2026 College Swimming Previews: Curzan, Grimes Lead 1 Virginia Women Into Post-Walsh Era ...Middle East

By James Sutherland on SwimSwam

It’s that time of the year again. SwimSwam will be previewing the top 12 men’s and women’s teams (and then some) from the 2025 NCAA Championships. Follow along with the College Swimming Preview Channel. Want to read even more? Check out the latest edition of the SwimSwam magazine. 

Women’s #1: Virginia Cavaliers

Key Losses: Gretchen Walsh (60 NCAA points, 4 NCAA relays), Alex Walsh (54 NCAA points, 4 NCAA relays), Maxine Parker (15 NCAA points, 2 NCAA relays), Elizabeth Kaye (6 NCAA points)

Key Additions: #4 Madi Mintenko (CO – free/back), #17 Raya Mellott (CA – breast), HM Sophia Umstead (MI – breast/IM), BOTR Sylvia Roy (PA – free/back), BOTR Lily Gormsen (NY – distance free), Sara Curtis (Italy – sprint free/back), Lana Pudar (Bosnia and Herzegovina – fly), Melissa Nwakalor (Richmond transfer – sprint free), Bryn Greenwaldt (Augustana transfer – sprint free/back)

GRADING CRITERIA

Over the years, we’ve gone back and forth on how to project points, ranging from largely subjective rankings to more data-based grading criteria based on ‘projected returning points.’ We like being as objective as possible, but we’re going to stick with the approach we’ve adopted post-Covid. The “stars” will rely heavily on what swimmers actually did last year, but we’ll also give credit to returning swimmers or freshmen who have posted times that would have scored last year.

Since we only profile the top 12 teams in this format, our grades are designed with that range in mind. In the grand scheme of college swimming and compared to all other college programs, top 12 NCAA programs would pretty much all grade well across the board. But in the interest of making these previews informative, our grading scale is tough – designed to show the tiers between the good stroke groups, the great ones, and the 2015 Texas fly group types.

We’ll grade each event discipline: sprint free (which we define to include all the relay-distance freestyle events, so 50, 100 and 200), distance free, IM, breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly and diving. Use these grades as a jumping-off point for discussion, rather than a reason to be angry.

Also, keep in mind that we are publishing many of these previews before teams have posted finalized rosters. We’re making our assessments based on the best information we have available at the time of publication, but we reserve the right to make changes after publication based on any new information that may emerge regarding rosters. If that does happen, we’ll make certain to note the change.

2024-25 Lookback

It was another dominant season for Virginia in 2024-25, as the Cavalier women rolled to their sixth straight ACC title and then followed up by completing the five-peat and securing their fifth consecutive NCAA Championship title.

Gretchen Walsh was as dominant as ever, setting new NCAA, American and U.S. Open Records in the 100 free (44.71), 100 fly (46.97), and matching her record in the 50 free (20.37), en route to sweeping her individual events at NCAAs and scoring the maximum 60 points for the second straight year. Over four years of eligibility, Walsh scored 231 out of a possible 240 individual points.

Already having won national titles in the 200 breast, 200 fly, 200 IM and 400 IM, Alex Walsh won an NCAA championship in a fifth different event in her fifth year, topping the 100 breast (56.49) while placing 2nd in the 200 fly and 200 IM to score 54 points.

Last season also marked the return to collegiate competition for Claire Curzan, who announced her transfer to UVA from Stanford in the summer of 2023, but sat out of the 2023-24 campaign while training in Charlottesville.

It ended up being a phenomenal season for Curzan, as she broke the NCAA and American Record in the 200 back at the midseason Tennessee Invite in 1:46.87 and then re-lowered it en route to reclaiming the NCAA title in the event (1:46.82) after initially winning it as a freshman in 2023.

Curzan also won the NCAA title in the 100 back (49.11) and was the runner-up to teammate Walsh in the 50 free (21.11), set new best times in both.

Shortly after the start of last season, news broke that Olympic medalist Katie Grimes was joining the Cavaliers for the second semester. Though not at her absolute best, Grimes still showed her value quickly, winning ACC titles in the 500 free and 400 IM and then scoring 34 points at NCAAs.

Anna Moesch was a freestyle force during her freshman year, proving to be a key relay piece while scoring 29 individual points with a 4th-place finish in the 100 free and a 5th-place finish in the 200 free.

Leah Hayes, Aimee Canny, Cavan Gormsen, Maxine Parker, Tess Howley and Emma Weber were also key contributors with double-digit points, while Charlotte Wilson and Elizabeth Kaye also chipped in with six apiece.

The relays were once again a major area of strength for Virginia. They won the 200 free, 400 free, 200 medley and 400 medley relays for the fourth straight time at NCAAs, giving Gretchen Walsh a perfect 16-for-16 NCAA relay record, and they took 2nd in the 800 free relay to score 194 out of a possible 200 relay points.

At the ACC Championships, despite the addition of Stanford and Cal, the Cavs comfortably won their sixth straight title by 310.5 points, while at NCAAs, they cruised past the runner-up Cardinal by 127 points.

Sprint Free: ★★★★★

Virginia is losing the reigning national champion in the 50 and 100 free in Gretchen Walsh, but they’ve still got a formidable returning sprint free group, not to mention a stacked incoming class.

Claire Curzan was the NCAA runner-up to Walsh in the 50 last year and takes over as the favorite this season, having clocked a PB of 21.11 in last season’s final.

Curzan is also ultra elite in the 100 free (46.74) and 200 free (1:41.99), and though those two events won’t factor into her individual schedule, she’s incredibly valuable to the relays.

Anna Moesch was a highly touted recruit in this discipline, but performed even better than expected, including setting a blistering new best time of 46.76 in the 100 free at the Tennessee Invitational. She went on to place 4th at NCAAs in the 100 free (46.94) while taking 5th in the 200 free (1:42.39) in a new best time. Her season-best of 21.84 in the 50 free was just shy of her PB from high school (21.73), and her 21.92 swim in the NCAA prelims placed 20th and missed out on scoring by three one-hundredths.

After scoring 29 points in the 100 and 200 free as a freshman, Moesch projects to score even more as a sophomore. She’ll be in a similar range in the 100 and 200 (3rd-5th at NCAAs), but look for her to score in the 50 after she delivered several relay splits of 21.50 or faster, led by a 21.29 from the Tennessee Invite.

The other returning scorer in a sprint free event is Aimee Canny, who won the ACC title in the 200 free with a personal best of 1:42.00. She then went 1:43.86 in the NCAA prelims, relegating her to the ‘B’ final, though she touched first in 1:42.57 to score nine points.

Canny was also 47.96 in the 100 free last season, but will likely swim the 200 breast at NCAAs like she did last year, having made the ‘A’ final and placed 7th.

There’s a massive influx of scoring potential joining the roster this season, with international freshman Sara Curtis, domestic recruit Madi Mintenko, and transfers Bryn Greenwaldt and Melissa Nwakalor all owning elite best times in the sprints.

Curtis joins UVA as the Italian Record holder in the women’s 50 free (24.41) and 100 free (53.01) in long course meters, giving her conversions of 21.27/46.31, putting her near the top of the ‘A’ final in both events.

Mintenko projects to be an ‘A’ finalist in the 200 free with her best time of 1:43.20, which is 1:42-flat when adjusted for altitude. She’s also right on the cusp of the top eight in the 100 free, with her PB of 47.47 one-tenth back of what it took to make the 2025 championship final. She likely swims the 500 free over the 50, but is strong there as well with a best time of 22.06.

Greenwaldt, the reigning NCAA Division II champion in the 50 free who transferred from Augustana, has a best time of 21.92 and already split a scintillating 21.13 over the weekend in her UVA debut. She’s trending towards being an ‘A’ finalist in the 50 free, and in the 100 free, she’s got some potential to make an impact, though she’ll need to drop more than a second from her best time of 49.03.

Nwakalor, the 2025 Atlantic 10 champion in the 50 and 100 free and an NCAA qualifier, owns best times of 21.98/48.78 set last February, putting her in position to be a top-16 finisher in the 50 and an asset in the 100 free, though, like Greenwaldt, points aren’t a certainty in that event.

Another recruit, Sylvia Roy, is a strong sprint freestyler with bests of 22.57/49.13, while Bosnia and Herzegovinian fly specialist Lana Pudar has notable long course best times (26.65/55.91/2:01.99) that give her 23.28/48.78/1:47.01 conversions.

The returning group of Cavalier swimmers also includes Cavan Gormsen, who has finished 23rd in the 200 free two straight times at NCAAs, clocking 1:44.35 in 2024 and 1:44.69 last season (with a 1:44.32 PB from the 2024 ACCs). If she can set a best time in the NCAA prelims, something 1:44.2 or faster, she should be able to get a second swim.

Leah Hayes likely won’t swim the 100 or 200 free individually when it comes to NCAAs, but she is an asset for the team throughout the season after clocking 48.84/1:44.40 at the midseason Tennessee Invitational in November 2024.

Katie Grimes is another swimmer who brings some pedigree in the 200 free to the table, though it likely doesn’t figure into her individual schedule due to its proximity to the 400 IM. After joining the team last January, Grimes set a season-best of 1:44.89 in early February and then split 1:42.97 on the NCAA 800 free relay. Her flat-start best time stands at 1:42.90 from December 2023.

Bailey Hartman (1:45.91) and Maggie Schalow (1:46.26) add to the eam’s 200 free depth, while freshmen Allison Bischoff (23.7/50.7/1:48.7) and Lily Gormsen (50.5/1:48.2) will be key pieces in the future.

Distance Free: ★★★★★

Katie Grimes has best times that would have comfortably won the NCAA titles in the women’s 500 and 1650 free last season, but in her first semester of college, she was just a tick off top form.

She still won the ACC title in the 500 free (4:32.69), and then produced a time of 4:34.25 in the NCAA ‘A’ final to place 4th, out-touching teammate Cavan Gormsen (4:34.51) in 5th.

Grimes, who didn’t race the 1650 free at ACCs, took it on at NCAAs, but it felt as though that was just the clearest path for points for the Cavaliers in the team race, and it wasn’t an event she had trained for the few months prior. She ended up placing 13th in 15:56.31, 30 seconds off her PB from December 2022 (15:26.17). She was, however, only three months removed from winning bronze in the 800 free at the 2024 Short Course World Championships in a lifetime best of 8:05.90.

At her best, Grimes could win both races at NCAAs, but it’s unclear if she’ll be able to reach the peak form she showed while with the Sandpipers. With defending NCAA champion Jillian Cox looking formidable, and Grimes’ club teammate Claire Weinstein joining the NCAA, Grimes might be #3 on the depth chart coming into the season in these two events—and we also can’t forget about her other Sandpiper teammate, Bella Sims, who won the 500 free title in 2024.

Grimes is talented enough that she could opt to focus on the 200 back or 200 fly as her Day 4 event at NCAAs over the mile, but right now the 1650 is clearly the event where she has a higher ceiling.

Gormsen, whose time of 4:34.51 in the 500 free NCAA final was a personal best, was also 12th in the 1650 in a time of 15:55.13, just shy of the lifetime best she set the month prior en route to taking 3rd at ACCs (15:54.05).

Joining Grimes and Gormsen as a surefire NCAA scorer in distance free is Madi Mintenko, the #2 500 freestyler in the 2025 recruiting class, with her best time of 4:36.66 being good enough to crack the NCAA ‘A’ final.

The addition of Mintenko realistically means UVA could have three of the top six finishers in the 500 free next season, and they might even claim half the lines in the championship final if Aimee Canny can recreate what she did at last season’s Tennessee Invitational.

Canny put up a lifetime best of 4:35.43 last November, and then was 4:36.31 at ACCs (4th) and 4:41.96 at NCAAs (38th). If she can reverse that trend and get faster throughout the season, she’s a lock for the ‘A’ final. Even her time from ACCs would’ve comfortably made the top eight.

Bailey Hartman was 4:39.36 in the 500 free at ACCs last season as a freshman and went on to take 26th at NCAAs (4:39.89). That’s well shy of her lifetime best of 4:33.72 from December 2022, and with a revamped distance training group, perhaps she can get closer to being back in the mid-4:30s (4:35-37) and earn a second swim at NCAAs.

Adding depth to the group is Sophia Knapp (4:41.80/16:11.02), Tess Howley (4:43.1) and newcomers Lily Gormsen (4:46.0/16:27) and Allison Bischoff (4:51.5/16:54).

Backstroke: ★★★★★

Virginia’s backstroke group is spearheaded by the defending national champion in both distances, Claire Curzan, who emerged victorious in a pair of close battles with Florida’s Bella Sims last season.

Curzan became the first woman in history to break 1:47 in the 200 back in November (1:46.87) and then re-broke her American Record at NCAAs, clocking 1:46.82 to top Sims (1:47.11) and reclaim the NCAA title she initially won as a freshman at Stanford in 2023.

One day earlier in the 100 back, Curzan (49.11) out-touched Sims (49.12) in the 100 back final to win the national title and move to #4 all-time in the event–Sims was notably quicker at the SEC Championships one month earlier (48.97).

Curzan returns as the favorite to defend her titles in both races, though Sims will once again pose a big threat. However, with Sims transferring to Michigan, perhaps we see her back in the 200 free at NCAAs, which would leave her out of the 100 back.

Virginia’s other returning scoring backstroke is rising sophomore Charlotte Wilson, who had a successful freshman year and notched an 11th-place finish at NCAAs in the 200 back with a personal best showing of 1:51.28. In the 100 back, Wilson was 28th in 51.76 after setting a PB of 51.68 at the Cavalier Invitational in early February. The scoring cut-off last season was 51.20, so she’s about a half-second drop away from being a double-event scorer.

Carly Novelline also owned a season-best of 51.68 last season, though she was 40th at NCAAs (52.32), while Tess Howley placed 35th at NCAAs in 52.06 after setting a lifetime best of 51.99 at the 2024 NCAAs.

Howley won’t swim the 200 back at NCAAs, but she did set a noteworthy best time of 1:52.15 at ACCs to place 7th, while Katie Grimes swam the event once, at the Eddie Reese Showdown in January, and posted a solid time of 1:51.55.

The Cavaliers are getting a significant backstroke addition in the form of Sara Curtis, who owns a 100 back best time of 57.17 in short course meters that converts to 51.50. That’s a very conservative conversion, and given her underwater abilities, it wouldn’t be surprising to see her sub-50. Curtis is also the World Junior Record holder in the SCM 50 back (26.03), and likely slots in as the lead-off swimmer on UVA’s 200 medley relay–which could free up Claire Curzan to swim the 800 free relay (or move to fly in the 200 medley).

There will also be a nice boost from the other newcomers, including Madi Mintenko (51.58/1:54.02), Bryn Greenwaldt (52.49) and Sylvia Roy (52.53/1:56.43) all owning quick best times. Mintenko will focus on freestyle at NCAAs, but Greenwaldt seems bound to make big strides at UVA, making it possible she cuts one second-plus off her 100 back time and potentially cracks the top 16.

Breaststroke: ★★★½

The Virginia women have won at least one breaststroke event at NCAAs in every season dating back to 2022, including a breaststroke sweep in 2024, but the run may be coming to an end this year.

After Kate Douglass went back-to-back in the 200 breast in 2022 and 2023, Jasmine Nocentini claimed the 100 breast title in 2024 while Alex Walsh took the 200 title. Last season, though UVA’s streak in the 200 breast ended, Walsh was victorious in the 100 breast, giving the Cavaliers five of the last eight NCAA titles handed out in the stroke.

Although another breaststroke victory is unlikely, it’s not entirely out of the question and UVA does have a decent scoring outlook in the discipline.

Emma Weber was a 2024 U.S. Olympian in the 100 breast and returns for her senior year coming off consecutive 11th-place finishes in the event at NCAAs. Weber set a personal best time of 58.18 at the Eddie Reese Showdown last January before going 58.46/58.35 at NCAAs to take 11th. The cut-off for the top eight last season was 58.30, and with three of last season’s ‘A’ finalists graduating, perhaps Weber can return to the championship heat after placing 8th as a freshman in 2023.

In the 200 breast, Weber set a best time of 2:06.97 at the Eddie Reese Showdown last season and then hit a pair of 2:07-highs at NCAAs to place 12th. She’s capable of being an ‘A’ finalist here too, but the 100 breast is more likely.

The other returning scorer for Virginia is Aimee Canny, who set a personal best of 2:06.70 in the 200 breast at the Tennessee Invite last November and then was 2:06.75 at ACCs to place 3rd and ultimately 7th at NCAAs (2:07.20/2:07.41). She’s a good bet to be back in the ‘A’ final this season. The South African native was also 58.47 in the 100 breast last season, though that won’t factor into her NCAA schedule.

Medley specialist Leah Hayes will likely use the 200 breast as her #3 event again this season, having finished 17th last year in 2:08.69 after setting a PB of 2:07.85 at ACCs. Hayes is not only capable of earning a second swim, but she’s not far off what it took to make the ‘A’ final last season (2:07.60).

Zoe Skirboll was 28th in both breaststroke events last season at NCAAs (59.46/2:09.83), while Katie Christopherson was 47th in the 100 breast (1:01.27) and 37th in the 200 breast (2:10.27). A rising sophomore, Christopherson owns personal bests of 59.91/2:07.81 from high school, so it will be something to watch for if she’s able to get closer to those times in her second year in Charlottesville.

The Cavs also gain one of the top breaststrokers in the girls’ high school class of 2025, Raya Mellott, who enters with best times of 59.53 and 2:09.53, putting her within six-tenths of scoring in the 100 breast and within a second in the 200 breast. Both of those best times stem from 2023, however, and her season-bests from 2024-25 stood at 1:00.55/2:10.32, she’ll need to take a step in her freshman year if she’s to be an immediate scorer.

Another breaststroke recruit joining the team is Sophia Umstead, who brings some potential with bests of 1:00.2/2:11.1, while Emma Redman returns for her sophomore year after setting bests of 1:00.7/2:11.2 last season.

Butterfly: ★★★★

The Cavaliers had three of the five fastest women in the 100 fly last season and two of the top five in the 200 fly, but lose three of those five swims with the graduation of the Walsh sisters.

Claire Curzan was one of just four swimmers who broke 50 seconds in the 100 fly last season, clocking 49.02 to earn a runner-up finish at ACCs, and with Gretchen Walsh and Emma Sticklen graduating, Curzan ranks #2 coming into the season based on last year’s times behind her former Stanford teammate Torri Huske.

However, Curzan likely won’t race the 100 fly at NCAAs this season, just as she didn’t last year, due to its proximity to the 100 back, where she’s the defending national champion. She did do the double in 2023, but after she was 2nd last season in the 50 free, it’s hard to imagine her swapping that out for the 100 fly this year.

With Gretchen Walsh (100 fly champion) and Alex Walsh (200 fly runner-up) graduating, the lone returning butterfly scorer for UVA is Tess Howley, who was 4th in the 200 fly last season in a lifetime best of 1:51.79. Sticklen and Walsh went 1-2 last year, making Caroline Bricker the only returning swimmer who finished ahead of Howley at NCAAs last season (Texas’ Campbell Stoll was also faster at SECs – 1:51.64).

Virginia had three women contest both fly events last season, two of which were fairly close to scoring. Carly Novelline was 23rd in the 100 fly (51.81) and tied for 21st in the 200 fly (1:54.73), Bailey Hartman was 19th in the 100 fly (51.57) and 20th in the 200 fly (1:54.68), and Maggie Schalow took 31st in the 100 fly (52.11) and 38th in the 200 fly (1:55.98) after going 51.74/1:55.98 earlier in the season.

Novelline was a bit quicker earlier in the campaign, posting times of 51.50/1:54.23, which are incredibly close to what it took to score at NCAAs (51.35/1:54.16).

Another notable returner in the 200 fly is Katie Grimes, who went 1:53.23 during an early January dual with Virginia Tech before placing 5th at ACCs (1:53.63). It’s more likely she races the 1650 free at NCAAs, but it’s not out of the question she shifts to the 200 back or fly, where she could be a scorer.

The Cavs are also getting one of the most sought-after international recruits in this year’s freshman class in Lana Pudar, a two-time World Championship medalist and the 2022 European champion in the 200 fly.

The Bosnia and Herzegovina native owns ultra elite long course best times of 56.95 and 2:06.26 in the 100 and 200 fly, which convert to 50.04 and 1:51.22, putting her right near the top of the NCAA.

However, the 19-year-old notably did not swim at the 2025 World Championships and her fastest times from this past long course season are 58.90/2:10.85, so she’s not heading to Charlottesville riding career-best form. Even if she doesn’t return to her peak 2023 form this year, she’s more than likely still an ‘A’ finalist in both races.

Domestic recruit Madi Mintenko also comes in with strong butterfly times (51.50/1:55.87), though she likely will only swim freestyle when it comes to NCAAs. Fellow first-year Sophia Umstead also comes in with a solid 53.3 100 fly time.

Italian sprinter Sara Curtis has also shown some speed in fly in the past, though her primary focus will be free and back. She’s been 26.96 in the long course 50 fly and 57.98 in the short course 100 fly, the latter giving her a yards conversion of 52.23.

IM: ★★★★

Much like breaststroke, individual medley has been a dominant discipline for Virginia in recent years. After Alex Walsh won the 200 IM as a freshman in 2021, the Cavaliers swept the 200 and 400 IM in 2022 (Walsh sweep), 2023 (Douglass 200 IM, Walsh 400 IM) and 2024 (Walsh sweep), and then the streak came to an end last year when Walsh was the 200 IM runner-up to Torri Huske.

The Cavaliers’ best shot at a medley title this season lies in the hands of Katie Grimes, who was one of the pre-race favorites last year in the 400 IM at NCAAs but ultimately ended up 4th in 4:01.10 after winning the ACC title one month prior in 3:59.69.

Grimes will need to be close to her lifetime best of 3:57.02 if she’s to dethrone Caroline Bricker this season, with Bricker having won the 2025 NCAA title in a big best time of 3:57.36.

Their other returning IM scorer is fellow sophomore Leah Hayes, who was just behind Grimes in the 400 IM in 5th (4:01.62) and topped the ‘B’ final of the 200 IM (1:53.71) to take 9th. Hayes is capable of being an ‘A’ finalist in both events this season.

Grimes (1:55.62) and Aimee Canny (1:55.63) were the team’s next fastest 200 IMers last season, while Katie Christopherson (1:56.35), Zoe Skirboll (1:56.97), Emma Weber (1:57.41) and Charlotte Wilson (1:57.44) all swam the event at NCAAs, with Skirboll being their top finisher outside of Hayes in 36th.

Emma Redman (1:57.25/4:11.08) also brings some medley pedigree to the table, while incoming freshman Madi Mintenko is a strong 200 IMer (1:56.36), and first-year Sophia Umstead (1:57.50/4:16.04) also has some potential. Breaststroker Raya Mellott owns a 200 IM best of 2:00.63 and will likely race it as her #3 event.

Diving: N/A

It was announced on March 1 that Virginia won’t sponsor a diving program this season.

Relays: ★★★★★

Note that the grading system doesn’t align perfectly for relays as double points.

Relay grading system:

Virginia has gone undefeated in the 200 and 400-yard relays for four straight seasons, with Gretchen Walsh having been a part of all 16 of those victories.

Now, with Walsh gone, the Cavs will need to reshuffle their relays in a big way, though they’re certainly still national title favorites in the 200 and 400 free and medleys.

The team loses 10 of their 20 relay legs from NCAAs last year, with the Walsh sisters having done four apiece and Maxine Parker also swimming on the victorious 200 free and 400 medley relays.

However, in their absence, there’s plenty of talented names to help fill in the gaps.

Virginia’s Relay Outlook

The 200 free relay loses the fastest 50 freestyler in history in Walsh, along with Parker, but the additions of Sara Curtis, Bryn Greenwaldt and Melissa Nwakalor gives them three new swimmers who have gone 21-point from a flat start, and coupling that with Claire Curzan, arguably the NCAA title favorite in the 50 free (with Curtis being one of her potential contenders) and Anna Moesch puts the Cavs in a great position in this relay.

The 400 free relay is in a very similar spot, losing the Walsh sisters but retaining Curzan and Moesch, who were both 46.7 from a flat start last year. Aimee Canny may factor into this relay after she was 47.96 last season, though Madi Mintenko joins the team with an elite best time of 47.47 and Curtis is likely in the lineup as well given her LC time of 53.01 (converting to 46.31). Either way, they have to be NCAA favorites here as well.

The 800 free relay has been the one in which Virginia hasn’t been a dominant force, though they did win the NCAA title in 2023 and were the runners-up last season. With Canny, Moesch and Grimes returning from last year’s team, all having split 1:42 at NCAAs, UVA will be in good shape as they can either add Curzan to this relay or simply slot in Mintenko. Curzan could give lead-off duties on the 200 medley relay over to Curtis, which would free her up to do the 800 free relay, having been 1:41.99 at the Cavalier Invite last season in the 200 free. Mintenko has been 1:43.26 in the 200 free, so either is a good option. Stanford is the defending champion, but UVA should give them a good run.

As mentioned, Curtis could take lead-off duties from Curzan in the 200 medley relay, but either way they’re in good shape on the backstroke leg. Emma Weber figures to take over on breast, and butterfly is a bit of a question mark, with Curzan potentially being the resolution (which would knock her out of the 800 free relay after all). They’re in good shape on the anchor leg with Moesch, Greenwaldt or Nwakalor.

The same goes for the 400 medley, though that one could end up being Curzan on back, Weber on breast and Lana Pudar on fly, and then likely Moesch on free. Moving Curtis to back and Curzan to fly is also an option here.

All of this is to say Virginia isn’t sweating despite losing the Walsh sisters, especially with Gretchen essentially being a cheat code en route to victory in the sprint relays throughout her career. They’re in position to defend their titles in the 200 free, 400 free, 200 medley and 400 medley, and they could sweep them all realistically, given their depth in the 200 free.

Total Stars: 31.5/40

2025-26 Outlook

Losing two of the best athletes college swimming has ever seen at the same time would normally result in a down year for any program, but that’s not the case for the Virginia women.

The dynasty enters a new era without the Walsh sisters, but the team shows no signs of slowing down with individual NCAA title contenders in Claire Curzan and Katie Grimes, six other returning double-digit scorers from last year, and a talented recruiting class led by international freshmen Sara Curtis and Lana Pudar , and transfers Bryn Greenwaldt and Melissa Nwakalor.

The team doesn’t have the same high-end without the Walshes, but the depth is unmatched, making them the odds-on favorites to win a sixth straight national title in March.

WOMEN’S 2025-26 COLLEGE PREVIEW INDEX

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