2025 W. NCAA Previews: Walsh and Huske Tangle Ahead of Historic 100 Freestyle Field ...Middle East

By Nicole Miller on SwimSwam

2025 Women’s NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships

Women’s 100 Freestyle

In recent years, NCAA sprinting has hit new heights and become one of the highlights of the championship season. With many of the nation’s top swimmers competing in the freestyle events in capacity, whether it be individually or in relays, there’s been an influx of historic swims over the past 5 years. In fact, since 2020, NCAA swimmers have added 15 out of the top 20 swims all-time in the women’s 100 freestyle, showing the rapid evolution of the sport. Given this rapid evolution, the field has become extremely competitive as well, making the 100 freestyle one of the highlights of the NCAA schedule, despite it being one of the last events of the entire meet.

This year should be no different as the 100 freestyle will feature a head-to-head showdown between two of the world’s best sprinters, with the two meeting up to square off for another NCAA title.

Walsh v. Huske II: The Repeat

Gretchen Walsh and Torri Huske (photo: Jack Spitser)

In one corner stands the defending champion and American Record holder Gretchen Walsh. The fastest woman in history by a wide margin, Walsh became the first woman to break into the 44-second barrier last spring, posting a 44.83 for the NCAA victory last March. Only three other women have ever even dipped under 46 seconds: Simone Manuel, Kate Douglass, and Erika Connolly (Brown), putting Walsh in a league of her own. Add in that Walsh already posted the 3rd and 4th-fastest performances in history this season (45.20 and 45.50), and she’s the odds-on favorite to run away with the NCAA title again this year. However, in the other corner, there is one opponent who may have what it takes to overthrow her: Stanford’s Torri Huske.

Torri Huske, the reigning Olympic silver medalist in the 100 freestyle, has certainly taken down Walsh before, even at her highest peak. In Paris last summer, Huske managed to win Olympic gold in the 100 butterfly over Walsh, despite Walsh setting the World Record just a few weeks prior. Though Walsh is a different animal in the short course pool, Huske is hot on her heels. At the ACC Championships, Huske posted a 46.09 in finals for the 15th fastest performance in history in the 100 freestyle. Her silver medal-winning time from Paris (52.29) converts to a 45.66 in SCY according to SwimSwam’s Swimulator tool. Though not completely accurate, that conversion gives a strong indication that Huske does have it in her to further improve upon her season-best and move herself into Walsh’s realm. Huske has also proven to be a fantastic taper swimmer, throwing down some of her best World Championship and Olympic performances weeks after Trials. Given all of this, it’s fair to say that if Walsh is having an “off” meet and Huske hits the right combination, she could land herself at the top of the podium once again.

Though Huske did not compete at the NCAA level last year due to an Olympic redshirt, this exact match-up already occurred at the 2023 NCAA Championships. In that race, Walsh emerged victorious, 45.61 to Huske’s 46.46. However, it’s also important to consider that both swimmers will face off in the 100 butterfly before the 100 freestyle, where Walsh is also the heavy favorite. If Huske is able to rattle Walsh’s confidence and pull off an upset, though, that might leave a wide enough margin for her to do so in this event as well.

The Returning A-Finalists

Out of last season’s NCAA A-final, only two swimmers aside from Walsh are set to return for this year’s Championships: Indiana’s Anna Peplowski and Louisville’s Gabi Albiero.

Anna Peplowski, who joined Huske and Walsh on the US Olympic Team last summer, is much better known for her 200 freestyle. However, she’s shown the ability to pack a punch over the shorter distance. Her best time in the event stands at a 47.18, which was posted leading off Indiana’s 400 freestyle relay at last year’s NCAAs, a time that would solidly be in A-final contention. This season, Peplowski has been 47.37, seeding her 9th on the psych sheets. However, Peplowski has historically performed better at NCAAs.

Louisville grad student Gabi Albiero currently falls right on the line of making it to the A-final, with a season-best of 47.46 that has her seeded 12th on the psych sheets. However, with a lifetime best of 46.80 from 2023, Albiero has been faster than all but 4 swimmers on the entry lists, sitting as the 24th fastest performer of all time.

The Up-and-Comers

Tennessee sophomore Camille Spink and Virginia freshman Anna Moesch have both been having incredible seasons and are solidly in the discussion for A-final spots. In fact, aside from Huske and Walsh, Spink and Moesch are the only other swimmers in the field to have hit the NCAA ‘A’ cut this season.

Camille Spink (photo: Jack Spitser)

After having a strong start to her college career last year, winning multiple SEC titles, Spink was slightly off at NCAAs. At that meet, she just missed making the A-final of the 100 freestyle, finishing 9th out of prelims with a 47.36. At the time, her personal best in the event (46.69), set just a few weeks prior at SECs, would’ve finished 4th in the A-final. Despite her disappointing performance at NCAAs, Spink entered the 2024-2025 season with a bang, swimming a best time of 46.61 at the Tennessee Invite to establish herself as a clear contender. She then threw down a fantastic meet at the 2025 SEC Championships, sweeping the 50, 100, and 200 free titles to tie Texas’ Emma Sticklen for the Commissioner’s Trophy for the most individual points at the meet. In the 100 freestyle at SECs, Spink posted a 46.25 to win the title, slicing a huge chunk off of her lifetime best and giving herself the 3rd-fastest time in the country heading into NCAAs. 

Moesch, a freshman, was ranked as the top sprinter in the class of 2024, entering college with times that would’ve already made the final at NCAAs. This season, however, she has evolved even further training alongside Walsh at Virginia. At the Tennessee Invitational, Mosech posted a 46.76, finishing 2nd in a 1-on-1 battle with Spink for the title. That time was good for an NCAA ‘A’ cut, putting her in a tie for the 20th fastest performer of all-time. At ACCs, Mosech matched that time exactly to finish 3rd behind Walsh and Huske in the event. She then threw down a huge 46.80 split on Virginia’s 400 medley relay to anchor the team to an NCAA record in the event. Given her consistency across various meets, it seems as though Mosech may be itching for a breakout swim at any minute, with NCAAs providing the perfect opportunity. 

Another young star to keep an eye out for is USC’s Minna Abraham. A native of Hungary, Abraham has shown promise in her first year swimming in the short course pool. One of the youngest competitors in the field at 18 years old, she holds a best time of 47.34 from the Big Ten Championships, where she finished 2nd.

Other Formidable Foes

As previously mentioned, there are plenty of swimmers bunched-up in the 47.3 to 47.4 range on the psych sheets, with the cut-off for the A-final likely falling around that mark. 

Michigan has a strong 1-2 punch in the form of Lindsay Flynn and Stephanie Balduccini. Flynn currently ranks 6th on the psych sheets with an entry time of 47.30, with Balduccini ranking right behind in 47.33. At last year’s NCAA Championships, Flynn finished 17th, just missing the opportunity to swim in finals (47.76), meaning that she’ll be hungry for a second swim this year. At the Big Ten Championships, Flynn split 46.50 on Michigan’s 400 freestyle relay, showing the potential for a big swim. Meanwhile, Balduccini won the B-final at last year’s championships, swimming a lifetime best of 47.04 to just beat out the aforementioned Spink for the win. If she can match that time, Balduccini should comfortably be in position to move into the A-final this year. 

Erin Gemmell (photo: Jack Spitser)

Just behind the Michigan pair, lurks a pair of swimmers from Texas in Erin Gemmell (47.37) and Ava Longi (47.46). Gemmell, a 200 specialist, just capped off a great SEC meet where she posted multiple best times. Longi, on the other hand, struggled to match her season bests. Given that the two swimmers compete for the same team, it will be interesting to see if they were tapered differently for SECs and what implications that might have on their NCAA performances. 

Brooklyn Douthwright from the University of Tennessee should also be in contention, with a 47.44 entry time to her name from SECs. That performance earned her a 2nd place finish in the event, with a decent personal best as well. 

Louisville’s Julia Dennis is slightly better at the 50 freestyle, finishing 5th in the event last year as compared to only 27th in the 100. However, she has since improved her 100 skills and now sits as the 5th seed (47.15). With that time, she is set up in an extremely strong position, ahead of the pack of swimmers who are likely to be vying for the final spots in the A-final and just behind the best swimmers in the field. 

With such a deep field, there are actually several names further down the psych sheet that could move up depending on how their cards play out. Last year, Indiana’s Kristina Paegle, Virginia’s Maxine Parker, Texas A&M’s Chloe Stepanek, and Stanford’s Amy Tang and Gigi Johnson all earned spots in the B-final of this event. This year, Paegle sits as the highest seed in the bunch at 17th (47.74), showing the new speed that the NCAA has gained and just how close the margins are in this race. 

SwimSwam’s Picks:

Darkhorse Pick

Mary-Ambre Moluh (CAL) – A native of France, Mary-Ambre Moluh just began her SCY career in the fall when she arrived at CAL. Prior to that, she represented her nation at the World Championships on several occasions, indicating that she’s well acquainted with the pressures of high-level competition. At the Minnesota Invitational, Moluh dropped a time of 47.63 in the 100 freestyle, ranking her 14th on the psych sheets. Though the field is extremely tight in that area, her lack of SCY experience may benefit her as Moluh has plenty of potential to drop and make the push into the A-final.

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