Cavaliers Win Five Golden Goggles Awards from USA Swimming

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Members of the Virginia swimming program won five honors at USA Swimming’s Golden Goggles Awards on Saturday (Nov. 23) at a ceremony held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind.

Senior Gretchen Walsh won two awards – the Breakout Award and the Relay Performance of the Year with the gold-medal and world record 4×100 Medley relay squad. Two more Cavaliers, Kate Douglass and Emma Weber, were acknowledged as prelim swimmers for that relay.

At the historic meet inside Lucas Oil Stadium this past summer, Walsh qualified to swim four races for the 2024 Paris Olympic team. Between her relay and individual events, she claimed four medals, two world records, and an American record.

“I am so honored to be receiving this award tonight,” said Walsh. “My swimming career has not been perfect, but moments like these and this past summer make all the setbacks worth it. Thank you to USA Swimming and USA Swimming Foundation for tonight’s event and all the help this past summer.”

Virginia head coach Todd DeSorbo, the US Olympic women’s team head coach, was named the Coach of the Year.

DeSorbo coached the American women to 18 total medals at the Paris Olympics – including five gold. In addition to his work on the international stage for USA Swimming, DeSorbo is the head coach at the University of Virginia, where the women have been repeat NCAA champions for four years. Out of the 19 brought home by the USA Swimming women, nine were claimed by his University of Virginia swimmers.

Cavalier alumna Paige Madden earned the Perseverance Award.

Madden made her first Olympic team appearance at the Tokyo Games, where she claimed a silver medal in the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay and placed seventh in the women’s 400m freestyle. Amidst health concerns, Madden missed competitive opportunities that led to a break from swimming. She bounced back to make this year’s Olympic Team and won a silver and bronze medal in the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay and 800m freestyle, respectively. Placing behind gold medalist and teammate Ledecky in her individual event, her bronze medal became one of four individual events where the women placed two swimmers on the podium.

“I wouldn’t be here without all of you who are here today – all my teammates, my family, and the USA Swimming Foundation, thank you so much,” said Madden. “I truly think that everyone here has persevered through something in their lives, some of us are more vocal than others, but we all go through hard times. What’s most important is that we lean on each other. I found that through the last few years. I can truly walk away from the last year saying that I fell in love with the sport, and it didn’t matter if I won a medal or made the team or not, I loved every single day and just loved the daily grind.”

Incoming freshman Katie Grimes was awarded the Fran Crippen Open Water Swimmer of the Year, an honor named after the Cavalier swimmer.

Grimes was named the Fran Crippen Open Water Swimmer of the Year for the second-consecutive time. She was the first American athlete of any sport to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games after her bronze medal finish in the women’s 10K at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan. Additionally, she was the first female athlete in history to qualify for both pool (women’s 400m individual medley, 1500m freestyle) and open water competition at the same Olympics. After six laps at Pont Alexandre Ill, Grimes placed 15th just ahead of teammate Mariah Denigan (Walton, Ky./Indiana Swim Club).

The Golden Goggle Awards, presented by the USA Swimming Foundation, is an awards ceremony that recognizes and honors the accomplishments of swimmers who have represented the United States over the last year. The awards were established in 2004. There are eight main categories: Breakout Performer of the Year, Coach of the Year, Perseverance Award, Relay Performance of the Year, Male Race of the Year, Female Race of the Year, Male Athlete of the Year, and Female Athlete of the Year. A selection panel and fan votes determine the winners of each award.

Kate Douglass is the only other Cavalier to have ever won a Golden Goggles award, being named the co-Female Athlete of the Year in 2023.