Cavalier Corner

April 2022

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APRIL 2022 11 record with her first-place finish, while third- year Ella Nelson finished third and Wey- ant took fourth. Douglass threw down her second individual American record to win the 100-yard butterfly in the ensuing event. Wenger and Walsh added second-place finishes on the night, and UVA won the 400- yard medley relay in American record time to give the Cavaliers a huge lead heading into the final night of competition. Not to be outdone by her big sister, Gretchen Walsh won her first individual NCAA title to start the final night of compe- tition. She set a UVA record with her win in the 100-yard freestyle. The last night also saw Douglass break Lilly King's American record in the 200-yard breaststroke, an event she had set her sight on at the beginning of the season. "It is crazy that I broke Lilly King's record because she is someone I have looked up to and has been an amazing swimmer for the U.S. for years. That is a pretty cool feel- ing," Douglass said after the race. Alex Walsh completed her triple with a win in the 200-yard butterfly. She had the fifth-fastest time in the field heading into the finals. Walsh jumped out to the lead early and held on to win her third NCAA event title of the week. The Cavaliers sealed the team title with a win and American record in the 400-yard freestyle, an event they were heavily favored to win. "Every session, I have watched the past champions scroll across the board," Gretchen Walsh said. "To be a part of that now is a dream come true. I think we all proved something to ourselves at this meet. "There was no better way than to top it off with another NCAA record. It couldn't have gone better." Douglass put together one of the best NCAA Championships performances in history. The Pelham, N.Y., native won the 50- yard freestyle, 100-yard butterfly and 200- yard breaststroke, while setting American and NCAA records in all three events. Her three individual titles came in three different strokes and distances. "I owe a lot to [head coach] Todd [De- Virginia won 11 events — taking four of the five relays and seven individual events — and set five American records and three school records on the way to its second straight national crown. (Photo by Matt Riley/courtesy UVA) " Last year was awesome for us, but I felt like we walked into the meet knowing there was a chance we were going to win. This year there was a target on our back and it was definitely going to be more competitive and a lot harder to win. I think from the first prelim session we started it off really great and then just kept it going and exceeded all expectations at this meet. " THIRD-YEAR KATE DOUGLASS

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