We took a trip down to Charlottesville to bring you a couple of practices from the defending women’s NCAA champions. On this Monday afternoon, head coach Todd DeSorbo was running a 50 free group which included Matt Brownstead (2021 ACC champion, 50 & 100 free) and Matt King (2021 SEC champion, 100 free & Runner up, 50 free). They were doing sprints on the racks: each time you swam an effort, you would add weight if you went 5.5 or faster. If you went 6.0 or slower, you would lose weight.
Over on the dive well end, associate head coach Blaire Bachman was running a 200 pace group, including the likes of Gretchen Walsh (backstroke), Alex Walsh (breaststroke), and Paige Madden (fly/back). Here is their main set:
3X 2X50@50/1:00/1:10 PACE -1; MIMIC THE FIRST 100 OF YOUR 200 RACE
:40SR
2X75@1:30 RACE
1X50@1:00 BLAST KICK!
50@2:00 EZ SWIM
– RESET –
3X 4X50@55/1:05/1:15 P-1/P/P/P
:40SR
100@2:00 BACKEND 100
1X25@30 BLAST KICK!
75@2:00 EZ SWIM
100 EZ
1X175 RACE – ALL OUT – BEAT YOUR 200 PB!
Great swimming, elite stopwatch twirling
Really impressed that UVA can attract so much talent in one pool. I’ve been lucky enough to see Matt King train and compete in person and that was an incredible experience in and of itself. Knowing theres a whole stable of elite athletes there is nuts. Awesome to see that sprint group grow stronger. UVA will be bringing some energy to NCAAs!
Gonna have to add one of these bad boys to those stacks, really get that weight up
And also a mini gimbal.
Alex Walsh is so fine omg
Coleman – love the shoutout to Fry’s Spring Station! Delicious pizza and where I met my future wife on our first date! Whoever is giving you food recommendations when you visit Cville is doing a good job 👍
Wow David Curtiss’ son can really pull a lot of racks!
He would be Matt Brownstead’s father if he could do anything else other than the 50 freestyle.
Rumor has it that Brownie beat David’s Season Best by .01 on Friday… Hoos your daddy?
Oh and babe, you forgot to mention we heard about David’s fortnite skills…rumor has it the poor chap never made it out of Tilted
Rumor? 🤣
David has video from that 50 free in Charlottesville a couple weeks ago. Facts!
SwimSwam wrote an article about this already, video included, https://swimswam.com/uva-men-grab-200-free-relay-a-cut-on-first-night-of-cavalier-invite/ , check urself b4 u wreck urself, Breezeway
Breezeway let me guess, Exploratory Studies major?
I was referring to the straightup 50 free in Charlottesville, not some relay split
You remember this, https://swimswam.com/watch-8-pool-records-go-down-at-uva-g-walsh-swim-23-04-50-back/
Ah yes, breezeway, you’re correct. I forgot “some relay split” i.e. Brownstead leading off, doesn’t count for a “straightup 50 in Charlottesville”
I mean they were head to head, the best way to race possible. We will see at ACCs.
Gretchen Walsh’s best 200 back time is a 1:54.67 from a dual meet like 3 weeks ago. She was 26.49/28.69/29.60/29.89 (26.49/55.18/1:24.78/1:54.67) in that race.
She was 1:37.3 at the 175 wall, so I think she’d be around a 1:51.high if she finishes that last 25. She did that. In practice. Without a suit. Insane. Absolutely would not be surprised to see her swim the 200 back at NCAAs/ACCs
She did what in practice?
She went 1:37 in a 175 backstroke in practice.
But also with the power of the coach’s watch
Even if you are SUPER lenient with the coach’s watch and add a second to the 175 time, that’s a 1:52.high/1:53.low. Which is still a best time by a second and a half and would’ve finaled at NCAAs. Ridiculous practice time either way
I timed it in 137.6. Coach’s watch was pretty accurate this time.
It wasn’t Todd’s watch 🙂
Off topic – how do you disable YouTube autoplay???