Rumson’s Caroline Gmelich and Teammates
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BY LES PIERCE
Rumson resident and University of Virginia swimmer Caroline Gmelich
and three teammates combined to break the American and NCAA record
for the 200-yard medley relay. The quartet achieved the feat at
the 2021 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Women’s Swimming and Diving
Championships held at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in Greensboro, North
Carolina this February.
The relay team of Gmelich, Alexis Wenger (Detroit, Michigan), Alexa
Cuomo (Clifton, Virginia) and Kate Douglass (Pelham, New York) established
the record with a time of 1:32.93. The previous American record of 1:33.11
was set by Stanford University in 2018.
The medley relay comprises four strokes: the backstroke, breaststroke,
Cuomo and Douglass.
UVA captured the ACC championship for the third time in the past four
(832) and Notre Dame (716).
During her senior year of high school, she won the state title in the
100 backstroke (55.09) at the Meet of Champions and was named the 2017
Asbury Park Press Girls Swimmer of the year. Gmelich was named All-American
in 2019 for the 200 medley relay and again in 2020 for the 100
backstroke, 200 medley relay and 400 medley relay. In 2020, she was
named to the All-ACC Team for the 100 backstroke and 200 medley
relay. She has also been named to the All-ACC Academic Team and the
this spring as a premed biology major.
“Carol has been an exceptional leader for our program,” stated
UVA Head Coach Todd DeSorbo. “She has had tremendous growth over
her four years and to have it culminate as part of an NCAA and American
Record Relay team is special. Carol didn’t even make our confer-
team captain, All-American and now NCAA/American Record Holder.
A better story couldn’t have been written. She has worked hard, been
committed especially this year when quite a few seniors decided to
end their careers early due to COVID. Carol committed herself to her
team and has led our women all year into a national championship title
contender. I can’t say enough about how much Carol has meant to this
program, her teammates and to me.”
The UVA Medley Relay Team following their victory (from left): Caroline Gmelich, Alexa
Cuomo, Kate Douglass and Alexis Wenger
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