In the past couple of years, Gabi Albiero has transformed herself into one of the nation’s elite swimmers.
The Louisville swimmer has proven she belongs in the top echelon of NCAA swimmers this week, finishing in the finals for each of her events.
While she has elevated herself into one of the country’s elite, the Louisville program has quietly mirrored her rise and is sitting in third place at the halfway point of the 2023 NCAA Division I Women’s Championships.
On the first night of individual events, the Cardinals made history as Albiero and teammate Christiana Regenauer became the first pair of Louisville swimmers to score together in the A final of the 50 freestyle.
“When I first got here, Christiana was someone I really looked up to and was following. Trying to emulate what she has done has been so much fun. It is so fun to have all of these A finals together (at ACCs and now NCAAs),” Albiero said. “That first day is a really big one for us and we all did a good job sticking too that and using that energy.”
Christiana Regenauer; Photo Courtesy: NCAA Media
Albiero finished third in the 50 free, going a 21.30. Regenauer went a 21.68 to finish seventh.
“I knew I was capable. I don’t know if it was mental things holding me back but I was happy they happened,” Regenauer said. “Our sprint group is super young and progressed more than anyone expected. Gabi has this confident air about her. I have tried to emulate that this year, too. Day-to-day I see how hard these girls work and this is the best team chemistry we have ever had.”
Freshman Julia Dennis also took 12th and the Cardinals scored 33 points combined in the event and jumped from seventh to third with two days remaining.
“The biggest thing is we have so much fun,” said Albiero, who is in the A final for the 100 butterfly tonight. “Just thinking about my team. I have geared more to the team and do everything for them. Using all of their encouragement has helped so much. Knowing they believe in me makes me believe on myself. We try not to focus too much on placing but we want to try to be the best team that we have seen and score the most points we have ever scored.”
Louisville is on the right track, but still have plenty of racing to go – plenty of time to keep turning heads with their stunning rise.
