High school senior Gretchen Walsh was in the racing pool this past weekend for the second time since the COVID-19 pandemic began, swimming a 47.98 in the 100 freestyle SCY and a 52.11 in the 100 backstroke this weekend in Nashville at the September Senior Showdown, consisting only of swimmers from Nashville Aquatic Club.
Gretchen Walsh, who is in her final year of high school at Harpeth Hall, swims for the Nashville Aquatic Club, and dropped a tenth off her 100 free time in early August when she was a 48.08 and a 22.03 in the 50 freestyle. Walsh will be a freshman at the University of Virginia next year as one of the top recruits in the class of 2021. She is the national high school record holder in both the 50 and 100 freestyle, and with high school swimming being a winter sport in Tennessee, there is still room to be seen if a high school season will happen. Whether it does or not, Walsh is in good shape as she continues to train in her final year with Nashville Aquatic Club and coach Doug Wharam.
Walsh’s 52.11 in the 100 backstroke also marks the first time she has raced it since November 2019, with her best time coming from December 2018 with a 51.75 she did when she was 15.