By Robert Gibbs on SwimSwam
2021 ACC WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIPS
- When: Wednesday, February 17th – Saturday, February 20th | Prelims: 11:00 am | Finals: 7:00 pm (EST) (Except Wednesday’s timed finals, which begin at 5:15 EST)
- Where: Greensboro Aquatic Center, Greensboro, NC
- Defending Champion: University of Virginia (x1) (results)
- Format: 25 Yards/Short Course Yards (SCY)
- Championship Central: Here
- Championship Manual
- Live Results
- Psych Sheets (uncut)
All eyes were on the center of the pool tonight for the A-final of the 200 IM at the 2021 ACC Swimming Championships, but in a fairly unexpected turn of events, it was the swimmer in lane 5, not lane 4, who got her hand to the wall first.
UVA sophomore Kate Douglass has looked like she was primed to go after the U.S. Open Record of 1:50.67, set by Ella Eastin in 2018, this week. As a freshman at last year’s ACCs, she hit 1:51.36, the fastest time ever by a freshman, then she came back this fall to go 1:50.92, just a quarter of a second away Eastin and the 3rd-fastest performance ever.
Swimming in lane 4 tonight, Douglass went out fast, and had over a one second lead at the halfway point. But teammate Alex Walsh, swimming right next to her, split 31.98 on the breaststroke leg to Douglass’s 33.16, then brought it home in 26.59, beating Douglass 1:51.53 to 1:51.97.
| SWIMMER | FLY SPLIT | BACK SPLIT | BREAST SPLIT | FREE SPLIT | FINAL TIME |
| Alex Walsh (2021) | 24.48 | 28.48 | 31.98 | 26.59 | 1:51.53 |
| Kate Douglass (2021) | 23.59 | 28.29 | 33.16 | 26.93 | 1:51.97 |
Walsh knocked over two seconds off of her lifetime best tonight, with her previous best time of 1:53.56 coming over two years ago at the 2018 Winter Juniors. Tonight’s swim was the 6th-fastest performance ever, and was the 2nd-fastest ever by a freshman, behind only Douglass’ swim from last year’s ACCs. Including Ella Nelson‘s 1:54.72 from December, the Cavaliers now have three of the four fastest freshmen in this event ever.
TOP 10 ALL-TIME PERFORMANCES: WOMEN’S 200 IM
- Ella Eastin, 1:50.67, 2018
- Beata Nelson, 1:50.79, 2019
- Kate Douglass, 1:50.92, 2020
- Kathleen Baker, 1:51.25, 2018
- Kate Douglass, 1:51.36, 2020
- Alex Walsh, 1:51.54, 2021
- Meghan Small, 1:51.62, 2019
- Ella Eastin, 1:51.65, 2016
- Sydney Pickrem, 1:51.66, 2019
- Beata Nelson, 1:51.66, 2020
It remains to be seen whether or not tonight’s outcome has any effect on the Cavaliers’ event selection for next month’s NCAA Championships. Douglass has the fastest time in the nation this season in both the 200 IM and the 50 free. UVA already had more depth in the 200 IM than in the 50 free, and with Walsh now faster than anyone else, besides Douglass, in the NCAA this season by over a second, this may push the needle in terms of UVA opting to swim Douglass in the 50 free at NCAAs.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: UVA Freshman Alex Walsh Upsets Teammate Douglass with 6th-Fastest 200 IM Ever
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