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Alex Walsh Qualifies for World Championships in 400-Meter IM

Alex and Gretchen Walsh each qualified for an individual event at World Championships on Thursday night at the US National Championships

Matt Newton

Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports

After watching her younger sister Gretchen qualify for her first-career individual event at the World Aquatic Championships the night before, Alex Walsh decided to join her by securing a spot on Team USA with a personal-record time of 4:35.46 to take second place in the 400-meter individual medley on Thursday night at the US Phillips 66 National Championships in Indianapolis. 

Katie Grimes, the silver medalist in the event from the 2022 World Championships, led by two seconds midway through the race before Alex Walsh used a blazing breaststroke split to make up more than four seconds, passing Grimes for the lead entering the final leg. Grimes then recovered on the freestyle and regained the lead, touching first by just over a second to win the title. 

The runner-up finish sends Alex Walsh back to the FINA World Championships, where she won three golds and six overall medals for Team USA in 2022. Walsh is the fourth Cavalier swimmer to qualify for the 2023 World Championships, joining Kate Douglass, Gretchen Walsh, and Maxine Parker. Those swimmers will represent the United States at the 2023 FINA World Aquatic Championships, which will be held from July 14-30 in Fukuoka, Japan. Read more about UVA's qualifying swims from the first two nights of the US Nationals here: 

UVA's Douglass, Walsh, and Parker Qualify for 2023 World Championships

Walsh Breaks American Record to Win 50-Meter Butterfly at US Nationals

Gretchen Walsh, who had already locked up a spot on USA's relay team on the opening night, proceeded to secure her first individual event qualification with an American-record-breaking performance in the 50-meter butterfly, finishing in 25.11 seconds to win the title. On Thursday night, she joined her older sister in qualifying for another individual event, finishing as the runner-up to Torri Huske in the 100-meter butterfly. Walsh's time of 56.34 set a UVA record and was the second-fastest time in the world in the event this year behind Huske. Kate Douglass just missed qualifying for her third individual event of the week with a third-place finish in the 100-meter butterfly, as her time of 56.43 - which was also the third-fastest time recorded this year - barely trailed Huske and Gretchen Walsh. 

Virginia swimmers made seven combined appearances in the A Finals on Thursday night. Gretchen Walsh tallied another podium finish by placing third in the 50-meter backstroke in a UVA record time of 27.54, just missing yet another World Championship qualification. Emma Weber set a UVA record in the prelims of the 50-meter breaststroke and placed eighth in the A Final. 

Noah Nichols missed Worlds qualification by a little over four-tenths of a second, placing third in the 50-meter breaststroke in a time of 27.30 that broke a school record which had stood since 2001. Jack Aikins advanced to the A Final in the 50-meter backstroke and placed eighth with a time of 25.18. 

More Cavaliers will compete for national titles and vie for spots on Team USA's World Championships roster on the fourth day of competition at the 2023 US Phillips 66 National Championships on Friday, which will feature the 400-meter freestyle, the 100-meter breaststroke, and the 100-meter backstroke. Prelims begin every day at 10am and the finals start at 7pm. The events will be streamed on USASwimming.org and Peacock. 

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Matt Newton
MATT NEWTON

Matt launched Virginia Cavaliers On SI in August of 2021 and has since served as the site's publisher and managing editor, covering all 23 NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. He is from Downingtown, Pennsylvania and graduated from UVA in May of 2021.

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