2023 Williamsburg Aquatic Club May Splash
- May 13-14, 2023
- Collegiate School Aquatic Center, Richmond, Virginia
- 50 meters (LCM), Timed Finals
- Results on Meet Mobile: Williamsburg Aquatic Club May Splash
While four swimmers from the Virginia varsity traveled to the Speedo Atlanta Classic this weekend to begin their long course season, others stayed closer to home and raced in a local meet in Richmond.
With finals last week and graduation next week, a group of four Cavaliers snuck in some timed final racing. That included NCAA CHampion Alex Walsh, Gretchen Walsh, Aimee Canny, and Ella Nelson.
The best performance of the weekend was in the women’s 200 breaststroke, where Nelson (2:24.89) and Walsh (2:25.49) finished 1-2.
Nelson’s personal best is a 2:24.80 from the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Trials, missing it by .09 seconds.
Walsh’s previous best was 2:31.14, also in 2018. While both were very good high school breaststrokers, neither has really focused on it in college (though Walsh has swum breaststroke races at each of the last two ACC Championship meets).
Kate Douglass leads the Virginia breaststroke group – which feels funny to say, because she also leads their butterfly group, freestyle group, and IM group. She won that event at the Atlanta Classic on Saturday in 2:22.75.
Walsh swam 4:42.15 in the 400 IM, where Nelson was 2nd in 4:45.16.
In the 100 fly, Abby Harter swam 59.71 to upset Gretchen Walsh, who was 2nd in 1:00.16. That is the second-best time of Harter’s career and her fastest time since August 2019 after her junior year of high school.
Harter also swam a huge best time of 2:02.62 in the 200 free. She didn’t swim the 200 fly, which was her best eventduring the college season.
Gretchen Walsh also swam the 50 free (24.78) and 100 free (56.35). In the 100 free, she placed 2nd to the South African Canny, who has one semester of Cavalier training under her belt. Canny won in 54.94.
Canny also won the 200 free (1:59.63), 200 IM (2:15.62), and finished 2nd in the 50 free (25.60).
They joined a number of All-Americans and other Cavaliers in attendance, including Connor Boyle in just his second meet since November after his second semester of college swimming was interrupted by injury (though he was able to rally for some NCAA Championship relay swims).
Boyle swam 23.40 in the 50 free, 51.82 in the 100 free, and 1:57.23 in the 200 free. His teammate August Lamb, also a 2023 All-American, won the 50 free in 22.36 in his only swim on the weekend. That’s just .13 seconds away from his personal best from a time trial event in March 2021.
It’s also half-a-second better than his time from last year’s US Nationals, where he placed 25th. He didn’t swim at last year’s Trials, but his time from this weekend would have been 11th in prelims at that meet. This year, that would give him an outside chance at an international roster for Team USA.
In the 100 free, 19-year old Alex Hotta won in 51.74. The Japanese-born swimmer had a personal best of 53.61 from January 2022. While he didn’t make the ACC Championship roster in his first college season for Virginia, his long course opener showed a big spark.
He also swam 24.34 in the 50 free and 1:53.34 in the 200 free.
Other Notable Results:
- Virginia’s Noah Nichols, who is in position to make an international roster this season, won the men’s 100 breaststroke in 1:02.36. He’s usually a bit faster than that in-season, though that’s usually at bigger meets.
- Graham Woodruff from the Lynchburg YMCA was one of the top junior performers in the meet. After going a best time in the 50 yard free at his last meet in March (22.33) swam another in the long course 50 free this weekend (26.57) to win the 13-14 age group. He also swam a best time of 1:00.00 in the 100 free, another win. Although not wins, he also posted best times in the 200 free (2:11.73), 400 free (4:44.30), 100 back (1:10.17), 100 fly (1:09.56), and 200 fly (2:41.87).
Speaking of Alex Walsh, will she swim the 200 FL and 400 IM at the 2023 Phillips 66 National Championships?
Gretchen Walsh is a bathtub specialist. No progression.
Gretchen Walsh is still stuck with a personal best time in the W 100 FR from the 2019 World Junior Swimming Championships.
It’s interesting to note the progression (LCM) of Claire Curzan and Torri Huske versus Gretchen Walsh since the 2019 World Junior Swimming Championships.
So a couple of weeks later she posts the 4th fastest 100 fly in the world this year. LCM. There are a lot of special swimmers out there who deserve a lot of respect. She’s one of them.
I count 5 hoos at Atlanta Classic:
Kate Douglass
Sophia Knapp
Maxine Parker
Jack Aikins
Kamal Muhammad
FuHoo Katie Christopherson.
Knowing how fast G. Walsh usually is in-season, and given the fact that she is already 24.7 in the 50 here, that 56.3 doesn’t bode well for her 100 at trials this year.
if Alex drops another .5 she can join that sub 2:10 and 2:25 back/breast club of mckeown and ye shiwen
I have my doubts that Alex Walsh will swim the 200 BR in lieu of the 200 FR on Day 2 of the 2023 Phillips 66 National Championships.
Didn’t Ella Nelson go 2:24.80 at Olympic trials?
You’re right. Her varying names create havoc with the databases.
Remember Tyler Scott Clary Flowers?
So, it looks like the W 400 IM will boil down to Katie Grimes (no brainer) and Leah Hayes versus Emma Weyant for the second slot at the 2023 Phillips 66 National Championships.
It’s crazy how much faster Katie Grimes is over Alex Walsh in the LCM 400 IM. Grimes is taking Hoff’s American record either at trials or Worlds.
I would not be shocked if the 17 year old Leah Hayes dropped a chunk off her personal best time in the W 400 IM at the 2023 Phillips 66 National Championships. Emma Weyant better watch out since Emma Weyant hasn’t recently been in great form.
Im convinced that you’re an early version of ChatGPT.
Without the intelligence part
Aren’t we all early versions of ChatGPT?
Gretchen plssss be faster at trials dont ppl to make fun of SCY
How does one go 24.7 / 56.3? Defies logic.
Her stroke is really inefficient. If you look at her entry point she’s so far over the top of her head. Timing of her breath is a little goofy too.
I could break down her stroke and give her an analysis in a heartbeat. Surprised they haven’t tried to change it yet..
I’m sure they’ve spent time working on it, but some athletes have a really hard time making changes. It’s even harder to get someone to buy into changes when she’s dropping time in the format she races in most frequently.
They are trying to change it. She spoke about it on the Social Kick podcast – working on not doing straight arm in the 100 LC.
Yeah this is a Michael Andrew level of difference.
At her best (albeit 4 years ago), she was 53.7. Not sure what happened to that.
4 years ago, she was faster than Mollie O’Callaghan.
Now MOC wipe the floor with Gretchen.
A number of female swimmers have either stagnated or regressed from the 2019 World Junior Swimming Championships:
Gormley, Isabel (400 IM)
Kozan, Justina (200 IM)
Nordmann, Lillie (200 FL)
Parker, Maxine (50 FR)
Stege, Rachel (400 FR)
Travis, Chase (1500 FR)
Walsh, Gretchen (100 FR)
The personal best times still reside from the 2019 World Junior Swimming Championships for six of the seven aforementioned female swimmers.
she was only 0.12 off from that at US Nationals last year
May I interest you in most Div 3 male rosters?
You can fake 50 LCM, but you can’t fake 100 LCM
It would not shock me if one of Moesch, Pelaez, Shackell swim faster in the W 100 FR than Gretchen Walsh at the 2023 Phillips 66 National Championships.
Do you just pull names out of a hat? Shackell’s pb is 55 something and she’s all about underwaters, Pelaez 54 high, Moesch 54.3 I think. It is clear you wish G Walsh ill, but seriously?
Funny how it’s usually the female teenagers that take chunks off personal best times.