NCAA Women’s Championships: Jasmine Nocentini Becomes Second-Fastest Swimmer Ever in 100 Breaststroke Triumph

Jasmine Nocentini -- Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

NCAA Women’s Championships: Jasmine Nocentini Becomes Second-Fastest Swimmer Ever in 100 Breaststroke Triumph

Few events remain on the NCAA Championships program where the University of Virginia lacks a true national-title contender. That was the case in the 100 breaststroke last season, when the Cavaliers’ top finisher took eighth place. But this year, Jasmine Nocentini has been an absolute revelation for Virginia.

A native of Padova, Italy and previously a swimmer at both Florida International and Northwestern, Nocentini arrived this season as a graduate transfer and immediately became Virginia’s No. 1 breaststroker on medley relays and a key contributor in sprint freestyle. Now, she’s the country’s No. 1 in the breaststroke sprints after she pulled away from a 100 breast field expected to be closely contested. Previously, Lilly King was the only swimmer in history to break 56 in the 100 breast, and no one had been that fast in five years, but Nocentini came close to joining that club.

By the halfway point, Nocentini was one-quarter of a second clear of the field in 26.24, with 2023 NCAA champion Kaitlyn Dobler of USC and top seed Mona McSharry of Tennessee trailing. McSharry made her run on the third length, but Nocentini held her off and was superior on the final lap as she hit the wall in 56.09. That time is the third-fastest performance in history, behind King’s times of 55.73 and 55.88. No other performer has ever gone quicker.

“I didn’t expect it to go like this,” Nocentini said. “I was hoping for it, but I didn’t think it would end up like this, so I guess it’s kind of a dream.”

Sisters Gretchen Walsh and Alex Walsh have been the driving forces behind Virginia’s push for a fourth consecutive title, but Nocentini has now been part of victorious efforts in the 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays and taken third in the 50 free, becoming history’s No. 7 performer in that performance, before her 100 breast victory.

After the race, Nocentini revealed what unexpectedly brought her to the Cavaliers and into this position of prominence on the college swimming scene. It began, Nocentini said, when she “felt a little bit lost” after completing last season with Northwestern.

“I wanted to have a very good season, see what I could do. I knew about UVA and Todd and thought, ‘Maybe that’s what I need if I want to try one year and see what I got.’ It was not the easiest thing to leave Northwestern. They were all super nice to me, and I appreciate everything they’ve done for me. But sometimes, you’ve got to go for yourself. Put yourself first, and I guess that’s what I decided to do,” Nocentini said. “I think this is the best fit, and I’m surrounded by girls who have the same mentality, so I’m very happy with my decisions, and I’m just grateful for everything.”

But above all, Nocentini attributes her success to her own mental engagement with the sport. In the past, Nocentini said, “I used to swim just to do it. I knew I had the potential to be good, but I never really tried and put my heart into it and really believed in myself. I think this year, I started to be more competitive and put more effort into the practices and not just show up to finish the practice but to actually get something out of it.”

Indeed, that shift helped transform Nocentini into the third-best swimmer on a college swimming dynasty.

McSharry placed second in 56.64, which tied her with former Lady Vols star Molly Hannis for third on the all-time list, while Dobler, three hundredths back at 56.67, moved to fifth all-time with her strong effort. The Texas duo of Anna Elendt and Lydia Jacoby, expected to be the two other main contenders in a five-way showdown, ended up fourth and fifth with times of 57.01 and 57.13, respectively.

Jacoby is the reigning Olympic gold medalist in the 100-meter breast and was last season’s NCAA titlist in the event, but she dropped four spots in the standings despite swimming only a tenth slower. Repeating her 2023 finals time of 57.03 would not have changed her placement in this final.

Event 11  Women 100 Yard Breaststroke
=========================================================================
         NCAA: N 55.73  3/22/2019 Lilly King, Indiana
         Meet: M 55.73  3/22/2019 Lilly King, Indiana
     American: A 55.73  3/22/2019 Lilly King, Indiana
      US Open: O 55.73  3/22/2019 Lilly King, Indiana
         Pool: P 56.76  3/22/2024 Mona McSharry, Tennessee
    Name                 Year School            Prelims     Finals Points 
=========================================================================
                       === Championship Final ===                        
 
  1 Nocentini, Jasmine     SR Virginia            56.96      56.09P  20  
    r:+0.62  11.93        26.24 (14.31)
          41.06 (14.82)       56.09 (15.03)
  2 McSharry, Mona         SR Tennessee           56.76      56.64P  17  
    r:+0.67  12.18        26.58 (14.40)
          41.21 (14.63)       56.64 (15.43)
  3 Dobler, Kaitlyn        SR USC                 57.18      56.67P  16  
    r:+0.63  11.87        26.49 (14.62)
          41.51 (15.02)       56.67 (15.16)
  4 Elendt, Anna           SR Texas               57.50      57.01   15  
    r:+0.69  12.26        26.90 (14.64)
          41.80 (14.90)       57.01 (15.21)
  5 Jacoby, Lydia          SO Texas               57.96      57.13   14  
    r:+0.61  12.12        26.89 (14.77)
          41.92 (15.03)       57.13 (15.21)
  6 Bach, Hannah           5Y OSU                 57.58      57.40   13  
    r:+0.60  12.21        26.70 (14.49)
          41.63 (14.93)       57.40 (15.77)
  7 Panitz, Josie          5Y OSU                 58.06      58.38   12  
    r:+0.70  12.35        27.08 (14.73)
          42.35 (15.27)       58.38 (16.03)
  8 Makarova, Stasya       JR Auburn              58.15      58.94   11  
    r:+0.63  12.78        27.84 (15.06)
          43.04 (15.20)       58.94 (15.90)

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