In a class of 2023 that already boasts out-of-state superstars Ella Nelson, Kate Douglass, and Katie Cronin, and in-state standouts Lexi Cuomo and Maddie Donohoe, the University of Virginia women’s swimming and diving team has managed to elicit a verbal commitment from homegrown talent Caroline Kulp. A USA Swimming Scholastic All-American and NISCA All-American from Roanoke, Kulp is the VHSL 5A record-holder in the 500 free (4:49.14), and the overall VHSL record-holder in the 200 free (1:48.57) individually, and the 200 free relay and 400 free relay with her teammates from Patrick Henry High School.
In her three high school seasons with the Patriots, Kulp has never lost an individual event. She won the 200/500 double three times, breaking both 5A records along the way. As a freshman in 2016 she won the 200 in 1:49.56, a 5A best by 2.6 seconds, and the 500 in 4:49.14, a whopping 7.7 seconds faster than the old 5A time. In 2017 she defended her 200 title with 1:49.81 and her 500 with 4:52.64. Her junior-year wins brought new records in the 200 (1:48.57) and 500 (4:49.14).
Swimming year-round for Virginia Gators, Kulp was a member of the three NAG Record-breaking relays at 2017 Dolfin ISCA Junior Championship Cup last March: 200 medley relay (she swam a 28.86 breast), 200 free relay (22.99), and 400 medley relay (49.57 anchor). At 2017 Winter Nationals, she was a B-finalist in the 200 fly and 500 free and a C-finalist in the 200 free.
SCY times:
- 1650 free – 16:24.45
- 1000 free – 9:47.72
- 500 free – 4:43.95
- 200 free – 1:47.85
- 400 IM – 4:17.93
- 200 IM – 2:00.84
- 200 fly – 1:58.10
If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to [email protected].
Good luck Caroline and the UVA swimmers and coaches! I saw her swim a smashing practice in her home pool on a cold day in January — and she wasn’t showing any signs of slowing down…. go, go, go!
Congratulations….. isn’t it great to part of moving a great program to higher heights!Couldn’t be happier for you and the team!
Very cool, congrats!
DeSorbo To Aubrurn! By the way what was Busch doing at UVA when it come to recruiting? DeSorbo is making it look way to easy.
What all of this (awesome recruiting after a great championship season) confirms is that UVA is gonna be a force and challenge the other top programs in the years to come. Of course, all of these awesome student athletes that are Desorbo’s first true recruiting class won’t be in C’ville until 2019. BUT he is doing a great job with the Busch recruits!! They are excellent student athletes in their own right, and are now proving it!!!
By the way, I can’t imagine him leaving the great institution of UVA at ANY point. He said he came to UVA because he knew he could build a consistent NCAA Championship contender. Many may have doubted him at that time, but… Read more »
I think UVa is a more attractive venue for recruits than Auburn. I’d agree that DeSorbo sees Virginia as a place he can take to the top tier of the NCAA, and that’s what it is now. He’s not going anywhere.
Have you been to Auburn’s pool? Lol
That doesn’t matter one iota. Any program with a decent 50 meter training pool is all set in terms of a facilities baseline. Did you see Cal’s pool before the new facility? They won many NCAAs training there. It’s about the overall institution & offerings. Academic, social & athletic.
Unless it was a straight money-grab (and nothing wrong with that) I don’t see a uva-to-Auburn move as attracrive for DeSorbo. C-ville is a great place to live. Uva is a far superior school that is an easy draw for top student-athletes. It’s close to a hotbed of elite Swimming talent in the mid-Atlantic region. The ACC is an excellent swimming conference now, and he’s been in the ACC for a while. He went to school in North Carolina. He’s got young kids settled in Charlottesville now. I just don’t see that happening at all. I think he stays out and turns Uva into the Cal of the East.
*stays put
Fastest way for UVa to get really good is take to care of the state. So many great club teams & strong candidates every year. Hoos are rollin’ now.
Absolutely. And it’s not just Nothern VA – great swimmers in Richmond, Norfolk/Va Beach, Roanoke, etc. The new Liberty facility in Lynchburg is a boon for the State — as well as great facilities at Va Tech, UVA and G. Mason. Getting in-state kids also stretches scholarship dollars bc the school is about 1/3 the cost for in-state kids, and a 50% scholarship would make Uva very inexpensive.
Great swimmers locally in Charlottesville too!
A modest suggestion for all of these school announcements – the writeups typically focus first on HS results, but those times are often nowhere near the swimmer’s best. Here, we see two paragraphs with numerous references to 1:49/4:49 results. Then down below we finally see that Caroline is a 1:47/4:43 swimmer. It always feels like burying the lede!
Well deserved ! Congrats Caroline
UVa is on a recruiting roll…