The Virginia women’s swimming and diving program has grown into a juggernaut under the guidance of head coach Todd DeSorbo, winning championships and breaking records at a rapid rate.
And the Cavaliers show no signs of slowing down.
UVa won its fourth consecutive national championship on Saturday night in Athens, Georgia, becoming just the third program in NCAA history to win four consecutive team titles in the sport and the first since 1996.
Stanford won five straight team championships from 1992-1996 and Texas won national titles in five consecutive seasons from 1984 to 1988. After another impressive showing at this year’s NCAA meet, the Cavaliers will be strong contenders for a fifth straight national championship next season.
Virginia finished this year’s NCAA Championships with 527.5 points, well ahead of second-place Texas (441 points). Florida (364 points) was third, followed by Tennessee (277) and Stanford (250).
I’m not sure I can put it into words. It’s really hard to digest even that we won, DeSorbo said. I told the girls before the session [Saturday night] that there are only nine teams, I think, that have ever won one national championship, and we are one of nine. And when you have 70 teams at a national championship, you know, that’s pretty impressive in and of itself. So it’s just wild.
Virginia won seven individual events and four relay titles, giving the Cavaliers 11 event victories at the NCAA Championships for the third consecutive season. Five UVa swimmers won gold medals during the meet, led by seven from Gretchen Walsh.
Walsh had an NCAA meet to remember for the Hoos, breaking three American records and four NCAA records. On the final night of competition, Walsh won the 100 freestyle in a NCAA record time of 44.83 and then helped UVa win the 400 free relay.
In addition to the two titles she won Saturday night, Walsh also won individual NCAA titles in 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly and was part of the Cavaliers’ winning 200 medley relay, 200 free relay and 400 medley relay teams. Walsh has now won six individual titles and 12 relay championships during her college career.
Her sister, Alex Walsh, also had a stellar showing at the NCAA Championships. On Saturday, she won the 200 breaststroke title with a personal best time of 2:02.07. Alex Walsh also won gold in the 200 IM and 400 IM during the NCAA meet and was part of Virginia’s winning 200 free relay, 400 medley relay and 400 free relay teams.
Jasmine Nocentini also played a big part in the Cavaliers’ team championship. Nocentini, a graduate student who had never scored a point at the NCAA meet before this year, won the NCAA title in the 100 breaststroke and swam on three relay teams that won titles. Nocentini also earned a fourth-place finish in the 100 freestyle.
Maxine Parker (200 medley relay, 200 free relay, 400 medley relay, 400 free relay) and Carly Novelline (200 medley relay) also brought home first-place finishes with Cavaliers’ relay teams.
While the individual and relay championships were special, one of the most memorable moments of the meet for DeSorbo came in a race that a Cavalier swimmer did not win.
The moment came in the 200 butterfly, when Tess Howley placed fourth (1:52.41) and Abby Harter finished sixth (1:52.49), giving the Cavaliers enough points to clinch the team title prior to Saturday evening’s final swimming event. The swim also earned Howley the first All-America honor of her career.
