 fly so Alex Walsh swims the 200 breast

Walsh-Madden-Grimes-Weinstein
Reply to  Eddie
1 month ago

It’s not if the University of Virginia doesn’t have options in the W 200 FL:

Howley, T.
Novelline, C.
Hartman, B.

NoFastTwitch
Reply to  Eddie
1 month ago

I hope she swims the 200 fly so Alex Walsh swims the 1650

swimgeek
Reply to  Eddie
1 month ago

I think Alex is doing 2breast regardless. UVA doesn’t need to grab every possible point. Alex has an likely win in 2BR — and she’s got Sticklen waiting in 2Fly

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 …

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