University of Georgia Athletics
McCulloh’s Process Leads Her To NCAA Title
March 24, 2024 | The Frierson Files, Women's Swimming & Diving
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
On Saturday night inside Gabrielsen Natatorium, during the final session of the NCAA Women's Swimming & Diving Championships, Georgia's Abby McCulloh swam the best 1,650-yard freestyle race of her life.
A junior from Lilburn, Ga., McCulloh came into the NCAAs as the top seed in the 1,650. Her top time this year, 15:40.96, which she set while winning the SEC title last month, was the fastest in the country by more than four seconds. On Saturday, in the final heat of the event, with her closest challengers in the lanes on either side of her, McCulloh swam 15:37.74 to capture the national championship.
It was Georgia's first individual NCAA title in women's swimming since 2016, and the first under head coach Stefanie Williams Moreno.
"It's awesome," McCulloh said. "Just to be the first woman under Stef to win a national title is just amazing. I told her after I finished, 'During that whole time, I was thinking about you. I want to be Stef's first!'"
She improved her personal best time by more than three seconds. She won the race by more than three seconds over second-place finisher Aurora Roghair of Stanford (15:41.11). She also set a new Bauerle Pool record.
"Aurora is an amazing swimmer. I saw her coming on at the end, and I was like, just hold on. I think knowing that I would have been happy getting second (helped down the stretch); if she won, I would have been so happy for her. Knowing that whatever the outcome was, it was what it was supposed to be," McCulloh said.
In the early part of the race, which McCulloh led from start to finish, Indiana's Ching Hwee Gan was her closest competitor, staying within a second of the lead. After about 700 yards, McCulloh had built some separation. She was 1.5 seconds ahead by the 750-yard mark and was more than two seconds ahead after 950 yards.
At 1,200 yards, McCulloh was almost four seconds ahead of the field, but Roghair was beginning her surge. Roghair was able to close the gap a little, but never got the margin under two seconds, and then McCulloh sealed the national championship by swimming the final 50 in 27.36, faster than Roghair's 27.66.
As she touched the wall, about a dozen of her teammates were right by her starting block in lane four, hugging and celebrating.
"First, I just felt tired," she said with a laugh when asked to describe how she felt after touching the wall. "I definitely hurt a lot. But just to see all my teammates screaming and crying behind the block, I've told them that any success we have is not just one person. That victory is for every single one of them."
McCulloh loves the mental and physical challenges that swimming provides. It takes talent to compete at the highest levels, and an incredible amount of work. She relishes and embraces the work, finding strength and meaning in the daily grind.
"The training, as hard as it is, is really rewarding," she said during a Quick Chat in January. "To get through some of the practices that we do, it's definitely something that I'm glad I did. I can do hard things because I've done these practices."
Not every great competitor focuses more on the process than the result, but that's the way McCulloh approaches her swimming career.
"I think that's just the way that I am," she said. "Focusing on the process — I didn't start out great at swimming, so knowing that I could get satisfaction from hard work and being around my teammates and making them better (was helpful). As much as I focus on that, it's helped and it's paid off. Just trying to be a good teammate, and then whatever happens happens."
What happened Saturday was the culmination of all of that. A year ago, McCulloh finished 12th at the NCAAs in the 1,650. The year before, as a freshman, she placed fifth. Now, she's a national champion.
To celebrate the end of her spectacular season, McCulloh is going to take a week off — an eternity in her sport — before resuming training to prepare for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in June. She will even join her mom and teammate Zoie Hartman on a trip to New York. And when they go see "Wicked" on Broadway, odds are that McCulloh will be the only NCAA champion in the audience.
It was the process, the people around her, and the work they all do each day that made it happen.
"Every year I'm on this team, it just becomes more and more special," she said. "The girls here are the most amazing group of women, and so this season, getting to grow closer with them, getting to be a part of this culture and what Stef is doing, it's the best thing ever. And I'm so grateful for everything."
Staff Writer
On Saturday night inside Gabrielsen Natatorium, during the final session of the NCAA Women's Swimming & Diving Championships, Georgia's Abby McCulloh swam the best 1,650-yard freestyle race of her life.
A junior from Lilburn, Ga., McCulloh came into the NCAAs as the top seed in the 1,650. Her top time this year, 15:40.96, which she set while winning the SEC title last month, was the fastest in the country by more than four seconds. On Saturday, in the final heat of the event, with her closest challengers in the lanes on either side of her, McCulloh swam 15:37.74 to capture the national championship.
It was Georgia's first individual NCAA title in women's swimming since 2016, and the first under head coach Stefanie Williams Moreno.
"It's awesome," McCulloh said. "Just to be the first woman under Stef to win a national title is just amazing. I told her after I finished, 'During that whole time, I was thinking about you. I want to be Stef's first!'"
She improved her personal best time by more than three seconds. She won the race by more than three seconds over second-place finisher Aurora Roghair of Stanford (15:41.11). She also set a new Bauerle Pool record.
"Aurora is an amazing swimmer. I saw her coming on at the end, and I was like, just hold on. I think knowing that I would have been happy getting second (helped down the stretch); if she won, I would have been so happy for her. Knowing that whatever the outcome was, it was what it was supposed to be," McCulloh said.
In the early part of the race, which McCulloh led from start to finish, Indiana's Ching Hwee Gan was her closest competitor, staying within a second of the lead. After about 700 yards, McCulloh had built some separation. She was 1.5 seconds ahead by the 750-yard mark and was more than two seconds ahead after 950 yards.
At 1,200 yards, McCulloh was almost four seconds ahead of the field, but Roghair was beginning her surge. Roghair was able to close the gap a little, but never got the margin under two seconds, and then McCulloh sealed the national championship by swimming the final 50 in 27.36, faster than Roghair's 27.66.
As she touched the wall, about a dozen of her teammates were right by her starting block in lane four, hugging and celebrating.
"First, I just felt tired," she said with a laugh when asked to describe how she felt after touching the wall. "I definitely hurt a lot. But just to see all my teammates screaming and crying behind the block, I've told them that any success we have is not just one person. That victory is for every single one of them."
McCulloh loves the mental and physical challenges that swimming provides. It takes talent to compete at the highest levels, and an incredible amount of work. She relishes and embraces the work, finding strength and meaning in the daily grind.
"The training, as hard as it is, is really rewarding," she said during a Quick Chat in January. "To get through some of the practices that we do, it's definitely something that I'm glad I did. I can do hard things because I've done these practices."
Not every great competitor focuses more on the process than the result, but that's the way McCulloh approaches her swimming career.
"I think that's just the way that I am," she said. "Focusing on the process — I didn't start out great at swimming, so knowing that I could get satisfaction from hard work and being around my teammates and making them better (was helpful). As much as I focus on that, it's helped and it's paid off. Just trying to be a good teammate, and then whatever happens happens."
What happened Saturday was the culmination of all of that. A year ago, McCulloh finished 12th at the NCAAs in the 1,650. The year before, as a freshman, she placed fifth. Now, she's a national champion.
To celebrate the end of her spectacular season, McCulloh is going to take a week off — an eternity in her sport — before resuming training to prepare for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in June. She will even join her mom and teammate Zoie Hartman on a trip to New York. And when they go see "Wicked" on Broadway, odds are that McCulloh will be the only NCAA champion in the audience.
It was the process, the people around her, and the work they all do each day that made it happen.
"Every year I'm on this team, it just becomes more and more special," she said. "The girls here are the most amazing group of women, and so this season, getting to grow closer with them, getting to be a part of this culture and what Stef is doing, it's the best thing ever. And I'm so grateful for everything."
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
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