Josh Liendo, Julian Smith Lead Florida Men to Win at Virginia; G. Walsh, Curzan Lead UVA Women
The elite showdown of the college season thus far took place Friday afternoon in Charlottesville, Va., as the Virginia Cavaliers, winners of four consecutive NCAA women’s titles, hosted the Florida Gators, who brought to town women’s and men’s teams that each finished third at last year’s national championships.
The meet marked a reunion for head coaches Todd DeSorbo (Virginia) and Anthony Nesty (Florida), who led the U.S. women and men’s teams, respectively, at the recent Paris Olympics. The two coaches agreed to hold the meet with a twist, racing in short course meters and allowing swimmers rare chances to pursue national and world records.
Gretchen Walsh took advantage of that opportunity as she set a world record in the 100 IM plus three additional American records. That provided the spark in a 181-119 Virginia victory. However, the Florida men were dominant against their rivals here, winning by a score of 231-69 and dropping only one event all day.
The Gators’ team of Jonny Marshall, Julian Smith, Josh Liendo and Ed Fullum-Huot opened the meet with a wire-to-wire win in the 200 medley relay. Liendo would be one of the stars for Florida on the day, winning the 50 freestyle in 50.88 and the 100 butterfly in 49.37, and he led off Florida’s 400 free relay in 46.35. Smith, Alex Painter and Fullum-Huot finished off a dominant win in 3:08.53.
Smith also won twice, claiming the 100 breaststroke (57.27) and 100 free (47.70). Mason Laur was victorious in the 200 fly (1:55.00) and tied with teammate Joaquin Gonzalez Pinero atop the 200 IM (1:47.63). Diver Peyton Donald finished first on 1-meter (353.70) and 3-meter (389.10).
Jake Mitchell, an Olympian for the U.S. in 2021, scored comfortable wins in the 200 free (1:43.52) and in the 400 free (3:45.05). Freshman Luke Whitlock, who made the American team bound for Paris this year in the 800 free, cruised to a win in his best event in 7:47.76 while Marshall topped the 100 backstroke (50.46). Freshman Aidan Norman pulled away from Marshall to win the 200 back (1:51.02).
Noah Nichols got the only win of the day for Virginia, clocking 2:07.78 in his triumphant 200 breast performance.
In the women’s meet, Virginia’s cadre of international veterans took care of business. After Walsh became the third-fastest swimmer ever in the 50 back, the team of Zoe Skirboll, Claire Curzan and Maxine Parker finished off the win in 1:44.14. Walsh also won 100 back and 50 free wins, both in American-record time, before setting her 100 IM world record in a time trial.
Curzan, competing for Virginia for the first time this season, won the 200 back in 2:01.02, just off her lifetime best of 2:00.53 that ranks ninth all-time in the event. The 20-year-old swam her best time in 2022 when she won silver in the event at the Short Course World Championships. Later, Curzan clocked 55.68 for the win in the 100 fly, again coming up just off her best time recorded at a global-level meet (55.39 in 2021).
Curzan finished the meet by leading off the UVA 400 free relay in 52.53, by far the fastest 100 free performance of the day, and the team of Aimee Canny, Anna Moesch and Parker combined to score a three-second win in 3:33.38. Canny also had two individual wins, in the 200 free (1:54.13) and 200 breast (2:22.38).
Virginia opened the individual events with Cavan Gormsen winning the 800 free in 8:21.55, overtaking an early advantage for Florida’s Michaela Mattes to win by 24-hundredths. Emma Weber, the surprise No. 2 finisher in the 100 breast at the U.S. Olympic Trials, overtook Skirboll in her signature event to win in 1:05.27.
Next up, Tess Howley used a brilliant back half to beat Bella Sims, a Florida sophomore who was an Olympian in 2021, in the 200 fly by two tenths. Howley clocked 2:04.65. Moesch, a freshman, claimed first in the 100 free in 53.04.
For Florida, Emma Weyant won the 400 free by more than three seconds in 4:00.98. Weyant, who has reached the Olympic podium in the 400 IM at the last two Olympics, began her college career at Virginia but is now in her third season racing for the Gators.
In the final individual event, the 200 IM, Sims won an epic showdown against Virginia freshman Leah Hayes, the 2022 World Championships (long course) bronze medalist in the event. Sims held an advantage of almost two-and-a-half seconds at the halfway point, but Hayes blasted a 36.48 breaststroke split to earn a slight lead entering the home stretch. Sims would come back, though, with a 29.68 split getting her to the wall a tenth ahead, 2:06.75 to 2:06.85.
Florida also had a pair of wins in diving, with Camyla Monroy finishing ahead of the field on 1-meter (315.38) and 3-meter (346.28).