Gretchen Walsh swims fastest-ever short course 50-yard backstroke split at NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships, boasts 7 of the event's Top-10 times

University of Virginia’s Gretchen Walsh recently clocked the fastest-ever short course 50-yard backstroke split, registering a time of 22.10 in the 200 medley relay on day 1 of the NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships 2024.

With this, Walsh shattered Louisiana State University (LSU) alumni Maggie MacNeil’s previous record of 22.52 which the Canadian set at the SEC Championships in February 2023 by 0.42 seconds.

Swimmingstats reported Gretchen Walsh’s incredible achievement on their Instagram (IG) handle, stating how the three-time World Championships (long course) medalist holds 7 out of the top 10 times in the 50-yard backstroke.

Her impressive performances also include the third (22.54), fourth (22.65), sixth (22.77), seventh (22.81), eighth (22.82), and tenth (22.98) quickest times registered in the event, making her the most dominant swimmer in NCAA history in this discipline.

This performance by Walsh helped Virginia win the gold medal in the 200-yard medley relay with a combined time of 1:31.58. Ohio State and Florida took home the silver and bronze medals by achieving times of 1:33.09 and 1:34.30, respectively.

Meanwhile, in the second and last final of the day, the Florida Gators scripted history at the NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships by clinching their first national title in the 800-yard freestyle relay since 1989. The team comprising Bella Sims, Isabel Ivey, Emma Weyant, and Micayla Cronk established a new program and pool record with a time of 6:48.59.

Day two of the NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships 2024 (March 21, 2024) will see the swimmers competing in individual events like 500 freestyle, 200 individual medley, and 50 freestyle. While 1m diving and 200 freestyle relay is also scheduled to be held.

Gretchen Walsh at the World Junior Championships

Gretchen Walsh prepares for the Women's 100 Meter Freestyle finals on Day 2 of the TYR Pro Swim Series Knoxville at Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center on January 11, 2024 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)

Gretchen Walsh has bagged 6 gold medals while representing the United States at the World Aquatics Junior Swimming Championships.

This includes gold in individual events like 50m freestyle, and 100m freestyle, and team events like 4×100m medley, 4x100m mixed medley, 4×100m freestyle, and 4×100m mixed freestyle. She accomplished this feat in the 2019 edition of the prestigious tournament.

At the Junior Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, another major international event, she won 5 gold, and 1 silver medals, all of which came in 2018 in Suva.