2024 WOMEN’S NCAA SWIMMING AND DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Virginia freshman Tess Howley had a private finest time of a 1:52.76 within the 200 butterfly from December 2021 coming into NCAAs. Howley swam a finest time throughout prelims of the occasion with a 1:51.95 at NCAAs to maneuver as much as 4th in prelims to make the ‘A’ remaining.
Since her finest time in 2021, Howley has swam the occasion 14 occasions. She was not far off her finest time in March 2022 as she swam a 1:52.88 and she or he swam a 1:53.04 in December 2022.
In prelims, Howley swam a finest time clocking a 1:51.95 earlier than swimming a 1:52.41 in finals. Each had been beneath her earlier finest.
Howley spoke of wanting on the board seeing her time saying, “It felt wonderful. It was nice to see that point on the board, and simply being at Virginia has helped me a good distance and I’m actually pleased with that point.”
Previous to NCAAs, her season finest was a 1:54.75 that she swam within the twin meet towards Florida in October, at the beginning of the season. This positioned Howley because the seventeenth seed coming into NCAAs. Regardless of being the seventeenth seed, one away from being projected to make a remaining, Howley favored the place she was at.
“So undoubtedly [being] seeded seventeenth was truly a enjoyable spot for me as a result of I knew that I had it in me to attain. My earlier finest would have seeded me larger, however I prefer to take that in and take it as a problem. I believe each Abby [Harter] and I did a terrific job,” Howley mentioned.
The Virginia girls are residence to NCAA report holder within the 200 butterfly Alex Walsh as she swam a 1:49.16 at ACCs. Regardless of setting the NCAA report, Walsh opted to not swim the 200 fly on the ultimate day of NCAAs and as an alternative swim the 200 breast.
Because the 200 fly was the final particular person swimming occasion of the meet, and the Virginia girls had over a 100-point lead on Texas, a fourth-straight NCAA title appeared to already be in sight. Nonetheless, extra factors as each Harter and Howley moved up from the sixteenth and seventeenth seeds respectively to 4th (Howley) and sixth (Harter) helped make sure the crew’s win as Texas additionally had a robust 200 fly crew with three ‘A’ finalists.
Howley was the #5 ranked recruit popping out of highschool, serving to the Virginia girls to the #3 ranked recruiting class within the nation. She mentioned her first yr “has been nice. I imply, I’ve had solely the very best experiences on UVA and I like to spend the time with my women as a result of they only pushed me to be the very best individual I could be and out and in of the pool.”