Gretchen Walsh Named Academic All-American of the Year

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia swimmer Gretchen Walsh (Nashville, Tenn.) was named as the 2024-25 Academic All-American of the Year, as announced Wednesday by the College Sports Communicators (CSC).

Walsh was voted the Academic All-American of the Year for all NCAA Division I sports, male and female. The prestigious honor has been awarded annually since 1988 to the most outstanding singular athlete selected from among the approximately 2,000 annual Academic All-America selections.

She is the first Virginia student-athlete to ever earn this recognition, and just the second from the ACC, joining NC State men’s basketball player Todd Fuller in 1996. She is the fourth swimmer to be honored, joining Justine Schluntz (Arizona, 2010), Sarah Gibson (2017) and Katie Ledecky (2018).

“Congratulations to Gretchen on this incredible honor,” said Virginia director of Athletics Carla Williams. “She exemplifies what it means to be a student-athlete at the University of Virginia. Gretchen is one of the greatest collegiate swimmers ever, a champion in and out of the pool, and a standout student at the McIntire School of Commerce. Being named Academic All-American of the Year across all sports is a fitting tribute to her athletic and academic dedication and excellence.”

Walsh, the winner of the 2025 Honda Cup as the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year, is a two-time Mary Garber Award winner as the ACC’s most outstanding female athlete. She was named the CSCAA Women’s Swimmer of the Year for the second straight year after winning three individual titles at the NCAA Championships (50 free, 100 free, 100 fly) and setting three NCAA and American records. She was also a part of all four of the Cavaliers’ first-place relay teams, including the 200 medley relay team that set the meet, NCAA, American and US Open records.

She closed out her collegiate career as a 25-time NCAA Champion, 23-time ACC Champion, 28-time All-ACC honoree and 28-time All-American.

“Congratulations to Gretchen Walsh on being awarded the prestigious Academic All-American of the Year,” said ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, Ph.D. “Her remarkable achievements in the pool, in the classroom and in the community, as well as her dedication to excellence, have made her one of the most decorated student-athletes in ACC and NCAA swimming history.”

Walsh graduated in May with a 3.826 cumulative GPA.

“I am fortunate to have been able to witness firsthand the greatness of Gretchen,” said Virginia swimming head coach Todd DeSorbo.  “Her reputation in the pool precedes her, but knowing her personally, as great an athlete as she is, she’s equally a great student and a great person.  Being the first ever student-athlete from Virginia and the ACC to win this award just goes along with all the other barriers she’s broken through the past few years.  It’s great to see her get acknowledgement for more than just being a great athlete, as she has achieved excellence in the classroom as well.”