Gretchen Walsh broke her own world record in the 100-meter butterfly with a time of 54.33 seconds at the Speedo Fort Lauderdale Open, according to an announcement on May 2. The event took place from April 29 to May 2 at the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center and featured fifteen members of the Virginia men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams, as well as their professional training group.
The meet is significant for its strong field, which included Olympic medalists and world champions. The competition, formerly part of USA Swimming’s Pro Swim Series, served as a showcase for both established athletes and rising talents.
In addition to Walsh’s record-setting swim on Saturday night, several other Virginia swimmers achieved notable results throughout the event. On Thursday, Kate Douglass won both the 100 freestyle (53.01) and the 100 breaststroke (1:06.68), securing two victories within twelve minutes. Anna Moesch finished second in the 100 freestyle (53.25), followed by Gretchen Walsh in third (53.44). Tess Howley placed third in the 200 butterfly (2:08.26), while Isabelle Stadden claimed first place in the 50 backstroke (27.29).
Friday saw more strong performances from Virginia athletes, with Gretchen Walsh winning the 50 butterfly (25.08) ahead of Douglass (25.24)—the top two times worldwide this year—and Isabelle Stadden setting a personal best to win the 200 backstroke with a time of 2:04.37, which ranks as this season’s fastest globally.
On Saturday, Douglass added wins in both the 200 breaststroke (2:20.94) and capped off her meet with gold in the final race—the 50 freestyle—posting another world-leading time this year at 24.21 seconds.
The team’s performance highlights their continued presence among elite competitors ahead of upcoming national and international competitions.
