NC State’s 400 IM Champ Kate Moore Didn’t Know What to Expect at ACCs (Video)

2020 WOMEN’S ACC SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• When: Wednesday, February 19th to Saturday, February 22nd | Prelims 10:00 am | Finals 6:00 pm (1650 prelims Saturday at 4:00 pm)
• Where: Greensboro Aquatic Center, Greensboro, North Carolina (Eastern Time Zone)
• Defending Champion: North Carolina State University (NC State) (1x) (results)
• Streaming: ACC Network
  • Day 2 Finals
  • Day 3 Finals
  • Day 4 Finals
• Championship Central: Here
• Detailed Timeline: Here
• Psych Sheets: Here
• Live Results
• Saturday Finals Heat Sheet

Reported by Robert Gibbs.

Thursday

WOMEN’S 500 FREE – FINALS

• ACC meet record: 4:30.74 – Leah Smith, 2016
• ACC record: 4:28.90 – Leah Smith, 2017
• 2019 ACC Champion: Mallory Comerford (LOU) – 4:34.63

1. Paige Madden (Virginia) – 4:36.19
2. Kate Moore (NC State) – 4:39.54
3. Maddie Donohoe (Virginia) – 4:42.05

UVA junior Paige Madden dominated tonight, leading from wire-to-wire to capture the first individual swimming title of the meet. Madden won in 4:36.19, almost five seconds faster than her time from last year’s final, where she took 2nd to Mallory Comerford. That’s Madden’s 4th-fastest time of her career, and her 2nd-fastest time of the season; she went 4:34.64 at the Minnesota Invite in November.

There wasn’t much of a race for 2nd, either, as Kate Moore took 2nd by about 2.5 second, touching in 4:39.54 for NC State. Behind the two leaders, though, UVA freshman Maddie Donohoe and NC State senior Makayla Sargent dueled for 3rd, with Donohoe grabbing a podium spot, 4:42.05 to 4:42.82.

NC State had four swimmers in the A-final, but the other two were unable to move up from their 7th and 8th place finishes in prelims, taking the same spots in finals. Louisville, meanwhile, went 1-2 in the B-final, with Maria Sumida winning that race with a 4:44.27.

Friday

WOMEN’S 400 IM – FINALS

• ACC meet record: 4:04.21 – Tanja Kylliainen, 2015
• ACC record: 4:03.51 – Tanja Kylliainen, 2015
• 2019 ACC Champion: Kathleen Moore (NCS) – 4:05.24

1. Kate Moore (NC State) – 4:04.35
2. Ella Nelson (Virginia) – 4:04.36
3. Emma Muzzy (NC State) – 4:05.08

This race was a great example of how fun a 400 IM can be to watch, as the leaders changed from stroke to stroke. UVA junior Abby Richter was the early leader after going out in 55.01 on the fly leg, but defending champion Kate Moore moved just 0.08s ahead of Richter on the backstroke leg. UVA freshman Ella Nelson surged ahead after splitting 33.92/34.55 on breast. She continued to hold the lead after the first 50 of freestyle, but Moore charged home, out splitting Nelson 27.48 to 28.63 on the last 50, en route to winning by the narrowest of margins, 4:04.35 to 4:04.36.

Moore remains the only woman in NC State history to win an ACC title in this race. NC State has been part of ACC women’s swimming since it started in 1979.

Richter ended up 4th in 4:05.86, NC State sophomore Emma Muzzy took 3rd in 4:05.08, and NC State also got a 5th-place finish from Makayla Sargent, helping NC State narrow the point gap against UVA.

All eight women in the A-final improved on their time from this morning.

FINAL SCORES

1. Virginia – 1492.5
2. NC State – 1333
3. Louisville – 1105.5
4. North Carolina – 839
5. Notre Dame – 784
6. Duke – 675.5
7. Florida State – 555
8. Virginia Tech – 469
9. Georgia Tech – 407.5
10. Pitt – 359
11. Miami – 298
12. Boston College – 164