Greta Gidley Swims Away with NCAA Title in the 200-Yard Individual Medley

The senior is the sixth Flying Dutch swimmer to win a national championship

Trailing halfway through her 200-yard individual medley final at the NCAA Division III Championships, Hope College swimmer Greta Gidley remained unflappable.

Memories of coming close to a national title in the event three previous times did not weigh on her in the pool Wednesday in Indianapolis. The fifth-year senior remained focused and driven down the stretch of the four-stroke race, pulling away from the field for a title-clinching, school-record and personal-best time of 1:49.20 at the Indiana University Natatorium.

Gidley (Franklin, Michigan / Mercy) topped the field by more than 2 seconds and became the sixth Hope women's swimmer to win a national title and the first in 25 years. The four-time All-American in the event realized her ultimate goal in her final 200 IM race.

Swimmer Greta Gidley sits while holding All-America trophies.

Swimmer Greta Gidley sits while holding All-America trophies.

"I've wanted to win this since I came to Hope. It was a huge goal," Gidley said. "Throughout the year, everything happened to set me up for this perfect night. It means so much to me to end my 200 IM career this way: my best time. I could see after 100 yards that I was in fifth place, but I knew I had the best part of my race ahead of me."

Gidley captured Hope's second NCAA national championship in five days. Track sprinter Sara Schermerhorn won the 400-meter crown Saturday in Birmingham, Alabama, becoming the Flying Dutch's first indoor national champion and third overall.

An elementary education major, Gidley joined five other Hope women's swimmers who claimed national titles in individual events: Shelly Russell in six events (1987-89), Dawn Hoving in three events (1992-93), Susan Looman in two events (1994), Kristin Hoving in two events (1995-96) and Elizabeth Vanderberg in two events (2000-01). Diver Sarah Sheridan captured the 3-meter crown in 2016.

'A Special Swim'

Gidley is the Flying Dutch's first NCAA champion in an individual medley event. The IM is unique because it requires four different swim strokes: butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle. Gidley earned her place among the Flying Dutch's national champions, head coach Jake Taber said.

"She doesn't have a weak stroke," Taber said. "If you ask her about her best event, it's changed over time. You look at the four disciplines, and it's no wonder she's a national champion, given how she's continued to develop and drop her times. When it came together, it sure was a special night and a special swim."

Gidley — who finished national runner-up in the 200 IM in 2023 and 2024 and took 4th last season — trailed by 1.64 seconds after 50 yards apiece of the breaststroke and backstroke. In the breaststroke, Gidley made up ground quickly, delivering a 32.64-second split that was 4 seconds faster than the leader and nearly 2 seconds faster than anyone else.

Gidley finished with a 28.82 split in the 50 freestyle and placed comfortably ahead of two swimmers who touched the wall at 2:01.25: Emory University fifth-year senior Sammi Thiele and Kenyon College's Kelsey Van Eldik.

"The IM is really special because you have to swim your own race," Gidley said. "Everyone is strong in different areas. I had to learn to trust myself and my training."

The breakthrough victory — and Second-Team All-America performances in the 50 freestyle and 400 medley relay — propelled Hope to a seventh-place score of 38 points after Day 1 of the NCAA Championships. New York University leads with 121 points, 13.5 more than second-place Kenyon.

Gidley was a joy to watch all day Wednesday, Taber said.

"Greta's is in such a good headspace right now," Taber said. "There wasn't anything I needed to say or do. Our conversations on the way to the pool and during the pre-meet warmup were organic. Nothing was scripted. She was happy to be in the moment. You had a pretty good feeling she was going to do something special."

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Players Mentioned

Greta Gidley: Fifth Year; Elementary Education

Players Mentioned

Greta Gidley
: Fifth Year; Elementary Education