By James Sutherland on SwimSwam
The University of Virginia women’s team has been raising the bar in swimming over the past five years, developing numerous NCAA champions and rewriting the college record books. Given that excellence has become the norm in Charlottesville, it would take a lot for a newcomer to stand out and turn heads, but Bryn Greenwaldt has done just that.
Greenwaldt, who made headlines last season when she became an All-American in two sports with Augustana University, announced she was transferring to UVA this past April to pursue a Master’s of Accounting and use up her final year of eligibility.
Last season, Greenwaldt won the women’s 50 freestyle at the NCAA Division II Swimming & Diving Championships in record-setting fashion, and also placed 3rd in the 100 back and 8th in the 100 free while also earning a top-eight finish in high jump at the NCAA D2 Track & Field Championships during the same week.
Ever since her arrival at UVA in mid-August, Greenwaldt has been blowing away the coaches with not only her well-known sprinting ability, but also her versatility and work ethic.
“Having not seen Bryn train before she arrived in Charlottesville, we expected that she’d essentially be a drop-dead sprinter,” Cavalier senior associate head coach Tyler Fenwick told SwimSwam. “We didn’t anticipate her being able to handle a heavy workload. She’s shattered these expectations. Bryn has managed everything we’ve thrown at her in the first few weeks with a thorough and disciplined approach.
“It’s been fun to see her attack IM workouts and aerobic free sets while showing off excellent skills. Bryn isn’t just great at swimming on the surface but also underwater. She’s certainly impressed.”
Asked for an example of something notable Greenwaldt has done in practice thus far, Fenwick pointed to a “class relays” workout where she threw down a sub-22 50 free split–extremely impressive given the NCAA D2 record she set last year sits at 21.92.
“We split the team into three 4 x 50 freestyle relays (Pros, Upper Classmen, and newcomers),” Fenwick said. “Bryn anchored the newcomer relay, going in behind the others. She demonstrated some serious mental and physical competitiveness, closing hard and getting her hand on the wall in under 22 seconds. We’re only a few weeks into the season, and that was the first flash of her potential.
“It was a badass swim.”
Photo: Jamie Holt/Virginia Athletics
As a two-sport athlete, it’s not surprising that Greenwaldt has an unconventional approach to swimming training. She’s never trained year-round in the pool, and in high school, she only swam for three months a year. Even during her three seasons of college at Augustana, she only swam six months of the year (though that was extended a bit for the 2024 Olympic Trials).
“For me, a lot of my success in the sport comes from stepping back and making sure I am mentally and physically fresh going into the college season,” Greenwaldt said.
“That being said, I definitely don’t use the time away from the pool to slack off. I am one of the biggest advocates for cross-training, and I think that has been a huge part of my success.”
Given she was taking on a new challenge by heading to the best women’s swimming program in the country, Greenwaldt stayed in the water this past offseason, but still has not competed since NCAAs in March.
“This year, with the transition to UVA, I made sure to stay in the water during the spring and summer, but still kept it light at 2-3 days a week,” she said. “Outside of the pool, I was working out a minimum of twice a day for five days a week, with some extra workouts mixed in throughout and bonus Saturday sessions.
“I lifted five days a week and went to CrossFit three days a week, while also incorporating running, biking, high jump, and plyometric work throughout. This type of training might be viewed as unconventional, but it works for me to ensure that every season I come back stronger, more explosive, and excited to be in the pool again.”
The 21-year-old admitted that the training at UVA thus far has been a big step up from her previous experiences, but she’s relishing the opportunity to work alongside some of the country’s best and with an elite coaching staff.
“Training at UVA has been one of the most intense experiences of my career,” she said. “I’ve been extremely blessed with my past coaches and training environments, but being here has been on a whole other level entirely. Every practice demands your full focus, with almost every rep having some kind of kick/stroke count, underwater requirement, and speed change, along with consistent use of all four strokes,” she said.
“It’s been a very big adjustment, and it will only continue as the season progresses, but I am confident in the staff and team I have around me. They all push me, support me, and challenge me in ways that have already begun to make me better. It’s a whole new world here, but I am so excited to see what my final year of NCAA swimming holds.”
With the graduation of Gretchen and Alex Walsh, there will be plenty of opportunities for members of Virginia’s roster to work their way onto the ‘A’ relays this season, and Fenwick “absolutely” believes Greenwaldt could very well factor into that mix.
“This is probably the deepest team we’ve had at Virginia,” he said. “One through 28 on our roster will be highly competitive. Bryn certainly has the ability and drive to be a major player in February and March. She’s been awesome, and we’re excited to watch her development and impact this season!”
As for her future in track and field, Greenwaldt hasn’t completely closed that door, though she acknowledges that when she decided to come and swim at Virginia, it probably meant high jump was going on the back burner.
“Honestly, I am still trying to determine what the rest of my track career looks like,” she said. “I’ve been in contact with the UVA track coaches, and I am very hopeful that I am able to continue pursuing that part of my life, although it would look very different from what it did at Augustana.
“That being said, I feel like God called me to search for something new, and when you get that call, you don’t say no. I knew coming to a school as dominant as Virginia might mean having to take a step back from track, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to train with the best swim team and coaching staff in the country. There is so much here that I am so excited to experience, and I am still holding out hope that track might be a part of that journey.”
Read the full story on SwimSwam: Dual Sport All-American Bryn Greenwaldt Wastes No Time Impressing At Virginia
