Meet Kate Douglass, Gretchen Walsh, and More Virginia Cavaliers Gearing Up for Paris Olympics 2024

The University of Virginia swim team stood head and shoulders above everyone else at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Among the athletes from the many prestigious institutions, UVA is sending five of it’s women to represent Team USA in Paris. Thanks to the efforts of its athletes and coach Todd DeSorbo, the Virginia Cavaliers dominated the pool in Lucas Oil Stadium.

Kate Douglass put on a masterclass, qualifying for her second Olympics. The 2020 Summer Olympics bronze medalist in the 200 m medley won three individual events. The 22-year-old won the 200m breaststroke, 100m freestyle, and 200m medley. During the 200m medley, the former UVA swimmer broke her own record.

Besides competing in these three races, the 14x World Championships medalist is likely to be part of multiple relay events. It seems Virginia Cavaliers athletes were their own biggest competition because Douglass’s epic performance made things precarious for Alex Walsh. The 26x ACC and 19x NCAA title winner had to wait until the second last day to find out if she had qualified.

Alex Walsh finished second in the 200m medley and will participate in that event in Paris. However, it remains to be seen if the 2020 Olympic medalist will find a spot in a relay team. Meanwhile, her 21-year-old sister gave a historic performance at the Trials. Gretchen Walsh, who earned Virginia Cavaliers 7 golds at the 2024 NCAA Championships, set a new world record.

She broke the 100m fly record during the prelims and won the finals. The younger Walsh took silver in the 50m freestyle and bronze in the 100m freestyle. The Virginia Cavaliers star also booked a birth on the 4x100m relay alongside Kate Douglass. The 3x world championships medalist may also find a spot on other relay rosters. However, Emma Weber’s entry came as a surprise.

The three All-Americans defeated one of the event favorites, Lydia Jacoby, in the 100m. Weber finished the race in 1:06.10s behind Kate Douglass. Finally, another former UVA athlete, Paige Madden, qualified for her second Olympics. While Madden tired, she couldn’t beat Kate Ledecky in the 400m and 800m freestyle. However, it was good enough as besides these events she’ll also represent Team USA in the 4x200m race in Paris. Although it may seem like all the talent is in UVA, the Cavaliers have an X-factor.

How Virginia Cavaliers became the home of women’s swimming excellence

Besides sending five women to the Paris Olympics, the Virginia Cavaliers head coach will also act as the U.S. swimming team’s head coach in Paris. That’s because 47-year-old Todd DeSorbo has been a miracle worker for UVA’s swimming team. “I don’t know that anybody in the country would’ve believed that we had won four in a row you know six or seven years ago,” DeSorbo told CBS News after the trials.

While he “felt confident” about the prospects of UVA, it took years of hard work to make it click. The humble DeSorbo refused to take credit. However, the Virginia Cavaliers’ stellar results speak for themselves. After three years of coaching, DeSorbo led the women’s team to NCAA gold in 2021. Since then, they have won the title 3 more times consecutively. The Virginia Cavaliers coach has also won the CSCAA and ACC Women’s Coach of the Year title 4 times since 2021.

However, Todd DeSorbo also praised the special talent pool that has gathered at the UVA over the last four years. It’s the joint efforts of world-class athletes and their coach that’s put the Cavaliers on the path to Olympic glory.