Nashville Aquatic Club Media Guide

  1. About NAC 
    1. Nashville Aquatic Club (NAC) is a year-round swim team that is dedicated to teaching and helping swimmers of all levels set and achieve their goals. NAC operates as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that has been serving the Nashville community since 1975. NAC is composed of athletes ranging from the entry-level swimmer all the way up to the national and international levels. NAC serves 250 competitive team swimmers, 500 SwimFitness and PreCompetitive swimmers and 300 Masters & Tri swimmers each year. 
    2. The mission of the NAC Competitive Team is to allow athletes to go as far in the sport of swimming as their talent and desire will allow. This athlete-first philosophy has allowed our swimmers to succeed at the local level all the way up to the international level. Locally, NAC has obtained over 40 Southeastern Swimming Championship Titles. On the international level, the NAC Hall of Fame is an extensive list of 13 Olympians, 75 Olympic Trial qualifiers, 23 National Junior Team members and 42 Senior National Finalists. In addition to athletic success, NAC develops young people of character by using swimming to teach life lessons that include time management, dealing with success and failure, commitment and focus in and outside of the pool. 
  2. Coaches Information 
    1. Head Coach John Morse: Coach John Morse took over as Nashville Aquatic Club head coach in 1984 and since then has been named the Southeastern Swimming LSC Coach of the Year more than ten times and has coached the team to over 40 LSC Championship titles. Morse was also named the USA Swimming Developmental Coach of the Year in 2008, 2016 and 2018. In 2007-2008, Morse was selected as an assistant coach of the National Junior Team and participated in international competition in Australia. Coach Morse also coached at the 2009 National Junior Team Trip to Canada as well as the Pan-American Games in 2010 in Mexico. 
    2. Associate Head Coach & Senior Coordinator Doug Wharam: Coach Doug Wharam has been with NAC for the past thirteen years and was named Southeastern Swimming Senior Coach of the Year three times and USA Swimming Developmental Coach of the Year twice. During his tenure in Nashville, the senior group has developed dozens of Junior National qualifiers, fourteen 18 & under Olympic Trial qualifiers, placed twenty-eight athletes on the Southeastern Championship team and had hundreds of USA Swimming Top 10 swims. 
  3. Alex and Gretchen Walsh Bios 
    1. Alex Walsh joined NAC in 2014, where she trained and competed for 6 years. During her time at NAC, Alex represented the United States in multiple international swim meets including the 2018 Summer Nationals and Junior Pan Pacs and 2019 Pan American Games. In 2020, Alex began swimming at the University of Virginia and since then has become a 5 time NCAA individual champion. Alex represented the USA at the 2020 Olympic Games where she won the silver medal in the 200 IM. At the 2022 World Championships, Alex won the 200 IM and became the 5th fastest all time performer in the event. In addition to their successes in the pool, Alex and Gretchen released their first Sporti x Alex + Gretchen Walsh swimsuit collection on SwimOutlet in 2022. 
    2. Gretchen Walsh joined NAC in 2014, where she trained and competed for 7 years. During her time at NAC, Gretchen competed in many national and international swim meets including the 2018 and 2019 US Nationals, 2018 Junior Pan Pacific Championships and 2019 World Junior Championships. At the 2018 Southern Premier swim meet, Gretchen became the youngest woman to go under 22 seconds in the 50 yard freestyle. In 2021, Gretchen began swimming at the University of Virginia and has become a 3 time NCAA individual champion. Since then she has won the National Title in the 100 fly at the 2022 US Nationals and the American Record in the 50 fly at the 2023 U.S. International Team Trials.
  4. Photos & Videos 

Gretchen and Alex Walsh

Source: Nashville Aquatic Club, 2021

 

Alex Walsh

 

Source: Nashville Aquatic Club, 2021

 

Gretchen Walsh

Source: Nashville Aquatic Club, 2021

 

Gretchen Walsh

Source: Nashville Aquatic Club, 2021

 

Alex Walsh Press Conference: https://youtu.be/4K6V0aXbFSk 

  1. Contact Information 
    1. NAC website:  https://swimnac.com/.
    2. For more information please contact Doug Wharam: dwharam@swimnac.com or 615-829-6687. 
    3. Follow NAC on Instagram at  https://www.instagram.com/swimnac/ and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/swimnac/. 
    4. Follow Alex on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/alexwalsh7/ and Gretchen on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/gretchwalsh2/. 
    5. Shop the Sporti x Alex + Gretchen Walsh swimsuit collection at https://www.swimoutlet.com/collections/sporti/sporti-x-alex-gretchen-walsh.