Gretchen Walsh Blasts 21.92 Fly Split, 3rd-Fastest Ever, To Start UVA-Virginia Tech Dual

By Robert Gibbs on SwimSwam

Virginia Tech vs. Virginia

• Saturday, January 13th, 2024
• Christiansburg Aquatic Center, Christiansburg, VA
• Dual Meet Format
• SCY
• Results on Meet Mobile: “Virginia Tech vs Virginia”

It’s been a busy few days for Virginia’s Gretchen Walsh. She raced at the Knoxville stop of the Pro Swim Series, throwing down several fast swims, including a winning time in the 100 fly last night. From there, she made the three-hour trek to Christiansburg, VA, where the Cavaliers are taking on the Virginia Tech Hokies in an annual battle between intrastate rivals.

Despite the travel, Walsh didn’t miss a beat, as she started off today’s dual meet with a bang, splitting a 21.92 on the Cavaliers’ 200 medley relay. She apparently did that without the benefit of a tech suit, and while you might think that’d be the fastest split ever in a practice suit, Walsh was actually faster in October 2022, when she swam the then-fastest split ever, a 21.91. Just a few week’s later, Maggie MacNeil split 21.85 at the Art Adamson Invite to take over the fastest time ever.

Neither Walsh nor MacNeil swam the fly of the medley relay at last year’s NCAAs. MacNeil was swimming for LSU after transferring from Michigan, and LSU did not contest the event. Walsh, meanwhile, led off Virginia’s record-breaking squad, and her teammate, Lexi Cuomo, split 22.10, which currently ranks as the 8th-best split ever.

Top 10 All-Time Butterfly Splits, Women’s 200 Yard Medley Relay:

1. Maggie MacNeil, LSU — 21.85
2. Gretchen Walsh, Virginia – 21.91
3. Gretchen Walsh, Virginia – 21.92
4. Kate Douglass, Virginia /Alex Shackell, Carmel – 21.95
5. (tie)
6. Kelsi Dahlia, Louisville – 21.96
7. Alyssa Marsh, Duke – 22.05
8. Kelsi Dahlia, Louisville – 22.07
9. Lexi Cuomo, Virginia – 22.10
10. Olivia Bray, Texas – 22.17

Today, Walsh nearly matched the 21.91 split the Cavalier men got from Kamal Muhammad on their ‘A’ relay, although freshman Hayden Bellotti was almost three-tenths faster with a 21.62 on the ‘B’ relay. We’ll publish a full recap after the conclusion of today’s meet.

SwimSwam: Gretchen Walsh Blasts 21.92 Fly Split, 3rd-Fastest Ever, To Start UVA-Virginia Tech Dual