Madden, Walsh, DeSorbo Take Top VaSID Honors
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Senior Paige Madden (Mobile, Ala.), freshman Alex Walsh (Nashville, Tenn.) and head coach Todd DeSorbo take top Women’s Swimming & Diving honors from the Virginia Sports Information Directors.
Madden was named Swimmer of the Year, Walsh earned Rookie Swimmer of the Year and DeSorbo was selected as Coach of the Year. Virginia also had 16 first team honors.
Madden was named a Honda Sports Award finalist after leading Virginia to its first-ever NCAA Championship title in 2021. She captured three individual races and one relay title, the most of any swimmer at the meet, and earned five All-America honors. Madden also took three individual titles and two relay titles in UVA’s ACC Championship. She was named the 2021 Weaver-James-Corrigan ACC Postgraduate Scholarship Award recipient and ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Walsh won a NCAA title in the 200-yard individual medley and was part of UVA’s first NCAA relay title in her first appearance in the NCAA Championships. She finished with six All-America honors to help Virginia win its first NCAA Championship. Walsh anchored UVA’s American Record-setting 200 medley relay and won five ACC titles (one individual, 4 relay) at the 2021 ACC Championships.
DeSorbo guided the women’s team to its first national championship and the first national title for an ACC team in the sport in NCAA history. Virginia won six national titles in individual and relay events at the NCAA Championships, the most ever by an ACC program. The Cavaliers had 12 athletes named to CSCAA All-America Teams (10 first team and two second team). Virginia also won its third women’s ACC Championship in four years, and league-record 17th overall.
Along with Walsh and Madden, Lexi Cuomo (sprint free), Kate Douglass (sprint free), Maddie Donohoe (distance free), Reilly Tiltmann (backstroke), Alexis Wenger (breaststroke), Abby Harter (butterfly), Jessica Nava (butterfly), Ella Nelson (IM) and Jocelyn Porter (diving) all earned VaSID First Team honors. UVA also swept the first team honors for all five relays.
2020-21 VaSID All-State Women’s Swimming Awards
Swimmer of the Year – Paige Madden, UVA
Diver of the Year – Marina Toone, George Mason
Rookie Swimmer of the Year – Alex Walsh, UVA
Co-Rookie Divers of the Year – Hailey Fisher, George Mason & Maddie Freece, Liberty
Coach of the Year – Todd DeSorbo, UVA
All-State First Team
Sprint Free – Missy Cundiff, College of William & Mary
Sprint Free – Lexi Cuomo, University of Virginia
Sprint Free – Kate Douglass, University of Virginia
Distance Free – Maddie Donohoe, University of Virginia
Distance Free – Paige Madden, University of Virginia
Backstroke – Emma Atkinson, Virginia Tech
Backstroke – Reilly Tiltmann, University of Virginia
Breaststroke – Annie Tuttle, College of William & Mary
Breaststroke – Alexis Wenger, University of Virginia
Butterfly – Abby Harter, University of Virginia
Butterfly – Jessica Nava, University of Virginia
IM – Ella Nelson, University of Virginia
IM – Alex Walsh, University of Virginia
Diving – Hailey Fisher, George Mason University
Diving – Jocelyn Porter, University of Virginia
Diving – Marina Toone, George Mason University
200 Free Relay – Virginia
200 Medley Relay – Virginia
400 Free Relay – Virginia
400 Medley Relay – Virginia
800 Free Relay – Virginia
All-State Second Team
Sprint Free – Lauren Medlin, University of Richmond
Sprint Free – Sarah Shackelford, Virginia Tech
Sprint Free – Katie Stevenson, College of William & Mary
Distance Free – Elizabeth Intihar, College of William & Mary
Distance Free – Julianna Jones, James Madison University
Backstroke – Madison Cottrell, James Madison University
Backstroke – Payton Keiner, Liberty University
Breaststroke – Jacquee Clabeaux, George Mason University
Breaststroke – Maggie Purcell, University of Richmond
Butterfly – Lindsey Cohee, Liberty University
Butterfly – Madison Cottrell, James Madison University
IM – Reka Gyorgy, Virginia Tech
IM – Maggie Purcell, University of Richmond
Diving – Lauren Chennault, Liberty University
Diving – Maddie Freece, Liberty University
Diving – Emily Gross, James Madison University
200 Free Relay – William & Mary
200 Medley Relay – William & Mary
400 Free Relay – Richmond
400 Medley Relay – William & Mary
800 Free Relay – Richmond