Cardinals Set School Record on First Day at NCAA Championships

Wednesday, March 19

Federal Way, WA

9 p.m. ET

University of Louisville

NCAA Women's Championships

Abby Karl, Gabi Albiero, Caroline Larsen and Julia Dennis celebrate their school record.

Cardinals Set School Record on First Day at NCAA Championships

March 20, 2025 | Swimming & Diving

Thursday Prelims Heat Sheets Wednesday Relay Results

By: Nancy Worley

NCAA Championships Central

Live Results

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The No. 8-ranked University of Louisville women's swimming & diving team broke a school record and stand in seventh place as a team in the first day of competition at the 2025 NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships in Federal Way, Washington.

Louisville, which qualified all five relays, made the podium in the 200 Medley Relay and shattered a school record. Abby Karl led off in the backstroke leg, touching seventh with a split of 24.05. Next in the water was Caroline Larsen, who made up four spots, touching third with a breaststroke leg of 26.28. Gabi Albiero was next off the blocks and moved the Cardinals into first place with a split of 22.59 and Julia Dennis held the lead in the freestyle anchor with a split of 20.49 to win the heat. The third place finish earned the Cardinals their first All-American status of the meet. Virginia won the race in the timed final with an NCAA record time of 1:31.10.

In the 800 Free Relay, Daria Golovaty (1:44.42), Summer Cardwell (1:43.79), Amelia Bodenstab (1:44.17) and Fernanda Celidonio anchored with a 1:44.48 to finish 12 with a time of 6:56.04 to finish 14th and earn HM All-American Honors. Stanford put up a blazing fast time 6:46.98 for the win.

After two events, Louisville is in seventh place with 42 points, trailing Stanford (74), Virginia (74), Florida (60), Texas (55), Michigan (46), and California (44).

Thursday's events will be the 500 Free, 200 IM, 50 Free, 200 Free Relay and 1m Diving. Prelims start at 1 p.m. ET with the finals session starting at 9 p.m. ET.

UofL has 14 swimmers and two divers at the 2025 NCAA Division I Women's Swimming and Diving Championships which the NCAA unveiled the field on Wednesday, March 5.

The group tied the largest group of individual swimming qualifiers in school history and is the third biggest group overall trailing only Virginia (18) and Texas (15).

The women's championships is being held at Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatics Center in Federal Way, Washington, from Wednesday, March 19 to Saturday, March 22 and will be streamed on ESPN+. Also, ESPN+ will provide live digital coverage for preliminary and finals sessions Wednesday through Saturday. Tape-delayed coverage of the women's championships will be on ESPNU at 7 p.m. Eastern time, Wednesday, March 26.

Swimmers qualified for the championships by meeting the established minimum time for the events they entered.

Divers will be determined by performances at the Zone Diving Championships, held March 10-12 in Piscataway, N.J. Selected divers will be announced on Thursday, March 13.

Gabi Albiero, Amelia Bodenstab, Summer Cardwell, Fernanda Celidonio, Mia Cheatwood, Julia Dennis, Daria Golovaty, Kim Herkle, Caroline Larsen, Lucy Mehraban, Leticia Romao, Rye Ulett, Tristen Ulett and Ella Welch along with relay swimmers Abby Karl and Camille Murray will head west to race in the NCAAs. Divers Samm Helmboldt and Lindsay Gizzi will begin competition on Thursday in the 1-meter springboard.

Cardinal Qualifiers
Gabi Albiero (100 fly, 50 free, 100 free)
Amelia Bodenstab (200 free)
Summer Cardwell (200 free)
Fernanda Celidonio (200 IM)
Mia Cheatwood (100 breast, 200 breast)
Julia Dennis (50 free, 100 free)
Daria Golovaty (500 free, 200 free)
Kim Herkle (200 IM, 400 IM)
Caroline Larsen (50 free)
Lucy Mehraban (100 free)
Leticia Romao (1650 free)
Rye Ulett (200 back)
Tristen Ulett (200 fly, 200 IM, 100 fly)
Ella Welch (100 fly)
Diving
Lindsay Gizzi (1-meter)
Samm Helmboldt (plaform, 1-meter)

The Cardinals are also qualified in the 200 medley relay, the 800 free relay, 200 free relay, 400 medley relay and the 400 free relay.

How to Follow the Cardinals

Thursday, March 20 | Watch live on ESPN+
- Trials | 10 a.m.
- Finals | 6 p.m.
  - 500-yard freestyle
  - 200-yard individual medley
  - 50-yard freestyle
  - One-meter diving
  - 200-yard freestyle relay
Friday, March 21 | Watch live on ESPN+
- Trials | 10 a.m.
- Finals | 6 p.m.
  - 400-yard individual medley
  - 100-yard butterfly 10. 200-yard freestyle
  - 100-yard breaststroke 12. 100-yard backstroke
  - Three-meter diving
  - 400-yard medley relay
Saturday, March 22 | Watch live on ESPN+
- Trials | 10 a.m.
- Finals | 6 p.m.
  - 1,650-yard freestyle
  - 200-yard backstroke
  - 100-yard freestyle
  - 200-yard breaststroke
  - 200-yard butterfly
  - Platform diving
  - 400-yard freestyle relay