SwimSwam Walsh Sisters Dazzle With 56.8 100 Breast Swims At Cavalier Invite

Gretchen Stuns As Walsh Sisters Clock 56.8 In 100 Breast: Alex Walsh set a new lifetime best and nation-leading time while sister Gretchen unleashed a stunning performance as the duo finished .01 apart in the 100 breast at the Cavalier Invite in Charlottesville.

Also: Two NCAA coaches leave their programs just days out of the postseason, an executive order changes the transgender policy in the U.S., and a primer for the conference championship meets in the NCAA that get underway this week.

Alex Walsh Posts NCAA-Leading 100 Breast, Gretchen Hits Stunning 56.86

Gretchen Walsh had already established herself as the fastest female swimmer in history across 100 yards of freestyle, backstroke and butterfly, and over the weekend, added her name to the list of the quickest ever in breaststroke.

In the prelims at the Cavalier Invite, Walsh posted a time of 57.34, moving her to #2 in the NCAA and #14 all-time as she demolished her previous lifetime best of 59.75.

The only swimmer faster this season was her older sister, Alex Walsh, who clocked 56.98 at the Eddie Reese Showdown and qualified 2nd out of the prelims in 58.15.

Going head-to-head in the final, both stepped it up, with Alex eking out the victory in a lifetime best of 56.85, while Gretchen touched just .01 back in 56.86, improving their 1-2 ranking in the NCAA this season.

Alex now ranks #8 all-time in the event, while Gretchen moves to #9.

Splits from the results showed Gretchen having a large lead at the 50 and then Alex running her down, but the race video tells us that those are likely incorrect, with the two of them turning close together at the halfway mark.

• Watch the race video here.

Other highlights from the meet for the Cavaliers included Claire Curzan setting a personal best and pool record in the women's 200 free (1:41.99), Charlotte Wilson swimming a PB in the women's 100 back (51.68), and David King logging a massive best time in the men's 100 back (45.51).

See a full meet recap here.

Maryville University, Berry College Coaches Leave Programs

A pair of NCAA swim & dive coaches abruptly left their programs just days before conference championship meets get underway.

On Feb. 6, it was reported that Berry College (Division III) head coach Astrid Escobar had resigned from her post one week prior to the team's conference meet, the Southern Athletic Association Championships in Danville, Kentucky.

Escobar was in her third season with Berry, having been hired prior to the 2022-23 season.

First-year assistant coach Will Dubrowski is still listed on the team's website.

Shortly thereafter, Maryville University in St. Louis (Division II) head coach Savannah Erickson left the program, with team members reportedly informed on Thursday before her name and bio were removed from the team website on Friday.

Erickson was in her first season as the team’s head coach and her first season of collegiate coaching. She had spent the last six years in club coaching, including as the head coach for the Crocs Swim Team and as a coach for the Frontenac site of the Life Time Swim – Missouri site.

Assistant coach Mary Jane Woehler is still listed on the team's website.

Maryville competes in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, with championships kicking off today, Feb. 11, in Elkhart, Indiana.

Both coaches and schools did not respond to a request for comment.

NCAA Changing Transgender Policy Following Executive Order

After U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order that bans transgender athletes from competing in women's sports last week, the NCAA announced it would be shifting its policies to align with the new standard.

Trump passed the "Keeping Men out of Women's Sports" order last Wednesday, which is designed to ban transgender girls and women of all ages from competing on girls and women's sports teams.

The order states that the federal government will “rescind all funds from educational programs” that allow transgender athletes to compete in categories with men.

Later that day, NCAA President Charlie Baker issued a statement confirming that the NCAA would comply with the new order and would be reviewing its current policies in order to align them.

“We strongly believe that clear, consistent, and uniform eligibility standards would best serve today’s student-athletes instead of a patchwork of conflicting state laws and court decisions," Baker said.

"To that end, President Trump’s order provides a clear, national standard."

According to the statement, the NCAA “will continue to help foster welcoming environments on campuses for all student-athletes.” Baker also mentioned that the NCAA is ready to “assist schools as they look for ways to support any student-athlete affected by the change in the policy.”

Read more here.

NCAA Conference Championships Kick Off This Week

It's championship season in NCAA swimming & diving as the first set of Division I conference meets get underway on Wednesday before things really take off next week.

This week, we'll see the Metro Athletic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championships in Geneva, Ohio, and the Big West Conference Championships in Houston, Texas, with both meets running from Wednesday, Feb. 12 through Saturday, Feb. 15.

• Check out the MAAC fan guide here.

Next week will feature a massive slate of conference meets, headlined by the SEC Championships in Athens, Ga., the ACC Championships in Greensboro, N.C., and the Women's Big Ten Championships in Indianapolis, Ind. We'll also see the Women's Ivy League Championships in Princeton, N.J.

You can find all of our conference championship primers below:

• Division I conference primer
• Division II conference primer
• Division III conference primer
• NAIA conference primer

QUICK HITS

• The University of Texas reported the largest operating budget in history and multiple Big Ten schools found themselves in the red as college athletic departments released their budget reports for the 2024 fiscal year.
• Effective January 1, California and New York have banned per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) substances, which has resulted in certain tech suits unable to be shipped to those states.
• University of Virginia senior and former NCAA relay champion Reilly Tiltmann announced her medical retirement from competitive swimming two weeks out of the ACC Championships.
• Top-20 recruit Aiden Hammer announced he's flipping his commitment from Cal to Texas, and reclassifying from the high school class of 2026 to the class of 2025, meaning he'll begin competing with the Longhorns this coming fall.
• Former U.S. National Team Director Mark Schubert is returning to Southern California to serve as the National Team Coach for Evolution Racing Club after a brief stint in Hawaii.
• World Junior Record holder Chris Smith of South Africa has announced his commitment to the University of Virginia for this coming fall, joining a stacked class of 2025 for the Cavaliers.
• Olympic gold medalist Chris Guiliano spoke with SwimSwam's Coleman Hodges about the suspension handed to the Notre Dame men's team and how he ultimately landed at the University of Texas. Listen to the interview here.

Alex Walsh Out-Touches Gretchen By 0.01 To Earn Win With 56.85 100 Breast

NCAA to Change Transgender Participation Policy to Align with Executive Order

Berry College Head Swim Coach Astrid Escobar Resigns a Week Before Conference Championship

Maryville University Head Swim Coach Leaves Program Days Before Conference Championship Meet

NCAA Financial Reports: Texas Posts Largest Operating Budget Ever, Big Ten Schools In Trouble

2025 NCAA Swimming and Diving Conference Championships Primer – Division I