2023 ACC SWIMMING AND DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
The final day of the 2023 ACC Championships begins with heats in the men’s and women’s 200 back, 100 free and 200 breaststroke, with five of the six reigning champions in the field to defend their titles.
Virginias Reilly Tiltman (200 back), Kate Douglas (100 free) and Alex Walsch (200 chest) will aim to defend their conference titles from last season on the women’s side while Virginia Tech’s Youssef Ramadan (100 free) and Carles Coll Marti (200 chest) will try to do the same on the men’s side.
A new champion will be crowned in the men’s 200 backstroke this year as last year’s winner VA Tech’s graduated Samuel Tornqvist. Virginias Jack Aikins is the best returnee from last season after finishing second to Tornqivst in 1:39.53 while Georgia Tech is Berke Saka is the fastest swimmer in the conference this season at 1:40.02.
TEAM RESULTS BY DAY 4:
Women:
Men:
200 women’s backstroke
- NCAA record: 1:47.24, Beata Nelson (WISC) – 2019 NCAA Championships
- ACC record: 1:49.09, Alexia Zevnik (NCST) – 2017 NCAA Championships
- ACC Championship Record: 1:49.61, Alexia Zevnik (NCST) – 2017
- NCAA A-Average: 1:50.50
- 2022 NCAA Invitational Time: 1:53.97
NC State Freshman Kennedy Noble set a personal best in the heats of the Women’s 200 Back to take the top seed eight-tenths into tonight’s finale, posting a time of 1:51.39 from the first circular seeded heat.
Noble’s best time to date was two years ago to the day (February 20, 2021) at the YWSF Last Chance Invite in 1:51.91.
Your teammate from the wolf pack Emma Muzythe 2021 champion and last year’s runner-up, surpassed the final heat to qualify in 1:52.19 with the defending champion second overall Reilly Tiltman Second in the heat and fourth overall in 1:52.86.
Louisville junior won the penultimate race Paige Hetrickwho finished sixth last year as she neared her lifetime best of 1:52.05 from the 2022 NCAAs in 1:52.45.
Virginia Techs Emma AtkinsonThird last season in 1:50.64, safely advanced to the final sixth in 1:53.93.
On the other side for the hokies, newbie Carmen Weiler Sastre missed the A-Finals in 12th with a time of 1:56.44 after a best time of 1:52.97 during the midseason Ohio State Invitational.
200 men’s backstroke
- NCAA record: 1:35.73, Ryan Murphy (CAL) – 2016 NCAA Championships
- ACC Record: 1:37.31, Coleman Stewart (NCST) – 2020 ACC Championships
- ACC Championship Record: 1:37.31, Coleman Stewart (NCST) – 2020
- NCAA A-average: 1:39.13
- 2022 NCAA Invitational Time: 1:40.92
Virginia Tech sophomore Nico Garcia exceeded UVA’s Jack Aikins for winning the first circular heat of the men’s 200 backstroke, which ultimately earned him first place in tonight’s final.
García set a new personal best of 1:40.42, improving on his previous time of 1:41.00 from last season when he finished ninth.
Aikins, the 2022 runner-up, dropped a season-best two seconds to move up to second overall in 1:40.50 while Notre Dame was in the freshman Tommy Janton (1:41.19) and NC State Senior hunter tap (1:41.36) were slightly slower than their mid-season times to qualify third and fourth.
VT Senior Forest Webb and NC State Juniors Mikey Moorewho both swam in the consolation final last year achieved the best times of the season with 1:41.97 and 1:42.09 and qualified for fifth and sixth place overall.
Georgia Techs Berke SakaThis season’s fastest swimmer in the conference with a time of 1:40.02 was behind by 1:42.10 but still comes into the finals seventh, as does last night’s 100-back champion Kapper Stokowski (1:42.13) Aft.
It was a razor-thin fight as Pitt reached the finals Marcin Goraj and UVAs Max Edwards tied ninth in 1:42.17, just 0.04 behind Stokowski for eighth and final place in the high heat.
100 women’s freestyle
- NCAA record: 45.56, Simone Manuel (STAN) – 2017 NCAA Championships
- ACC record: 46.05, Gretchen Walsch (UVA) – 2022 NCAA Championships
- ACC Championship Record: 46.57, Mallory Comerford (UL) – 2019
- NCAA A-cut: 47.18
- 2022 NCAA Invitational Time: 48.44
Only three teams will be represented in tonight’s Women’s 100 Free A-Finals and half of the heat will be made up of Cavaliers.
UVA fielded four this morning, led by senior standouts Kate Douglaswho continued her hot vein with the fracture Mallory Comerford‘s ACC championship record in a time of 46.50.
Douglass’ swim lowers Comerford’s previous competitive record of 46.57 set in 2019 and is just two-tenths off her personal best at the 2021 NCAAs (46.30). Douglass also surpasses the national best this season, passing Stanford Torri Huske (46.85).
Douglass’ UVA teammate Gretchen Walsch set the second fastest time of the session at 47.20, with the sophomore owning a season best of 46.89, which is now her third in the country (was second before Douglass’ swim).
Cavalier Senior Lexi Cuomo (47.71) and freshman Aimee Canny (48.05) both set sizable personal bests to join Douglass and Walsh in today’s final, finishing sixth and tied seventh respectively.
Louisville’s Gaby Albiero advanced third in 47.42, just ahead of NC State Catherine Berkow (47.50), both of whom fall below their season bests.
cardinal senior Christian Regenauer (47.70) and Wolfpack junior Abbey Webb (48.05) round off the A final.
100 men’s freestyle
- NCAA record: 39.90, Caeleb Dressel (FLOR) – 2018 NCAA Championships
- ACC Record: 41.05, Ryan Held (NCST) – 2018 NCAA Championships
- ACC Championship Record: 41.41, Ryan Held (NCST) – 2018
- NCAA A Average: 41.64
- 2022 NCAA Invitation Time: 42.34
Virginia Techs Youssef Ramadan and Notre Dames Chris Guiliano blasted each other to new personal bests and school records in the men’s 100 Free heats, both breaking the 42-second barrier.
Guiliano set the tone, clocking a 41.94 in the penultimate heat, a comfortable sprint from his previous best of 42.32. Ramadan responded by breaking a 41.69 in the final run to surpass his previous best of 41.76 that was on his way to last year’s title win.
Louisville’s Michael Ostman has now set a new best in the 50, 100 and 200 Free at that meet as he qualifies third for the finals with a 42.17 while UVA’s Matt Brownsteadfourth last year, finishing fourth posted a season best of 42.21.
The race for spots in the “A” Finals was tight, with just 16 hundredths separating places five through eleven, with five of those seven athletes coming from NC state.
Luke Mueller, David Curtis And Noah Henderson eventually came through for the pack, as did UVA’s Tim Connerwho joined the Cavaliers from Texas this season and set another personal best of 42.50 after posting a 42.54 PB two weeks ago.
200 women’s breaststroke
- NCAA record: 2:01.87, Kate Douglas (UVA) – 2022 Tennessee Invitational
- Note that Douglass’ time of 2:01.43 is a US Open record but not the official NCAA record since it was set in a time trial.
- ACC record: 2:01.87, Kate Douglas (UVA) – 2022 Tennessee Invitational
- ACC Championship Record: 2:03.02, Alex Walsch (UVA) – 2022
- NCAA A-cut: 2:06.18
- 2022 NCAA Invitation Time: 2:09.15
The Virginia duo of Alex Walsch And Ella Nelson built up a big lead early on and then built it up in the final heat of the women’s 200m breaststroke on cruise control, swimming side-by-side and easily qualifying 1-2 for tonight’s final.
Walsh, who is second in the NCAA this season with a 2:03.93, overtook her older teammate by eight hundredths, 2:06.31 to 2:06.39, to conquer lane 4 while Nelson moved to one Season best swam through of 2:06.39 and placed her fourth nationally in 2022-23.
duke’s Sarah FoleyFourth last season behind Walsh, Nelson and the now graduate Sophie Hansonqualified third overall in 2:08.27, one of four swimmers within half a second of each other in the 2:08 middle area.
Foley ran 2:06.61 at the NC State Invitational in November, and her best time at last season’s NCAAs is 2:05.78.
NC states Andrea Podmanikova was fifth last year and qualified fourth for the finals in 2:08.34 after going as fast as 2:06.77 this season, making for a great battle between her and Foley for a place on the podium should lead.
All six A-finalists returning from last season made it into the big heat again, and two newcomers, Kaelyn Gridley And Emma Weberhave taken over for the graduates Hansson and Alex Wenger.
Featuring Weber joining Walsh, Nelson and Anna KeatingThe Cavaliers took a four-time lead for the second straight season as they continue their quest for a record-breaking total score.
Men 200 Breaststroke
- NCAA record: 1:47.91, Will Licon (TEX) – 2017 NCAA Championships
- ACC record: 1:49.69, Carles Coll Marti (VT) – 2022 NCAA Championships
- ACC Championship Record: 1:51.26, Evgenii Somov (UL) – 2021
- NCAA A-Average: 1:51.54
- 2022 NCAA Invitational Time: 1:53.23