Katie Grimes Chooses the University of Virginia for Her Collegiate Swimming Career

Two-time Olympic swimmer Katie Grimes, the No. 1 overall swimmer in the recruiting class of 2024, has announced her commitment to the University of Virginia (UVA) for the NCAA 2024-2025 season. This decision comes after Grimes focused on the Olympics and took visits over the last month. She will join a strong Virginia roster, coached by her Olympic head coach Todd DeSorbo, and alongside Olympic teammates Gretchen Walsh, Alex Walsh, and Emma Weber.

A Dynasty Awaits: Grimes to Enroll at UVA

Grimes will enroll at UVA in the spring semester, just in time to help the Cavaliers pursue their fifth consecutive NCAA Championship in 2025. The University of Virginia’s women’s team has won four consecutive NCAA Championship titles since 2021. Last season, the University of Virginia scored 527.5 points, while Texas finished second with 441 points. The odds of Virginia earning their fifth consecutive NCAA title this season are strong.

Her commitment is a significant boost for the Cavaliers, who are already a dominant force in collegiate swimming. Regarding her commitment, Grimes wrote on Instagram: "After much thought and consideration, I am more than excited to announce my commitment to University of Virginia!! Thank you to all of the coaches for your patience with me during this process. I am extremely grateful for my family, friends, and faith for guiding me to this point. Huge thank you to my team, Sandpipers, and Coach Ron for everything. I also want to give thanks to the team and staff at UVA and Coach Todd for all the support.”

Versatility and Potential: Grimes' Impact on the Cavaliers

There's no telling what strokes Grimes will end up swimming at Virginia, as she excels at essentially everything. The Cavaliers will most appreciate her aptitude for distance events. According to SwimSwam, her best times in the 500-yard and 1650-yard freestyle events would have won the NCAA titles in those events last season, while her 400-yard individual medley time would have been second only to Alex Walsh.

Grimes is known to be a versatile swimmer with the potential to make an impact in several events. In fact, she held the top times for the 2024 class in the 200 freestyle, 500 freestyle, 1000 freestyle, mile, 200 butterfly and 400 IM. Virtually every event is a plausible contribution for her at Virginia - save for maybe the breaststrokes. Grimes is worth conservatively 50 points to a team that won last year’s NCAA title by 86.5 points last season.

Grimes' Accomplishments: A Decorated Career

Grimes is the top-rated recruit in the Class of 2024. After winning the 400 IM at the US Olympic Trials in June, she earned a silver medal at the Paris Olympics, also competing in the 1500 Free (10th place). She is a three-time World Long Course Championships silver medalist, placing second in the 1500m Free and the 400 IM in Budapest, Hungary, in 2022 and repeating silver in the 400 IM in 2023 in Fukuoka, Japan. Grimes was the first American woman to compete in both pool and open water swimming at the same Olympic games, swimming in the 10km race in the Seine (15th place).

In Paris, she won silver in the 400 IM and was 10th in the 1500 free. In her 10 km freestyle open water race, she earned fifteenth. After her open water race in Paris, she said, “That was the hardest thing I've ever done, ever, I think, with just the current.”

The Cavaliers' Strengths: A Look at the Roster

While Virginia is losing some key pieces from last year's team in Ella Nelson, Jasmine Nocentini, and Abby Carter, the Hoos are returning the bulk of their point scorers from the 2024 championship roster in the Walsh sisters, Emma Weber, Aimee Canny, Maxine Parker, and others. They are also adding some remarkable newcomers in 2020 Olympian Claire Curzan, a Stanford transfer and former No. 1 overall recruit who redshirted last season, World Championship medalist Leah Hayes, and now Katie Grimes.

One of the most versatile American juniors in history, virtually every event is a plausible contribution for her at Virginia. The Cavaliers lost 92 points from that team via the graduations of Jasmine Nocentini and Ella Nelson, plus another 13 from Abby Harter, but otherwise return mostly in-tact.

Sprint Free

The relays were once again a major area of strength for Virginia. Anna Moesch was a highly touted recruit in this discipline, but performed even better than expected, including setting a blistering new best time of 46.76 in the 100 free at the Tennessee Invitational. She went on to place 4th at NCAAs in the 100 free (46.94) while taking 5th in the 200 free (1:42.39) in a new best time. After scoring 29 points in the 100 and 200 free as a freshman, Moesch projects to score even more as a sophomore.

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The other returning scorer in a sprint free event is Aimee Canny, who won the ACC title in the 200 free with a personal best of 1:42.00. Mintenko projects to be an ‘A’ finalist in the 200 free with her best time of 1:43.20, which is 1:42-flat when adjusted for altitude. She’s also right on the cusp of the top eight in the 100 free, with her PB of 47.47 one-tenth back of what it took to make the 2025 championship final.

Greenwaldt, the reigning NCAA Division II champion in the 50 free who transferred from Augustana, has a best time of 21.92 and already split a scintillating 21.13 over the weekend in her UVA debut. Another transfer, former Auburn Tiger Lawson Ficken, joins the group with best times of 22.44 in the 50 and 48.49 in the 100 free, both set at the 2024 SECs.

The returning group of Cavalier swimmers also includes Cavan Gormsen, who has finished 23rd in the 200 free two straight times at NCAAs, clocking 1:44.35 in 2024 and 1:44.69 last season (with a 1:44.32 PB from the 2024 ACCs). Katie Grimes is another swimmer who brings some pedigree in the 200 free to the table, though it likely doesn’t figure into her individual schedule due to its proximity to the 400 IM.

Distance Free

Grimes, who didn’t race the 1650 free at ACCs, took it on at NCAAs, but it felt as though that was just the clearest path for points for the Cavaliers in the team race, and it wasn’t an event she had trained for the few months prior. She ended up placing 13th in 15:56.31, 30 seconds off her PB from December 2022 (15:26.17). At her best, Grimes could win both races at NCAAs, but it’s unclear if she’ll be able to reach the peak form she showed while with the Sandpipers.

Canny put up a lifetime best of 4:35.43 last November, and then was 4:36.31 at ACCs (4th) and 4:41.96 at NCAAs (38th). If she can reverse that trend and get faster throughout the season, she’s a lock for the ‘A’ final. Bailey Hartman was 4:39.36 in the 500 free at ACCs last season as a freshman and went on to take 26th at NCAAs (4:39.89).

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Backstroke

Curzan returns as the favorite to defend her titles in both races, though Sims will once again pose a big threat. Virginia’s other returning scoring backstroke is rising sophomore Charlotte Wilson, who had a successful freshman year and notched an 11th-place finish at NCAAs in the 200 back with a personal best showing of 1:51.28. In the 100 back, Wilson was 28th in 51.76 after setting a PB of 51.68 at the Cavalier Invitational in early February.

The Cavaliers are getting a significant backstroke addition in the form of Sara Curtis, who owns a 100 back best time of 57.17 in short course meters that converts to 51.50. That’s a very conservative conversion, and given her underwater abilities, it wouldn’t be surprising to see her sub-50. There will also be a nice boost from the other newcomers, including Madi Mintenko (51.58/1:54.02), Bryn Greenwaldt (52.49) and Sylvia Roy (52.53/1:56.43) all owning quick best times.

Breaststroke

After Kate Douglass went back-to-back in the 200 breast in 2022 and 2023, Jasmine Nocentini claimed the 100 breast title in 2024 while Alex Walsh took the 200 title. Olympian in the 100 breast and returns for her senior year coming off consecutive 11th-place finishes in the event at NCAAs. Weber set a personal best time of 58.18 at the Eddie Reese Showdown last January before going 58.46/58.35 at NCAAs to take 11th. In the 200 breast, Weber set a best time of 2:06.97 at the Eddie Reese Showdown last season and then hit a pair of 2:07-highs at NCAAs to place 12th.

The other returning scorer for Virginia is Aimee Canny, who set a personal best of 2:06.70 in the 200 breast at the Tennessee Invite last November and then was 2:06.75 at ACCs to place 3rd and ultimately 7th at NCAAs (2:07.20/2:07.41). She’s a good bet to be back in the ‘A’ final this season. Medley specialist Leah Hayes will likely use the 200 breast as her #3 event again this season, having finished 17th last year in 2:08.69 after setting a PB of 2:07.85 at ACCs.

Zoe Skirboll was 28th in both breaststroke events last season at NCAAs (59.46/2:09.83), while Katie Christopherson was 47th in the 100 breast (1:01.27) and 37th in the 200 breast (2:10.27). The Cavs also gain one of the top breaststrokers in the girls’ high school class of 2025, Raya Mellott, who enters with best times of 59.53 and 2:09.53, putting her within six-tenths of scoring in the 100 breast and within a second in the 200 breast.

Butterfly

However, Curzan likely won’t race the 100 fly at NCAAs this season, just as she didn’t last year, due to its proximity to the 100 back, where she’s the defending national champion. With Gretchen Walsh (100 fly champion) and Alex Walsh (200 fly runner-up) graduating, the lone returning butterfly scorer for UVA is Tess Howley, who was 4th in the 200 fly last season in a lifetime best of 1:51.79. Howley is also coming off a bit of a breakout summer that included setting a massive LC best time of 2:05.20 in the 200 fly semis at the World University Games before winning gold in the final in 2:05.69.

Another notable returner in the 200 fly is Katie Grimes, who went 1:53.23 during an early January dual with Virginia Tech before placing 5th at ACCs (1:53.63). However, the 19-year-old notably did not swim at the 2025 World Championships and her fastest times from this past long course season are 58.90/2:10.85, so she’s not heading to Charlottesville riding career-best form. Domestic recruit Madi Mintenko also comes in with strong butterfly times (51.50/1:55.87), though she likely will only swim freestyle when it comes to NCAAs. Italian sprinter Sara Curtis has also shown some speed in fly in the past, though her primary focus will be free and back.

Individual Medley

Much like breaststroke, individual medley has been a dominant discipline for Virginia in recent years. Their other returning IM scorer is fellow sophomore Leah Hayes, who was just behind Grimes in the 400 IM in 5th (4:01.62) and topped the ‘B’ final of the 200 IM (1:53.71) to take 9th. Emma Redman (1:57.25/4:11.08) also brings some medley pedigree to the table, while incoming freshman Madi Mintenko is a strong 200 IMer (1:56.36), and first-year Sophia Umstead (1:57.50/4:16.04) also has some potential.

Relays

The 400 free relay is in a very similar spot, losing the Walsh sisters but retaining Curzan and Moesch, who were both 46.7 from a flat start last year. Aimee Canny may factor into this relay after she was 47.96 last season, though Madi Mintenko joins the team with an elite best time of 47.47 and Curtis is likely in the lineup as well given her LC time of 53.01 (converting to 46.31).

The 800 free relay has been the one in which Virginia hasn’t been a dominant force, though they did win the NCAA title in 2023 and were the runners-up last season. With Canny, Moesch and Grimes returning from last year’s team, all having split 1:42 at NCAAs, UVA will be in good shape as they can either add Curzan to this relay or simply slot in Mintenko. Mintenko has been 1:43.26 in the 200 free, so either is a good option. The same goes for the 400 medley, though that one could end up being Curzan on back, Weber on breast and Lana Pudar on fly, and then likely Moesch on free. All of this is to say Virginia isn’t sweating despite losing the Walsh sisters, especially with Gretchen essentially being a cheat code en route to victory in the sprint relays throughout her career.

Twenty-five percent of the women’s roster consisted of swimmers from UVA, including Kate Douglass, Paige Madden, Alex Walsh, Gretchen Walsh and Emma Weber. This will be DeSorbo’s eighth season coaching the Cavaliers.

Grimes' Journey: From Las Vegas to Olympic Glory

Grimes is from Las Vegas and trained with the Sandpipers of Nevada. On a stacked Team USA Olympic swimming roster, no one is quite like Katie Grimes. No one is qualified for both the 1,500-meter freestyle, the longest event in the pool, and the 400-meter individual medley, a grueling parade of all four strokes. And the 10k marathon swim. Olympic swimming trials in June, she won the 400 IM to officially qualify in the pool before making it in the 1,500, when she finished second to Ledecky.

Inheriting a competitive streak as the youngest of seven in an athletic family, she lives at home with her parents in Las Vegas and just graduated from high school. She’s a straight-A student who has yet to announce her college choice - though she said she’s made a decision and will likely declare after Paris.

Training and Versatility

"(Grimes) is incredibly impressive - her ability to train and compete for open water, 400 IM, 1,500 free, she’s able to do it all," Ledecky said. "She just keeps going, and she has such a good attitude about training and about racing and just is fearless when it comes to signing up for those events and racing the very best."

Training for events largely on opposite skill spectrums, Grimes heavily relies on Aitken for guidance. Even for the 10k, all of her swimming work is in the pool, racking up between 65,000 and 85,000 yards - or up to about 50 miles - a week. She might do a distance freestyle workout in the morning, followed by IM and stroke work in the evenings. The weak link in her 400 IM is breaststroke, so she trains to build up a lead on the butterfly and backstroke legs, hoping she doesn't get caught on in the second half.

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