Freshmen Who Will Make an Affect in Ladies’s School Swimming This Season: The Wealthy Get Richer
As if the College of Virginia girls’s group wanted one other inflow of expertise to make a fifth consecutive NCAA group title a close to certainty.
Gretchen Walsh is without doubt one of the most dominant sprinters ever within the school ranks, a swimmer with the quickest time ever in 4 out of 13 particular person occasions contested in school swimming, and he or she returns for a senior season. Her older sister Alex, a two-time Olympian and twice a three-time particular person champion on the nationwide meet, returns for a fifth 12 months, as Maxine Parker and Anna Keating, whereas Aimee Canny and Emma Weber return to Charlottesville after Olympic expertise in Paris. Claire Curzan will make her collegiate debut for Virginia this 12 months.
Not sufficient? How about including Katie Grimes to the combo, with the two-time Olympian just lately asserting plans to return to UVA starting this spring and add one other X-factor within the group’s title run. Grimes is greatest recognized for her twin pool and open water successes, which included Olympic silver within the 400 IM in Paris, however she has additionally ripped unbelievable quick course yards instances in recent times.
Grimes’ greatest instances within the 500 free (4:28.27) and 1650 free (15:26.17) are considerably faster than the successful instances on the NCAA Championships at any level since Katie Ledecky’s days at Stanford, and her 400 IM high mark of three:57.02 would have been behind on Alex Walsh’s successful time final 12 months. A 200 free greatest time of 1:42.90 is a lift to any 800 free relay.
And Grimes solely added to what was already among the many nation’s greatest freshman lessons, led by Leah Hayes and Anna Moesch. Hayes made her senior-level worldwide debut two years in the past and gained 200 IM bronze on the World Championships, and he or she adopted that up with three golds on the World Junior Championships in 2023. Hayes comes into school with NCAA A-final-worthy instances in each IM occasions plus important versatility. Moesch, with freestyle instances of 21.73, 47.11 and 1:43.35 and a set of junior-level worldwide medals of her personal, figures to step right into a relay position immediately for the Cavaliers.
Virginia will not be the one top-flight swimming program poised for an inflow of younger expertise this season. Listed here are a few of the others that may contribute immediately.
Leah Shackley & Erika Pelaez, NC State
Leah Shackley — Picture Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
The Wolfpack welcome within the reigning Nationwide Excessive Faculty Swimmer of the 12 months in Shackley, and her backstroke and butterfly abilities will play immediately in school. Shackley was an Olympic Trials finalist within the 100-meter again and a semifinalist within the 100-meter fly, and her yards greatest instances would have already got scored large factors on the nationwide stage: 50.29 within the 100 fly would have been third ultimately 12 months’s NCAAs; 50.43 within the 100 again, second to departed NC State star (and Olympian) Katharine Berkoff.
Pelaez, in the meantime, brings dash expertise so prized in school swimming. She was a semifinalist within the 100 again and 100 free on the U.S. Olympic Trials, and he or she may change into this system’s high dash freestyler immediately with a greatest time of 47.78 within the 100-yard occasion.
Ella Jansen & Jillian Crooks, Tennessee
The Volunteers add two swimmers who swam for his or her respective international locations on the Paris Olympics. Jansen positioned eleventh within the 400 IM and helped Staff Canada to a fourth-place end within the 800 freestyle relay, and he or she is probably going able to A-final performances immediately in mid-distance freestyle and the 400 IM whereas offering relay assist. Crooks, the youthful sister of Vols NCAA champion Jordan Crooks, has already been as quick as 47.30 within the 100 free. After Tennessee positioned fourth on the nationwide stage final 12 months, this duo will probably be essential in any hopes of returning to that stage this 12 months.
Piper Enge, Texas
The Longhorns have completed second on the NCAA Championships every of the previous three seasons, however they lose a pair of elite breaststrokers this 12 months, with Anna Elendt opting to not take a fifth 12 months and Lydia Jacoby turning professional. Thus, Texas may flip to Enge as their high breaststroker as quickly as this season. Enge represented the U.S. on the World Junior Championships in 2023 and on the lightly-attended senior version of Worlds earlier this 12 months, the place she completed sixth within the 50-meter breast. In yards, her greatest 100 breast time of 58.95 is already adequate to attain on the nationwide stage.
Addison Sauickie, Stanford
Right here is one other swimmer who has excelled on the junior stage and brought benefit of the chance to race on the senior-level World Championships in February. She was the world junior champion within the 200 free and bronze medalist within the 400 free earlier than ending within the top-12 in each occasions at Worlds. She didn’t advance out of prelims at this summer time’s Olympic Trials, however her lengthy course greatest instances of 1:57.98 (200 free) and 4:08.94 (400 free) recommend Sauickie may issue into the Cardinal’s plans within the mid-distance occasions this 12 months.
