Texas vs. Virginia Dual Meet — Day One Live Recap

TEXAS VS. VIRGINIA

• November 4-5, 2022
• SCY (25 Yards)
• Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center, Austin, Texas
• Live Results
• Event Lineup

As we all know by now, there’s no livestream of the highly-anticipated Texas-Virginia dual meet. However, we will still try to provide the most extensive coverage of arguably the biggest dual meet of the year by doing a live recap of the competition. Follow along here as the #1 Virginia women and #2 Texas women as well as the #8 Virginia men and #3 Texas men face off, although for today’s portion of the meet, the men’s and women’s competition will be scored together and there will only be one combined winner.

Because Texas men’s head coach Eddie Reese wanted his team to suit up, the men’s competition will be done in tech suits, but the women will be wearing training suits.

One of the biggest discussions coming into this meet was whether Texas or Virginia would win the combined competition. While the Virginia women and Texas men seem like the obvious favorites to come out on top in a separate-gender meet, things could get a lot closer when everyone comes together. The biggest question to answer is: are the Virginia women better than the Texas women by a greater margin than the Texas men are to the Virginia men?

At last year’s edition of this dual meet, Texas beat Virginia in combined scoring 375-323. However, with the Texas men losing a lot of their top sprinters this season and the first day of the meet being more sprint-heavy (with springs being Virginia’s strength), things could swing in Virginia’s favor more so than last year.

Stay tuned after the meet for race videos, as well as swimmer interviews from SwimSwam.

WOMEN’S 200 MEDLEY RELAY

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:36.24
• NCAA ‘B’ Cut: 1:37.02

Top 3:

1. Virginia ‘A’ Relay — 1:34.33
2. Texas ‘A’ Relay — 1:37.30
3. Virginia ‘B’ Relay — 1:37.72

So the team of Gretchen Walsh (23.13), Alex Walsh (26.84), Kate Douglass (22.60), and Maxine Parker (21.76) just went a 1:34.33 in the 200 medley relay, crushing the NCAA ‘A’ cut by over two seconds. In fact, their time would have been fast enough to finish fifth at 2022 NCAAs.

Walsh’s 23.13 50 back leadoff is tied for the 11th-fastest of all time. She’s been as fast as 22.81 before, which is the second-fastest performance of all time.

Finishing nearly three seconds behind was Texas’s Olivia Bray (25.07), Anna Elendt (26.34), Emma Sticklen (23.74), and Grace Cooper (22.15), as they combined for a time of 1:37.70. However, Elendt’s 26.34 breast split was the fastest in the field, and also the fastest we’ve seen so far this year.

Not to be ignored was the Texas ‘B’ relay, where Lydia Jacoby split 26.58 on breast.

MEN’S 200 MEDLEY RELAY

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:23.76
• NCAA ‘B’ Cut: 1:24.42

Top 3:

1. Texas ‘A’ Relay — 1:23.83
2. Virginia ‘A’ Relay — 1:24.09
3. Texas ‘C’ Relay — 1:25.70

The men’s relay was much closer than the women’s one, as Texas’s Carson Foster (21.37), Will Chan (23.55), Caspar Corbeau (20.08), Daniel Krueger (18.83) beat out Virginia’s Max Edwards (21.64), Noah Nichols (23.20), Matt King (20.32), and Matt Brownstead (18.93) by just 0.26 seconds. These two relays are now the fastest two relays in the NCAA this season.

There were several lineup changes that were unexpected from this race. First off, Texas opted for new addition Will Chan on breaststroke over Caspar Corbeau, their best breaststroker. Instead, they moved Corbeau to swim fly, a stroke that he doesn’t typically swim. He showed his fly speed by going 21.2 in the 50 fly off a flat start at the Texas Quadrathalon, but a 20.08 is extremley impressive—especially since it matched Alvin Jiang’s fly split from NCAAs last year. With Texas losing many of their sprint stars from last season, this lineup could be the one that they go with during championship season.

Virginia opted to use Max Edwards on backstroke, marking it the second meet in a row where he’s been put on the ‘A’ relay. This comes despite the fact that he was not on any NCAA medley relays last year.

Some other highlights from this relay included August Lamb splitting 18.98 on the UVA ‘B’ relay, former Colorado club swimmer Peter Paulus splitting 21.39 on fly in the Texas ‘B’ relay, and Jake Foster going 23.66 on the Texas ‘C’ relay.

Combined Score Update: Texas 28, Virginia 25

WOMEN’S 200 FREE

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:42.84
• NCAA ‘B’ Cut: 1:47.12
• 2022 Invite Time: 1:45.42

Top 3:

1. Kelly Pash, Texas — 1:44.78
2. Ella Nelson, Virginia — 1:45.35
3. Claire Tuggle, Virginia — 1:46.28

Kelly Pash led from start to finish in this race, winning in a time of 1:44.78. She is the first woman to go under 1:45 this season, and swam a time that was fast enough to qualify for the ‘B’ final at NCAAs last year.

Following Pash was Ella Nelson, who beat out her best time of 1:45.81 at the UVA-Florida meet to go 1;45.35 today. She is now the third-fastest swimmer in the NCAA this season. Virginia’s Claire Tuggle was third, putting up a solid 1:46.38.

MEN’S 200 FREE

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:31.98
• NCAA ‘B’ Cut: 1:35.88
• 2022 Invite Time: 1:33.08

Top 3:

1. Luke Hobson, Texas — 1:32.74
2. Coby Carozza, Texas — 1:33.09
3. David Johnston, Texas — 1:35.71

In an extremely fast heat, Texas’s Luke Hobson touched first in a time of 1:32.74, which is just a few tenths off his best time of 1:32.31. His “unofficial” season best still comes from the Texas intrasquad this September, where he went 1:32.50 suited.

Coming behind Hobson were his teammates Coby Carozza and David Johnston. Carozza beat out his season-best of 1:33.40 from the Texas intrasquad, whereas Johnston dropped nearly two seconds off his personal best time of 1:37.63 from back in 2019. Hobson and Carozza now have the two fastest times in the country.

The highest finisher for Virginia was Jack Wright, who was fourth in a time of 1:36.06. He was 0.3 seconds faster than his time of 1:36.36 that was swum against Florida.

WOMEN’S 100 FLY

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 50.92
• NCAA ‘B’ Cut: 53.69
• 2022 Invite Time: 52.35

Top 3:

1. Kate Douglass, Virginia — 51.42
2. Dakota Luther, Texas — 52.64
3. Emma Sticklen, Texas — 52.74

Kate Douglass took care of Texas’s fly group today, winning this 100 fly race by over a second. She swam a time that would have scored at NCAAs last year, and she ranks just behind Gretchen Walsh, Maggie MacNeil, and Gabi Albiero in the NCAA rankings this season.

Finishing behind Douglass were Texas’s Dakota Luther and Emma Sticklen, who were just separated by 0.1 seconds for second and third. Luther, who overtook Sticklen on the final 50 of the race, beat out her season-best of 53.30 by a significant amount.

MEN’S 100 FLY

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 44.82
• NCAA ‘B’ Cut: 47.23
• 2022 Invite Time: 45.57

Top 3:

1. Carson Foster, Texas — 46.57
2. Cole Crane, Texas — 46.62
3. Josh Fong, Virginia — 47.72

Carson Foster and Cole Crane were separated by just 0.05 seconds in this race. Foster flipped in 21.54 at the halfway mark compared to Crane’s 21.81, but Crane closed in 24.81 compared to Foster’s 25.03 to even out the gap between the two of them.

Foster crushed his old best time of 48.39, which he set back in 2018. Crane was less than a second off his, which was a 45.84 from the American Short Course championships last year.

The highest placer for Virginia was Josh Fong, who went 47.12. Behind him was his teammate (and former Texas Longhorn) Tim Connery, who went a 47.24. He was considerably faster than the 50.16 he went at the UVA-Florida meet.

WOMEN’S 100 BREAST

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 58.10
• NCAA ‘B’ Cut: 1:01.56
• 2022 Invite Time: 59.87

Top 3:

1. Anna Elendt, Texas — 58.14
2. Alex Walsh, Virginia — 58.95
3. Lydia Jacoby, Texas — 58.96

Well, the race between two of the top breaststroke schools did not disappoint, as Anna Elendt, Alex Walsh, and Lydia Jacoby all went faster than what it took to score at NCAAs last year.

Elendt’s 58.14 would have made the 100 breast NCAAs ‘A’ final, and sits behind Kaitlyn Dobler’s 57.83 as the second-fastest time in the country this year.

Behind Elendt, Walsh and Jacoby were in an tight race. Jacoby led her in the first 50, flipping in 27.86 compared to Walsh’s 27.92, but Walsh came home faster in 31.03 compared to Jacoby’s 31.18 split. Jacoby actually swam a near best time, getting less than a tenth away off her mark of 58.87 from June 2021. Walsh and Jacoby are now the #3 and #4-ranked swimmers this season.

Nearly breaking the one-minute barrier was Virginia’s Zoe Skirboll, who went 1:00.09 to finish fourth. This was a major breakthrough swim for her, as she beat out her old best time of 1:00.19 by a tenth.

MEN’S 100 BREAST

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 51.40
• NCAA ‘B’ Cut: 53.87
• 2022 Invite Time: 52.20

Top 3:

1. Caspar Corbeau, Texas — 51.30
2. Noah Nichols, Virginia — 51.73
3. Jake Foster, Texas — 52.36

Like the women’s race, the men’s race in the 100 breast was also a close one, as Caspar Corbeau out-touched Noah Nichols to swim the fastest time in the country this year at 51.30.

Nichols had a big swim as well, going a season-best of 51.73. In fact, this time beats out his NCAAs time of 52.00 from last year, and marks his first swim under 52 seconds since his freshman year (the 2020-21 season). His time was also not that far off his personal best of 51.36.

Both Corbeau and Nichols would have been fast enough to score at NCAAs last year.

Finishing in third was Jake Foster, who is stronger in the 200 breast, but still managed to clock a near-NCAA qualifying time of 52.36. He set a personal best, overtaking his old mark of 52.76 from 2019.

WOMEN’S 50 FREE

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 21.66
• NCAA ‘B’ Cut: 22.71
• 2022 Invite Time: 22.16

Top 3:

1. Gretchen Walsh, Virginia — 21.16
2. Maxine Parker, Virginia — 22.06
3. Bridget Semenuk, Texas — 22.61

Well surprise surprise, Gretchen Walsh is at it again. This time, she won the 50 free by nearly a second, and beat out her already ridiculous season-best of 21.40 from the UVA-Florida meet. Her time of 21.16 just a few tenths off her personal best of 20.95, and would have finished third at NCAAs last year behind her and Kate Douglass.

Maxine Parker also went a very respectable mark of 22.06 for second. She beats out Gabi Albiero to become the third-fastest swimmer in the NCAA this season, and actually went faster than the 22.09 she swam at NCAAs last year. Finishing behind her in third was Texas’s Bridget Semenuk, who clocked a 22.61.

MEN’S 50 FREE

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 18.88
• NCAA ‘B’ Cut: 19.82
• 2022 Invite Time: 19.28

Top 3:

1. Matt Brownstead, Virginia — 19.29
2. Matt King, Virginia — 19.38
3. Danny Krueger, Texas — 19.40

Matt Brownstead dropped a huge season-best of 19.29 in this race, crushing his time of 19.94 from the UVA-Florida meet. He now ties Bjorn Seeliger as the second-fastest performer this season, and is just 0.02 seconds off Josh Liendo’s NCAA-leading time of 19.29

Finishing in second and third, Matt King and Danny Krueger also posted season-bests. The two of them are now the fourth and fifth-fastest performers in the NCAA this season respectively.

WOMEN’S 500 FREE

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 4:35.76
• NCAA ‘B’ Cut: 4:47.20
• 2022 Invite Time: 4:43.08

Top 3:

1. Claire Tuggle, Virginia — 4:46.27
2. Erica Sullivan, Texas — 4:46.47
3. Sophia Knapp, Virginia — 4:47.58

Virginia’s Claire Tuggle and Texas’s Erica Sullivan were neck-to-neck in the 500 free. Tuggle took the lead after the first 100, but Sullivan passed her after that, maintaining first place until the 400-yard. Then, Tuggle split 28.42/27.53 on her final 100 compared to Sullivan’s 28.95/27.62, and eventually passed her to win by 0.2 seconds.

Tuggle and Sullivan are now ranked sixth and seventh in the NCAA respectively, and are ranked second and third in unsuited competition (behind Hayden Miller’s 4:43.56 from last week). Tuggle beat her time of 4;47.19 from the UVA-Florida meet.

Finishing in third was Virginia freshman Sophia Knapp, who went 4:47.58. She set a new best time, resetting her old mark of 4:47.70 from March 2021.

WOMEN’S 100 IM

• Fastest-Ever Time: 52.48 — Kate Douglass, 2020

Top 3:

1. Gretchen Walsh, Virginia – 52.09
2. Kate Douglass, Virginia — 53.01
3. Kelly Pash, Texas — 53.88

At this point, I have run out of words to describe Gretchen Walsh‘s success. Well, she just swam out of her mind again, this time swimming the fastest-ever 100 IM. Her time of 52.09 crushed Kate Douglass‘s old mark of 52.48 by 0.39 seconds, and she actually beat Douglass by nearly a second tonight.

Douglass was second today in 53.01, her third-fastest performance ever. Her season-best is the 52.73 she clocked at the UVA intrasquad this season. Finishing in third was Kelly Pash, who put up a 53.88 and is inching closer towards the all-time top 8.

Women’s 100 IM, Top Performances*:

1. Gretchen Walsh — 52.09 (2022)
2. Kate Douglass — 52.48 (2020)
3. Kate Douglass — 52.73 (2022)
4. Kate Douglass — 53.01 (2022)
5. Katie Meili — 53.02 (2014)
6. Alex Walsh — 53.08 (2021)
7. Gretchen Walsh — 53.54 (2021)
8. Alex Walsh — 53.73 (2022)

MEN’S 100 IM

• Fastest-Ever Time: 46.33 — Shaine Casas, 2020

Top 3:

1. Caspar Corbeau, Texas – 47.72
2. Jack Aikins, Virginia — 48.13
3. Jake Foster, Texas — 48.20

Caspar Corbeau took his second win of the day in the 100 IM, being the only swimmer in the field under 48 seconds. Since there’s not much data on the 100 IM, there isn’t much we can do to contextualize this swim, but we can tell you that its a few tenths away from Michael Phelps’s 47.47 that ranks as the #8-fastest swim of all time.

Finishing in second and third were Jack Aikins and Jake Foster. Aikins was over a second faster than the 49.22 he swam to win the UVA intrasquad.

MEN’S 500 FREE

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 4:11.40
• NCAA ‘B’ Cut: 4:22.35
• 2022 Invite Time: 4:14.96

Top 3:

1. David Johnston, Texas — 4:14.54
2. Alec Eneyeart, Texas — 4:16.29
3. Luke Hobson, Texas — 4:17.91

This men’s 500 free race had Texas go 1-2-3-4, as David Johnston, Alec Eneyart, Lule Hobson, and Coby Carozza took the top spots. Johnston overtakes Hobson’s mark of 4:15.88 from the SMU classic to become the fastest swimmer in the NCAA this year.

Enyeart swam a huge personal best time, dropping over three seconds from the 4:19.61 he went at the Texas-TCU meet. Just from in-season meets this season, he has improved a significant amount from his high school best of 4:20.49.

Virginia’s highest placer was Jack Wright, who finished fifth with a 4:22.29.

WOMEN’S 100 BACK

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 50.89
• NCAA ‘B’ Cut: 53.69
• 2022 Invite Time: 52.46

Top 3:

1. Alex Walsh, Virginia — 52.10
2. Reilly Tiltmann, Virginia — 52.50
3. Emma Sticklen, Texas — 52.93

The top three women in this 100 back race all got under 53 seconds, with Alex Walsh leading the back. She went a 52.10, which is just a few tenths off what it took to score at NCAAs last year. Her time also makes her the second-fastest performer this season, behind Maggie MacNeil, who went 51.10 in September.

Tiltmann swam a 52.50 to finish second, considerably faster than the 53.18 she swam at the UVA-UF meet. In third was Emma Sticklen, who was just a few tenths off her personal best time of 52,29 from the Minnesota Invite in December 2021.

MEN’S 100 BACK

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 44.79
• NCAA ‘B’ Cut: 47.59
• 2022 Invite Time: 45.87

Top 3:

1. Carson Foster, Texas — 45.82
2. Chris O’Connor, Texas — 47.11
3. Ethan Harder, Texas — 47.14

Carson Foster put his versatility on display tonight, as after taking first in the 100 fly, he won the 100 back. He broke 46 seconds for the first time in this race, taking down his old lifetime best of 46.18 from the SMU Classic.  His recent performances suggest that he is likely going to become Texas’s permanent medley relay backstroker this year.

Foster is the second swimmer in the NCAA to go under 46 seconds this year, behind Kacper Stokowski’s 45.71.

Over a second behind Foster in second and third were Chris O’Connor and Ethan Harder, who went 47.11 and 47.14 respectively. Virginia’s fastest swimmer was Will Cole, who was fourth with a 47.40.

MIXED 400 FREE RELAY

Top 3:

1. Virginia ‘A’ Relay — 2:58.50
2. Texas ‘A’ Relay — 3:01.91
3. Texas ‘B’ Relay — 3:03.83

Virginia showed that they were the best sprint freestyle school in the nation tonight, as Matt Brownstead (42.81), Matt King (42.06), Kate Douglass (47.43), and Gretchen Walsh (46.20) combined for a 2:58.50 and won by over two seconds. Walsh’s 46.2 anchor was particularly mind-boggling, but not surprising after how fast she’s been all meet.

Danny Krueger (42.41), Caspar Corbeau (42.45), Kelly Pash (47.72), and Bridget Semenuk (49.33) were second in 3:01.91. Krueger’s leadoff time beats out Matt King‘s 42.46 as the fastest time in the nation this season.

Notably, Luke Hobson split 42.52 on the Texas ‘B’ relay, around half a second faster than his flat-start best time of 43.19.

Final Score: Texas 171, Virginia 159

The Texas men outperformed expectations today, as relay lineup changes and podium sweeps helped them give the Longhorns the combined win. The Texas women also kept things close with Virginia, not allowing the Cavaliers to sweep any events despite their dominance. In the end, Texas won by just 12 points in a very close competition.