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JUNE 2023 15 sarily 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 a 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." "I think it's pretty historic," Alex Walsh added. "Six 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." Part of what sets this Virginia dynasty apart from other teams, is their desire to win for each other. In a sport that is often categorized as individual, these superstar athletes consistently praise their team- mates and push themselves to make each other better. It is rare to find that kind of camaraderie that spans multiple seasons, especially with the transfer portal and NIL becoming prominent in college athletics. This Virginia team has proven that stick- ing together and doing it for each other is the recipe for success and has led to the dynasty that we know now. The 2022-23 season saw all three individual NCAA cham- pions returning and all but two members of UVA's four relay wins from 2022. DeSorbo's squad proved to be more than up to the challenge this past season, finish- ing more than 100 points ahead of second- place Texas at nationals. Winning a third consecutive NCAA title put the Cavaliers in elite company. Only four other programs have ever done that and the last time was Stanford from 2017-19. With numerous school, conference, Ameri- can and NCAA records already under their belts, the main questions headed into the NCAA championships were, "What else could the Cavaliers accomplish now?" and "Is there any way they can keep shocking the world?" Absolutely. Douglass won her three individual na- tional titles for the second straight year, and did so with American, NCAA and US Open record times in all three events yet again. Gretchen Walsh added two NCAA individual titles and Alex Walsh won one. Those were certainly great wins, but it was the sweep of all five relays at the 2023 NCAA Champi- onships that meant the most to UVA in its quest for a third national title. "I think, for us, the relays sweep is a huge accomplishment," Alex Walsh said. "I was actually talking to Maddie Donohoe, and she said the last time a team has put together this multi-year performance was the legendary Stanford team when they had Katie Ledecky, Lia Neal, Simone Manuel and Ella Eastin. "Thinking that we are kind of on the same level as that is pretty shocking, as I think we've all looked up to those people throughout our whole middle school and high school careers. It's pretty awesome to think about that accomplishment and the context and the history. It's cool." And for the record-setting times once again? "I think Gretchen said it last year when the relay was getting interviewed, someone asked her how they were going to do better next year," DeSorbo said. "She said, 'Well, we only won four out of five relays, so there's more in the tank.' "I think they came back and set some goals. They went to work. … They just have that uncanny ability to change and make improvements, even when they're already at that high of a level." A dynasty is not built in a day, but in six years? That is an incredible feat. And the Hoos are not done yet.