2024 WOMEN’S NCAA SWIMMING AND DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
- March 20-23, 2024
- Gabrielsen Natatorium, Athens, Georgia
- Short Course Yards (25 yards)
- Meet Central
- Psych Sheets
- SwimSwam Preview Index
- Live Results
- SwimSwam Pick ’em Contest
- Day 1 Finals Recap
- Day 2 Prelims Live Recap
- Day 2 Finals Live Recap
WOMEN’S 50 FREESTYLE — FINAL
- NCAA Record: 20.41 — Gretchen Walsh, Virginia (2024)
- Meet Record: 20.41 — Gretchen Walsh, Virginia (2024)
- American Record: 20.41 — Gretchen Walsh, Virginia (2024)
- U.S. Open Record: 20.41 — Gretchen Walsh, Virginia (2024)
- Pool Record: 20.41 — Gretchen Walsh, Virginia (2024)
- 2023 Champion: 20.79 — Maggie MacNeil, LSU
- Gretchen Walsh (UVA) — 20.37 *New Everything Record*
- Katharine Berkoff (NCS) — 21.09
- Jasmine Nocentini (UVA) — 21.10
- Christiana Regenauer (LOU) — 21.48
- Julia Dennis (LOU) — 21.60
- Gabi Albiero (LOU) — 21.67
- Brady Kendall (MICH)/Maxine Parker (UVA) — 21.74
- (tie)
After breaking her own NCAA and American record this morning in the 50 free, Gretchen Walsh swam even faster with a 20.37 in finals to win the event at NCAAs.
TOP 7 50 FREE PERFORMANCES ALL-TIME
- Gretchen Walsh, Virginia – 20.37 (2024)
- Gretchen Walsh, Virginia – 20.41 (2024)
- Gretchen Walsh, Virginia – 20.57 (2024)
- Gretchen Walsh, Virginia – 20.77 (2024)
- Gretchen Walsh, Virginia – 20.79 (2023)/Maggie MacNeil, LSU – 20.79 (2023)
- –
- Gretchen Walsh, Virginia – 20.83 (2023)
This morning, Walsh was last off the blocks in a 0.76 reaction time and was off in a 0.75 tonight, the only reaction time above 0.70. She also was faster at the flip tonight as she swam a 9.88 compared to a 9.99 from this morning. Overall, she was 4 one-hundredths faster with a 20.37. She now holds the top five fastest performances in the event of all-time. She shares the 5th spot with Maggie MacNeil.
This was Walsh’s 4th time breaking the record this season as she broke it twice at ACCs and now two times at NCAAs.
So G Walsh is now undisputed GOAT at underwaters – if it was even disputed before — even if it doesn’t translate to LC, can she take a wrecking ball to some SCM world records, I’d like to keep this party going.
It’s understandable that they’re forgotten with how far they’re off her, but Berkoff and Nocentini gotta be in the top-10 performers now, right? Weitzel’s HS 50 record was 21.12 I believe. Only Walsh, MacNeil, Douglass, and Weitzel have been under 21, and maybe only Erika Brown under 21.10
Der a video fa dis?
Strong case to be made that in a relative sense, 20.37 beats 17.63!
HELL NAH, YOU CAN SAY THAT WHEN SHE GOES 19.63
Did anyone notice that Gretchen’s swims were under the Boys HS All-American standard for 2024 of 20.50. Someone must have a list somewhere of the number of times NCAA women (or HS girls) have gone under this mark. Both of Virginia’s 200 relays are below the mark for this season and Kate Dougles’es 2IM was under last year.
some relevant ones for this year:
1:49.50 – 200 IM
20.43 – 50 free
48.57 – 100 fly
49.07 – 100 back
1:24.34 – 200 free relay
3:05.74 – 400 free relay
1:32.75 – 400 medley relay
and then for some potential ones:
4:29.39 – 500 free (not this year, but Bella has been under)
44.83 – 100 free (Gretchen could reasonably hit this)
100 breast / 200 free are the only ones really out of reach right now, with them being 55.44 and 1:38.67 respectively
Every time female times get compared to times for males, it seems to feed a narrative that does not need to see the light of day. I know it can be tempting, but I try not to do it. I think it was just all for fun until Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs.
Hard not to get a little greedy/spoiled where Gretchen is concerned. It occurred to me before this meet that she could show up, beat two of her four individual US Open records by a smidgen, and maybe miss two of them by a smidgen, which would still be one of the greatest performances of all time, yet we’d all be left feeling let down. That would be completely unfair to Gretchen, of course, but I guess it’s just human nature for us greedy fans to always want more. Anyway, that seems like a moot point now, as it looks like she’s not “letting us down” at this meet but rather delivering unearthly performances which are leaving us in the slack-jawed… Read more »
Does Gretchen Walsh break the American Record in the 50 meter women’s freestyle?
goddammit
I think the real question is will anyone ever break that record and if so when?
Raise your hand if you did not go 20.37 when you were a swimmer…….
IMer here, never sniffed sub 21😂
Do relay splits count??😂
Raise your hand if you didn’t go under 22.10 in the 50 free…