What can’t Gretchen Walsh do?
In case your reply to that query was “swim breaststroke,” it’s time to rethink that response. On the Cavalier Invitational, the short-course meters phenom continued her historic season, ripping a 57.34 within the 100-yard breaststroke, demolishing her lifetime finest, which beforehand stood at 59.75 from a January twin meet in opposition to Virginia Tech final yr.
Walsh has been on hearth all season. It started with Virginia’s short-course meters twin in opposition to Florida in October, continued to the 2024 Brief Course World Championships, and prolonged to January twin meets–a traditionally gradual level of the NCAA season–the place she turned in blazing relay splits and all-time twin meet swims in her particular person occasions.
This 2.41-second drop within the 100 breaststroke vaults her to #14 all-time within the occasion, slotting in two-hundredths behind Hannah Bach, in accordance with USA Swimming’s information. As for the way the swim stacks up within the NCAA this season, she’s now second within the league, behind solely her sister Alex Walsh’s 56.98 from the inaugural Eddie Reese Showdown.
Walsh was out in 27.27 throughout her prelims swim, then break up 30.07 on the second 50. She certified first for the ultimate, forward of A. Walsh, Aimee Canny, and Emma Weber, her teammates who’re far more well-known for his or her breaststroke skills.
Walsh has labored on her breaststroke this season, and has discovered tips on how to translate her underwater pace to the breaststroke pullout. She confirmed off her positive factors throughout her 100 IM world document onslaught on the 2024 Brief Course World Championships. She break up 17.06 and 17.00 on the breaststroke leg of her prelim and semifinal 100 IMs in Budapest—the splits have been rock strong for her, however have been the one place her opponents have been out-splitting her. Then, she put all of it collectively within the ultimate, splitting a field-best 16.06 breaststroke break up as she tore to a different world document for gold (55.11).
This swim is one other instance of Walsh’s dominance within the short-course pool. It provides her an eighth official NCAA occasion the place she ranks within the all-time prime 20. That statistic extends to 10 occasions when factoring in non-NCAA Championship occasions just like the 50 backstroke, the place she’s the quickest swimmer in historical past, and the 100 IM, the place she ranks second behind Kate Douglass.
Occasions The place Gretchen Walsh Ranks In All-Time Prime 20 (SCY):
50 freestyle: 20.37 (#1)
100 freestyle: 44.83 (#1)
200 freestyle: 1:40.23 (#5)
50 backstroke: 22.10 (#1)
100 backstroke: 48.10 (#1)
200 backstroke: 1:48.18 (#9)
100 breaststroke: 57.34 (#14)
100 butterfly: 47.35 (#1)
100 IM: 52.09 (#2)
200 IM: 1:52.34 (#17)
* Information courtesy of USA Swimming, no transformed occasions
Walsh added the 200 backstroke to this listing earlier this season, swimming a 1:48.18 on the Tennessee Invitational. She took on the 200 IM ultimately yr’s Cavalier Invitational and the 200 freestyle on the 2024 ACC Championships. Walsh has pushed her main dash occasions and relay splits past what was thought doable. However along with that, she’s taken alternatives to showcase her versatility and escape of any “specialization field” which has additional cemented her standing as one of many best short-course swimmers in historical past.
