NCAA 'A' Finalist Anna Keating Returning To Virginia For COVID Fifth Year

Anna Keating will be returning to Virginia for her COVID-19 fifth year, she announced via Instagram. Keating has helped the Virginia women to four straight NCAA titles.

Keating was the #10 ranked recruit coming out of high school. She made an instant impact upon her arrival in Charlottesville, finishing 4th in the 200 breast and 6th in the 100 breast at the 2021 ACC Championships. She also was 14th in the 200 IM. She qualified for NCAAs as a freshman, finishing 18th in the 100 breast and 21st in the 200 breast.

She finished 6th in both the 100 and 200 breaststrokes at 2022 ACCs, once again punching her ticket to NCAAs. She made her first finals at NCAAs, finishing 8th in the 200 breast in a personal best time of a 2:07.10. She also was 13th in the 100 breast in a 59.05. She scored 14.5 individual points, helping the team to another NCAA title.

As a junior, she was 8th in the 200 breast, 12th in the 100 breast, and 43rd in the 200 IM at ACCs. She swam a best time at NCAAs in the 200 breast, clocking a 2:06.73 for 6th. She also was 20th in the 100 breast. She scored 12 individual points to help the team to the 2023 NCAA title.

She switched her event lineup for ACCs this past season, swimming the 100 breast, 200 breast, and 400 IM. She finished 3rd in the 200 breast, 5th in the 400 IM, and 11th in the 100 breast.

She kept that lineup for NCAAs, finishing 8th in the 200 breast to score 11 individual points. She also was 35th in the 400 IM and 42nd in the 100 breast. Her ‘A’ final swim in the 200 breast was alongside Alex Walsh who captured the NCAA title.

This summer, Keating made the final of the women’s 200 breaststroke, finishing 6th in a 2:29.54. Her lifetime best stands at a 2:24.62 in the event.

The return of Keating allows Virginia to stay even more of a favorite to make a run at a 5th straight NCAA title. The team also returns Alex Walsh and Maxine Parker for their 5th years. The incoming class for this fall is also the #1 ranked recruiting class featuring names such as Claire Curzan and Leah Hayes.

The Virginia women qualified 19 swimmers make the cutline for 2024 NCAAs and had to cut one to get down to the maximum 18. They then cut another swimmer to make room for a diver. With Keating’s return, they now return 15 out of the 17 swimmers that competed at 2024 NCAAs.