2022 ACC Championships: Day 3 Finals Live Recap

2022 ACC SWIMMING AND DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• When: Tuesday, February 15th to Saturday, February 19th Prelims 10:00am | Finals 6:00 pm (Tuesday 11:00am/4:30pm)
• Where: McAuley Aquatic Center, Atlanta Georgia (Eastern Time Zone)
• Defending Champions
  • Women: University of Virginia (17x) (results)
  • Men: University of Louisville (1x) (results)
• Streaming: ACC Network
  • Tuesday (prelims/finals)
  • Wednesday (prelims/finals)
  • Thursday (prelims/finals)
  • Friday (prelims/finals)
  • Saturday (prelims/1650s/finals)
• Championship Central: Here
• Detailed Timeline: Here
• Psych Sheets: Here
• Live Results
• Day 3 Finals Heat Sheets

The Virginia women are 2-2 in meet records in relays so far this week, but it’ll take another U.S. Open Record for them to set a new meet mark in the 200 medley relay this evening, after they swam the fastest time ever last year at this meet. But it’s not even a forgone conclusion that they’ll win, as they’re likely to face a tough battle against a NC State team that actually beat UVA in this event at NCAAs last year.

Right after that will come the 200 medley relay, which feels fairly wide open. NC State has been steamrolling the competition this week, but the Louisville Cardinals are the defending ACC and NCAA champions in this event, and UVA could be in the mix after shocking with an American Record in the 200 free relay last night.

The first individual event will be the 400 individual medley, where defending champion Ella Nelson of UVA holds the top seed on the women’s side, but she’ll swimming next to Olympic 400 IM medalist Emma Weyant, and NC State’s Mikey Moore had the fastest prelims time on the men’s side.

Records could be on watch again in both the men’s and the women’s 100 fly. Virginia’s Kate Douglass set a meet record in prelims and it seems likely she’ll be even faster this evening. Virginia Tech’s Antani Ivanov will swim in lane four tonight in the men’s 100 fly, and he’ll face off agains a strong field that includes ACC record holder Youssef Ramadan and 2021 NCAA runner-up Nick Albiero of Louisville.

Alex Walsh had the fastest split of anyone in the 800 free relay Tuesday night, and even though she holds the conference record in the 400 IM, she’s swimming the 200 free this evening, and will race out of lane four. The men’s race will feature a whopping five member of the NC State Wolfpack, and three previous conference champions: Batur Unlu of Georgia Tech, Colton Paulson of Louisville, and Bartosz Piszczorowicz of NC State, who’s transferred from Louisville since winning this title, and had the fastest time in this morning’s prelims.

After the swimming concludes, the women will compete in the finals of the 3m diving event, where Miami’s Emma Gullstrand holds the top seed after prelims.

In terms of the team battles, the UVA women should open up their lead over NC State tonight, while the Wolfpack men could essentially sew up the championship, even with two days to go.

Women’s 200 Medley Relay – Timed Finals

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut – 1:36.40
• NCAA ‘B’ Cut – 1:37.05
• Meet Record – 1:32.98, Virginia, 2021
• Conference Record – 1:32.98, Virginia, 2021

Top 3:

1. Virginia – 1:31.82
2. NC State – 1:33.25
3. Florida State – 1:35.40

The Virginia Cavaliers demolished the meet, conference, American, NCAA, and U.S. Open Records, swimming the fastest time in history by over a second to kick off the night.

Considering Gretchen Walsh has been 23.0 in dual meets this season, it wasn’t surprising to see her lead off in 22.82, becoming the first woman to ever break 23 in the 50 back, and unofficially setting an American Record in the event. The difference between Walsh’s swim and the 23.70 the Cavalier got from Caroline Gmelich when they set this record last year at this meet provided most of the overall difference between the two times.

Alexis Wenger split 25.77 on breast, a bit faster than her 26.03 last year. Lexi Cuomo’s 22.68 fly leg tonight was a tenth off last year’s split, then Kate Douglass anchored in 20.54. The combined time of 1:31.81 knocked over a second off of the previous fastest time ever, a 1:32.93.

NC State took 2nd in 1:33.25. Katharine Berkoff led off in 23.10, also one of the fastest swims ever, then Sophie Hansson (26.13), Abby Arens went 23.00 on fly, then Kylee Alons anchored in 21.02, combining for a time of 1:33.25, which appears to be the 5th-fastest performance ever.

Florida State (1:35.40 and UNC (1:35.58) were also under the NCAA ‘A’ cut. FSU’s Jenny Halden actually had the fastest fly split in the field with a 22.43, while UNC got a very strong 21.38 anchor from Grace Countie.

Louisville (1:36.49) and Duke (1:36.97) got under the NCAA ‘B’ cut.

Men’s 200 Medley Relay – Timed Finals

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut – 1:24.22
• NCAA ‘B’ Cut – 1:24.83
• Meet Record – 1:22.37, NC State, 2019
• Conference Record – 1:22.11, Louisville, 2021

Top 3:

1. Louisville – 1:21.84
2. Virgina Tech – 1:22.82
3. Florida State – 1:23.15

The Louisville Cardinals broke the meet and conference record in this event, winning with a 1:21.84 that was faster than the time their winning time from NCAAs last year.

Mitchell Whyte got things rolling with a 20.94 leadoff, then Evgenii Somov split 22.85 on breast. At that point, the Cardinals were a little behind their pace from last year’s NCAA, but then Dalton Lowe, who’s been swimming this leg more this year in lieu of Nick Albiero, scorched a 19.50 fly leg. That appears to be the 3rd-fastest performance ever, with only a 19.36 and a 19.45 from Joe Schooling having been faster. Abdelrahman Elaraby anchored in 18.55, closing it out for the Cardinals.

NC State initially appeared to touch second, but they’re currently appearing as a DQ in Meet Mobile. According to the commentary, they were DQ’d on the exchange between butterflyer Nyls Korstanje and freestyler David Curtiss, as the live results show an -.08s RT.  Even if Curtiss left a hair early, he still split an eye-popping 18.04

With NC State’s DQ, Virginia Tech earned 2nd. Blake Manoff led off in 21.40, then Carles Coll Marti split 23.11 on breast, Anatani Ivanov clocked a 19.78 fly split, and Youssef Ramadan anchored in 18.53, for an overall time of 1:22.82.

FSU took 3rd in 1:23.15, thanks largely to a 19.74 fly split by Max McCusker. Georgia Tech took 4th in 1:23.80. Notre Dame got a 18.45 anchor leg from freshman Christopher Guiliano to also get under the ‘A’ with a 1:23.81.

UVA and UNC picked up ‘B’ cut with times of 1:24.59 and 1:24.75.

Women’s 400 IM – Finals

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut – 4:03.62
• 2021 NCAA Invite Time – 4:13.19
• NCAA ‘B’ Cut – 4:17.30
• Meet Record – 4:02.62, Ella Nelson (UVA), 2021
• Conference Record – 4:01.40, Alex Walsh (UVA), 2021

Top 3:

1. Ella Nelson (Virginia) – 4:02.11
2. Emma Weyant (Virgina) – 4:04.90
3. Grace Sheble (NC State) – 4:05.61

UVA’s Ella Nelson successfully defended her title in this event, lowering her own meet record from 4:02.62 to 4:02.11. Nelson finished atop a strong field that included her teammate Emma Weyant, who earned a silver medal in the long course version of this event at last summer’s Tokyo Olympics. Weyant finished 2nd tonight in 4:04.90.

NC State took the next two spots, with Grace Sheble taking 3rd in 4:05.61 and Kate Moore taking 4th in 4:06.6. Last year, Moore took 2nd behind Nelson with a 4:04.73.  For the second year in a row, Virginia Tech’s Reka Gyorgy finished just behind Moore in order, touching in 4:08.12 tight. Louisville’s took the next two spots with Rye Ulett (4:09.27) and Abby Hay (4:09.85), followed by Notre Dame’s Luciana Thomas (4:13.16). Last year, Hay and Thomas took 5th and 6th respectively.

The entire A-final, plus the top three women in the B-final, were under lasts year’s NCAA invite time of 4:13.19,

Men’s 400 IM – Finals

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut – 3:39.16
• 2021 NCAA Invite Time – 3:45.67
• NCAA ‘B’ Cut – 3:51.46
• Meet Record – 3:38.43, Robert Owen (VT), 2017
• Conference Record – 3:38.00, Gal Nevo (VT), 2009

Top 3:

1. Daniel Sos (Louisville) – 3:41.77
2. Filippo Dal Maso (Virginia Tech) – 3:42.67
3. Mikey Moore (NC State) – 3:43.47

Daniel Sos captured Louisville’s first ACC title in this event with a well-executed race that led to him winning by nearly a second over Virgina Tech’s Filippo Dal Maso. Sos didn’t compete last year, to focus on the Olympics for his native Hungary, and Del Maso moved up from 7th last year to 2nd.

NC State’s Mikey Moore, who had the fastest time in prelims, turned on the jets at the end of the race to earn 3rd in 3:43.47, about a second faster than his 5th-place finish last year. Moore’s teammate Eric Knowles also finished under 3:44, touching in 3:43.48.

Casey Storch of UVA took 5th in 3:44.37, followed by last year’s runner-up, Keith Myburgh of Virginia Tech, at 3:45.57. Notre’s Dame Tyler Christianson took 7th in 3:47.10 with UVA’s Sean Conway taking 8th at 3:49.02.

Women’s 100 Fly – Finals

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut – 50.92
• 2021 NCAA Invite Time – 52.70
• NCAA ‘B’ Cut – 53.76
• Meet Record – 49.94, Kate Douglass (UVA), 2022
• Conference Record – 49.43, Kelsi Dahlia (LOU), 2017

Top 3:

1. Kate Douglass (Virginia) – 49.86
2. Kylee Alons (NC State) – 50.82
3. Gabi Albiero (Louisville) – 50.90

Kate Douglass once again defended her titles event and shaved a bit off of her meet record from the morning the process. Douglass took it out a bit quicker tonight than she did this morning, and she said in the post-race interview that she had been experimenting with some different kick counts. Tonight, Douglass touched first in 49.86, breaking her own meet record of 49.94 from this morning.

NC State’s Kylee Alons moved up from 3rd last year to 2nd this year with a time of 50.82. Likewise, Louisville’s Gabi Albiero moved up from 4th to 3rd from last year to tonight, touching just behind Alons at 50.90.

Louisville sophomore Tristen Ulett finished 4th in 51.39 tonight after placing 7th last year. Notre Dame’s Coleen Gillilan (52.13) and UNC’s Elizabeth Vannote (52.16) were also under last year’s NCAA Invite time, as were the top five finishers in the B-final.

UVA’s Lexi Cuomo, who like Douglass was part of UVA’s record-setting 200 medley relay earlier this evening, finished 8th tonight in 52.79 after finishing 2nd last year in 50.65.

Men’s 100 Fly – Finals

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut – 44.96
• 2021 NCAA Invite Time – 46.29
• NCAA ‘B’ Cut – 47.43
• Meet Record – 44.32, Youssef Ramadan (VT), 2021
• Conference Record – 44.32, Youssef Ramadan (VT), 2021

Top 3:

1. Youssef Ramadan (Virginia Tech) – 44.08
2. Antani Ivanov (Virginia Tech) – 44.73
3. Nick Albiero (Louisville) – 44.79

Virginia Tech sophomore Youssef Ramadan also defended his title in this event, rocking a 44.08 win that makes him the #4 performer all-time, behind only Caeleb Dressel, Joe Schooling, and Tom Shields.

Ramadan’s teammate Antani Ivanov also got under 45, taking 2nd in 44.73 after taking 3rd last year.

Last year’s runner-up here and at NCAAs, Nick Albiero of Louisville, took 3rd tonight in 44.79, followed by NC State’s Nyls Korstanje at 44.82.

Half the heat was under 45, and the rest were all under 46. NC State took 5th and 7th, thanks to Noah Henderson (45.57) and Aiden Hayes (45.79). Hayes set the national high school record in this event last year with a time of 45.47, breaking a mark that previously belonged to Schooling.

Albiero’s teammate Abdelraham Elaraby finished 6th in 45.64, while Christian Ferraro of Georgia Tech finished 8th with a 45.93.

We haven’t talked about the team battle all that much yet, but it’s worth noting that the field has closed the gap against NC State a bit now, with the Wolfpack only leading by about 110 points. Watch for that to change after the next event, where NC State has five men in the A-final. Virginia Tech now sits only 20.5 points behind Louisville in the battle for 3rd, with UVA another 98 points behind Virginia Tech.

Women’s 200 Free – Finals

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut – 1:42.98
• 2021 NCAA Invite Time – 1:46.25
• NCAA ‘B’ Cut – 1:47.12
• Meet Record – 1:41.60, Mallory Comerford (LOU), 2019
• Conference Record – 1:39.80, Mallory Comerford (LOU), 2018

Top 3:

1. Alex Walsh (Virginia) – 1:42.28
2. Sarah Foley (Duke) – 1:44.20
3. Emma Atkinson (Virginia Tech) – 1:44.43

Alex Walsh of Virginia and Sarah Foley of Duke finished 1-2 for the second night in a row, duplicating 200 IM yesterday’s finish in today’s 200 free. Walsh easily won in 1:42.28, right in line with her 1:41.64 anchor leg on UVA’s 800 free relay Tuesday.

Foley took 2nd tonight in 1:44.20, holding off Virginia Tech’s Emma Atkinson (1:44.20) and getting pass UVA’s Reilly Tiltmann (1:44.37) on the back half. Like Tiltmann, Louisville’s Paige Hetrick and NC State’s Annabel Crush were also out in 50-mid, but they faded just a bit to touch in 1:44.80 and 1:44.99.

Crush’s teammate Abbey Webb took 7th in 1:45.04, followed by Louisville’s Polina Nevmovenko (1:47.03).

Men’s 200 Free – Finals

• NCAA ‘A’ Cut – 1:32.05
• 2021 NCAA Invite Time – 1:34.04
• NCAA ‘B’ Cut – 1:36.32
• Meet Record – 1:32.23, Blake Manoff (VT), 2021
• Conference Record – 1:31.32, Andreas Vazaios (NCS), 2018

Top 3:

1. Luke Miller (NC State) – 1:32.46
2. Hunter Tapp (NC State) – 1:32.72
3. Murilo Sartori (Louisville) – 1:32.75

No one has repeated as the champion of this event since 2016, when Simonas Bilis won his second-straight title for the Wolfpack. Tonight, the last three winners of this event were all in the A-final, so you might think that they’re be a decent chance that one of them would win. However, in one of those odd twists of fate, those three men actually finished in the bottom three spots in the A-final.

Instead, Luke Miller earned his first ACC title with a 1:32.46 victory tonight, thanks largely to pair of 23.56 splits in the middle of the race, then a 23.69 final leg to propel him past teammate Hunter Tapp, who took 2nd in 1:32.72. Last year, those two took 3rd and 4th with times of 1:32.93 and 1:33.93, respectively.

Louisville freshman and Brazilian Olympian Murilo Sartori nearly caught Tapp at the end, touching 3rd in 1:32.75. Sartori finished just ahead of another pair of NC State swimmers, Noah Bowers (1:32.97) and Sam Hoover (1:33.13).

As we mentioned earlier, the final three spots in this race went to the previous three winners. Georgia Tech’s Batur Unlu, who won last year with a time of 1:32.40, finished 6th tonight in 1:33.25. NC State’s Bartosz Piszczorowicz finished 7th tonight with a 1:33.51, the same exact time with which he won this event in 2019 as a freshman at Louisville. And, finally, the 2020 champion, Colton Paulson of Louisville, finished 8th tonight with a 1:34.30; he won the title two years ago with a 1:33.77.

Women’s 3-Meter Diving – Finals

• Meet Record – 439.70, Abby Johnston (DUKE), 2010
• Conference Record – 439.70, Abby Johnston (DUKE), 2010

Top 3:

1. Mia Vallee (Miami) – 412.15
2. Emma Gullstrand (Miami) – 403.00
3. Aranza Vazquez (UNC) – 377.20

Emma Gullstrand couldn’t quite maintain her position as the top qualifier from this morning’s prelims, but it had to be some consolation that that woman who beat her was her teammate, Mia Vallee. The pair moved up to 1st and 2nd in this event after finishing 2nd and 3rd in the 1m on Tuesday.

Defending champion Aranza Vazquez took 3rd for North Carolina. Last year, Vallee was the runner-up behind Vazquez in this event.

Scores Through Day 3

Women

1. Virginia – 790.5
2. NC State – 690
3. Louisville – 547.5
4. Duke – 425
5. North Carolina – 365
6. Virginia Tech – 356
7. Notre Dame – 340
8. Miami (FL) – 273
9. Florida State – 268
10. Georgia Tech – 211
11. Pitt – 175
12. Boston College – 104

Men

1. NC State – 843.5
2. Louisville – 634.5
3. Virginia Tech – 561
4. Virginia – 487
5. Georgia Tech – 382.5
6. Florida State – 344
7. North Carolina – 332
8. Notre Dame – 212
9. Pittsburgh – 202
10. Duke – 187
11. Boston College – 115.5
12. Miami (FL) – 57