NCAA Women’s Championships, Day 3 Finals: Alex Walsh Dominates 100 Breast, Jumps to No. 3 All-Time With Title in Fifth Event
During her undergraduate years, Alex Walsh was a key contributor to four team titles for the University of Virginia while winning eight individual NCAA titles between the individual medley events, the 200 breaststroke and 200 butterfly. In the midst of her fifth trip to the national meet, Walsh etched her spot in the sport’s history as she dominated the 100 breaststroke final for career title No. 9.
The Olympic silver medalist in the 100-meter breast was in the field, but Tennessee’s Mona McSharry was no match for Walsh’s stroke tempo and power off each turn. Walsh is the second-fastest swimmer ever in the 200 breast, so once she built a lead going out, no one was going to have a shot at catching her coming home.
Walsh had shown her intentions to challenge in the 100 breast in January when she clocked 56.85 at the Cavalier Invitational to enter the all-time top-10, and she backed that up with a mark of 56.49 in this winning effort. That time made her the third-fastest swimmer in history behind Lilly King and former Virginia teammate Jasmine Nocentini.
“I was nervous going into tonight,” Walsh said. “I think I underestimated even after doing this for five years how exhilarating it is to compete for your team trying to win a national title. I was definitely nervous, but I gained my composure right before the race and executed it just the way Todd and I had discussed after my prelim swim. I’m really happy with a PB, another title.”
Meanwhile, Tennessee wracked up 33 points as McSharry touched second in 57.40 and freshman McKenzie Siroky came in one hundredth behind her at 57.41. The duo of Lady Vols finished well ahead of fourth-place finisher Joleigh Crye of Cincinnati (58.11), while B-finalists Anita Bottazzo (Florida, 57.84) and Kaitlyn Dobler (USC, 58.11) recorded the fourth and fifth-best marks of the evening, respectively.
Walsh was bidding to a fifth individual event in her college career, becoming the first swimmer to capture titles in five different individual events during her career since Tracy Caulkins won six different races during her time at the University of Florida in the 1980s, an era when swimmers were not capped at three individual events at the national meet. No other swimmer aside from Walsh and Caulkins have ever won titles in five different events, with Walsh’s younger sister Gretchen Walsh and former Virginia star Kate Douglass both getting wins in four events during their careers.
The 23-year-old from Nashville has also benefitted from the COVID-19 waiver allowing her to swim at five different NCAA Championships. Walsh is the first and only female swimmer to successfully win events at all five meets.
“It’s funny because the fifth year is definitely a way to get more titles, and it’s somewhat cheating, I don’t know,” Walsh said. “Besides all the individual accolades, being able to be on this run for a five-peat is the most awesome thing. I think I’ve really enjoyed being able to just observe and celebrate all these girls, Gretchen as a senior, and reflect on the fact that my career has been pretty much everything I’ve wanted it to be as a college swimmer.”
Finally, the win marked a return to the top for Walsh following a brief but impactful run of disappointing results in major races. At the Paris Olympics, Walsh held the lead in the 200-meter IM until the last 15 meters, and not only did two swimmers zoom ahead but she was disqualified for an illegal backstroke-to-breaststroke turn. Her NCAA Championships did not get off to a perfect start wither, with Walsh ending up with the fifth-fastest leadoff leg on Virginia’s 800 free relay before she fell to Torri Huske in the 200 IM final Thursday evening, the time Walsh’s slowest in an NCAA final since her freshman year.
But this win proved Walsh’s resilience, versatility and obvious credentials as one of the best female collegiate swimmers ever. She has never been the clear-cut top swimmer in the country, not with her sister and Douglass somehow outshining her during both meets when Alex went three-for-three in individual events, but a win in a fifth event in a fifth year — a double quintuple — is unique in the sport’s history.
Event 11 Women 100 Yard Breaststroke
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NCAA: N 55.73 3/22/2019 Lilly King, Indiana
Meet: M 55.73 3/22/2019 Lilly King, Indiana
American: A 55.73 3/22/2019 Lilly King, Indiana
US Open: O 55.73 3/22/2019 Lilly King, Indiana
Name Year School Prelims Finals Points
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=== Championship Final ===
1 Walsh, Alex 5Y Virginia 57.54 56.49 20
r:+0.73 12.55 26.65 (14.10)
41.47 (14.82) 56.49 (15.02)
2 McSharry, Mona 5Y Tennessee 57.56 57.40 17
r:+0.70 12.46 27.07 (14.61)
42.04 (14.97) 57.40 (15.36)
3 Siroky, McKenzie FR Tennessee 57.83 57.41 16
r:+0.62 12.26 27.06 (14.80)
41.98 (14.92) 57.41 (15.43)
4 Crye, Joleigh JR Cincinnati 58.15 58.11 15
r:+0.75 12.36 27.16 (14.80)
42.38 (15.22) 58.11 (15.73)
5 Enge, Piper FR Texas 58.17 58.19 14
r:+0.60 12.23 27.15 (14.92)
42.33 (15.18) 58.19 (15.86)
6 Fangli, Henrietta SR Houston 58.06 58.29 13
r:+0.66 12.48 27.35 (14.87)
42.64 (15.29) 58.29 (15.65)
7 Miller, Mackenzie JR Brigham Young 58.14 58.39 12
r:+0.72 12.47 27.30 (14.83)
42.52 (15.22) 58.39 (15.87)
8 Gridley, Kaelyn JR Duke 58.30 58.72 11
r:+0.69 12.76 27.76 (15.00)
42.94 (15.18) 58.72 (15.78)
