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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Swammer
22 minutes ago

Interesting that in college she feels like she has more flexibility in what she swims. For most swimmers, college swimming means less flexibility and you end up swimming the same 2-3 events and that is the big adjustment! But I understand why her experience is different than most. She is amazing!

PK Doesn't Like His Long Name
24 minutes ago

Emma being 17 one hundreths ahead of Katie might push her more strongly towards one of the 200s, which is pretty wild.

James
36 minutes ago

I liked how she said that she was used to just doing what she was told and never had to think for herself. This happens to some college swimmers every year so it does become a bit of an adjustment. Best of luck at her NCAA Championships

captain bubbles
1 hour ago

Points-wise her best bet has to be the 1650. Maybe part of the attraction of UVA was that they’ll let her swim what she wants, because they don’t have to worry about points.

jess
Reply to  captain bubbles
1 hour ago

yeah honestly even based on what she said, still sounds like a decent chance she does the 1650, because looks like a PB (or close to it) would be needed to A final in the 2 Fly for her with how strong that event is . And i am assuming they are looking at that when choosing her lineup

Now the 1650 she probably could be decently off her PB and be top 3ish, maybe 5ish if multiple people drop into the 15:30s at NCAAs but that would honestly be pretty surprising

alas we will see in about 1 week when psychs come out

Last edited 1 hour ago by jess
Admin
Reply to  captain bubbles
40 minutes ago

Virginia has always leaned into “let them swim what they want to swim,” which is why we see their event lineups kind of all over the map. As you said, that strategy works when you know you’ve got the best team.

Cassandra
Reply to  captain bubbles
23 minutes ago

as a fan id rather see her in the 1650 — her 2+ year old pb is over 4 secs ahead of jillians pb and it would be a pretty good race between those 2 and roghair, with one or more of them likely going under 1530…

i think the issue now is that unless katie swims it again at a last chance meet, shell be seeded outside of the fast heat so would be racing against herself

I miss the ISL (Go dawgs)
Reply to  captain bubbles
2 minutes ago

Points-wise isn’t a conversation for UVA, they’re going to win regardless, which is why they can swim whatever they want

Pisa Schiff
2 hours ago

Katie G. is my favorite American female swimmer.

So much fun to watch (from afar) her grow and develop. She became a TWO-TIME Olympian at the age of ONLY 17! And she’s still a teenager. Very articulate as well.

Best wishes to her.

Coleman: very nice transitions between clips.

Anything But 50 BR
Reply to  Pisa Schiff
1 hour ago

Wasn’t Grimes 18 in Paris

Pisa Schiff
Reply to  Anything But 50 BR
1 hour ago

She made the 2024 US Oly team in 2023 (when she was 17) as an open water swimmer.

Chucky
2 hours ago

because she will get her a$$handed to her in the mile by Cox and probably Roghair

Vaswammer
Reply to  Chucky
1 hour ago

Or just maybe she’s been told what she was going to swim every meet before she came to Virginia and is relishing the freedom.

She can score in three different events on Saturday at NCAAs. Must be nice to be so versatile as to have that choice.

So many other distance swimmers don’t.

I miss the ISL (Go dawgs)
Reply to  Chucky
1 minute ago

Don’t forget McCulloh in this convo, who beat Roghair at NCAAs last year

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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