Kate Douglass Breaks ACC Meet Record in 100 Free Prelims; G. Walsh Lurking

2023 ACC SWIMMING AND DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Tuesday, February 14 to Saturday, February 18, 2023
• Greensboro Aquatic Center, Greensboro, North Carolina
• Defending Champions:
  • Women: Virginia (3x)
  • Men: NC State (results)
• Full Event Schedule
• Championship Central
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results
• Live Streaming
• Day 5 Prelims Heat Sheet
• Day 5 Prelims Live Recap

Kate Douglass chose the 100 free over the 200 breaststroke on Saturday morning at the ACC Championships, and so far, that decision looks like a fruitful one.

The Virginia senior, who says this will be her last season of collegiate swimming, broke the ACC Championship Record in prelims, swimming 46.50 out of the final heat. That broke the 2019 record of 46.57 set by former Louisville swimmer Mallory Comerford.

Douglass will attempt to defend her 2021 and 2022 ACC titles in the event, which she won last year in 46.81 and the year before in 46.83 – about three-tenths slower than her prelims time.

Her best time is a 46.30 that she swam on the leadoff leg of a 400 free relay at last year’s NCAA Championship meet.

Splits Comparison:

Douglass was about seven-tenths better than her teammate and the #2 qualifier Gretchen Walsh in prelims, but that doesn’t mean she’ll be unchallenged in finals. Walsh, after all, has a faster personal best (46.05) in the event that is the overall conference record, and she has been swimming well at this meet. She won the 50 free and set a new NCAA Record in the 50 free on Wednesday.

The heats went according to chalk, with Louisville junior Gabi Albiero qualifying 3rd in 47.42 and NC State senior Katharine Berkoff qualifying 4th in 47.50, setting up a star-studded finale for the evening.