Virginia Star’s swimmer Greatchen Walsh won the prestigious Honda Cup as the top collected female athlete of the year.
The other two finalists were Uconn basketball star Pige Bueckers and Texas Tech Softball player Nijaree Canady.
Walsh includes Basketball Legend Don Steel (1991) as the only cavaliers to win the honor.
Walsh is the ninth swimmer to win the award, a list consisting of two -time winners Tracy Calcins (1982, 1984), Missy Franklin (2015) and Katie Leedki (2017).
“I think I am currently on Claude Nine,” Walsh said after the winner’s name. “Honestly, to be nominated for this award last year was a big thing for me. It is clearly untrue to win it. It is interesting, this game, you know, it is all year old, and it seems that it never stops. But for these moments of knowing that all hard work and never ending training are not involved, and it is worth it.
“It is really good to achieve recognition and win this award among such a wonderful group of athletes. And these women, we all, are just excellent in different subjects, different sports, but just excellent in all fields, it is really good to represent such a group.”
Walsh won the NCAA individual titles this season in a 50m freestyle, 100-meter freestyle and 100 meters butterfly, so that he could increase a total of nine titles. She also holds nine NCAA records (four individual, five relay).
Cavaliers won four directly team titles during Walsh’s career.
Of course, Walsh is also known for his international profile and won three gold medals and one silver at the previous month’s US National Championship. He set a world record with a time of 54.60 seconds in 100 butterfly in the Tire Pro Swim series.
At the 2024 Olympics in Paris, Walsh won two gold medals and two silver.
-Bield level media
