University of Virginia claims third consecutive NCAA Swimming and Diving title
The University of Virginia women's swimming and diving team have won their third straight NCAA Swimming and Diving Title. The 2023 NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships were held at the Allan Jones Aquatic Center in Knoxville, Tennessee between March 15 and 18.
The University of Virginia scored a massive 541.5 points. Second-placed Texas were only able to score 414.5 points, which meant Virginia had a humungous lead of 127 points over Texas. Stanford University finished in third place with 333 points.
While session one kicked off on Wednesday with the women's 200 yard medley relay and women's 800 yard free relay, the final session on Saturday (March 18) had seven events.
The seven events that were held in the final session of the 2023 NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships include the women's 1650 yard freestyle, women's 200 yard backstroke finals, women's 100 yard freestyle finals, women's 200 yard breaststroke finals, women's 200 yard butterfly finals, women's platform diving finals, and women's 400 yard freestyle relay.
Out of the 541.5 points scored by the University of Virginia, 200 points were earned in the relay events. They have won five out of the five available events. Virginia are also the first team to repeat this feat since Stanford University achieved it back in 2018.
University of Virginia's star swimmers Kate Douglass, Gretchen Walsh, Alex Walsh, and Ella Nelson contributed another 218 points. Olympic Bronze medallist Kate Douglass had the highest contribution with 60 points. She also broke three individual NCAA records. Gretchen Walsh scored 57 points and also broke the NCAA record in the 100 yard backstroke event.
Alex Walsh contributed 53 points by finishing first in the 400 yard individual medley, second in the 200 yard butterfly and third in the 200 yard individual medley. Ella Nelson was the fourth-highest contributor to Virginia's victory by contributing 48 points. Ella finished in third place in the 200 yard breaststroke, second in the 400 yard individual medley and fifth in the 200 yard individual medley.
Out of 18 events contested at the 2023 NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships, Virginia emerged victorious in 11 of them. They have also broken NCAA records in seven events, according to Swimswam. The 2023 NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships is the third title in five seasons for University of Virginia's head coach Todd DeSorbo.
Top Five Contributors to University of Virginia's victory at the 2023 NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships
The top five contributors to the University of Virginia's victory at the 2023 NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships are listed below. The details as revealed on Swimswam are attached.
- Kate Douglass - 60 points
- Gretchen Walsh - 57 points
- Alex Walsh - 53 points
- Ella Nelson - 48
- Maxine Parker - 23.5
The top five individual scores in swimming at the 2023 NCAA Championships are attached below:
- Kate Douglass, Virginia - 60 points
- Gretchen Walsh, Virginia - 57 points
- Alex Walsh, Virginia and Maggie MacNeil, LSU - 53 points
- --
- Claire Curzan, Stanford - 51 points
- Torri Huske, Stanford - 50 points
There was no fourth place in the above list because Alex Walsh of Virginia and Maggie MacNeil of LSU both scored 53 points.
Final Team scores of the 2023 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships
The top ten teams at the conclusion of the 2023 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships are attached below:
- Virginia — 541.5
- Texas — 414.5
- Stanford — 333
- Louisville — 288
- NC State — 263
- Ohio State — 223
- Indiana — 219
- Tennessee — 214
- Florida — 179
- UNC — 152