University News

3-peat! UVA Swimmers Establish Dynasty With Latest Championship

By Andrew Ramspacher, fpa5up@virginia.edu

March 19, 2023

The UVA Women's Swim and Dive team with their coaches posing together with their NCAA championship trophy

Members of the national champion UVA swimming and diving team celebrate with coaches and others following their third straight title. (Photo by Matt Riley, UVA Athletics)

The University of Virginia women’s swimming and diving team established a dynasty Saturday when it won a third consecutive national title.

The top-ranked Cavaliers, led by coach Todd DeSorbo and Olympians Kate Douglass and Alex Walsh, dominated the NCAA championship meet in Knoxville, Tennessee, outscoring the second-place finisher University of Texas by 127 points.

UVA swept all five relay races and added six individual NCAA championships.

The four-day event featured several highlights, including Douglass’ historic performance in the 200-yard individual medley on Thursday. The senior became the first woman to ever finish the race in under 1 minute and 50 seconds. Her time of 1:48.37 set an American and NCAA record.

𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗦𝗧 𝗪𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗡 𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥 𝟭:𝟱𝟬 🤯 and she goes 1:48.37 🐐

🥇 Kate Douglass does it again

American, NCAA & US Open record #GoHoos pic.twitter.com/kxl7NdTtcw
— Virginia Swimming and Dive (@UVASwimDive) March 16, 2023

On Wednesday, Douglass anchored a UVA team – featuring Walsh, her sister Gretchen Walsh, and Lexi Cuomo – that set an American and NCAA record for the fastest time in the 200-yard medley relay.

Let's start the NCAA Championships with an...

𝗔𝗠𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗡, 𝗡𝗖𝗔𝗔 & 𝗨𝗦 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗗

🥇 Gretchen Walsh, Alex Walsh, Lexi Cuomo and Kate Douglass - 1:31.51 #GoHoos pic.twitter.com/0esC72OpVa
— Virginia Swimming and Dive (@UVASwimDive) March 15, 2023

The championship included more than just team members in the pool. President Jim Ryan and Athletic Director Carla Williams splashed down to help celebrate the historic win.

A national championship three-peat for our enormously talented UVA women’s swimming & diving team! Loved being there with @ADWilliamsUVA to cheer on Coach DeSorbo and our remarkable student-athletes – & yes, even join the champs for a celebratory jump in the pool! @UVASwimDive pic.twitter.com/3VnzOpP5W3
— Jim Ryan (@presjimryan) March 19, 2023

This is national championship No. 32 for the UVA athletics department. DeSorbo’s program matches the men’s soccer program (1991 to 1994) and the men’s tennis program (2015 to 2017) as the only programs in school history to win at least three straight national titles.

Find more about the historic Cavalier swimming championship at VirginiaSports.com.