Virginia’s Gretchen Walsh & Notre Dame’s Chris Guiliano Named 2024 ACC Swimmers Of The Meet

by Sean Griffin 5

February 26th, 2024 ACC, College, News

2024 ACC SWIMMING AND DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

Gretchen Walsh (Virginia) and Chris Guiliano (Notre Dame) were named the 2024 ACC Championship Most Valuable swimmers on Saturday evening. Both athletes claimed three individual event wins throughout the week and clocked record-setting times in the process.

Walsh claimed the 50 free (20.57), 100 fly (48.25), and 100 free (45.16) titles, breaking the NCAA and American records in all three races. She posted the 50 free record twice on the same day, touching in 20.77 during prelims before lowering it to 20.57 to win the ACC title. In addition to those record swims, she led off Virginia’s victorious 400 medley relay with a 48.10 backstroke split, breaking her own NCAA and American record (48.25) from last year’s NCAA Championships.

Walsh also helped the Cavaliers to a relay sweep, as she contributed to the winning 200 free relay, 400 free relay, 800 free relay, and 400 medley relay. The 200 free relay (1:23.63) broke the NCAA record and represents the fastest time in history, and she split the first ever sub-20 relay split (19.95) on the 2nd leg. The 800 free relay was also historic, as they scared Stanford’s legendary NCAA record from 2017, which featured Katie Ledecky and Simone Manuel, among others. Walsh led-off that relay in 1:40.23, making her the 3rd fastest 200 freestyler in history, before the relay touched in the 2nd quickest time ever.

Guiliano swept the three shortest freestyle events on the docket, with his first win coming in the 50 free (18.57). He won the 200 free later in the meet, matching his 1:31.16 time from his day one lead-off on Notre Dame’s 4th place 800 free relay. His clear swims of the meet came in the 100 free, where he posted THREE flat-start 40-second swims in one day. He broke the ACC record in prelims (40.84), before resetting the mark en route to gold later in the day (40.62), and ending with a 40.87 lead-off split on Notre Dame’s victorious 400 free relay.

North Carolina senior Aranza Vazquez Montano was named the women’s most valuable diver, as she walked away with gold medals in the 1-meter and 3-meter events. Vazquez Montano also won the award last year. Pitt junior Cameron Cash was named the men’s diver of the meet, as he claimed gold in the 3-meter and platform diving events.

Gretchen Walsh At The 2024 ACC Championships:

  • 50 Freestyle — 20.57 (1st), Fastest All-Time
  • 100 Freestyle — 45.16 (1st), Fastest All-Time
  • 100 Butterfly — 48.25 (1st), Fastest All-Time
  • 200 Freestyle Relay — 1:23.63 (1st), Fastest All-Time
    • 50 Freestyle — 19.95 (2nd Leg of Relay), Fastest All-Time Split 
  • 400 Freestyle Relay — 3:07.34 (1st), 45.40 2nd leg split
  • 800 Freestyle Relay — 6:46.28 (1st), #2 All-Time
    • 200 Freestyle — 1:40.23 (Relay Lead-Off), #3 All-Time
  • 400 Medley Relay — 3:22.49 (1st)
    • 100 Backstroke — 48.10 (Relay Lead-Off), Fastest All-Time

Chris Guiliano At The 2024 ACC Championships:

  • 50 Freestyle — 18.57 (1st)
  • 100 Freestyle — 40.62 (1st)
  • 200 Freestyle — 1:31.16 (1st)
  • 200 Freestyle Relay — 1:15.59 (4th), 18.63 lead-off split
  • 400 Freestyle Relay — 2:45.58 (1st), 40.87 lead-off split
  • 800 Freestyle Relay — 6:14.93 (4th), 1:31.16 lead-off split
  • 400 Medley Relay — 3:03.26 (3rd), 40.17 anchor leg

Aranza Vazquez Montano At The 2024 ACC Championships:

  • 1-meter Diving — (1st), 336.05 points
  • 3-meter Diving — (1st), 366.30 points
  • Platform Diving — (4th), 258.65 points

Cameron Cash At The 2024 ACC Championships:

  • 1-meter Diving — (10th in prelims), 315.05 points
  • 3-meter Diving — (1st), 427.30 points
  • Platform Diving — 448.95 points

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iLikePsych
9 months ago

I’m glad to see my memory is incorrect and that Alex has won a ACC Swimmer of the Meet award, in 2022 (I assume Kate won it last year). How many other swimmers can say they went 7/7, set an NCAA record in a new event (a fairly untouched one too), became the #2 performer in another, all while not fully tapered, and NOT be the best swimmer at their conference meet.

WV Swammer
9 months ago

Not at all surprising. Very curious to see how much Gretchen will drop at NCAAs, not expecting any drops too crazy but I would love to see a 44.9 free and 47 back.

Giuliano is a damn stud. Took the momentum from last year and shot to the moon. Really wonder how much faster he will get come trials, could he get closer to 47.0? Maybe a 1:45 in the 200?

WV Swammer
Reply to  WV Swammer
9 months ago

Just for fun, some predictions for both at NCAAs:

Walsh: 20.5 again in 50, this one will be tricky to drop, 47.8 in back, and 44.99 in 100 free.

Giuliano: 18.4 in the 50, 40.2 in 100, 1:29.9 in the 200 (day 1 relay lead-off, 1:30.xx in the individual)

RealSlimThomas
Reply to  WV Swammer
9 months ago

Correct me if I am wrong, but a lot of the 200 swimmers peak at the 800 relay leadoff rather than their individual…right?

I can think of a couple of instances where the best leadoff would’ve won the individual, but at least one of them was Dean Farris who didn’t even compete in it.

WV Swammer
Reply to  RealSlimThomas
9 months ago

Correct, but that mostly has to do with being fresh at the start of the meet, where by day 3 for the individual final most at the top have had 4-6 swims already.