2025 NCAA Championship qualifier Melissa Nwakalor will transfer to the University of Virginia for the upcoming 2025-2026 season. Nwakalor spent her freshman and sophomore seasons at the University of Richmond and has two years of eligibility remaining.
As a freshman, Nwakalor swam to lifetime best times at the 2024 Atlantic-10 Championships. She earned the conference title in the 50 free with a 22.78 but was slightly faster in prelims with a 22.55.
She made huge strides as sophomore and defended her title in the 50 free with a 21.98, marking a new Atlantic-10 conference record as well. She also added a conference title in the 100 free posting a lifetime best of a 48.78.
After earning an invite to the 2025 NCAA Championships, Nwakalor finished 24th in the 50 free in a 22.01. She also was 70th in the 100 free in a 49.48.
Nwakalor’s lifetime best SCY times are:
- 50 free: 21.98
- 100 free: 48.78
The Virginia women captured the 2025 ACC title and went on to win their 5th-straight NCAA team title. Senior Gretchen Walsh led the way at NCAAs with wins in the 50 free, 100 fly, and 100 free.
Nwakalor helps fill a gap in the sprint group as Gretchen Walsh and Maxine Parker were both on the team’s NCAA winning 200 free relay. Parker just finished her fifth year and split a 21.56 on the 3rd leg of the relay. The team won that relay in a 1:24.45 touching over half a second ahead of Louisville (1:25.04).
Nwakalor is the latest sprint freestyle transfer to join the team as Division II record-holder Bryn Greenwaldt will join the team this fall as well. Greenwaldt has a lifetime best of a 21.92 in the 50 and a 49.03 in the 100.
Nwakalor’s best time in the 50 free would have been 5th on the roster for Virginia this past season while her 100 free would have been 6th.
Nwakalor is already on a big improvement arc: 23.0 (HS), 22.5 (2024), 21.9 (2025). With UVA training, it seems 21.5-21.6 is plausible. UVA now has a relay of Curzan, Sara Curtis, and pick 2 from: Moesch, Nwakalor, Greenwaldt, and Minteko. Rich get richer
Let’s go!!
Great pick up for UVA! While Richmond did a lot for her, just being able to train in a decent facility will likely do wonders for her. If Richmond wants to be able to recruit and keep top talent, they need to upgrade their natatorium ASAP.
Cannot freaking wait to see what Melissa will do at UVA!
Shout out to Freya and Matt for getting Melissa to show some of that potential and getting her where she is now. Freya is an awesome coach and extremely intellectual. She built confidence in Melissa that no-one has seen before and UVA are so lucky!
YES!!!
Huge fan of Melissa Nwakalor in and out of the water. She’s an incredible teammate—smart, funny, and caring. If Melissa is your friend, you can count on her to have your back. UVA is the perfect pick for her, and I can’t wait to see what she does there.
LET’S GO!!!
As an A-10 mega fan, if she gets a proper flip turn technique and learns how to underwater, Melissa will become a NCAA champion in her time at UVA … she has a frightening amount of potential. It is great news for the rest of the teams in the A-10, though, because they now will have a chance to compete against Richmond to win the 200 free relay title haha as she would barrel past everyone by body lengths in a 50 free. I have mad respect for Melissa and her future is definitely bright.
Bright future for sure. Considering everything UR did for her already, that flip turn and underwater might not be a slam dunk just because she’s at UVA. The UR staff is good, one can’t imagine they didn’t already do a lot of work towards that.
I think what will be the biggest benefit is swimming with 4 or 5 people faster than her all the time. There’s just no outfit in the A10 ranks that would have that kind of training environment.
Maxine Parker has been at UVA for 4 years and never developed a good turn and UW. Sometimes it just doesn’t happen.