Over the last five years, the Virginia women’s swim team has become an NCAA powerhouse. They’ve recruited stars and continued to develop them to new heights and have consistently gotten the clutch performances from their depth swimmers—many of whom would be the stars of almost any other NCAA program—that are necessary to win an NCAA championship.
It’s these types of factors that have them chasing a fifth consecutive NCAA team title this season. As a testament to the consistent success of the program at the NCAA, national, and international levels, the team only continues to grow deeper. They regularly secure commitments from top-20 ranked recruits and scored a commitment from two-time Olympian Katie Grimes, who will join the team in January.
After an incredible weekend at the 2024 Tennessee Invitational when Gretchen Walsh lowered her own NCAA record in the 100 fly and Claire Curzan, another Olympian addition to the team this season, broke the NCAA and American records in the 200 backstroke, SwimSwam commenter Cannonball asked: what NCAA records don’t the Virginia women have?
It’s a good question, and the answer is another example of Virginia’s dominance in the NCAA as it’s actually quicker to list the NCAA records they don’t own than the ones they do.
With Curzan breaking Beata Nelson’s NCAA record in the 200 backstroke, Virginia Cavaliers own 12 of the 19 women’s DI NCAA records (counting the 1000 freestyle) or about 63% of the total records. She took Wisconsin off the NCAA record board, leaving only four programs with an NCAA record: Virginia, Stanford, Cal, and Indiana.
On the men’s side of the board, Florida and Arizona State are tied with six NCAA records each. Florida owns the 50 free, 100 free, 1650 free, 100 fly, 200 free relay, and 200 medley relay. Arizona State has the 500 free, 200 breast, 200 IM, 400 IM, 400 free relay, and 400 medley relay).
So, which records don’t the Virginia women own?
NCAA Women’s Records Owned by non-Virginia Swimmers:
- 200 freestyle: Missy Franklin, Cal — 1:39.10 (2015)
- 500 freestyle: Katie Ledecky, Stanford — 4:24.06 (2017)
- 1000 freestyle: Katie Ledecky, Stanford — 9:06.90 (2017) ** not an official DI NCAA championship event**
- 1650 freestyle: Katie Ledecky, Stanford — 15:03.31 (2017)
- 100 breaststroke: Lilly King, Indiana — 55.73 (2019)
- 400 IM: Ella Eastin, Stanford — 3:54.60 (2018)
- 800 freestyle relay: Stanford (Manuel, Neal, Eastin, Ledecky) — 6:45.91 (2017)
Virginia has had women put pressure on the NCAA record in a number of the events where they don’t own the NCAA record. For example, Gretchen Walsh was out lightning fast during her 200 freestyle lead-off at ACCs last season, where she swam 1:40.23. Jasmine Nocentini swam 56.09 to win the 100 breaststroke at the 2024 NCAA Championship. Alex Walsh owns a 3:55.97 lifetime best in the 400 IM.
The distance freestyle events are one of the few weak spots for the Cavaliers, though Grimes’ arrival (4:28.27 500 free/15:26.17 1650 free) will help amend that. However, it would be no small thing to take down a Katie Ledecky record—it’s not like anyone in any other program has come particularly close to that feat either. Currently, Leah Smith holds all three distance freestyle records for the Virginia women (4:28.90/9:20.15/15:25.30). Their program record in the 800 freestyle relay stands at 6:46.28 from 2024 ACCs with G. Walsh, A. Walsh, Aimee Canny, and Ella Nelson, which is also the ACC record.
Each non-Virginia record is from the pre-pandemic era and has its own significance; breaking any of them would be a major accomplishment for any swimmer. The Virginia swimmers have built a reputation for their team that’s defined by breaking records and surpassing limits. Rather than questioning if they’ll snag one of these NCAA records they currently don’t own, their history has taught us that instead; the question should be which one they’ll get first.
Lol – thank you for answering my question!
Question – I was looking forward to seeing Jasmine Nocentini swim at the Olympics after that huge swim in the breaststroke at ncaas…what happened to her?
Had Jasmine Nocentini stayed for her bonus year at UVA she possibly could’ve broken Lilly King’s 100 Breaststroke record. She was very close to breaking 56 last year when she won the title and I believe she was half a second from King’s record. It’s insane to even think King’s record was under threat of being broken!
Did Jasmine not participate in the Paris games this summer? I was looking forward to seeing her swim the breaststroke after her amazing time in the NCAA.
People are forgetting that Florida still has Sims, Weyant, Cronk, and now has Brosu for the 8FR. Also, Stanford has Huske, Roghair, Sauickie, and Wilson. I would say that the record could be broken at acc’s, but i doubt that’ll be broken at NC’s. Also, if UVA doesn’t use G. Walsh on the relay at NC’s, Florida or Stanford could certainly get that title.
I’m a big UVA fan but I think the comments section is being a little overly optimistic about their chances at breaking any of the remaining records… Their best shot at any of these is the 800 free relay, and realistically, they’ll only get one shot at breaking it this year at ACCs, since Gretchen will be needed on the other relays at NCAAs. To break the record they’ll need to average 1:41.4s. Last year they were 0.3 off splitting 1:40.2/1:41.2/1:42.2/1:42.5 – if the Walsh sisters and Canny can match their splits from last year, then maybe Curzan can split 1:42.2 and they can slip under Stanford’s records? I’m hoping it happens but it’s going to take 4 perfect splits… Read more »
Good analysis. Re: Grimes, though, if she was tempted to UVA by their breaststroke reputation, I can definitely see her getting those 2+ seconds out of her breaststroke split just by improved technique.
and, thanks to conference realignment, only one held by a non ACC school.
I would love an article about unofficial records we, as swim-nerds, widely accept. Anywhere from splits to sweeps to idk..
fastest four 50 free splits:
19.95 (Gretchen Walsh)20.09 (Gretchen Walsh)20.19 (Gretchen Walsh, unsuited)20.23 (Gretchen Walsh)
fastest four 50 fly splits:
21.50 (Gretchen Walsh, unsuited)21.75 (Gretchen Walsh, 50 split from flat start 100 fly)21.82 (Maggie MacNeil)21.90 (Gretchen Walsh, 50 split from flat start 100 fly)
fastest four 50 back splits:
22.10 (Gretchen Walsh)22.52 (Maggie MacNeil)22.54 (Gretchen Walsh, unsuited)22.65 (Gretchen Walsh)😃
lol what happened to the formatting
Gretchen reasonably being able to go 20.9 in the 50 fly is arguably more impressive than Ilya going 18.89
oh for sure, not even close imo. Off a flat start, Gretchen is capable of A-finaling in the 50 free while swimming fly and borderline capable of doing it in the 100, no male flyer is even close to being able to do that.
like Alex Walsh swam the 4th fastest split in the 4×100 free relay the past season at NCAAs and on a good day, Gretchen is probably just about matching that while swimming fly
Since they skip the 800 free relay at midseason does UVA need to be safe with their exchanges at ACCs to make sure they get an NCAA cut with no DQ? Can they load up to go for the record and let the “B” relay play it safe and get the cut, or does the cut need to be made by an “A” relay? Does anyone know the rule?
No, they don’t need to play it safe. Composite time add-ups are allowed, so they’re in even if they never do a legal 800 relay before NCAAs
Thanks! That record is toast if Walsh/Walsh/Canny/Grimes go for it.
Lol a “B” relay of Curzan/Moesch/Parker/Tiltmann could challenge for an NCAA title if they were all on. A “C” relay of Hayes/Gormsen/Hartman/Novelline would finish top 8. The depth on this team is insane.
First NT entry in NCAA Championship history?
Entry times would be the add up time. However, NT’s are in there already for none qualfied relays (actual or add up) that a team can put together with 4 qualifed swimmers. At least that is how it works in DII.
There are no B relays at ACCs