Gretchen Walsh wins Olympics swimming silver in free relay with Erika Connolly, Tennessee star

Team USA won a silver medal in the women's 4x100-meter freestyle relay at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Saturday with a pair of Tennessee contributions.

Nashville native Gretchen Walsh played a key role in helping the U.S. finish in 3 minutes, 30.20 seconds, which broke the American record. Australia won gold with an Olympic record 3:28.92 and China took bronze at 3:30.30.

Walsh swam the second leg in 52.55, the second-fastest on the team. She also set the 100 butterfly Olympic record earlier in the day in a semifinal heat.

Former Tennessee star Erika Connolly swam in the relay heat earlier in the day with a time of 53.83. Connolly is the first Lady Vols swimmer to win three Olympic medals. She joins Melvin Stewart as the only swimmers in Tennessee history to achieve the feat.

Team USA has now medaled in the 4x100 relay in every Olympics since 1980.

What to know about Erika Connolly, Gretchen Walsh

Connolly graduated from Tennessee in 2020 as a two-time SEC Swimmer of the Year. She won two medals in the Tokyo Olympics, with a silver in the 4x100 medley relay and bronze in the 4x100 freestyle relay.

Walsh attends Virginia, where she has won 18 NCAA championships. She also is competing in the 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly, in which she set the world record at the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials in June with a time of 55.18.

MORE: 2024 Paris Olympics: What to know about Harpeth Hall alum, swimmers Alex, Gretchen Walsh

Walsh's sister, Alex, is also an Olympic swimmer and will compete in the 200 individual medley.

Sam Sklar is the Southern Miss beat reporter for the Hattiesburg American. Email him at ssklar@hattiesb.gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.

This article originally appeared on Hattiesburg American: Gretchen Walsh wins Olympics swimming silver in free relay with Erika Connolly, Tennessee star