Virginia Women Lower American Record in 400 Medley Relay Behind Gretchen Walsh’s 47.15 Fly Split
The University of Virginia women came close to their U.S. Open and NCAA records in all three relays contested Friday at the Eddie Reese Texas Showdown, coming just a tenth short in the 200 medley relay during the morning session before challenging the 200 free relay and 400 medley relay marks in the evening. However, they did get on the record board with an American mark in the 400 medley relay.
The team of Claire Curzan, Alex Walsh, Gretchen Walsh and Anna Moesch combined for a time of 3:21.48, just behind the NCAA mark of 3:21.01 set by a team consisting of the Walsh sisters plus Jasmine Nocentini and Maxine Parker last March. But their time did eclipse the American record of 3:22.34 that the Walshes along with Alexis Wenger and Kate Douglass swam on two separate occasions in 2022.
Virginia has set the NCAA record in the event each of the last two years but with one non-American swimmer on the squad each time, Aimee Canny (South Africa) in 2023 and Nocentini (Italy) last year.
Gretchen Walsh clocked a 47.15 butterfly split, the fastest time in history by more than one-and-a-half seconds ahead of Maggie Mac Neil’s previous best mark of 48.76 set two years ago at the SEC Championships. The other splits in the record-setting effort included Curzan’s 50.05 backstroke spit, Alex Walsh going 56.67 on breaststroke and Moesch coming home in 47.61.
Notably, in the previous NCAA-record-setting and American-record-setting performances, Gretchen swam backstroke with Alex on butterfly, but because of Curzan’s presence to handle the backstroke leg, Gretchen has shifted to butterfly and Alex to breaststroke.
Event 27 Women 400 Yard Medley Relay
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NCAA: 3:21.01 3/22/2024 Virginia
G Walsh, J Nocentini, A Walsh, M Parker
American: 3:22.34 2/18/2022 Virginia - Also 3/18/22
G Walsh, A Wenger, A Walsh, K Douglass
US Open: 3:21.01 3/22/2024 Virginia
G Walsh, J Nocentini, A Walsh, M Parker
School Seed Finals Points
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1 Virginia 'A' 3:25.35 3:21.48 40
1) Claire Curzan 20 2) r:+0.26 Alex Walsh 23
3) r:+0.26 Gretchen Walsh 21 4) r:+0.25 Anna Moesch 19
24.30 50.05 (50.05)
1:16.54 (26.49) 1:46.72 (56.67)
2:08.43 (21.71) 2:33.87 (47.15)
2:56.80 (22.93) 3:21.48 (47.61)
2 Texas 'A' 3:25.25 3:28.00 34
1) Berit Berglund 19 2) r:+0.32 Piper Enge 18
3) r:+0.28 Emma Sticklen 22 4) r:+0.26 Ava Longi 22
25.37 51.89 (51.89)
1:19.28 (27.39) 1:50.64 (58.75)
2:13.44 (22.80) 2:39.93 (49.29)
3:02.52 (22.59) 3:28.00 (48.07)
3 NC State 'A' NT 3:29.39 32
1) Kennedy Noble 20 2) r:+0.15 Aubree Brouwer 21
3) r:-0.03 Leah Shackley 18 4) r:+0.11 Erika Pelaez 18
25.14 51.67 (51.67)
1:19.66 (27.99) 1:52.02 (1:00.35)
2:15.39 (23.37) 2:41.96 (49.94)
3:04.50 (22.54) 3:29.39 (47.43)
4 Virginia 'B' NT 3:32.34 30
1) Tess Howley 20 2) r:+0.22 Emma Weber 21
3) r:+0.36 Bailey Hartman 19 4) r:+0.34 Aimee Canny 21
25.80 53.13 (53.13)
1:20.58 (27.45) 1:51.75 (58.62)
2:16.33 (24.58) 2:44.45 (52.70)
3:07.36 (22.91) 3:32.34 (47.89)
5 ASU 'A' 3:33.14 3:32.79 28
1) Miriam Sheehan 20 2) r:+0.20 Iza Adame 22
3) r:+0.19 Julia Ullmann 19 4) r:+0.23 Caroline Bentz 22
25.66 53.26 (53.26)
1:20.87 (27.61) 1:52.58 (59.32)
2:16.60 (24.02) 2:44.83 (52.25)
3:07.44 (22.61) 3:32.79 (47.96)
6 Texas 'B' NT 3:32.97 26
1) Emma Kern 20 2) r:+0.10 Angie Coe 20
3) r:+0.34 Campbell Stoll 19 4) r:+0.42 Lillian Nesty 18
25.52 52.51 (52.51)
1:20.67 (28.16) 1:53.27 (1:00.76)
2:16.75 (23.48) 2:45.38 (52.11)
3:08.16 (22.78) 3:32.97 (47.59)
7 NC State 'B' NT 3:34.69 24
1) Olivia Nel 22 2) r:+0.22 Lisa Nystrand 18
3) r:+0.06 Lily Christianson 19 4) r:-0.03 Tyler Driscoll 20
25.66 52.74 (52.74)
1:20.66 (27.92) 1:52.93 (1:00.19)
2:17.06 (24.13) 2:45.90 (52.97)
3:08.91 (23.01) 3:34.69 (48.79)
8 ASU 'B' NT 3:36.69 22
1) Charli Brown 22 2) r:+0.07 Zoe Summar 20
3) r:+0.13 Hannah Hurleman 20 4) r:+0.24 Erin Milligan 23
25.87 53.53 (53.53)
1:21.76 (28.23) 1:54.07 (1:00.54)
2:18.62 (24.55) 2:48.25 (54.18)
3:11.26 (23.01) 3:36.69 (48.44)
