As the adage goes, nothing lasts forever. Decay is inevitable — at least in concept. Virginia women’s swimming and diving has continued to defy that old phrase at the Aquatic and Fitness Center. Saturday, the Cavalier women beat Virginia Tech 215 to 85 while Virginia’s men were bested 198-102 by the Hokies. Coach Todd DeSorbo’s bunch has won four straight national championships, and there is reason to believe they will continue to be a frontrunner for years to come.
Still, it is difficult to look past the fact that senior Gretchen Walsh plus graduate Alex Walsh and other mainstays are in their final year with the Cavaliers. There is a need for a new generation of Virginia stars to take the reins. There are plenty of superstar recruits that Virginia has signed, but one stands out — freshman Katie Grimes.
Grimes, the No. 1 recruit in the 2024 high school recruiting class, had yet to sign with a program entering the fall semester. She chose Virginia in October after the Cavaliers had already had an intrasquad meet. Grimes finally made her Virginia debut Saturday and showed flashes of the potential that made her the top high school swimmer. Grimes appeared Walsh-esque as she won all three events that she participated in.
In the 200 fly, Grimes set a pool record with a time of 1:53.23. That mark is the fourth-fastest by an NCAA swimmer this season. Grimes also claimed first place in the 200 back and 200 IM.
A plethora of other Cavaliers joined Grimes on the podium in their respective events as well. Alex Walsh took the 100 fly with a time of 51.98 seconds in her season debut.
In addition, her younger sister made history as per usual. Gretchen Walsh swam a 20.87 50 fly leg of the 200 medley relay — the fastest in history. With her team of Alex Walsh, junior Claire Curzan and senior Anna Moesch, Walsh’s Cavaliers set a pool record. Their relay time of 1:31.51 ranks second in world history.
By the day’s end, the Virginia women had won every single diving event and all swimming events with the exception of the 100-yard Backstroke and the 400-yard Freestyle Relay.
Despite their defeat, the Cavalier men did secure a few victories — freshman David King won the 1,000 free and freshman Hayden Bellotti won the 200 fly.
Up next, Virginia travels to Austin, Texas Jan. 24 for the Texas Duels, hosted by the No. 1 Texas men’s team and No. 2 women’s team.
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