Gretchen Walsh Sets 50 Free Record Twice to Highlight Day 2 of the ACC Championships

GREENSBORO, N.C. – When Virginia swimmer Gretchen Walsh posted the fastest NCAA and American time in the 50 freestyle (20.77) during the morning preliminary swims at the ACC Championships, no one knew that was just the warm-up act. During Wednesday night’s finals, Walsh toppled her own record with a winning time of 20.57. It was one of two gold medals she picked up on the day as UVA’s women took over the team lead in pursuit of their fifth consecutive ACC title.

Walsh was part of the Cavaliers’ 200 freestyle relay team that opened the night with another record setting performance. The group, which included Jasmine Nocentini, Alex Walsh and Maxine Parker, posted a time of 1:23.63 that established a new standard for the NCAA and US Open competition. During Walsh’s leg of the relay, she swam a slit of 19.95, becoming the first woman to ever break 20 seconds.

The relay win was the 22nd by Virginia in the last 23 contested at the ACC Championships and the sixth consecutive year a team from UVA has won the event.

Alex Walsh went on to take the gold medal in the 200 IM with a time of 1:51.76 while teammate Ella Nelson was the runner-up at 1:54.21

The other highlight for the Virginia women was a podium sweep of the 500 freestyle event. Cavan Gormsen took first (4:38.43) followed by teammates Aimee Canny (4:39.96) and Sophia Knapp (4:40.26).

On the men’s side, the Cavaliers used three podium finishes to move up to sixth place (249.5 points). NC State leads the men’s meet with 531.5 points.

UVA’s 200 free relay team of Matt Brownstead, Connor Boyle, Simon Lins and August Lamb took the bronze medal after turning in the third-best performance in school history with a time of 1:15.20. Brownstead later won an individual bronze in the 50 free with a time of 18.86 while swimming out of lane number eight in the finals. Tim Connery also captured bronze for UVA with his school-record time of 1:41.86 in the 200 individual medley. He had set the school record earlier in the prelims with a time of 1:42.00.

The ACC Championships run through Saturday. The Cavalier women enter the meet ranked No. 1 in the CSCAA poll. while the UVA men are No. 20.

Women’s Highlights

• Emma Weber swam a personal-best time of 1.58.42 in the prelims of the 200 IM
• Jasmine Nocentini posted a personal best time of 21.13 in the 50 free
• Ella Bathurst swam 1:57.54 to place sixth in the 200 IM
• Parker finished seventh in the 50 free with a time of 21.81

Men’s Highlights

• Simon Lins posted a PB in the 50 free (19.76)
• Sebastien Sergile was seventh in the 200 IM (1:43.96)
• Matt Styczen tied his personal best in the 200 IM with a clocking of 1:45.09

Team Scores

Women

1. Virginia – 552
2. Louisville – 473.5
3. NC State – 418
4. Duke – 332
5. North Carolina – 328
6. Notre Dame – 274
7. Virginia Tech – 253.5
8. Florida State – 217
9. Pittsburgh – 183
10. Georgia Tech – 177
11. Miami – 162

Men

1. NC State – 531.5
2. Notre Dame – 335.5
3. Louisville – 302
4. Virginia Tech – 298.5
5. Florida State – 292
6. Virginia – 249.5
7. Georgia Tech – 235
8. North Carolina – 223
9. Pittsburgh – 193
10. Duke – 130
11. Miami – 54

HOW TO FOLLOW
Prelims and finals will be streamed live on ACCNX. Links for the live streams and live results each day will be available on VirginiaSports.com. The evening sessions will air on the ACC Network the next morning. Craig Minervini, Amy Van Dyker and Jason Baumann will call the action.

SCHEDULE
Each day finals will begin at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday prelims begin at 9:30 a.m.

ORDER OF REMAINING EVENTS
Thursday: 400 IM, 100 fly, 200 free, men’s 3-meter
Friday: 200 fly, 100 back, 100 breaststroke, women’s platform, 400 medley relay
Saturday: 1650 free, 200 back, 100 free, 200 breaststroke, men’s platform, 400 free relay

SMITHFIELD COMMONWEALTH CLASH
The ACC Championships serves as the Smithfield Commonwealth Clash matchup for Virginia and Virginia Tech. The rivalry between Virginia Athletics and Virginia Tech Athletics has a long and storied history dating back more than 125 years within the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Cavaliers and Hokies first faced off on the gridiron in Charlottesville in 1895. First coined the Commonwealth Clash during the 2014-2015 season, the rivalry has expanded and intensified across the 22 sports the two institutions face off in head-to-head competition. The final ACC standings was worth a point in the Clash on the men’s and women’s sides. UVA’s women won a point and the Virginia Tech men’s team won a point. Heading into Monday’s night men’s basketball game between the Cavaliers and the Hokies, Virginia leads this year’s Clash 5.5 to 1.5. UVA captured the Clash in 2015, 2016 and 2019 and 2023 while Virginia Tech has won the Clash in 2017, 2018 and 2022. The 2020 and 2021 clashes were canceled due to the pandemic.