Olympian Katie Grimes Commits to Virginia as Dynasty Continues New Wave
The University of Virginia will add another Olympian to its ranks.
Katie Grimes of Sandpipers committed to Virginia on Wednesday.
The 18-year-old posted a photo of herself in Virginia shirt with the caption: “Hoos’s ready.”
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Katie Grimes made history in Paris this summer by becoming the first female swimmer in U.S. history to swim a pool and open-water event at the same Olympics.
She posted a 15th-place finish in the 10K at both the Paris Olympic Games and the 2024 World Aquatics Open Water Championships, which took place in Doha in February.
Grimes is a two-time Olympian in the pool. She won a silver in the 400 IM in Paris.
She burst onto the scene in 2021 at the Olympic Trials in Omaha, finishing second behind Katie Ledecky in the 800 free to qualify for Tokyo at age 15, the youngest athlete on the team.
Grimes is a three-time silver medalist at the World Championships in the pool and earned a bronze in the 10K open water in 2023. She also won the World Junior Open Water Championship in the 7.5K in 2022.
The Cavaliers are stacked with the Walsh sisters, Emma Weber and Claire Curzan and now have their first dominant distance swimmer since Paige Madden, who led Virginia’s rise to a dynasty. Grimes will have a huge 1-2 freshman punch with worlds medalist and national teamer Leah Hayes.
With Katie Grimes added to the mix, that dynasty is in good hands.
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