By Anya Pelshaw on SwimSwam
On average, over the last 373 days, a swimmer from the University of Virginia has broke an American Record once every 9.1 days. The group has broke 41 American Records from October 18, 2024 to October 25, 2025.
The most recent record came from Kate Douglass who swam to a World Record in the short course meters (SCM) 100 freestyle at the final World Cup stop in Toronto. Douglass became the first woman to break the 50-second mark posting a 49.93 in her win.
Douglass broke her own World (and American) Records as she swam a 50.19 at the second World Cup stop in Westmont, Illinois. That swim had broken fellow Virginia swimmer Gretchen Walsh‘s American Record of a 50.31 in the 100 free. Walsh’s swim came from the 2024 SCM World Championships last December, another swim in the last year that counts towards the total of 41.
Since 2021, Virginia swimmers have broken American Records 53 times!
— Tyler Fenwick
(@UVACoachFenwick) October 18, 2024
Virginia’s Senior Associate Head Coach Tyler Fenwick has tweeted every American Record broken by a Virginia swimmer since the 2024 World Cup series last October when the number stood at 53 records. Now, the group has combined for a total of 94 records.
The most popular meet was last December at the 2024 SCM World Championships as Virginia swimmers swam to a total of 16 American Records. The count includes swimmers who re-break their own records at the same meet, meaning for example that three of those records came from Gretchen Walsh setting an American Record in the 100 fly during prelims (53.24), semifinals (52.87), and finals (52.71).
Read the full story on SwimSwam: A Virginia Swimmer Breaks An American Record On Average Once Every Nine Days For The Last Year
