Virginia Wins Sixth Consecutive NCAA Swimming & Diving Championship

ATLANTA  – Virginia was crowned the team champion at the 2026 NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships on Saturday (March 21) at the McCauley Aquatic Center in Atlanta, Ga.

It was the sixth-straight year that the Cavaliers have won the team title, making them the first team ever to win six consecutive NCAA Championships in women’s swimming and diving. 

The Cavaliers finished with 589 points. Stanford was in second place, trailing Virginia by 208.5 points. Virginia won all five relay events and saw its swimmers take gold in three individual events.

This is the 36th NCAA team championship won by a Cavalier athletics program across all sports.

The Cavaliers closed out the competition by winning two golds on the final day, with junior Claire Curzan repeating as the 200 Back champion (1:46.10) and UVA’s 400 Free Relay (3:05.26).

Sophomore Anna Moesch took the silver in the 100 Free (45.54) with freshman Sara Curtis winning bronze (45.77).

In other podium finishes, junior Tess Howley placed fourth in the 200 Fly (1:51.69). Senior Aimee Canny was sixth in the 200 IM (1:53.49) and Leah Hayes seventh (1:53.56).

FROM HEAD COACH TODD DESORBO

“The first couple of days of the meet are really what’s exciting and nerve-wracking and makes you anxious and stuff, but now that it’s over, it’s been a little bit surreal. (Associate head coach) Tyler Fenwick actually was talking to me before the trophy ceremony. He was like, ‘Who would have thought in 2017 in August that we’d be sitting here winning our sixth title in a row.’ It hasn’t sunk in yet. I’m gonna have to take a couple steps back and let it sink in, but it’s pretty impressive for sure.”

“At the beginning of the year, I knew we would be able to contend, but I definitely didn’t feel like we would be where we are now. And it’s been awesome. It’s just a very different team (than last year). It’s a very different dynamic. It’s really a full team effort. We had more people score than we’ve ever had score before. We’ve scored more points than we’ve ever scored before, even without Gretchen Walsh. As I told the women, it was here, in Atlanta, four years ago, when we won the second one, that we had Kate (Douglass), Gretchen, Alex (Walsh), Emma Weyant, and all these great people. And we actually did more and did better than we did that year.”

SATURDAY NOTES

• The 400 Free Relay of Claire Curzan, Madi Mintenko, Anna Moesch and Sara Curtis set an NCAA Record with a time of 3:05.26. It was the fifth-straight year that Virginia won the event
• Claire Curzan’s time of 1:46.10 in the 200 Back was the second-fastest time ever in the event, coming up .01 seconds shy of her own NCAA and American Record time she posted last month at the ACC Championships. Her time broke the meet record
• Sara Curtis broke the 46-second barrier in the 100 Free for the first time in her career
• Tess Howley swam a double in the morning, earning a place in the A Final for the 200 Fly while placing 10^th in the 200 Back (1:50.82) to earn both first and second team All-America honors in the same session

MEET NOTES

• Virginia’s 589 points are the highest total in program history
• The Cavaliers earned a combined 36 First-Team All-America honors and 18 second-team recognitions
• 16 of Virginia’s 18 swimmers scored points for the team and earned either first or second team All-America distinction
• Virginia had been tied with Stanford (1992-96) and Texas (1984-88) for most consecutive team titles. The Cavaliers are in fourth place in most overall titles behind Stanford (11), Texas (7) and Georgia (7)
• Head coach Todd DeSorbo has the longest title streak in NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving history, passing Richard Quick, who had two separate five-title streaks at Texas and Stanford. 
• DeSorbo ties Indiana’s legendary men’s coach, “Doc” Counsilman, for the longest winning streak in overall swimming and diving history (1968-73)
• Virginia swimmers have now won 59 event titles in program history, sixth most among all teams

NCAA Champions By Event (8)

200 Free, 100 Back, 200 Back, 200 Free Relay, 400 Free Relay, 800 Free Relay, 200 Medley Relay, 400 Medley Relay

NCAA Champions (by Swimmer)

Aimee Canny – 800 Free Relay, 400 Medley Relay
Sara Curtis – 200 Free Relay, 400 Free Relay, 200 Medley Relay, 400 Medley Relay
Claire Curzan – 100 Back, 200 Back, 200 Free Relay, 400 Free Relay, 200 Medley Relay, 400 Medley Relay
Bryn Greenwaldt – 200 Free Relay, 200 Medley Relay
Bailey Hartman – 800 Free Relay
Madi Mintenko –  400 Free Relay, 800 Free Relay
Anna Moesch – 200 Free, 200 Free Relay, 400 Free Relay, 800 Free Relay, 400 Medley Relay
Emma Weber – 200 Medley Relay

First Team All-Americans

Aimee Canny – 200 Breast, 200 IM, 400 IM, 800 Free Relay
Sara Curtis – 50 Free, 100 Free, 200 Free Relay, 200 Medley Relay
Claire Curzan – 100 Fly, 100 Back, 200 Back, 200 Free Relay, 200 Medley Relay
Cavan Gormsen – 500 Free
Bryn Greenwaldt – 200 Free Relay, 200 Medley Relay
Katie Grimes – 1650 Free, 400 IM
Bailey Hartman – 800 Free Relay
Leah Hayes – 200 IM 
Tess Howley – 200 Fly
Madi Mintenko –  200 Free, 500 Free, 800 Free Relay
Anna Moesch – 50 Free, 100 Free, 200 Free, 200 Free Relay, 800 Free Relay
Emma Weber – 100 Breast, 200 Breast, 200 Medley Relay

Second Team All-Americans
Sara Curtis – 100 Fly
Cavan Gormsen – 1650 Free, 200 Free
Katie Grimes – 500 Free
Bryn Greenwaldt – 50 Free
Bailey Hartman – 500 Free, 200 Fly
Leah Hayes – 200 Breast, 400 IM
Tess Howley – 100 Back, 200 Back
Madi Mintenko – 100 Free
Carly Novelline – 100 Fly
Melissa Nwakalor – 50 Free
Zoe Skirboll – 100 Breast, 200 Breast
Sophia Umstead – 200 Breast, 200 IM

Final Team Scores (Top 10)

1. Virginia 589
2. Stanford 380.5
3. Texas 376.5
4. California 303
5. Tennessee 301.5
6. Michigan 296
7. Indiana 258
8. Louisville 201.5
9. NC State 196.5
10. Florida 125.5