Gretchen Walsh Shatters Records, UVA Swimmers Earn Big Money at World Championships

As if the Virginia swimming and diving program needed any more recruiting material… The Cavaliers have already established themselves as the top women’s swimming program in the country, winning each of the last four NCAA national championships, but the past five months have solidified their standing. Dominance at the international level. UVA swimmers won 11 medals in Paris Olympics 2024including five gold medals. Last week in Budapest, Hungary, many of these same swimmers raised the bar even further at the 2024 Short Course Aquatics World Championships.

Headlined by one of the greatest individual World Championships swimming performances in history by Gretchen Walsh, Virginia swimmers won 10 titles and broke 14 world championship records.

Let’s start with Gretchen Walsh, who wrapped up her impressive 2024 campaign with her best performance yet. Walsh has won seven world titles, including two relay titles and all five individual events in which she has competed, and has broken 11 world records, nine of them in individual events. Of the 15 times she swam in an individual event in Budapest, Walsh broke the world record nine of them. Walsh joins an exclusive list of only six American swimmers who have won at least four titles in a world championship or Olympic event: Mark Spitz, Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, Katie Ledecky and Caleb Dressel.

Naturally, Gretchen Walsh was named the best swimmer at the World Aquatics Championships for the 25 metres. See the photo below from the World Aquatics

This is the best part. There was some big money up for grabs in the World Series and the Cavaliers made big money, especially Gretchen Walsh.

Any swimmer who won a world title in Budapest received US$10,000, while the other eight winners in each event also received consolation cash prizes. Furthermore, there was a world record bonus of $25,000 awarded to any swimmer who broke a world record during the meet.

according to Swaim SwamGretchen Walsh took home a total of $290,416.67 in prize money during the meet. For context, this is more than the total prize money received by any other country from the meet except the United States, which received $947,000.

For those wondering about maintaining “amateur status” for current NCAA athletes, all NCAA swimmers are allowed to keep their prize money up to their meet expenses. The rest can be transferred to the athletes through the National Olympic Committee. So, yes, Gretchen Walsh and her teammates still swimming at UVA will be able to keep their prize money while maintaining their NCAA eligibility.

Fellow former Cavalier Kate Douglas took fourth place in terms of total individual prize money, earning $118,416.67. Douglas won individual world titles in the 200m and 200 breaststroke and broke world records in those events as well, while also swimming as part of two world relay teams. She took silver in the 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle, finishing second to Gretchen Walsh in both events.

Alex Walsh earned $26,166.67 in total prize money, swimming as part of the 4×200 freestyle and 4×100 medley relay teams that each won the title in world record times. She also won two silver medals in the 200-meter individual race and the 4×100 medley race, and two bronze medals in the 200-meter breaststroke and 4×50 medley races.

Katie Grimes, who is scheduled to enroll at UVA in January and will compete for the Cavaliers this spring as they seek their fifth straight national title, won three medals, including gold in the 4×200 freestyle, where she swam with Alex Walsh and Paige . Madden to win the title and break the world record. Grimes also won a silver in the 400-meter freestyle and a bronze in the 800-meter freestyle, earning a prize money of $22,916.67.

Former Cavalier Paige Madden, who won Virginia’s first national championship in 2021 and is having the best year of her professional swimming career, won gold as part of the record-setting 4×200 relay team and earned $23,916.67.

Another Wahoo Olympian from this summer’s team and current UVA swimmer, Emma Weber, won gold as part of the 4×100 medley relay team and took home $1,250.

The only swimmer from the UVA men’s swimming team to make the trip to Budapest, Jack Aikins made the final in the 200 backstroke and placed fifth, earning $5,000.

Borrow from VirginiaSports.com recap From the meet, here’s a recap of everything UVA swimmers accomplished at the 2024 Short Course World Aquatics Championships:

World Champions (10)
Gretchen Walsh (5): 50 free, 100 free, 50 fly, 100 fly, 100 IM
Kate Douglas (2): 200 IM, 200 Breast
4 x 100 free relay (Douglas, J. Walsh)
4×200 free relay (A Walsh, Madden, Grimes)
4 x 100 medley relay (Douglas, J. Walsh, Prelims Weber, A. Walsh)

Individual world records (11)
Gretchen Walsh (9): 50 freestyle (22.87), (22.83); 50 fly (24.02), (23.94); 100 Fly (53.24), (52.87), (52.71), 100 M (55.71), (55.11)
Kate Douglas (2): 200 IM (2:01.63), 200 breaststroke (2:12.50)

World record relay (3)
4 x 100 free relay (Douglas, J. Walsh)
4 x 200 free relay (A Walsh, Madden, Grimes)
4 x 100 medley relay (Douglas, J. Walsh)

American records (18)
Gretchen Walsh (12): 50 freestyle (23.02), (22.87), (22.83); 100 Free (50.49), (50.31); 50 fly (24.02), (23.94); 100 fly (53.24), (52.87) (52.71); 100M (55.71), (55.11)
Kate Douglas (2): 200 IM (2:01.63), 200 breaststroke (2:12.50)
Katie Grimes (1): 400m (4:20.14)
Relays: 4×100 free, 4×200 free, 4×100 medley

Medals for UVA athletes (25)
Gretchen Walsh (7): 7 golds (50 free, 100 free, 50 fly, 100 fly, 100 IM, 4×100 free, 4×100 medley)
Kate Douglas (7): 4 golds (200 IM, 200 breaststroke, 4 x 100 free, 4 x 100 medley), 2 silvers (50 free, 100 IM), 1 bronze (100 free)
Alex Walsh (6): 2 gold (4 x 200 free, 4 x 100 medley), 2 silver (200 IM, 4 x 100 medley), 2 bronze (200 breaststroke, 4 x 50 medley)
Katie Grimes (3): 1 gold (4×200 free), 1 silver (400 IM), 1 bronze (800 free)
Big Madden (1): 1 gold (4×200 free)
Emma Weber (1): 1 gold (4 x 100 medley)