Gretchen Walsh (Unofficially) Breaks NCAA, American Records in the 100 fly, 48.30

2023 TENNESSEE INVITATIONAL

• November 15-17, 2023
• Knoxville, Tennessee
• Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center
• LCM (50-meter) prelims / SCY (25-yard) finals
• Prelims: 9:30am (EST)/ Finals: 6pm (EST)
• 2024 NCAA Championships Standards
• Psych Sheets
• Live Stream
• Live Results: “2023 Tennessee Invitational” on MeetMobile
• Day 1 Prelims Recap | Day 1 Finals Recap
• Day 2 Prelims Recap | Day 2 Finals Recap
• Day 3 Prelims Recap | Day 3 Finals Recap

After swimming butterfly in the morning long course prelims of the 100 free, Gretchen Walsh dropped a 48.30 from lane 8 to place 2nd overall. And yes, she was still swimming butterfly.

What that means is Walsh just became the fastest woman in the 100 yard butterfly, eclipsing her former Cavalier teammate Kate Douglass’ American and NCAA record by 0.16 seconds.

Compared to Douglass’ swim, Walsh was actually out 0.1 seconds slower, but blazed home 0.26 seconds faster. See the splits comparison below:

However, Walsh will not add another American or US Open record to her already impressive resume. Since the swim was done in a 100 freestyle heat, it is unlikely to be ratified due to USA Swimming rule 102.23.1A2, which states:

“An official time for an event or a stroke can be achieved only in that event or stroke, or in an initial distance of such event or stroke (e.g., a backstroke time must be achieved in a backstroke event or the backstroke leg of a medley relay). Regardless of the stroke(s) used, times achieved in freestyle events can be recorded only as freestyle times.”

I asked someone at USA Swimming what would happen if she was faster than the butterfly US Open/American Record in finals of a freestyle event, if it would be ratified.

"I highly doubt it." https://t.co/AD7m9wqyQ2

— Braden Keith (@Braden_Keith) November 17, 2023

There is a chance it will be ratified as an NCAA record, however, since the NCAA rulebook does not officially address this situation explicitly. The Secretary Rules Editor, a position currently held by Greg Lockhart, is responsible for certifying NCAA records. The position has the responsibility of interpreting the rule book and determining if there is an applicable rule or previous precedence that addresses it. The SRE can also ask the entire rules committee to weigh in.

This swim joins a list of quirky and confusing records that sit in the gaps between the rules, like Libby Lenton’s fastest-ever 100 free swum on the leadoff leg of a mixed relay, World Records that weren’t American Records after USA Swimming outlawed polyurethane suits before FINA did, and Claire Curzan’s National Age Group Records set in mixed-gender heats shortly after COVID.

Walsh has been on fire throughout this season, and her invite performances have only continued that trend. She’s already dropped the third fastest 50 free split in history (20.36), lowered her American record in the 50 free and tied Maggie Mac Neil’s NCAA record (20.79), and improved her 200 free time in both meters (2:01.17) and yards (1:41.32), the latter of which would have won the event at last season’s NCAAs by over a second. And now she’s (unofficially) the fastest swimmer in history in another event, following the 100 back set at the 2023 NCAAs.

Walsh finished 2nd overall to Camille Spink, who clocked a 47.28 swimming freestyle. Had she swam the 100 fly earlier in the meet, Walsh would have easily cleared the field by 5.01 seconds over UVA teammate Maggie Schalow.

Today is also Kate Douglass’ 22nd birthday.