Former Georgia Swimmer Maxine Parker Announces Transfer to Virginia

In March, we reported that former Georgia swimmer Maxine Parker had entered the transfer portal. Today, she announced that she would be transferring to the University of Virginia for the 2022-23 season. She will have two years, plus a bonus COVID 5th year, of eligibility remaining.

Parker swam at NCAAs in both her freshman and sophomore year at Georgia. This year, she finished 20th at the meet in the 50 free (22.09), and 51st in the 100 free (49.35). However, she did lead off the 400 free relay with a 48.31, which is her season-best this year in the 100 free. Her season-best of 21.95 in the 50 free was from SECs this year.  She has been as fast as 21.93 and 47.75, going both of those best times at 2021 SECs her freshman year and proceeding to add from her seed time in both events at 2021 NCAAs. The one PB that Parker set in the 2021-22 season was in the 200 free when she swam a 1:44.24 leading off of Georgia’s 800 free relay at NCAAs,

Maxine Parker‘s Best Times Progression:

Given that the Virginia women are already the biggest powerhouse swim team in the country, winning the last two national titles, the addition of Parker only makes the rich get richer. She will provide the Cavaliers NCAA valuable points next year if she figures out how to peak and swim season bests at NCAAs.

Virginia is already dominant in the sprints. They have reigning 50 and 100 free national champions Kate Douglass and Gretchen Walsh, and Lexi Cuomo also helped score in the 50 free last season by placing 14th. They have American-record caliber 200 and 400 free relays, and all members in both of these relays will be returning next season.

However, the 200 free is one of the “weaker” events for UVA. At NCAAs, it was one of the only events where the team did not have anyone make the A-final (Alex Walsh‘s ACC-winning time of 1:42.28 would have been third, but she chose not to swim the event). Their highest and only scoring finisher, Reilly Tiltmann, placed ninth with a time of 1:43.55. Parker didn’t compete in the individual 200 free at NCAAs, but her relay leadoff would have finished 11th.

More importantly, Parker could be crucial to UVA’s 800 free relay, the only relay that they did not win at NCAAs (they finished second to Stanford). Her best time is faster than the 1:44.80 anchor leg that Emma Weyant produced at NCAAs, and there’s no reason that Parker wouldn’t be able to split 1:43-point on a relay start with a 1:44-low flat start time. With Stanford losing Brooke Forde, a member of their NCAA-winning 800 free relay this year that won by over five seconds, Parker is potentially the key for the Cavaliers to cut the deficit between them and the Cardinals.

Here’s how Parker’s best times would look on UVA’s depth charts compared to the members of their 200/400/800 free relays at NCAAs (NCAA relay splits included):

50 Free:

1. Kate Douglass– 20.84 (20.55 relay split)
2. Gretchen Walsh– 20.95 (20.58 relay split)
3. Lexi Cuomo– 21.80 (21.86 relay split)
4. Maxine Parker– 21.93
5. Alex Walsh– 22.35 (21.46 relay split)

100 Free:

1. Gretchen Walsh– 46.05 (46.02 relay split)
2. Kate Douglass– 46.62 (46.18 relay split)
3. Maxine Parker– 47.75
4. Alex Walsh– 48.59 (46.49 relay split)
5. Reilly Tiltmann– 50.30 (47.79 relay split)

200 Free:

1. Alex Walsh– 1:42.28 (1:41.92 relay split)
2. Reilly Tiltmann– 1:43.17
3. Maxine Parker– 1:44.24
4. Ella Nelson- 1:47.15 (1:43.58 relay split)
5. Emma Weyant– 1:48.39 (1:44.80 relay split)

Considering that all of Parker’s times are competitive with all of Virginia’s freestylers, the question of whether to include her on the team’s 200 and 400 free relays might make Todd DeSorbo‘s job a little more interesting, while putting her on the 800 free relay is a no-brainer.

Parker won the silver medal in the 50 free at the 2019 FINA Junior World Championships, and won gold as a part of Team USA’s mixed 4×100 free relay. Prior to college, she swam for Chelsea Piers, the same club that her future college teammate Kate Douglass swam for.