Seven Cavaliers Competing at World University Games
BERLIN– Seven Virginia swimmers will be competing for Team USA at the 2-25 FISU World University Games, being held July 17-23 at the Schwimm-und Sprunghalle im Europasportpark (SSE) in Berlin, Germany.
Katie Christopherson, Cavan Gormsen, Leah Hayes, Tess Howley, Maxine Parker, Emma Weber, and David King all earned invitations based on their performances at the 2025 Toyota U.S. National Championships, which took place from June 2 to 7 in Indianapolis, Ind.
Swimming competitions consist of individual and relay races over distances from 50m to 1500m a 50-metre indoor pool. The swimmers qualify from heats through semi-finals until the fastest eight swimmers compete for the medals in the final. Prelims start at 3 am ET each day with the semifinals/finals session starting at 1 pm.
The finals sessions will be streamed live on FISU.TV.
Additionally, Virginia associate head coach Jake Shrum has been named to the coaching staff as an assistant. This will be his second time coaching at an international competition after serving as an assistant coach at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships.
From July 16 to 27, 2025, around 8,500 student-athletes and officials from over 150 countries will compete for medals in 18 sports at the World University Games – making this one of the largest multi-sport events in the world in 2025.
Swimming competitions consist of individual and relay races over distances from 50m to 1500m a 50-metre indoor pool. The swimmers qualify from heats through semi-finals until the fastest eight swimmers compete for the medals in the final. Certain events do not have semifinal heats.
This is the first time Virginia has had multiple athletes qualify for the World University Games. UVA has had nine females compete at the championships, starting with gold-medalist Ellen Feldmann in 1973. Paige Madden was the last Cavalier to compete in 2019, winning a gold and a silve in 2019 in Npoli, Italy. Female Virginia swimmers have won six golds and a silver in their previous appearances.
King is the 21st male Cavalier to compete at the World University Games and the first since Yannick Kaeser (Switzerland) in Taipei in 2017. The Cavalier men have medalled 10 times including four golds.
Cavaliers on the Team USA 2025 FISU World University Games Roster
- Katie Christopherson – 200m Breast (7/20)
- Cavan Gormsen – 200m Free (7/21), 400m Free (7/23)
- Leah Hayes – 200m IM (7/21), 400m IM (7/18)
- Tess Howley – 200m Fly (7/22)
- Maxine Parker – 50m Free (7/22), 100m Free (7/18, Final 7/19)
- Emma Weber – 50m Breast (7/18, Final 7/19), 100m Breast (7/22, Final 7/23)
- David King – 200m Back (7/22)
Schedule
Thursday 7/17: 4x100m Freestyle Relay Heats & Finals
Friday 7/18: 400m IM Prelims & Finals; 100m Free Prelims & Semis; 50m Breast Prelims & Semis
Saturday 7/19: 100m Free Finals; 50m Breast Finals; Mixed 4x100m Medley Relay Heats & Finals
Sunday 7/20: 200m Breast Prelims & Finals; Women’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay Heats & Finals
Monday 7/21: 200m Free Prelims & Finals; 200 IM Prelims & Finals; Mixed 4x100m Freestyle Relay Heats & Finals
Tuesday 7/22: 200m Back Prelims & Semis; 200m Fly Prelims & Finals; 50m Free Prelims & Finals; 100m Breast Prelims & Semis; Men’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay Heats & Finals
Weds 7/23: 400m Free Prelims & Finals; 200m Back Finals; 100m Breast Finals, 4x100m Medley Relay Heats & Relay