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CONTENTS 008 AFTER TRIALS, ILLNESS SETBACKS, LUCA URLANDO IS READY AND REALISTIC FOR 2022 by Matthew De George Luca Urlando is beyond his years in practicing how to handle adversity—a disappointing summer of 2021 and more than two weeks out of the water in the fall with the flu and an emergency appendectomy. So, the soon-to-be-20year-old is being realistic when it comes to setting his 2022 goals at NCAAs and, hopefully, at this summer’s World Championships. 010 ANDREW SELISKAR ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT AFTER COMPETING IN TOKYO OLYMPICS by David Rieder Longtime U.S. national team standout Andrew Seliskar announced he is retiring from competitive swimming. During his illustrious career, he was named Swimming World’s Male High School Swimmer of the Year in 2015, and he was an impact performer for Cal from 2015 through 2019 before qualifying for the U.S. Olympic team in 2021. 012 WHEN JANET EVANS WENT A 4:03 OVER EIGHT LAPS TO LEGENDARY STATUS by John Lohn To mark International Women’s Day, Swimming World recalls the day Janet Evans clocked a stunning 4:03.85 in the 400 meter freestyle on a trajectory to the pantheon of greats. 014 GREAT GIRLS On the following pages, Swimming World shares the many highlights of the NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving Championships, March 16-19, at Georgia Tech in Atlanta—a meet that featured records in nine of the 21 events and a dominant performance by the University of Virginia to win its second straight national team title. 016 VIRGINIA CAVALIERS DOMINATE NCAA WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIPS by David Rieder The University of Virginia, coached by Todd DeSorbo, won the women’s NCAA Division I team title for the second year in a row. The Cavaliers won 11 of the 18 swimming events, including four of the five relays (two in Americanrecord times). Kate Douglass and Alex Walsh led the way individually, with each winning three events (four American records). 018 KATE DOUGLASS BUILDS LEGACY AS ONE OF GREATEST COLLEGE SWIMMERS IN HISTORY by Dan D’Addona Virginia junior Kate Douglass not only displayed her talent, but her versatility, winning three individual races in three different strokes (50 free, 100 fly and 200 breast)—all in American-record times. 019 ALEX WALSH CLOBBERS AMERICAN, NCAA RECORDS IN 200 IM TITLE DEFENSE by David Rieder Last season, the University of Virginia’s Alex Walsh won the NCAA title in the 200 IM as a freshman. One year later and with an Olympic silver medal in the 200 meter IM already in her pocket, Walsh is now the fastest swimmer in history in the event. 020 VIRGINIA CAPS OFF DOMINANT MEET WITH AMERICAN RECORD IN 400 FREE RELAY by DavidRieder Virginia capped off its NCAA-title-winning performance by breaking the American, NCAA and U.S. Open records in the 400 freestyle relay. Kate Douglass, Alex Walsh, Reilly Tiltmann and Gretchen Walsh clocked 3:06.91, edging Cal’s previous all-time best of 3:06.96 in 2019 and crushing Stanford’s American record of 3:07.61 from 2017. 022 KATHARINE BERKOFF PRODUCES FIRSTEVER 48-SECOND 100 BACK by David Rieder Swimming head-to-head against Stanford’s American record holder Regan Smith, NCAA 100 back defending champ Katharine Berkoff not only bettered the previous American record by nearly a half-second, but she also became the first female swimmer to break 49 seconds with her jaw-dropping
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time of 48.74. 023 KATE DOUGLASS SMASHES AMERICAN, NCAA RECORDS IN 200 BREASTSTROKE by David Rieder After earlier winning the 50 free and 100 fly—recording the fastest times in history in both events—Virginia’s Kate Douglass did it again in the 200 breast. Her 2:02.19 was 4-tenths faster than Indiana’s Lilly King’s American, NCAA and U.S. Open records from 2018. 024 VIRGINIA’S GRETCHEN WALSH CLAIMS FIRST NCAA TITLE IN 100 FREESTYLE by Dan D’Addona Heading into the meet, the 100 free looked to be a showdown between Michigan’s Maggie Mac Neil, the defending champion, plus upstart freshmen Torri Huske of Stanford and Gretchen Walsh of Virginia. However, with Mac Neil and Huske qualifying for the B-final, Walsh claimed her first NCAA individual title with a 46.05 performance, the fourthbest all time in the event. 026 REGAN SMITH EXPLODES LATE TO RUN DOWN FOES FOR 200 BACKSTROKE TITLE by John Lohn Regan Smith, whose commitment to Stanford was deferred a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent postponement of the Tokyo Olympics, finally won her first NCAA title—a win in the 200 back that came with flair and drama. Jumpstarting a grueling final-session double, Smith used phenomenal turns at the 150 and 175 to come from behind and win in 1:47.76 over defending champ Phoebe Bacon of Wisconsin. 027 PAIGE McKENNA OVERCOMES TWO TORN LABRUMS FOR BREAKTHROUGH 1650 FREE NATIONAL TITLE by David Rieder Wisconsin’s Paige McKenna swam a lifetime best in the 1650 by more than seven seconds to win the mile in 15:40.84 and become the 16th-fastest performer in history. Her breakthrough performance and emergence on the national level comes as she tries to overcome two torn labrums suffered when she was forced to deal with the closure of pools during the COVID-19 pandemic two years ago. McKenna is still deciding if she will have surgery to repair the tears. 028 TAYLOR RUCK SURGES TO SPECTACULAR 200 FREESTYLE VICTORY, CEMENTING ROAD BACK FROM EATING DISORDER by Dan D’Addona After struggling through the pandemic with an eating disorder and a disappointing couple of years in the water, Stanford’s Taylor Ruck is back, as she turned in a dominating performance to win the 200 freestyle, the junior’s first individual NCAA championship. 032 2022 SWIM CAMP DIRECTORY 036 LIA THOMAS DEBATE: THROUGH INACTION, NCAA OPERATED A CIRCUS AT CHAMPIONSHIP COMPETITION by John Lohn Despite Virginia’s dominance as team champion, the individual excellence of Kate Douglass and Alex Walsh, numerous American-record performances and the backstroke brilliance from Katharine Berkoff and Regan Smith, this year’s women’s NCAAs sadly was defined by controversy, specifically the inclusion of transgender woman Lia Thomas. 038 REKA GYORGY, BUMPED OUT OF B-FINAL IN 500 FREE, WRITES CRITICAL LETTER TO NCAA ON TRANSGENDER RULES by David Rieder Virginia Tech swimmer, Reka Gyorgy, finished 17th in the 500 freestyle and was one spot removed from making the consolation final in an event that transgender swimmer Lia Thomas won. Gyorgy wrote an open letter to the NCAA, saying she stands with Thomas, but blamed the NCAA for the way the institution handled the entire situation, including the rules. Swimming World shares Gyorgy’s letter in full. 039 PARTING SHOT
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After Trials, Illness Setbacks, Luca Urlando is Ready and Realistic for 2022 BY MATTHEW DE GEORGE
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uca Urlando didn’t have the summer of 2021 he dreamed of. November and December weren’t great, either, to be honest. But for a soon-to-be 20-year-old, Urlando is beyond his years in practicing how to handle adversity. Some of it is the California calm the Sacramento native exudes, some of it the honed mentality to match his elite speed. As he approaches the NCAAs Championships, Urlando is confident in how he’s calibrating his goals for the busy year ahead. With more than two weeks out of the water in the fall – first for a bout of the flu, then an emergency appendectomy with another illness tacked on – Urlando is being realistic. He trained fully for barely six weeks by the time he took home SEC Championships Swimmer of the Meet in February. That’s reason to be encouraged, especially since his 2022 goals position NCAAs as a stepping stone for what he hopes is a place at World Championships this summer. “I’m pretty focused on how good I want to become,” Urlando said recently. “I’ve dealt with a lot of injuries and stuff, so I’m just honestly proud of where I am right now. It would be awesome, and I’m really excited to compete with other conference champions, but I’m not holding myself to too high of expectations.” Urlando has lived a lot of swimming life in his short senior career. When you’re 17 and find your name in sentences that includes phrases like, “the first American since Michael Phelps,” time has a way of accelerating, ever swim dissected and magnified. That hasn’t brought a ton of luck his way. There was a shoulder injury to start 2020, preceding the COVID-19-related collapse of reality. All that was in the past when Trials rolled around, 8
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though that meet didn’t play out the way Urlando hoped, bringing the double heartache of finishing third in both butterfly events. In the 200, it was by .09 seconds, overtaken by Gunnar Bentz’s final-50 charge. He was .55 shy of Tom Shields in the 100 to miss out Tokyo. (He also scratched the 200 freestyle final after finishing sixth in prelims and semis, a spot that would’ve gotten him a relay swim in Tokyo.) Urlando felt good about how he rebounded emotionally into his second autumn in Athens. Time away from the pool in the summer allowed him to reenergize, bringing back a more detailed and intentional focus on all the aspects of performance. But the December health issues dented that momentum. “I wanted to come out of the summer better than I ever was, which includes training and approaching lifting in a different way,” he said. “And I thought I was doing a pretty good job with that.” Urlando’s start to college swimming has not disappointed. He holds Georgia records in three individual events and top-four times in six, no small feat at a program with such illustrious history. Add in relays and Urlando is in the top four of 11 different events. He finaled twice at NCAAs in individual events last year, taking fourth in the 200 fly and eighth in the 100 fly, to go with a program of five relays. The Bulldogs finished in the top 10 in four of them. If the lens of SECs is instructive, Urlando seems poised for a jump. He won the 200 fly as a freshman at conference champs, which this year turned into titles in the 100 fly, 200 fly and 200 individual medley on the way to the SEC Commissioner’s Trophy as the top point scorer. One helpful addition is training alongside Matt Sates, the South
African world junior record holder who joined the program in January. With considerable overlap in their events, they not only complement each other in the meet program – Sates won the 200 free and 500 free at SECs with silver in the 200 fly – but push each other daily. “It’s awesome,” Urlando said. “He’s a great training partner, probably one of the fastest people I’ve ever trained with consistently. I think it’s a pretty big advantage to everyone, all the teammates that get to be around him and train with him, I think that’s a huge advantage, more so than the times he goes at meets.”
broader goals he’s sketched for 2022. “I feel like I swim for myself, so if there’s any type of stress, it’s usually stress that I’ve applied to myself,” he said. “I think it’s an honor to be compared next to someone like Michael Phelps, so I don’t really see the pressure involved with it more than as a good thing. “There’s still a lot of pressure that I would put upon myself, but it gets easier, knowing that I’m confident in my abilities.” ◄
Pressure is something Urlando is asked about often. It’s been an unavoidably constant conversation topic since he downed the 200 fly age-group record belonging to Phelps in 2019, the year he helped the U.S. set three relay records at the World Junior Championships. But Urlando isn’t swimming to be anyone other than himself. He’s gained big-meet experience, learning how to compartmentalize and relax. In an odd way, the injuries have helped, reinforcing the bounds of what is in his control and when to let go of external factors. That’s how he’ll approach NCAAs. He hoping to contend for titles, but he’s also aware of the
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[ Photo by Peter H. Bick ]
Andrew Seliskar Announces Retirement After Competing in Tokyo BY DAVID RIEDER
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ongtime U.S. national team standout Andrew Seliskar has announced that he is retiring from competitive swimming. Seliskar first emerged during his years with the Nation’s Capital Swim Club, and he was named Swimming World’s Male High School Swimmer of the Year in 2015. He was an impact performer for the California Golden Bears from 2015 through 2019 before qualifying for the U.S. Olympic team in 2021. In an Instagram post Tuesday afternoon, Seliskar wrote, “Swimming has given me so much. I’m honored to have represented Team USA, and fortunate to have been surrounded by so many incredible people during my time competing in the sport. I was lucky to be in the right place, at the right time; To be a part of teams across the country who pushed me everyday in the water. The coaches and teammates I’ve had have influenced my life well beyond the pool, and I will always thankful for that.” Seliskar, a native of MacLean, Va., won three individual titles at the 2019 NCAA Championships while leading Cal to a national title. He arrived at his final NCAAs as one of the best
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swimmers to never win a national title, but he stormed to wins in the 200 IM, 200 free and 200 breast. Seliskar became the second-fastest swimmer ever in the 200-yard IM at that meet, his time of 1:38.14 just one hundredth off Caeleb Dressel’s American record, and at the time of his retirement, he ranks fourth all-time in the 200 breast (1:48.70) and fifth in history in the 200 free (1:30.14). Seliskar was best known for his abilities in the IM events throughout most of his career, but in 2018, he emerged as a national contender in the 200 freestyle, and he earned a surprising win in the event at U.S. Nationals. He followed that up with a silver medal in the 200 free at the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships and a gold medal in the 800 free relay, and a year later, he helped the Americans earn bronze in the 800 free relay at the World Championships. In 2021, Seliskar finished fourth in the 200 freestyle at the U.S. Olympic Trials last year to earn an Olympic ticket, and he competed in the prelims of the 800 free relay in Tokyo. Seliskar was not part of the finals roster, which ended up finishing fourth. ◄
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When Janet Evans Went a 4:03 Over Eight Laps to Legendary Status BY JOHN LOHN | PHOTOS COURTESY OF INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING HALL OF FAME
To mark International Women’s Day, Swimming World recalls the day Janet Evans clocked a stunning 4:03.85 in the 400 meter freestyle on a trajectory to the pantheon of greats.
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t doesn’t take a long gaze at the women’s results from the 1988 Olympics to understand something was amiss in the water. It only takes a quick glance to notice the disproportionate number of times East German women stood on the top step of the podium, and the frequency in which they stood on any step during medal ceremonies. Word officially came later, but there was no doubt among athletes, coaches and reporters that the East Germany machine wasn’t merely running on talent. For years, and continuing through Seoul, the East Germans were powered by a higher-octane fuel than most others on the planet. That fuel, of course, came in the form of systematic doping assistance through State Plan 14:25. But for a tiny 17-year-old girl from California, her Energizer Bunny approach and unmistakable windmill technique were enough to take down the Doping Demons. Simply, Janet Evans was nothing short of sensational, producing times in Seoul and during her career which were decades ahead of their time. As the American squad struggled in Seoul, Evans and Matt Biondi (five gold, a silver and a bronze) carried the flag. In no way did Evans arrive in South Korea as an unknown commodity. It was quite the opposite actually. A year before
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the Seoul Games, Evans introduced herself to the aquatic world as a distance legend in development. Moulded and guided by Bud McAllister, Evans took down world records in the 400 freestyle, 800 freestyle and 1500 freestyle during the 1987 campaign, achievements which immediately brought the spotlight to Evans in the leadup to the 24th Olympiad. As Seoul neared, Evans was routinely featured – in newspapers and magazines, and on television. There were great expectations placed on her small frame, just 5-5, 102 pounds. As much as Evans understood star athletes receiving attention, especially in front of an event as big as the Olympic Games, she yearned for the ability to fly, as the cliché goes, under the radar. “I wish I could just come and go like everyone else,” Evans said prior to the 1988 Games. “It’s a pain, really, especially when the TV cameras follow me around school. I mean, it’s embarrassing. The other kids tease you. Who knows what the teachers think? Then (the producers) sayd, ‘Just act natural.’ What a joke. How are you supposed to act natural in that situation? I wind up feeling dumb.” As much as Evans wanted to flee the attention, she also didn’t let it bother her, a testament to young maturity and her ability to handle pressure. And so, when she arrived in Seoul, Evans was ready to go. Sure, the East German contingent might have seemed unbeatable to some, given their performance
track record and the doping boost they were suspected of receiving. Evans didn’t care. She went about handling her workload. While Evans was best known for her distance-freestyle exploits, the first event of her Olympic career was the 400 individual medley. It was a chance to get into the Olympic flow, but proved to bring much more. Clocking in at 4:37.76, Evans registered a victory of almost two seconds over Romania’s Noemi Lung, with East German Daniela Hunger capturing the bronze medal. Evans was never one to make bold predictions. She left that task to McAllister, who had no problem offering possibilities for his pupil. One of the reasons for McAllister’s approach was based on Evans’ mentality, and never being overwhelmed by what her coach said. “Janet likes to be challenged,” McAllister once said. “I know she’s always going to work hard. She’ll tell me what she can do, and I’ll stand there and time her, and she’ll be right on it. An athlete like Janet knows her body better than anyone. She asks me to help her set her goals, but she tells me how she feels physically. And she keeps asking for more. She’s the best I’ve ever seen at responding to pressure.” McAllister was so sure of Evans’ preparation and ability heading into Seoul, he offered up this not-so-little prediction ahead of the 1988 Games: “As long as Janet stays healthy, no one can touch her. I’m confident she will win three Olympic gold medals.” With the 400 individual medley title in her pocket, Evans’ second pursuit in Seoul was the 400 freestyle. At the 1987 U.S. Open, Evans broke the nine-year-old world record of Australian Tracey Wickham behind a time of 4:05.45. Yet, with East Germany’s Heike Friedrich coming off a win in the 200 freestyle and suspected of doping support, Evans was expected to face a severe challenge. It was anything but a tight affair. En route to her second gold medal, Evans obliterated Friedrich and the rest of the field, prevailing in a world-record time of 4:03.85. It was a mark which would endure for almost 18 years, until Laure Manaudou touched the wall in 4:03.03 at the 2006 French Championships. Evans stared at the clock in disbelief after that race, trying to digest just how fast she went. To put the time in perspective, Evans’ effort would have placed her fourth at the 2012 Olympics in London and in the bronze-medal position at the 2013 World Championships.
The performance remains one of the greatest of all-time, a showing which transcended time and was difficult for her rivals to comprehend. “Janet Evans is in a different dimension,” Friedrich said. “A swimmer like Janet comes around once every 25 years.” All that remained for Evans in Seoul was the 800 freestyle, and that event rolled around with finals on September 24. Although Evans did not match her world record, her time of 8:20.20 was plenty fast enough to fend off East German Astrid Strauss, who picked up the silver medal in 8:22.09. Evans’ mark would have collected bronze at the 2012 Games, further proof of her greatness and ahead-of-the-curve status. By completing her triple, Evans fulfilled the prediction of McAllister, not that she was overly concerned with his words. “Bud makes all these predictions about what I’m going to do,” she said before Seoul. “ I say, ‘Ok, whatever,’ and then I forget it. Nothing matters except what I do in the pool, and I’m prepared to do well.” Evans followed Seoul with additional epic performances, including a world record in the 800 freestyle at the 1989 Pan Pacific Championships. That time of 8:16.22 lasted just a shade under 19 years. Evans repeated as Olympic champion in the 800 freestyle in 1992 in Barcelona, where she also earned silver in the 400 free. Three world championships also dot her resume, and she is forever a legend. “I’m not worried about it,” Evans said of the pressure of her first Olympiad. “Everyone says, ‘Whoa, the Olympics,’ but it’s just another meet. You swim the same distances. It’s just that more people are watching.” And years later, remembering. ◄ BIWEEKLY
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On the following pages, Swimming World shares the many highlights of the NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving Championships, March 16-19, at Georgia Tech in Atlanta—a meet that featured records in nine of the 21 events and a dominant performance by the University of Virginia to win its second straight national team title.
[ Photo by Peter H. Bick ]
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Virginia Cavaliers Dominate NCAA Women’s Championships BY DAVID RIEDER
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or the second season in a row, the University of Virginia Cavaliers are the NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Champions. Led by head coach Todd DeSorbo, Virginia finished with 551.5 points to beat second-place Texas by 145.5 points. Virginia was led by a duo of three-event winners: Kate Douglass won the 50 freestyle, 100 butterfly and 200 breaststroke, all in American-record times, while Alex Walsh set an American record in the 200 IM before adding wins in the 400 IM and 200 butterfly. Additionally, Gretchen Walsh (Alex’s younger sister) won the 100 freestyle after finishing second in the 100 backstroke (breaking the previous American record in the process) and 50 freestyle, and the Cavaliers won four of the five relays and finished second in the fifth relay, the 800 freestyle relay. The Cavaliers team of Gretchen Walsh, Alexis Wenger, Alex Walsh and Douglass tied their own American and NCAA record in the 400 medley relay, and then the quartet of Douglass, Alex Walsh, Reilly Tiltmann and Gretchen Walsh concluded the meet by swimming the fastest time in history in the 400 freestyle relay. “All week long, we’ve talked about moments and trying to create fantastic moments for the team and create a great environment for the team,” DeSorbo said. “They just shocked me. Coming off the ACC Championships, I didn’t necessarily know if they could exceed what they did there. Certainly, they were significantly better here. They just blow my mind. They are great athletes and great group of people. They create a bubble and don’t worry about what’s going on outside of it. They make this easy. They make my job really fun. And they’re why I’m sitting here. They’re the ones putting in the hard work.
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“It’s really fulfilling for them and for me because I see what they go through every day. It’s a very hard sport. They put a lot of emotion, sweat tears and blood into it, so watching them accomplish what they have accomplished, to have them do it, I’m proud of them. They deserve it. They deserve every bit of what they’ve accomplished.” The Longhorns finished second with 406 points. Stanford started the final day 19 points ahead of Texas and looked strong through Saturday’s swimming prelims, but Texas placed three platform divers into the championship final and then did enough in the 400 freestyle relay to hold on to second place. Texas pulled off the runnerup finish despite having only two top-two finishes in the entire meet, Erica Sullivan’s second-place effort in the 1650 freestyle and Anna Elendt’s runnerup placing in the 200 breaststroke. Stanford, which saw Taylor Ruck win the national title in the 200 freestyle and Regan Smith earn a win in the 200 backstroke, finished third with 399.5 points, while Alabama scored 288 to edge out North Carolina State (279). Louisville (196.5), Michigan (184.5), Cal (180), Ohio State (165) and Tennessee (127) rounded out the top-10. But the story, all week long, was Virginia, a team that has gone from nowhere near title contention in DeSorbo’s first NCAA Championships in 2018 to back-to-back championships in just four years. “I think it’s pretty historic,” Alex Walsh said. “Four years ago, the Virginia women got ninth. The trend has just been exponential, and I don’t think any other team can say that they had the success that we have had.”
By the end of Thursday night, with only one-third of swimming events complete, the Cavaliers had already lapped the field, turning the final two days into a coronation. Virginia won six of the first eight swimming events — while placing second in the other two. That streak ended when no Virginia swimmer qualified for the championship final of the 200 free, but by the end of the meet, Virginia had 11 wins in 18 total swimming events (including relays). That was the fifth-most for one team at the NCAA Women’s Championships. And the remaining seven swimming events that the Cavaliers did not win, Virginia finished second place in four.
“That’s pretty shocking to me. Really because last year, on some level, was a down year. COVID, it just kind of slowed things down a little bit. It wasn’t quite as competitive, and we knew this year would be significantly more competitive,” DeSorbo said. “As fun as last year was, winning our first one, and after graduating Paige Madden and Caroline Gmelich and Kyla Valls, we felt like we had a team that was as good if not better, but you have to perform.” Virginia dominated because Douglass and Alex Walsh returned from the Olympic debuts in Tokyo as stronger swimmers, as clutch performers, as winners. Each one went undefeated, and that’s with Douglass skipping two of her strongest events (200 IM and 100 free) and Walsh adding two new events to her program from last year’s championship. That’s because of Gretchen Walsh has made the leap from great high school sprinter to plain great sprinter since she arrived in Charlottesville seven months ago. That’s because the third Olympian on the team, Emma Weyant, placed top-three in the 500 free and 400 IM and because Wenger developed into one of the best sprint breaststrokers in college swimming. And it’s also because of lesser-known swimmers making an instant impact — like Tiltmann. The freshman from Brookfield, Wisc., placed fifth in both backstroke events and ninth in the 200 freestyle while swimming central stage on the national level for the first time. “Training with these girls every single day has been amazing and honestly has made me a better swimmer in general,” Tiltmann said. “I came into UVA thinking I could do great things, but as soon as I got here, I was like, ‘Wow, these girls around me are going to push me to be something I never thought I could be.’ It’s amazing to train with them. I love this team. I love being here.”
[ Photo by Peter H. Bick ]
Let’s put that another way: UVA missed the top-two in a grand total of three swimming events. The 2021 Virginia titlewinning team finished 137 points ahead of the competition, but this team exceeded that margin despite a surge of talent arriving to college swimming.
>> KATE DOUGLASS
And even as they were basking in the glow of the national championship, the Virginia swimmers did not hesitate when asked about an encore. After all, the core of this team will be back next year minus Wenger. Maybe that’s something about the energy that surrounds this roster, the high-octane vibes that helped Virginia reach this level and helped these swimmers become some of the best in the world in the first place. “I would say that we do have a lot of unfinished business,” Gretchen Walsh said. “We accomplished a lot of goals here, but we can always set the bar higher for ourselves. Every single day we’re getting better, so it’s just a matter of time before we do something else that’s history in the making.” Even before next year, the Virginia swimmers know that they will need to peak again in just five weeks when the United States selects its team for this summer’s World Championships. For this moment, however, they walked out of the McAuley Aquatic Center in their white, soaking wet “Champions” t-shirts with the mission accomplished. “We had to be as good as we were to be able to really make it so that it wasn’t a close meet. I think that the way we performed made that spread. To me, I think it was a really impressive performance by all the women on the team,” DeSorbo said. “They blew my mind.” ◄ BIWEEKLY
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difficult because they are two very different races. But I love the 50 free and the 200 breast. I never really expected I was going to get American records.” But those were her goals early in the season.
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“It is funny because when I recruited her, my goal for her was to be the fastest in the NCAA in the 50 free and 200 IM. I knew early on that she was capable of something pretty special,” Virginia coach Todd DeSorbo said. “With someone as versatile as Kate Douglass, I try to veer toward what excites them, and let them set those goals, what they get motivated by. She sat in my office early in the season and I asked her what her goals were, what she wanted to go after this season. And she doesn’t verbalize goals often. This was the first time she did that. She said she wanted to break the American record in the 50 free and 200 breaststroke. She didn’t mention the 100 fly and at that point she was only a tenth or two off of it. So I got excited to hear her say that.”
t is easy to see how dominant Kate Douglass has become in the sport of swimming. Three American records in three individual races at the NCAA Championships is easy for people to wrap their heads around.
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And she accomplished this tremendous feat head-to-head with an NCAA record holder in the butterfly (Maggie Mac Neil) and the long-course American record holder (Torri Huske) and that is just in the butterfly.
What is difficult to wrap their heads around is the variety of events those records and championships came in.
“She did significantly more breaststroke training because of that, and I was a little bit concerned knowing that breaststroke work is so different, you wonder if training all of this breaststroke would take away from her freestyle or her butterfly,” Virginia coach Todd DeSorbo said. “But knowing how hard she works, I knew she was capable of that, but I didn’t know if she could do it all at once. It is wild to do it here against the competition she was doing it against. Maggie Mac Neil is a fierce competitor and Torri Huske is unbelievable. Then to race a lot of rivals in the 200 breaststroke and then break Lilly King’s record. I mean, Lilly is arguably the best breaststroker ever. It is pretty phenomenal to see her do something like that — to say she wanted to do it then commit to doing it and actually do it.”
Kate Douglass Builds Legacy As One of Greatest College Swimmers in History
Many dominant swimmers have had three titles, and even three records, in one meet. But no swimmer in NCAA women’s history has ever won three different strokes in a single meet that involve the breaststroke, let alone three records. Now Kate Douglass has, making her the answer to a future trivia question, and transforming her legacy into one of the greatest college swimmers in history. Douglass won the 50 freestyle, 100 butterfly and 200 breaststroke. There have been some 100 breaststrokers that have done well in the 50 freestyle, and some 50 freestylers that do well in the 100 butterfly. But nobody in those three events in the history of women’s college swimming. In fact, she is the only swimmer to win three different strokes since Tracy Caulkins in the early 1980s when swimmers could swim more than three individual events. Natalie Coughlin had American records in freestyle, backstroke and butterfly events, but they were not set in the same meet. Those are the names she is among now, after breaking NCAA and American records this week of college swimming legends Lilly King and Abbey Weitzeil. “I don’t ever thought I would come into an NCAA Championships and win all three of my events. I exceeded all expectations for myself and it is a really cool feeling,” Kate Douglass said. “It was awesome that I was able to prove to myself that I was capable of what I just did. I definitely owe a lot to Todd (DeSorbo). I knew my goals were going to be 18
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If that wasn’t enough, she was on four winning relays, all of which set an NCAA and American records — even if two of those were at the ACC Championships not this week. That is seven events — seven American records for Douglass this postseason. That is an impossible record to break, only one that could be tied. “I could have seen all of this coming because she is a great trainer. She is capable and she did it. She is an amazing woman. It really just inspired all of us. We were all in awe but at the same time could see it coming,” teammate and training partner Gretchen Walsh said. Kate Douglass won the 50 freestyle last year at the NCAA Championships and qualified for the U.S. Olympic team in the 200 IM, earning a bronze medal in Tokyo. Those are extraordinary accomplishments that happened in 2021, but as it turns out, nothing comes close to what she has already accomplished in 2022. And the year is just getting started. ◄
what I had to do and felt really good in warmups. Racing Torri is always really fun and exciting. She motivated me to go even faster. I was really shocked to see that time on the board.” Walsh cut almost a second-and-a-half from her previous lifetime-best time of 1:51.53, but more importantly for the 20-year-old from Nashville and her Virginia team, the Cavaliers scored 37 points overall between Walsh, eighthplace swimmer Ella Nelson and 11th-place Abby Harter. The event fell in the middle of a three-event stretch for Virginia that saw Emma Weyant finish second in the 500 free and then Kate Douglass and Gretchen Walsh (Alex’s younger sister) go 1-2 in the 50 free, with Douglass setting another American record in the process.
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Huske, meanwhile, finished second in 1:51.81, making her the 10th-fastest performer in history in the event. Huske was more than a half-second faster than her previous best time, the 1:52.42 she set at the Pac-12 Championships last month, hinting at some big performances to come in the next few days in the 100 butterfly, 100 freestyle and three relays. Third went to Cal’s Isabel Ivey in 1:53.02, just ahead of Georgia’s Zoie Hartman (1:53.15) and Texas’ Kelly Pash (1:53.31).
Alex Walsh Clobbers American, NCAA Records In 200 IM Title Defense BY DAVID RIEDER
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ast season, the University of Virginia’s Alex Walsh won the NCAA title in the 200 IM as a freshman. One year later and with an Olympic silver medal in the 200-meter IM already in her pocket, Walsh is now the fastest swimmer in history in the event. Walsh’s sophomore-year effort in the 200 IM at the national meet pitted her against fellow U.S. Olympic swimmer Torri Huske, and while Huske took the lead for the first half of the race, Walsh stayed close before surging ahead with an amazing breaststroke leg. Walsh’s 31.64 on that leg was more than a second faster than Huske, a Stanford freshman, and she pulled away on the freestyle. Walsh touched the wall in 1:50.08, six tenths faster than the previous American, NCAA and U.S. Open records of 1:50.67 that Ella Eastin set at the 2018 NCAA Championships. “I felt really strong in warmup. I wanted to see where I was at,” Walsh said. “1:53-flat is really good for a prelims swim. I felt really ready, and that is really rare for me. But I knew
It is no surprise to see that Walsh recorded the first American record of her career in the 200 IM, an event that perfectly matches her skill set. While so many would-be IM stars are hindered by a weak stroke or two, Walsh has no such flaws in her race. Consider her abilities in each of the strokes: Walsh was the Pan American Games champion in 2019 in the 200-meter backstroke, and she is the second-fastest performer in history in the 200-yard breaststroke. She is not as strong on freestyle, but she split under 1:42 on Virginia’s 800 freestyle relay Wednesday before posting the fastest freestyle split in the 200 IM final here. But the only stroke Walsh is racing individually this week is butterfly, and she is the fifth seed — and a serious nationaltitle threat — in Saturday’s 200 fly. When the Cavaliers demolished the American record in the 400 medley relay last month, Walsh swam the fly leg, and she is likely to handle that leg again Friday. That combination of strokes and speeds makes all adds up to record-breaking speed in the 200 IM. Next up on the schedule, Walsh turns her attention to the 400 IM. Walsh enters the event as the second seed behind defending NCAA champion Brooke Forde, but she has never swum the event at a major championship meet and never even considered it a possibility before she unexpectedly dropped a 4:01.40 at the Tennessee Invitational in November. After that race, Virginia head coach Todd DeSorbo told Walsh, “You just bought yourself more 400 IMs.” Walsh agreed, and after Thursday’s record-breaking swim, we’ll see if Walsh can extend her dominance to double the distance. ◄ BIWEEKLY
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Virginia Caps Off Dominant Meet With American Record In 400 Free Relay BY DAVID RIEDER
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t the conclusion of a dominant swim meet, the University of Virginia women capped off their NCAA-titlewinning performance by breaking the American, NCAA and U.S. Open records in the 400 freestyle relay. The quartet of Kate Douglass (46.62), Alex Walsh (46.49), Reilly Tiltmann (46.49) and Gretchen Walsh (46.01) combined for a time of 3:06.91, edging out the previous all-time best of 3:06.96 set by California in 2019 and crushing the old American record of 3:07.61 that Stanford set in 2017. Stanford’s team of Torri Huske, Lillie Nordmann, Regan Smith and Taylor Ruck placed second in 3:08.97, but that was not enough for Stanford to move ahead of Texas for second place in the final team standings as the Longhorns placed ninth to maintain part of the 22.5-point advance they built during platform diving. The Alabama team of Diana Petkova, Morgan Scott, Kalia Antoniou and Cora Dupre finished third in 3:09.07, just a tenth behind Stanford, while NC State and Michigan tied for fourth in 3:09.95. The win was the fourth of the competition for Virginia after previous wins in the 200 freestyle relay, 200 medley relay
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and 400 medley relay, and the Cavaliers also placed second to Stanford in the 800 free relay. Douglass and Gretchen Walsh were part of all four relay wins, while Alex Walsh was a contributor to three of those squads. Virginia now owns American, NCAA and U.S. Open records in all four shorter relays after setting three at the ACC Championships last month and then matching the record in the 400 medley relay Friday. The record was also the seventh set or tied this meet, and all but one (the women’s 100 backstroke) was by a Virginia swimmer or relay team. The win put the finishing touches on Virginia’s second consecutive national title as the Cavaliers ended the meet with 551.5 points, 145.5 ahead of second-place Texas. “Last year was awesome for us, but I kind of feel like we walked into the meet knowing there was a good chance we were going to win,” Douglass said. “This year, there was a target on our back and it would be more competitive trying to win this year. From the first prelims session, we started off really great, and we just kept it momentum going. We all exceeded expectations at this meet. This relay was a great way to top it off, and it was so much fun.” ◄
underwater we were really close. That was kind of scary. I was doing everything I could to get my hand on the wall.” Walsh could not hang with Berkoff down the stretch, but she still finished second in 49.00, well under Smith’s old record mark in the 100 back and good enough to make her the second-fastest performer in history. Smith, meanwhile, ended up third in 49,96, well off her season-best time of 49.23 from the Pac-12 Championships last month. Alabama’s Rhyan White, who took fourth in both long course backstroke events at the Tokyo Olympics, ended up fourth here in 50.34.
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That mark was the first major barrier broken in the 100-yard backstroke in two decades, since Natalie Coughlin swam a 49.97 at the NCAA Championships in 2002. That record lasted for 15 years before Stanford’s Ally Howe finally broke it at the Pac-12 Championships in 2017, and now, there are 10 swimmers who have been under the 50-second barrier.
Katharine Berkoff Produces First-Ever 48-Second 100 Back BY DAVID RIEDER
After Smith and Nelson pushed the event into the 49-low territory, it became clear that a 48-second swim could be coming in the not-too-distant future, and Berkoff looked like a strong candidate to get under that mark after she led off NC State’s 200 medley relay earlier in the meet in 22.76, the fastest 50 back ever recorded. But the amount in which she crushed the time was simply stunning. “It’s pretty crazy,” Berkoff said of becoming the first woman ever under 49. “My whole life, I’ve always wanted to do something like this. I’ve envisioned it, and to do it is so awesome.”
atharine Berkoff won the NCAA title in the 100 backstroke last season, but this year, she would have to fend off two impressive new additions to the field, American-record holder Regan Smith of Stanford and impressive freshman Gretchen Walsh of Virginia. Berkoff was absolutely up to the challenge.
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As for the runnerup, Walsh arrived at Virginia this year as one of the top young sprinters in the country, but she was mostly known for her freestyle skills in high school. Her backstroke, fueled by sensational underwater dolphin kicking, has been a revelation since she arrived in Charlottesville in August.
In the 100 back final, Walsh showed the most early speed, and she was out in 23.36 at the halfway point, more than three tenths ahead of Berkoff and a half-second ahead of Smith. Berkoff surged to the front on the third 25, and she held off a brilliant underwater dolphin kickout from Walsh on the last turn. Berkoff touched the wall in a jaw-dropping time of 48.74, breaking Smith’s American record of 49.16 by more than four tenths. Berkoff also smashed Beata Nelson’s NCAA record of 49.18.
“I wasn’t disappointed at all. I was actually really thrilled to see my time. I didn’t think I had a 49-flat in me. Would have been really cool to go a 48, but I didn’t think that was possible. The fact that Katharine went a 48 shows how fast backstroke has gotten these days,” Walsh said. “Backstroke is kind of new to m,. I didn’t really know I was going to be doing backstroke when I got to UVA until I swam a 50 back on a 200 medley relay, and everyone was like, ‘Oh, she’s really good at sprinting backstroke.’”
“It was such a relief. I’ve been really nervous. I love the 100 back, and I put a lot of pressure on it. It was such an awesome feeling to get a goal that I’ve been chasing for a long time now,” Berkoff said. “I couldn’t really see much of what was going on next to me, but I saw on that last 22
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Walsh added, “The more I grow and learn to do backstroke and focusing on my underwaters and being able to finish that race a little bit better, I think I have a really bright future in backstroke.”◄
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she had never raced the event at the NCAA Championships. In 2021, she finished second in the 100 freestyle on the final night of NCAAs, and even after climbing up the all-time list in the 200 breast midseason, Douglass hinted that she liked being able to focus mostly on sprint freestyle and butterfly training heading into the end of the season. Virginia head coach Todd DeSorbo admitted that he was concerned about how the focus on the wide range of events could detract from Douglass’ performance.
Kate Douglass Smashes American, NCAA Records In 200 Breaststroke BY DAVID RIEDER
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he magical run continues for Kate Douglass. The Virginia junior returned to college swimming this year after capturing an Olympic bronze medal in the 200-meter IM, and she has delivered a performance for the ages at the national-championship meet. Douglass won the 50 freestyle on Thursday and the 100 butterfly Friday, and she recorded the fastest time in history in both events. In the 200 breaststroke final, she did it again. Douglass entered the meet ranked third all-time in the 200 breaststroke, and after her first two record performances, it appeared that Lilly King’s top time of 2:02.60 was within striking distance. In the final, Douglass was a few tenths off record pace as she battled Texas’ Anna Elendt over the first 100 yards, but she began pulling away at that point. At the 150-yard mark, she snuck under King’s pace by two hundredths, and she built that gap over the final 50. She touched in 2:02.19, four tenths faster than King’s mark from 2018 that stood as the American, NCAA and U.S. Open record.
“She did significantly more breaststroke training than she’s ever done this year because of that. Breaststroke is so different than butterfly, so different than sprint freestyle, so you wonder if it’s going to take away from her freestyle and butterfly,” DeSorbo said. But Douglass’ status as a relative rookie in the 200 breaststroke competing against a field of breaststroke specialists did not prevent here from coming through with a historic effort Saturday evening. “To do it here, to do it against the competition she was doing it against, and then to race a lot of rivals in the 200 breaststroke and break Lilly King’s record — Lilly’s arguably the greatest breaststroker ever — it’s pretty incredible to see her do something like that.” Douglass now owns American records in three different strokes, making her the first swimmer to accomplish that feat since Natalie Coughlin. Additionally, no swimmer before Douglass had ever won a national title in the 200 breaststroke after also winning either the 50 free or the 100 fly at the NCAA Championships. “I definitely think I owe a lot to Todd to train me for all these different events. At the beginning of the season, I said that my goal was going to get the American record in the 50 free and 200 breast. I knew that was going to be difficult because those are two very different races, but I love training for the 50 free and the 200 breast,” Douglass said. “I never really expected that I was going to break three Americans records at this meet. It’s crazy.” ◄
“It’s crazy that I broke Lilly King’s record because she’s obviously someone who I’ve looked up to and I thought has been an amazing SWIM MART swimmer for the U.S. for years,” Douglass said. Elendt could not hang with Douglass over the final 100 yards, but she came in second at 2:04.31, just off her best time of 2:03.92 that ranks her eighth all-time. NC State’s Sophie Hansson, the NCAA champion in the event from last season, placed third in 2:04.76. While Douglass had recorded times among the fastest in the country on numerous occasions during her first three seasons of collegiate swimming,
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Virginia’s Gretchen Walsh Claims First NCAA Title in 100 Freestyle BY DAN D'ADDONA
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eading into the meet, the event looked to be a showdown with Michigan’s Maggie Mac Neil, the defending champion, plus upstart freshmen Torri Huske of Stanford and Gretchen Walsh of Virginia.
underwater to take the lead at the 75 turn.
But Mac Neil, Huske and Cal’s Isabel Ivey, three title contenders, stunningly made the B final, shifting the focus to another anticipated duel between Walsh and NC State’s Katharine Berkoff. Berkoff edged Walsh to win the 100 backstroke on Saturday as both swimmers were under the previous American record.
Louisville’s Gabi Albiero finished fifth (47.32) tied with Henig. North Carolina’s Grace Countie was seventh (47.36), followed by Thomas (48.18).
In the 100 free final, all eyes were on the same duo, and of course, Penn’s Lia Thomas who was competing in her final event of the meet and Yale’s Iszac Henig, a transgender male who has not undergone any hormonal therapy or changes. Virginia freshman Gretchen Walsh claimed her first NCAA individual title with a 46.05 performance in the 100 freestyle. Her time is fourth-best all time in the event. “Being able to come here and do stuff like this is amazing,” Walsh said. We all proved something to ourselves at this meet. It couldn’t have gone better. It is just a matter of time before we do something that is history in the making.” Alabama’s Morgan Scott was second in 46.78, followed by Berkoff (46.95). Scott took the lead at the 50 turn before Walsh used strong 24
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Alabama had two in the top four as Cora Dupre took fourth from Lane 1 with a time of 47.08.
Thomas received more cheers than she did earlier in the week and Henig was met with a decent amount of cheers as well both in race introductions and on the podium. Walsh said she thought of everyone an opponent, but realized the NCAA history of the event. “I never expected this to happen, and I don’t think (many did),” Walsh said. “This year is historical for so many reasons. I knew I would be racing Lia and I was treating everyone as a fair competitor. I came here to do the best for me and I was really happy with my swim.” With a good number of stars in the consolation final, it had the feel and energy of a final from the crowd and the fellow swimmers. Huske won the B final from Lane 1 with a time of 46.98 to finish ninth. Mac Neil was next, 10th overall, in 47.42, followed by Michigan teammate Lindsay Flynn (47.67). ◄
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Regan Smith Explodes Late to Run Down Foes For 200 Backstroke Title BY JOHN LOHN
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he day Regan Smith committed to Stanford University, the countdown toward her NCAA success began. But there was a delay in the process, as the COVID-19 pandemic and postponed Tokyo Olympiad led Smith to defer her enrollment to the Pac-12 school. On Saturday night, Smith’s wait for an individual collegiate title ended when she won the 200 backstroke at the NCAA Championships in Atlanta. And it was a title that came with flair and drama. Jumpstarting a grueling final-session double, Smith used phenomenal turns at the 150- and 175-marks and notched a time of 1:47.76 to prevail over Wisconsin’s Phoebe Bacon, the defending champion. Bacon touched in 1:49.29 while Alabama’s Rhyan White was third in 1:49.36. Bacon and White were Olympic teammates of Smith’s in Tokyo. Smith sat fourth at the midway point of the race and was a half-second behind White with 50 yards to go. But Smith was untouchable down the stretch and closed in 26.72, which was more than anyone else in the field. Additionally, Smith covered the back half of the race in 54.25. Smith’s choice to remain in Minnesota and push back the start of her Stanford career paid dividends. Although Smith missed qualifying for the Olympic Games in the 200 backstroke at the U.S. Trials, she earned invitations to Tokyo in the 100 backstroke and 200 butterfly. Each of those events yielded a podium finish, with Smith taking bronze in the backstroke and silver in the fly. She also earned a silver medal as the leadoff leg o the United States’ 400 medley relay. Now, she is getting the chance to represent Stanford, and is fulfilling the expectations that were attached to her commitment. “It’s definitely hard sometimes, and something I have been struggling with,” Smith said of the pressure she faces. “But
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I’m thankful to have a great team behind me and that has my back. I just go out there and do what I know how to do. People told me that (NCAAs) is just different, and I didn’t know what that meant until I got here. This meet has been different than any meet I’ve ever been to, but it’s been so much fun.” Ahead of the NCAA Championships, Smith had several options for her program. At the Pac-12 Championships, she doubled in the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke on the third day of the meet. But for the NCAA Championships, she went with a more demanding ask, racing a pair of 200-yard races in a tight timeframe. It was a decision made in the best interest of her squad, and one Smith’s training could support. After the 200 backstroke, Smith returned for the 200 butterfly. For the majority of the race, it looked like Smith would finish eighth, or near the bottom of the field. But Smith once again tapped into her closing speed and guts and gradually picked off most of the opposition, eventually tying Michigan’s Olivia Carter for second place. Virginia’s Alex Walsh won the race for her third title of the meet. Smith’s first NCAA meet had been an up-and-down competition since Day One, when the freshman missed a turn on the leadoff leg of the 200 medley relay, but impressively rebounded an hour later to help the Cardinal to a title in the 800 freestyle relay. She also added a third-place finish in the 100 backstroke, an event in which North Carolina State’s Katharine Berkoff set an American record and became the first woman to crack the 49-second barrier in the event. “Going into today, morale was low, honestly,” Smith said. “I was trying my very best to be as positive as I could. I knew it was my big day. I haven’t had the meet I wanted to have. How was this day going to go? I really leaned on my teammates and coaches…If I didn’t have that support, I would have crashed and burned. I owe it all to my teammates and coaches.” ◄
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Paige McKenna Overcomes Two Torn Labrums for Breakthrough 1650 Free National Title BY DAVID RIEDER
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n a wide-open field in the women’s 1650 freestyle, the eight swimmers competing at the beginning of finals were pursuing a quick time of 15:45.94 that Texas’ Erica Sullivan set in the last heat of the afternoon. A group of swimmers including Tennessee’s Kristen Stege, Alabama’s Kensey McMahon and Wisconsin’s Paige McKenna swam just off Sullivan’s pace through the first 500 yards, but at that point, McKenna pulled away and maintained 28-low splits for almost the entire race. McKenna opened up a big lead over the middle 500 yards, and she began splitting ahead of Sullivan’s pace. She ended up finishing in 15:40.84, more than five seconds ahead of Sullivan. McKenna swam a lifetime best by more than seven seconds to become the 16th-fastest performer in history in the women’s mile, and her win was just the sixth all-time at the NCAA Women’s Championships for the Badgers. Sullivan ended up placing second, adding to her earlier thirdplace finish in the 500 free, while McMahon took third in 15:47.60. Texas’ Evie Pfeifer, who swam in the final heat of the afternoon alongside Sullivan, placed fourth with her time of 15:48.34, and Georgia freshman Abby McCulloh surged over the final 500 yards to place third in the final heat in 15:49.87, good for fifth place overall. McKenna’s breakthrough performance and emergence on the national level comes as she tries to overcome two torn labrums suffered as she tried to overcome the closure of pools during the COVID-19 pandemic two years ago. McKenna has been managing the injuries rather than pursuing treatment that might affect the end of her freshman season, and that has meant dealing with some significant pain. “During quarantine, about two years ago, when all the pools went down, I decided to take up running. After the first time I ran, my hips started to hurt, and I was like, ‘This is weird.’
And I didn’t really go see anyone about it, and then for two years, they started gradually becoming more painful, and I would just push through it,” McKenna said. “I came to Wisconsin, and I was like, ‘Maybe I should get this checked out.’ I found out I have a torn labrum in my left hip, and last month, my right hip started to hurt a little bit, and I went to the doctors again, and I have a torn labrum in my right hip, too. I have two torn labrums, so it hasn’t really been that fun.” McKenna said she is still deciding if she will have surgery to repair the tears, and it will be her decision. Surgery would take her out of the pool for two to three weeks before she could return to the water for pulling only, with no flip turns or pushing off the wall. “I plan to be back as soon as I can,” McKenna said. In the meantime, she is content to celebrate her national title and join an exclusive club of Wisconsin swimming champions. Previously, Maggie Meyer won the 200 backstroke in 2011, Beata Nelson took three titles (200 IM, 100 back and 200 back) in 2019 and Phoebe Bacon was victorious in the 200 back in 2021. All but one of those titles have come in the four seasons since Yuri Suguiyama and his staff took over the Wisconsin program. McKenna trains mostly with the distance group, but she has enjoyed getting to know and occasionally practice with Nelson and Bacon, and she is proud to follow in their footsteps. “I don’t swim with them a lot because they are in different groups, but they inspire me a lot,” McKenna said. “I look up to both of them so much, and they’re so fun to hang out with. I know that they know what they’re doing, and if I need them for advice or anything, I always know to go to them. I really enjoy swimming with them.” ◄ BIWEEKLY
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Taylor Ruck Surges to Spectacular 200 Freestyle Victory, Cementing Road Back From Eating Disorder BY DAN D'ADDONA
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his was Taylor Ruck’s moment. It wasn’t about Stanford needing points against Virginia. It wasn’t about Lia Thomas and the transgender swimming debate. It was about Taylor Ruck and her resurgence into the world’s elite. After struggling through the pandemic, with an eating disorder and a disappointing couple of years in the water, Taylor Ruck is back and showed that with a dominating performance to win the 200 freestyle. With so much talk surrounding transgender swimmer Lia Thomas of Penn, who won the 500 freestyle, Ruck dominated the field that included Thomas to earn her first individual NCAA championship. “It was quite the few minutes. I was pretty nervous before, like every race. I just tried to think of what I did in prelims and see if I could to top it. I tried to do my race strategy, do my breathing before and try not to let the nerves overcome me. I think that was one of my favorite races I’ve ever done with the crowd going crazy and my teammates hugging me afterward,” Taylor Ruck said. Ruck won the race in 1:41.12 to hold off Cal’s Isabel Ivey (1:41.59) and break the pool record in the event. Thomas finished tied for fifth.
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“Honestly I just came into this meet wanting to focus on my own performances. I know there was a bit of chatter about Lia being here. But usually I just try to zone everything out and focus on what I can do to be the best I can be on that very day,” Ruck said. “Coming into today, I was just thinking competition is competition. I was excited to be able to race some people who were so fast.” Taylor Ruck’s time was eighth-fastest in history, something she showed a glimpse of with a 1:40 relay split in the 800 free relay on Wednesday. But with the focused attention on this race, and it being the first of her two events on the night, it was sensational. Ruck made the past two Olympic teams for Canada and talked about a struggle with a severe eating disorder in between those two Games. She went on to have an OK Canadian Trials and an OK performance at the Olympics, far from the phenom that made the Olympics at 16, or the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships where she topped Olympic gold medalists Katie Ledecky and Ariarne Titmus head-to-head in the 200 free. “It certainly has been a journey since Pan Pacs. Lots of downs, more than the ups. I think the past few years have just
been very hard for everyone,” Taylor Ruck said. “Everyone has had their own path and journey through it, and mine happens to be through an eating disorder. I’m happy to say I’m more on the other side of that struggle and I’m open to talking about it with anybody. If anybody is going through the same things, It does get better.” Ruck went on to make her second Olympic team in Tokyo, and although the meet didn’t go quite as well as she had hoped, she brought her career Olympic medal total to four, and it was a huge stepping stone toward her success just months later. “I think building the energy back up from that, it takes a long time,” Taylor Ruck said of her eating disorder. “I think it’s important to not put a time limit on how you recover from one. It will come when it comes. I think that’s been an important mental thing that I’ve had to keep I the back of my mind. The energy has been building up that whole year. Just fueling my body has been very important and being surrounded by people who support that, too… (Mentality, stressful in 2019) Remembering that, I think that got me hyped for this meet, too.”
She spent the very few minutes in between warming down in the far corner of the diving well, so she could get right out and accept her award for the 200 free, then hop in line to enter for the 100 backstroke. It is something few have attempted and even fewer have succeeded with. If that wasn’t enough, she anchored the Stanford 400 medley relay that finished third. “It’s 200 back tomorrow. Hopefully a good night’s rest,” Taylor Ruck said. “I am excited for tomorrow.” ◄
Welcome TO A WATER WONDERLAND
The pandemic didn’t make things easier for Ruck, who had to isolate at the Canadian border before moving in with her grandparents for a while, then having to quarantine again when she moved to the High Performance Centre in Toronto to train for the Olympics. She took an Olympic redshirt year to train, then once the pandemic hit, she did the same thing again, keeping her away from her Stanford teammates for two years. “I like how you said ‘piece of the puzzle’ because it kind of feels like it’s being completed in a way. Leaving Stanford for the first time was really hard. Once I was in Canada, I realized the foundation I built at Stanford. It was hard leaving my friends and my family… I’m just so grateful to be a part of it and witness it and just be able to support everybody as they go through the season,” Taylor Ruck said. What is it about Stanford? It has been on Taylor Ruck’s mind since she was 10. “I just have this one memory. We used to drive up every year to Kelowna in Canada,” she said. “I just remember walking by the pool, Avery Aquatic Center, and seeing all the girls practicing, and I was like, ‘This is where I want to go.’” This season she is finally back at Stanford, and back on the top of the podium. Ruck wasn’t done, taking 10th in the 100 backstroke in 51.07 in the second half of her Friday night double.
From top aquatic facilities to miles of warm beaches and waterways, Greater Fort Lauderdale is the ideal spot for your next event. Dive in at VisitLauderdale.com/Sports.
CLASSIFIED CAMP COUNSELORS / COACHES The Michigan Swim Camp at the University of Michigan is looking for individuals seeking an opportunity to work with Olympic coach Mike Bottom and staff. Five sessions (June 5-9, June 12-16, July 31 – August 4, August 7-11). Room, board, plus $550/week salary and $125 travel expense help. Applicants must be 21 years or older, have attended at least two years of college and have experience as a competitive swimmer and/or coach. References, clean background check, CPR and First Aid certification are required. For more information email Lauralyn Bottom, lbottom98@ gmail.com. Candidates must be willing to work in an alcohol/drug-free environment. Michigan Swim Camp, LLC Jim Richardson, Camp Director 2062 Castello Circle Cell: 734-845-8596 Ann Arbor, MI. 48108 Fax: 734-929-2477 E-mail: umswim1@gmail.com Web: www.michiganswimcamp.com www.camps.mgoblue.com/swimming BIWEEKLY
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STR SPEEDWEEK SWIM CAMPS
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LONGHORNSWIMCAMP.COM • 43 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE • MAY 29 – JULY 1
Five one-week sessions from: MAY 29-JULY 1 | For detailed information, contact Longhorns Swim Camp Director: JON ALTER 512 475 8652 Complete camp information and registration at: LonghornSwimCamp.com | Email: longhornswimcamp@athletics.utexas.edu Per NCAA rules, sports camps and clinics conducted by The University of Texas are open to all entrants. Enrollment is limited only by age, grade level, gender, and capacity restrictions as specified by each camp.
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Mike Bottom
Head Coach US Olympian & Olympic Coach
Functional Dryland Training Technique & Intensive Training Options 3 Instructional Sessions Per Day Individual HD Filming & 1:1 Analysis True Colors Assessment & Mindset Training Kistler Start and Turn Analysis Training Olympians & NCAA All Americans on staff
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Associate Head Coach NCAA All American
Ksenia Gromova Volunteer Assistant
Sam Wensman Assistant Coach CW Elite Coach
Roger Karns
Manchester University Head Coach
Cauli Bedran
Assistant Coach NCAA All American
Kurt Kirner
Hillsdale College Head Coach
Contact us at: 734.845.8596 | umswim1@gmail.com
Priscilla Barletta Assistant Coach
Jim Richardson
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SWIM CAMP DIRECTORY The listings on pages 32-34 are paid advertisements.
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY 2169 Field House Dr. USAFA, CO 80840 719-333-2116 afasportscamps@airforceathletics.org www.goairforcefalcons.com/camps Camp Dates: June 6-10 (ages 12-18) June 13-17 (ages 12-18) Thank you for considering the AF Swim Camps for your swimmer this summer. Our camp offers thorough analysis of stroke technique to include video analysis of the world’s best swimmers along with video of each individual camper. The session will offer challenging training programs and plenty of stroke analysis. Our camp is best suited for experienced swimmers with a good yearround training base. The Cadet Natatorium on the campus of the United States Air Force Academy, which recently underwent a multi-million dollar renovation, features all new bulkheads, starting blocks, scoreboards and lighting. The natatorium facilities offer video analysis, reaction time pads on the blocks, an adjacent state-of-theart dryland training room and more. In addition to its high-altitude location at 7,200 feet, this is a world-class facility matched by only a few in the country.
BOLLES SWIM CAMP Ryan Mallam The Bolles School 7400 San Jose Blvd. Jacksonville, FL 32217 904-256-5215 swimcamp@bolles.org www.Bollesswimming.org Bolles Swim Camp provides opportunities for campers to learn from Olympic-experienced coaches, to live and train on the beautiful Bolles riverfront campus with swimmers from around the world and to participate in classroom sessions, dryland training and fun camp activities. Elite Camps I and II June 5-11 and June 11-18 For intermediate-to-advanced swimmers 13 and older 32 32
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Elite Camp III and the June Classic Swim Meet June 18-27 For intermediate-to-advanced swimmers 13 and older who are prepared for the meet, a prelims-finals competition hosted annually Sprint Camp June 27-July 8 An extended camp experience focused on developing speed in the water Junior Elite Camp June 6-10 and June 13-17 (8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.) A training opportunity for swimmers ages 9-12 For the novice-experienced competitive swimmer For more information and to register, visit www.BollesSwimming.org or email swimcamp@bolles.org.
LONGHORNS SWIM CAMP Jon Alter, Camp Director The University of Texas P.O. Box 7399 Austin, TX 78713-7399 512-475-8652 • Fax 512-232-1273 longhornswimcamp@athletics.utexas.edu www.LonghornSwimCamp.com Headed by three-time Olympic and Texas head men’s coach Eddie Reese, 2019 World University Games and women’s coach Carol Capitani, former USA Swimming National Junior Team Director and assistant women’s coach Mitch Dalton and assistant 2018 Team USA Pan-Pac/associate men’s coach Wyatt Collins, the Longhorns Swim Camp is the most exciting camp in the country! The 2022 Longhorns Swim Camp is proud to feature multiple Olympians, American record holders and NCAA champions on staff. We welcome Olympians Ian Crocker, Colleen Lanné-Cox, Whitney Hedgepeth, American record holder Will Licon and 2019 NCAA champion/Team USA World University Games member John Shebat! Josh Davis, three-time Olympic gold medalist, returns for his 23rd year with the program. Josh coaches the Friday morning session. Camp is held at the Jamail Texas Swimming Center on the University of Texas at Austin campus, home to 23 NCAA team champions. Facility includes an indoor 50-meter by 25-yard pool, a 25-yard by 25-meter pool and the 50-meter by 25-yard Eddie Reese outdoor pool. Four training groups based on age and ability, with a 1:7 coach/swimmer ratio in technique sessions. Male and female swimmers (ages 8-18) of any level are welcome. It is highly recommended, but not required, that swimmers have competitive experience prior to attending. Training at the Longhorns Swim Camp focuses on intensive long-course conditioning and thorough stroke instruction and analysis. Camp is divided into four challenging ability groups based on age and 100-yard freestyle times. One-hour daily sessions focus on swim-specific dryland and strength training exercises. Long course training varies from one to two hours daily depending on ability level. Two 90-minute daily sessions focus specifically on technique work. Stroke drills, as well as start-and-turn mechanics are included along with classroom sessions and underwater video
analysis of each swimmer. Cost: Overnight Camp $1,090; Day Camp $990. Complete camp information and online registration available at: Longhornswimcamp.com. Per NCAA rules, sport camps and clinics conducted by The University of Texas are open to all entrants. Enrollment is limited only by age, grade level, gender and capacity restrictions as specified by each camp. NCAA guidelines prohibit payment of camp expenses by a representative of The University of Texas’ athletics interest. NCAA rules also prohibit free or reduced camp admission for prospects (9th grade and above). See display ad on page 31.
MICHIGAN SWIM CAMP at The University of Michigan 2062 Castello Circle (office) Ann Arbor, MI 48108 734-845-8596 umswim1@gmail.com www.michiganswimcamp.com or www.camps.mgoblue.com/swimming Four sessions open to any and all entrants, limited to age and 215 campers per session in Canham Natatorium at the University of Michigan. A staff of 60+ and three instructional sessions per day ensure the individual attention necessary for significant improvement. Coaches Mike Bottom, Dr. Josh White, Sam Wensman, Cauli Bedran, Priscilla Barletta, Ksenia Gromova, Kurt Kirner and Roger Karns are directly involved in coaching and teaching campers. All campers videoed and receive a written stroke analysis. Optional custom video and/or Kistler start-and-turn analysis available for an additional fee. Choose the Intensive Training Track or the Technique Development Track. World-class staff provides leadership and mentoring that encourage each swimmer to strive for excellence in and out of the pool. Cost includes instruction, swim cap, T-shirt, color photo, instructional materials, “goody bag”: $690/week commuter no meals, $720 commuter and lunch, and $765 commuter lunch and dinner. See display ad on page 31. MOUNTAINEER HIGH ALTITUDE TRAINING CAMPS at Western Colorado University Vickie Fellows, Head Coach Western Colorado University 1 Western Way Gunnison, CO 81231 Phone: 970-943-2310 • Cell: 505-453-3514 vfellows@western.edu www.gomountaineers.com/sports/2021/12/2/ swim-camps.aspx Camp Dates: June 17-21 June 24-28
Mountaineer High Altitude Training Camps offer the most unique training experience in the country. Western Colorado University is located in Gunnison, Colo., at an elevation of 7,723 feet in the Rocky Mountains. Facilities include the highest collegiate pool in the country, a state-of-the-art weight room and private locker rooms. The university is situated in a high alpine valley, which makes it ideal for high-altitude training. Each athlete will receive a High Altitude Training T-shirt and cap. Additionally, meals will be provided, and athletes will be lodged in the college dorm rooms. All attendees will get to meet and work with collegiate athletes. Camps will focus on teaching, refining and reinforcing elite swimming technique as well as aerobic-based training at high elevation. Swimmers will walk away with a deeper understanding of their strokes as well as their starts, turns and finishes. Camps are open to swimmers ages 11-18 who want to take their performance to the next level. NAVY SWIMMING CAMPS & CLINICS 2022 Bill Roberts, Camp Director Navy Swimming Camps 2022 566 Brownson Rd. Annapolis, MD 21402 410-293-3012, 410-293-5834 navyswimmingcamp@usna.edu www.navyswimmingcamp.com or www.navysports.com https://www.facebook.com/NAVYSwimmingCamp https://www.instagram.com/navyswimcamp Camp Dates: June 14-18 Session I June 20-24 Session II Clinics: June 18 & 19 (see website for 2022 clinic offerings) Now going into our 24th season, expect direct results by being part of the 2022 Navy Swimming Camp this summer! Our principal goal is to provide you the very best in individual instruction, evaluation, camper experience and safety/supervision. The purpose of our camp is to offer you a unique environment to learn and develop your competitive strokes, including all related starts, turns and finishes. Navy Swimming Camp is a stroke-intensive camp. Swimming campers will receive individual attention. Additional training sessions are offered to all needing to maintain conditioning while at camp. Video analysis, dryland activities designed to improve individual fitness levels, performance, training, goal-setting, leadership presentations and the Severn River boat cruise are all part of the schedule for 2022. Also, outstanding and accomplished guest speakers and presenters all scheduled for this year’s edition of the Navy Swimming Camp. Campers will learn, train and reside in an amazing and unique environment on the grounds of the United States Naval Academy. Additionally, teamwork and leadership are important points of emphasis for every camper. The Navy camp is led by an experienced camp staff while providing the very best in 24-hour supervision. See www.navyswimmingcamp.com for greater detail, including brochure, application, daily schedule and frequently asked questions. Cost for each camp: $725/commuter camper (ages 8-18), $775/extended day camper (ages 8-18), $825/resident camper (ages 9-18). All campers receive a NAVY swimming shirt & an exclusive NAVY backstroke flag. Go Navy!
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NORTHERN COLORADO SWIMMING CAMPS Lisa Ebeling, Camp Director University of Northern Colorado 5716 W. 17th Street Rd. Greeley, CO 80634 970-451-1476 Lisa.ebeling@unco.edu www.uncswimmingcamps.com Camp Dates: June 6-10 Session 1 June 13-17 Session 2 UNC Swimming Camps are designed to teach athletes the technical aspects of swimming to help them achieve success at the next level. The main focus of our camp is on stroke analysis and technique for starts and turns through in-depth video review. We also provide elite high-altitude training sessions, team building activities, nutritional education, competition preparation tools and mental training. We group athletes according to skill level, and are able to accommodate swimmers of all levels, ages 8-18. UNC Swimming Camps are open to any and all entrants (limited only by number, age, grade level and/or gender). SPIRE INSTITUTE & ACADEMY | CAMPS 440-466-1002 info@spireinstitute.org www.spireinstitute.org SPIRE offers three-day and five-day Stroke Camps, three-day Start & Turn Camps and three-day and five-day Training Camps for ages 10 and older. These swimming camps are either boarding or non-boarding, and are for competitive swimmers. Stroke Camps are structured around a philosophy of teaching skill acquisition and development in all four competitive strokes as well as starts and turns. Two daily water sessions are led by a world-class staff. Workouts are structured to improve stroke technique with a combination of drills, skills and training. Each athlete will have opportunities to enhance all phases of competitive swimming through individualized attention from our excellent coaches and counselors. Individual stroke analysis, dryland instruction and lecture sessions will give the campers one of the most comprehensive and up-to-date training camp experiences available in the United States. The Competitive Start &Turn Camp will only focus on starts and turns. Emphasis is about turning these often-overlooked skills into a true competitive advantage. Swimmers will receive intensive instruction on the forward and backstroke starts with safety being a priority. Fast, legal turns for all four competitive strokes and the IM transition turns will be covered. Each athlete will receive individual attention from a staff of outstanding coaches and instructors. SPIRE Training Camp offers a positive environment for swimmers to be challenged by intensive conditioning with daily training sessions on technique, race strategy and unique training methods. See display ad on page 30 for dates and cost. 34 34
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STR SPEEDWEEK SWIM CAMPS USING SCIENCE TO IMPROVE TECHNIQUE 850-385-9803 info@swimmingtechnology.com www.swimmingtechnology.com Are you: • Looking for a significant time drop? • Serious about improving your technique? • Hoping to reduce or eliminate shoulder pain? • Ready to compete at the next level? • Interested in extending your swimming career to college? If you are, then an STR SpeedWeek is your best swim camp option! We are the only camp with scientific studies that confirm the effect of our technique improvement strategies. In the morning classroom instructional session, swimmers learn specific cues to see and feel so they can swim like MONA, a biomechanical model of optimal technique. The following pool session includes deliberate practice strategies to help the swimmers optimize technique—short swims at a slow stroke rate with lots of individual feedback. In the afternoon, swimmers are tested in the pool and analyzed in the classroom with Aquanex—our patented system that captures synchronized underwater video and hand force data. This sciencebased analysis is unlike anything else in the world of swimming, giving swimmers the information they need to fine-tune their technique and make drastic time drops. You will learn to: • Optimize the non-breathing head position • Control the base of support to minimize resistance and maximize propulsion • Benefit from elbow flexion at the beginning of the pull in all four strokes • Increase the arm index of coordination in freestyle • Minimize shoulder stress on the freestyle and butterfly arm entry • Reduce intracycle fluctuations in body velocity in breaststroke and butterfly • Gain extra propulsion on the freestyle push phase in freestyle, butterfly and backstroke • Practice deliberately to make technique changes quickly The STR bottom line: We guarantee we can show every swimmer how to swim faster. SpeedWeek helps you make technique changes based on scientific data rather than opinion. Our campers make incomparable progress and learn practice strategies that help them continue to improve on return to normal training. Each SpeedWeek is limited to 12 swimmers to ensure maximum individual attention by Dr. Rod Havriluk, world-renowned biomechanist and technique expert. Dr. Havriluk is internationally recognized for his unique approach to accelerating skill-learning and preventing shoulder injury. He is widely published and a frequent conference presenter (ASCA, ASCTA, BMS, FINA, IOC, ISCA, USAS, USMS, USSSA). In 2015, he was selected by Swimming World Magazine as one of the top 10 individuals making an impact on swimming. Check our STR website for camp dates, locations and more info: swimmingtechnology.com. See display ad on page 21. 30. v
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[ Photo by Peter H. Bick ]
Lia Thomas Debate: Through Inaction, NCAA Operated a Circus at Championship Competition BY JOHN LOHN
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irginia’s dominance and repeat as champion.
The individual excellence of Kate Douglass and Alex Walsh. Backstroke brilliance from Katharine Berkoff and Regan Smith. Several American-record performances. The aforementioned storylines were highlights of the NCAA Women’s Championships, which wrapped up on Saturday night at the McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta. And over four days, these exploits received attention for their excellence – but not to the level that was due. No, this edition of the competition has been defined by controversy, specifically the inclusion of University of Pennsylvania transgender woman Lia Thomas. Over the past three days, Thomas captured a title in the 500-yard
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freestyle, placed fifth in the 200 freestyle and eighth in the 100 freestyle, that latest effort arriving on Saturday night. As someone who underwent male puberty before transitioning and moving from the men’s team to women’s squad at Penn, Thomas possessed major advantages over the biological women against whom she raced. She’ll say the playing field is even. She’s wrong. But Thomas competed within the rules established by the NCAA – and that is where the problem lies. Simply, the NCAA abandoned its women’s athletes, and its four days of competition equated to a charade. With Thomas in three fields, there was illegitimate racing. Outside the competition venue, there were protestors. Inside the facility, there was tension. On social media, there was ample discussion, some civil and much not. Make no mistake: Attention at the 2022 NCAA Women’s Champs was not solely where it belonged – on the athletes.
It’s a shame. It didn’t have to be this way. And it’s the NCAA’s fault. Of course, there will be assertions that the coverage – including here at Swimming World – played a role in the spotlight shifting to Thomas. And I’m not going to shy away and dispute that this website and magazine have not focused heavily on the topic. We have. But we’re a news organization and it is our role to not only report what is unfolding, but to take stances on certain issues. And, obviously, the position here is that women’s rights and women’s sports need to be protected – which they have not been. The NCAA had to be called out. It needed to be challenged for what transpired this season, and for the future. The Lia Thomas saga may have started a couple of years back, when Thomas opted to transition to a transgender woman. But the story truly began to impact this sport, and this particular NCAA season, when Thomas popped a pair of nation-leading times in the 200 freestyle and 500 freestyle at December’s Zippy Invitational in Ohio. It became apparent then that Thomas would be a factor on the national scene, having vaulted from a middle-of-the-road male athlete to a top-ranked female. Immediately, questions were asked. How could an athlete surge from also-ran status to title contender, and that shift not be considered improper? How were Thomas’ clear advantages from male puberty (height, strength, testosterone level, hand/feet size, lung capacity) not triggering alarms with organizations such as the NCAA? The NCAA can never say it was ignorant to the subject. Because the issue was quickly raised here, by Champion Women, by the Women’s Sports Policy Working Group, by State of Swimming and by anonymous parents and athletes (more on that later), it was clear that the issue wasn’t going to fade away and was a significant matter. Most recently, a group of University of Texas alums made their voices known. The NCAA had the opportunity to act during the winter, specifically when its Board of Governors discussed the issue of transgender participation at a meeting in Indianapolis. Rather than implement its own guidelines, the NCAA kicked the issue to various national-governing bodies, including USA Swimming, and indicated it would abide by the rules set forth by those institutions. When USA Swimming stepped forward and announced stringent rules for transgender participation, the NCAA balked. It didn’t like what emerged from Colorado Springs and decided it would grandfather in new bylaws – notably easier to meet than those adopted by USA Swimming – and Thomas was eligible to race in Atlanta.
It was the latest in a long line of NCAA actions which reflect the organization’s disinterest in, and ineptitude handling, women’s rights, and equal opportunities for female athletes. Remember last year’s bubble-environment for the NCAA’s basketball tournaments. Before the organization was called out and fixed the situation, the women’s training equipment was nothing more than a rack of barbells. Meanwhile, the men were provided with a state-of-the-art facility. More, men’s and women’s athletes have been treated differently in regard to which meals and gifts have been supplied during tournament competition. When Title IX was enacted nearly 50 years ago, it was intended to provide women with equal rights in educational and federally funded settings. Yet, there remains a chasm in treatment, and the Thomas situation has revealed as much. Beyond the NCAA, clamps have been put on the athletes affected by Thomas’ ability to compete in a women’s sport. The Ivy League as a conference, and its eight schools individually, told its swimmers to shut up and accept the way things are. More, even if athletes wanted to speak out, they couldn’t. The moment someone speaks out against the unfairness present in racing a transgender woman, they are labeled transphobic and bullied into a corner – with concerns arising as to how that perception may affect their future employment and personal lives. During the NCAA Championships, a group of Ivy League parents penned a letter which addressed these concerns and the nature of a painful season. The truth is, the NCAA Championships merely signaled the end of the campaign. However, the entire winter season has been marred by the lack of support from the NCAA and the unfairness of Thomas in the water. “Even as some people began to advocate on their behalf, the universities and the NCAA continued to ignore women,” the Ivy League parents wrote. “Several of us wished to remove our girls from the schools. We offered to pull them, bang on doors demanding fair treatment, any action they wanted to take. Already handling the emotional burden of knowing their perspectives were unwanted, their treatment not important, their lives a blur of studying and training, they could handle no more pressure to alienate what was left of their world.” So, congratulations to the NCAA. At this championship meet, it created an atmosphere that was a circus – just without the Big Top. ◄
All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff. BIWEEKLY
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With all due respect, I would like to address something that is a problem in our sport right now and hurting athletes, especially female swimmers. Everyone has heard and known about transgender, Lia Thomas, and her case including all the issues and concerns that her situation brought to our sport. I’d like to point out that I respect and fully stand with Lia Thomas; I am convinced that she is no different than me or any other D1 swimmer who as woken up at 5am her entire life for morning practice. She has sacrificed family vacations and holidays for a competition. She has pushed herself to the limit to be the best athlete she could be. She is doing what she is passionate about and deserves that right. On the other hand, I would like to critique the NCAA rules that allow her to compete against us, who are biologically women.
Reka Gyorgy, Bumped out of B-Final in 500 Free, Writes Critical Letter to NCAA on Transgender Rules BY DAVID RIEDER
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s the 2022 NCAA Women’s Division I Swimming and Diving Championships have come to a close, more athletes are sharing their opinions on the Lia Thomas situation. Reka Gyorgy of Virginia Tech was directly affected by Thomas participating as she finished 17th in the 500 freestyle and was one spot out of making the consolation final in an event that Thomas won. Gyorgy wrote an open letter saying she stands with Lia Thomas but blamed the NCAA for the way the institution handled the entire situation, including the rules. She made her wish clear at the beginning of the letter that she wants her full statement released and not parts of it, so here it is in full: Dear NCAA, I would like to address this past week’s events and express my thoughts. First, I would like to remind everyone that I am a human being and that as a human being I experience feelings and emotions. My name is Reka Gyorgy from Hungary. I am a 2016 Rio Olympian, represented Virginia Tech for the past 5 years, a 2 time ACC Champion, 2 time All-American and 3 time Honorable Mention All-American.
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I’m writing this letter right now in hopes that the NCAA will open their eyes and change these rules in the future. It doesn’t promote our sport in a good way and I think it is disrespectful against the biologically female swimmer who are competing in the NCAA. I swam the 500 freestyle at NCAA’s on March 17th, 2022 where I got 17th which means I did not make it back to the finals and was first alternate. I’m a 5th year senior. I have been top 16 and top 8 before and I know how much of a privilege it is to make finals at a meet this big. This is my last college meet ever and I feel frustrated. It feels like that final spot was taken away from be because of the NCAA’s decision to let someone who is not a biological female compete. I know you could say I had the opportunity to swim faster and make the top 16, but this situation make it a bit different and I can’t help but be angry or sad. It hurts me, my team and other women in the pool. One spot was taken away from the girl who got 9th in the 500 free and didn’t make it back to the A final preventing her from being an All-American. Every event that transgender athlete competed in was one spot taken away from biological females throughout the meet. The NCAA knew what was coming this past week. They knew opinions and minds will be divided and chose to do nothing. This week has been more about reporters, media and division in our sport than things like two women going under 21 seconds in the 50 freestyle, 3 women going under 50 seconds in the 100 butterfly and the first women IN HISTORY to go under 49 seconds in the 100 backstroke. Thursday was not a specific athlete’s fault. It is the result of the NCAA and their lack of interest in protecting their athletes. I ask that the NCAA takes time to think about all the other biological women in swimming, try to think how they would feel if they would be in our shoes. Make the right changes for our sport and for a better future in swimming. Thank you for reading, Reka Gyorgy, Virginia Tech swimmer ◄
PARTING SHOT Delaney Schnell of the University of Arizona competes in platform diving at the 2022 Women's NCAA Championships. [ Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick]
BIWEEKLY
SWIMMINGWORLD.COM
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