Virginia Cavaliers swimmer and Olympic gold medalist Gretchen Walsh was awarded the Honda Cup and named the 2025 Collegiate Woman Athlete of the year on Monday, beating out Paige Bueckers of University of Connecticut basketball and NiJaree Canady of Texas Tech softball.
Walsh, who was nominated for the award last year (which was ultimately awarded to Caitlyn Clark), won three individual NCAA titles in 2025 and led the Virginia Women’s Swim and Dive team to their fifth straight NCAA championship. She earned two gold medals and two silver medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics and is a two-time ACC Swimmer of the Year.