National titles have become an annual accomplishment for the Virginia women's swim team, which celebrated its fourth consecutive NCAA Championship at the Aquatic and Fitness Center Friday. The No. 1 Cavaliers, who opened their 2024-25 season against Florida, watched yet another national championship banner raised to the AFC rafters before dispatching the No. 3 Gators 181-119.
Virginia’s women’s team showed they were ready to defend their crown from the jump. Team captain, gold medalist and senior Gretchen Walsh burst into the water as the buzzer sounded. Walsh appeared to be moving at twice the speed of her competitors in the 200-meter relay medley, and broke an American record — rewriting the history books with a 25.37-second time in the 50-meter backstroke leg of the race.
Walsh was far from finished for the day though, as she proceeded to shatter two more American records within the same hour. The next came during the 100-meter backstroke, where she posted a time of 54.89 seconds. She then showed her strength in a different stroke, completing the 50-meter freestyle in just 23.10 seconds, adding a third record of the day in the process.
Walsh would dive into the pool once more for a 100-meter individual medley. Only 55.98 seconds later, she finished her final swim of the day, this time not just breaking an American record but also setting a new world record. In just four swims, she had broken four records, capping off one of the most amazing individual swimming performances in NCAA history.
Virginia fans rightfully acknowledged the greatness they bore witness to, rising to their feet and congratulating Walsh with a standing ovation for the masterful day.
However, one of the most entertaining races of the day was provided by the women’s 800-meter freestyle. The crowd watched lanes 4 and 5 in suspense as just a fraction of a second separated Virginia sophomore Cavan Gormsen and Florida freshman Michaela Mattes as they began their final turns toward the finish. Ultimately, Gormsen’s final stride was enough to edge out the Gator pursuing her from behind, as she took first by a quarter of a second — 8:21.55 was the final, winning time.
Sophomore Claire Curzan and junior Aimee Canny were both bright spots for the Cavaliers as well, each managing to win two individual races while also contributing to relay victories. Curzan anchored the first event of the day, the 200-meter medley relay, and finished strong with a 50-meter freestyle that resulted in a Virginia victory. The transfer from Stanford then dominated the 200-meter backstroke for her first individual win as a Cavalier, and added a second win in the 100-meter butterfly.
Canny was able to notch her first win in the 200-meter freestyle despite a slow start. She managed to recover, then pulled away to win by well over a second. Her 1:54.13 time set a new record by a South African swimmer for the event, breaking the record she previously held.
The 200-meter backstroke was Canny’s next race, and it was a good one, resulting in another victory. She and Curzan would then team up for the last event of the day, the 400-meter freestyle relay. Curzan led off for the Cavaliers and then handed it off to Canny, with the two managing to spring out to a big lead that the team would not relinquish. Virginia capped off the meet with a three-second victory over the Gators in the event.
Freshman Anna Moesch, who was one-fourth of the 400-meter freestyle relay team, claimed a victory of her own in the 100-meter freestyle. Meanwhile, gold medalist and junior Emma Weber took first place in the 100-meter breaststroke and second in the 200-meter breaststroke. Sophomore Tess Howley contributed a win as well, taking first in the 200-meter butterfly by just 0.2 seconds.
This collective effort resulted in the Cavaliers winning 12 of the 14 events in the meet, and they were rewarded with a 62-point victory over the Florida Gators. The team proved they are not satisfied with four consecutive national championships — they look as motivated as ever on their quest for number five.
The men’s team, ranked No. 14 in the country, also battled Florida but were routed 231-69 by the third-ranked Gator men. While the men could not find nearly the same success as the women, there were some signs of promise. Fifth-year Noah Nichols had a good outing, finishing first in the 200-meter breaststroke and second in the 100-meter breaststroke. Junior Jack Aikins had a couple of podium finishes as well, collecting second in the 100-meter backstroke and third in the 200-meter backstroke. Besides that, it was a quiet day for the men, who were simply outmatched.
The Cavaliers will face their first conference opponent of the season in their next match, swimming at North Carolina in a dual meet Nov. 1.
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