Virginia Women Set New NCAA Record in 800 Free Relay, Claim All 5 NCAA Relay Titles

2025 ACC Men’s & Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships

One advantage of a dominant swimming program is the ability to strategically adjust their lineup during conference championships. This was evident as the University of Virginia made a statement on Tuesday evening at the ACC Championships in Greensboro.

The team decided to hold out some of their strongest competitors from the 200 medley relay, opting instead to reinforce the 800 free relay—a race that historically hasn’t been their strong suit—despite still featuring Junior National Team members such as Emma Weber.

The outcome was astounding, as Virginia shattered both the U.S. Open and NCAA records in the 800 free relay, clocking in at 6:44.13. This achievement surpassed the previous record of 6:45.91, which was set by Stanford during the 2017 NCAA Championships with a stellar relay team.

Virginia assembled an impressive foursome that included Gretchen Walsh, Alex Walsh, Aimee Canny, and Claire Curzan on that memorable evening.

Gretchen Walsh, who has been on fire in short-course swimming over the last 18 months, posted an opening split of 1:39.35, setting a new ACC record and marking the second-fastest 200-yard freestyle in history, only trailing Missy Franklin‘s 1:39.10 from the 2015 NCAA Championships.

Following Walsh were her sister Alex (1:41.87), Aimee Canny (1:42.03), and transfer student Claire Curzan (1:40.89), who is in her second season training with the Cavaliers, although it’s her first competing at the varsity level.

What’s astonishing is that, including the leadoff leg, Virginia had the four fastest splits of the entire competition. The next closest split came from NC State freshman Erika Pelaez, who recorded a 1:42.28 for her team’s fourth-place finish.

While the former Stanford relay team boasted Olympic medalists such as Katie Ledecky, Lia Neal, and Simone Manuel, along with record-breaking swimmer Ella Eastin, the American record remains with them, as Virginia’s Aimee Canny represents South Africa.

Comparison of Splits:

Virginia has not historically placed a strong emphasis on the 800 free relay. For numerous seasons, they have refrained from competing in it during their mid-season invitationals, saving it for the ACC Championships. When they do participate, they seldom deploy their top lineup.

Nonetheless, the Cavaliers have won the 800 free relay at the ACC championships every year since 2007—a remarkable streak that extends well beyond the current team’s era.

This particular performance is an impressive display of strength, positioning Virginia as the first program since Stanford in 2019 to simultaneously hold all five NCAA relay records (Cal broke Stanford’s 400 free relay record on March 1 at the 2019 Pac-12 Championships). The Stanford team achieved three consecutive NCAA titles, and this Virginia squad is on a robust path toward its fifth.