Virginia swimmer Gretchen Walsh wins Honda Cup as top woman athlete
The other two finalists were UConn basketball star Paige Bueckers and Texas Tech softball player NiJaree Canady.
Walsh joins basketball legend Dawn Staley (1991) as the only Cavaliers to win the honor.
Walsh is the ninth swimmer to win the award, a list that includes two-time winner Tracy Caulkins (1982, 1984), Missy Franklin (2015) and Katie Ledecky (2017).
"I feel like I'm on cloud nine right now," Walsh said after being named the winner. "Honestly, being nominated for this award last year was a big deal to me. To win it this year is obviously unreal. It's interesting this sport, you know, it's all-year-round, and it feels like it never stops. But to have these moments of knowing that all the hard work and the never-ending training is coming to fruition, and it's worth it.
"It's really nice to have this recognition and to win this award among such an amazing group of athletes. And these women, all of us, different disciplines, different sports, but just excelling in all fields, it is really cool to be represented in a group like this."
Walsh won NCAA individual titles in the 50-meter freestyle, 100-meter freestyle and 100-meter butterfly this season to raise her total to nine titles. She also holds nine NCAA records (four individual, five relays).
The Cavaliers won four straight team titles during Walsh's career.
Of course, Walsh is also known for her international profile and she won three gold medals and one silver at last month's U.S. national championships. She set the world record with a time of 54.60 seconds in the 100 butterfly at the TYR Pro Swim Series.
At the 2024 Olympics in Paris, Walsh won two gold medals and two silvers.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
15 hours ago
- CNA
Underdogs and heat dominate debate as Club World Cup enters final stages
PHILADELPHIA :The inaugural expanded Club World Cup has delivered a spectacle on the pitch, with underdog triumphs and captivating support from South American and Arabic fans. However, concerns over player welfare and lukewarm attendances in the United States have sparked debate as the tournament approaches its final stages. What many expected to be a European-dominated affair has instead seen shock eliminations of UEFA Champions League heavyweights. Brazilian sides Flamengo, Botafogo, and Fluminense, alongside Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal, have scripted some of the tournament's most thrilling stories. Fluminense stunned Inter Milan with a 2-0 win in the Round of 16, while Al Hilal delivered a seismic upset by knocking out Pep Guardiola's Manchester City. Lionel Messi's Inter Miami also played their part earlier in the tournament, defeating Porto 2-1 in the group stage - ending a 13-year unbeaten run for European teams against clubs from other continents in the competition. Meanwhile, Botafogo and Flamengo claimed memorable group-stage victories over Paris St Germain and Chelsea respectively, while Palmeiras secured their quarter-final berth with a dramatic extra-time win over Botafogo in an all-Brazilian clash. EXTREME WEATHER While the on-field action has enthralled the fans, challenges off the pitch have raised eyebrows. The American summer's extreme weather — scorching heat and unexpected thunderstorms — has disrupted matches and raised serious concerns ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which will also be held in North America. The soaring temperatures and oppressive humidity have fueled major complaints from players and coaches and have global players' union FIFPRO exploring whether extending halftime to 20 minutes and introducing more frequent cooling breaks could better protect players from extreme heat. Nine of the 16 host cities for the 2026 World Cup face conditions considered 'extreme risk' for heat-related illness, posing player safety concerns and fuelling calls for more mandatory cooling aids during matches or schedule changes. "Heat conditions are a serious topic that affect football globally," world soccer's governing body FIFA told Reuters. "Discussions on how to deal with heat conditions need to take place collectively ... The protection of players must be at the centre." With the semi-finals and final scheduled for 3pm local time at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium, where temperatures could reach 32 degrees Celsius, the heat debate is set to intensify. Suggestions for 2026 include scheduling midday games in covered stadiums to combat heat stress. Thunderstorms have also caused disruptions, with matches suspended as players left the pitch and fans sought shelter. Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca criticised having the United States as hosts after a two-hour weather delay marred his team's last-16 win over Benfica in Charlotte. Their knockout match in a half-empty stadium of under 26,000 at the start showed how attendances have also been underwhelming for matches involving European clubs, with South American and Arabic fans providing much of the tournament's vibrancy. Despite the excitement on the pitch, FIFA's website still lists plenty of tickets available for remaining games, including next-week's semi-finals and the July 13 final, raising questions about the tournament's broader appeal in the U.S. As FIFA reflects on the Club World Cup's successes and challenges, the lessons learned will be critical in shaping the path to the 2026 World Cup where similar issues may loom large.
CNA
17 hours ago
- CNA
Two soccer bribery convictions reinstated by US appeals court
NEW YORK :A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday reinstated the convictions of a former Fox executive and an Argentine sports marketing company for trying to bribe soccer officials in exchange for lucrative broadcasting contracts. In a 3-0 decision, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said a Brooklyn judge erred in throwing out the March 2023 jury verdicts against Hernan Lopez and Full Play Group because she misinterpreted a federal wire fraud law. Lopez plans to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, his lawyer John Gleeson said in an email, adding that "we are obviously disappointed." Full Play's lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The defendants are among more than 40 to face criminal charges in a sweeping U.S. Department of Justice probe unveiled in 2015 into soccer corruption, including at the sport's world governing body FIFA. At least 31 defendants pleaded guilty, and two other soccer officials were convicted by a jury in 2017. Prosecutors said Lopez, a former chief executive of Fox International Channels, schemed to bribe officials at South American soccer federation CONMEBOL to win rights for that continent's most popular club tournament, Copa Libertadores. Full Play was accused of scheming to bribe officials at CONMEBOL and the North American federation CONCACAF to win rights to Copa Libertadores and World Cup qualifying matches. FRAUD LAW 'PRESUMPTIVELY' COVERED BRIBERY In September 2023, U.S. District Judge Pamela Chen said Lopez's and Full Play's convictions could not stand because a federal law addressing honest services wire fraud did not reach alleged foreign commercial bribery. Chen also voided the defendants' money laundering convictions, because they were based on the fraud convictions. But in Wednesday's decision, Circuit Judge John Walker said the wire fraud law applied to the defendants' role in causing bribed soccer officials to breach duties they owed their foreign employers. "The nature of defendants conduct (bribery), coupled with the character of the relationship between the bribed officials and the organizations to whom they owed a duty of loyalty (employer-employee relationships), place the schemes presumptively within the scope of (the law)," Walker wrote. Walker added that the bribery wasn't entirely foreign in nature, saying Lopez and Fox were based in the United States, and bribery victims had significant U.S. ties. The appeals court returned the case to Chen, including to address for the first time whether prosecutors proved a conspiracy to deceive CONMEBOL.
CNA
19 hours ago
- CNA
Bradley names Woodland as fifth US Ryder Cup vice captain
U.S. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley on Wednesday has named Gary Woodland as the fifth and final vice captain of his team who will try to reclaim the trophy from Europe this year at Bethpage Black in New York. The 41-year-old Woodland, who counts the 2019 U.S. Open among his four wins on the PGA Tour, joins previously appointed Jim Furyk, Kevin Kisner, Webb Simpson and Brandt Snedeker on Bradley's staff. "I have an incredible amount of respect and admiration for Gary and all he has accomplished in this game," said Bradley. "As a major champion and someone who is still competing at a high level, he is well aware of the demands of performing on golf's biggest stages." Woodland will be making his first Ryder Cup appearance as a vice captain or player. He represented the U.S. at the 2019 Presidents Cup in Australia where he earned 1-1/2 points in a 16-14 U.S. victory. In February, Woodland was the recipient of the PGA Tour Courage Award for his return to full-time competition on the U.S.-based circuit following brain surgery in 2023. "Keegan's passion for this event is contagious and I am thrilled to be a part of it," Woodland said. "With just over two months to go until we arrive at Bethpage, I am fully committed to doing everything I can to help Keegan as well as our team of vice captains and players." The Ryder Cup is scheduled for Sept. 26-28.
