NCAA swimming has taken off in the past decade and has seen many star athletes break barriers that, not too long ago, were viewed by the swimming community as impossible. 

Ever since Caeleb Dressel revolutionized the sprint events, taking the sprint freestyle and butterfly events to a level previously thought to be unattainable, this trend of fast swimming has continued.

With names such as Dressel and more recently Leon Marchand, arguments about who is the greatest short-course swimmer have emerged. 

Although both Dressel and Marchand have taken the sport of swimming to unprecedented heights, the University of Virginia’s sprint powerhouse Gretchen Walsh’s recent record rampage earns her the right to be called the greatest short-course swimmer of all time.

Gretchen Walsh’s NCAA swimming career has been nothing short of insane. She currently holds the NCAA, American and US Open records in the 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 100 backstroke and 100 butterfly.

Her 100 butterfly time of 46.97 seconds would not only have placed sixth in the women’s 100 freestyle at NCAAs but also would be considered a respectable time for a man: this time would be in the top 200 men’s times in division one this year.

Walsh was also a part of all five of UVA’s relays that hold the NCAA and US Open records. 

Although the 50 backstroke and 100 individual medley are not officially recorded events in short course yards, she holds the unofficial records in those events. 

In addition, Walsh holds the fastest all-time flying-start relay splits in the 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 50 butterfly and 100 butterfly. 

Not only is she the only woman to have split under 20 seconds in the 50 freestyle (from a flying start), but she has also split 20.87 in the 50 butterfly, which is faster than all but three flying-start 50 freestyle splits at NCAAs this year across both the 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays.

Another factor that sets Gretchen Walsh apart from most other swimmers is that she also has a very fast 100-yard breaststroke time (56.86 seconds), which was only topped by one other person this year.

If Gretchen Walsh were her own 4×100-yard medley relay, her flat-start best times would add up to 3:16.64. The second fastest individual sum would be over six seconds behind. 

It is exceptionally rare to see this level of talent in one event, let alone the versatility of events displayed by Gretchen Walsh.

The difference is in her underwaters: she destroys everyone in the first 15 meters and off of every turn. Even though she is consistently dead last off the blocks (largely due to her height), she somehow manages to pop up at the 15-meter mark at least half a body length ahead of everyone else.

Gretchen Walsh does not only decimate everyone in short course yards; she can and has demoralized the international field in short course meters. 

At the 2024 SCM World Aquatics Championships, Walsh shattered 11 world records across four individual and two relay events, making other world-class swimmers look like age-groupers. 

She is not just a bathtub swimmer: she holds the world record in the long course 100m butterfly and won two gold and two silver medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Rowdy Gaines was right to write “GOAT” across the screen after Gretchen Walsh’s last race of her NCAA career. Gretchen Walsh transcends greatness; she is the greatest short-course swimmer of all time.