2024 Cavalier Invitational
- February 6-8, 2025
- College of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
- Brief Course Yards (25 yards), Prelims/Finals
- Day 1 Recap
- Full Meet Outcomes
After the Walsh sisters’ breaststroke theatrics had been the spotlight of Friday’s racing on the 2025 Cavalier Invitational, Saturday’s session was quieter, with a lot of the large names in attendance utilizing it as a pre-taper racing alternative.
The spotlight of Saturday’s motion was Olympic silver medalist Katie Grimes, who joined the Cavaliers’ roster for the spring semester, breaking the longest-standing Pool File on the Virginia Aquatic and Health Heart.
Within the 1650 free, she swam 15:53.40 which broke the outdated document of 15:58.46 set by Cara Lane in 2001 on the ACC Championships. That was the second-to-last time Virginia hosted ACCs (2004 was the newest incidence after larger services in Atlanta, Christiansburg, and Greensboro took over most of these duties.
With the 1650 free not usually swum at twin meets, and restricted championship meets in Charlottesville, the pool document stood for nearly 24 years.
Grimes’ lifetime finest is a 15:26.17 from the 2022 Winter Juniors East, which is already 11 seconds higher than the profitable time from final yr’s NCAA Championship meet. Her 15:53 from Saturday would have positioned her sixth at NCAAs final season.
One of many large surprises got here within the males’s 200 again last the place Virginia junior Teddy Cross gained the race in 1:42.76. That’s simply over a one-second enchancment for the swimmer who transferred from Loyola (Maryland) earlier than the 2023-2024 season with a finest time of 1:45 on this occasion.
He additionally swam finest instances within the 100 again (47.22) and 200 IM (1:47.00) on the meet. Cross wasn’t on the staff’s ACC Championship roster final yr, although a 1:42 would have put him within the B-Closing. This was a weak occasion for the Cavaliers final season, although the return of Nationwide Teamer Jack Aikins to varsity competitors helps them in that space.
The opposite main end result from the weekend got here from Richmond sophomore Melissa Nwakalor, who took three-tenths of a second off her faculty document within the 50 free, swimming 21.98. That additionally units the Atlantic 10 Convention File. That point would have simply certified for final yr’s NCAA Championship meet.
Different Meet Highlights
- Johns Hopkins freshman Jack Cornish gained the 1650 free in 15:36.51, a time that ranks him sixth in D3 swimming this season.
- Virginia freshman Charlotte Wilson gained the 200 again by greater than three seconds in 1:53.02, knocking six-tenths off her lifetime finest. It took 1:54.01 for an NCAA invite on this race final season, in order that swim ought to lock her in.
- Virginia’s Joe Castagno went sub-two minutes within the 200 breaststroke for the primary time, profitable in 1:58.95 within the last.
- Virginia’s Tess Howley swam 1:53.30 within the 200 fly last.
- The Johns Hopkins relays went a number of finest instances on the meet, together with in each 400 free relays to shut the occasion. The ladies swam 3:25.71 and the boys swam 3:00.31, led by a 43.80 cut up from Avery Clapp. Johns Hopkins doesn’t have a convention championship meet.
