Virginia Sweeps ACC Women's Swimming Awards for Fifth-Straight Season
In case you haven't been paying attention, the Virginia women's swimming & diving team has officially reached dynasty status. A month after winning their fourth-consecutive national title, the Cavaliers have swept the ACC Women's Swimming awards for the fifth year in a row, as Gretchen Walsh, Cavan Gormsen, and Todd DeSorbo have been named the ACC Women's Swimmer of the Year, Women's Freshman of the Year, and Women's Swimming Coach of the Year, respectively.
For Gretchen Walsh, this is just the latest in a long list of accolades recognizing one of the greatest individual performances in collegiate swimming history. Walsh won every single race in which she competed this season, winning seven titles at both the ACC Championships and NCAA Championships. She broke four American records at the ACC Championships and then turned in the fastest times ever recorded in each of her three individual swims at the NCAA Championships. Walsh adds ACC Women's Swimmer of the Year to her resume that includes: 2023-2024 College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Swimmer of the Year, 2024 ACC Championships Most Valuable Swimmer, 21-time All-American, 18-time NCAA Champion.
Last five ACC Women's Swimmers of the Year:
2019-2020: Paige Madden, Virginia
2020-2021: Paige Madden, Virginia
2021-2022: Kate Douglass, Virginia
2022-2023: Kate Douglass, Virginia
2023-2024: Gretchen Walsh, Virginia
In her first season at Virginia, Cavan Gormsen won the ACC titles in the 1650-yard freestyle and 500-yard freestyle and added a fourth place finish in the 200-yard freestyle. At NCAAs, Gormsen earned a First-Team All-America selection with a fifth-place finish in the 500-yard freestyle, a race she finished in 4:35.37 for the fifth-fastest time in program history.
Last five ACC Women's Freshmen of the Year:
2019-2020: Kate Douglass, Virginia
2020-2021: Alex Walsh, Virginia
2021-2022: Gretchen Walsh, Virginia
2022-2023: Aimee Canny, Virginia
2023-2024: Cavan Gormsen, Virginia
Of course, Todd DeSorbo was named the ACC Women's Swimming Coach of the Year for the fifth-straight year on top of being named the CSCAA Women's Swimming Coach of the Year for the fourth year in a row. DeSorbo coached the Cavaliers to their fourth-straight national title, becoming just the third program to win four championships in a row. 13 of Virginia's 18 competitors earned First-Team All-America selections at the meet and five different Cavaliers won gold medals. DeSorbo will serve as the women's swimming head coach for Team USA at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Last Five ACC Women's Swimming Coaches of the Year:
2019-2020: Todd DeSorbo, Virginia
2020-2021: Todd DeSorbo, Virginia
2021-2022: Todd DeSorbo, Virginia
2022-2023: Todd DeSorbo, Virginia
2023-2024: Todd DeSorbo, Virginia