2018 Women’s ACC Championships: Day 4 Live Recap

2018 WOMEN’S ACCS

TEAM SCORES (END OF DAY 3)

  1. Virginia – 886.5
  2. Louisville – 774.5
  3. NC State – 677
  4. UNC – 570
  5. Duke – 539.5
  6. Notre Dame – 519.5
  7. Virginia Tech – 473.5
  8. Florida State – 412.5
  9. Pitt – 346
  10. Miami – 255
  11. Georgia Tech – 235
  12. Boston College – 90

Going into the final session of the meet, it looks to be Virginia’s meet to lose. They will have 8 A final appearances, as well as 6 B finalists and 3 C finalists. They will look gain massive points in the 100 free, to match their stunning performances in the 50 and 200.

Mallory Comerford will battle with Caroline Baldwin in the 100 free, as Comerford will look to get her 3rd individual win of the meet. Jen Marrkand and Grace Oglesby will go had-to-head in the 200 fly.

WOMEN’s 1650 FREE

  • Meet: 15:25.30 2/20/2016 Leah Smith
  • ACC: 15:25.30 2/20/2016 Leah Smith
  • American: 15:03.31 11/20/2017 Katie Ledecky
  • NCAA: 15:03.31 11/18/2017 Katie Ledecky
  • U.S. Open: 15:03.31 11/20/2016 Katie Ledecky
  • Pool Record: 15:13.30 12/6/2014 Katie Ledecky
  • 15:53.50 A
  • 16:16.41 Invited to 2017 NCAA
  • 16:30.59 B
  1. Hannah Moore (NC State) – 15:48.37
  2. Tamila Holub (NC State) – 16:00.14
  3. Sophie Cattermole (Louisville) – 16:00.78

Hannah Moore jumped out to the early lead, and continued to grow that race throughout. After the 100 mark, Moore really opened it up to finish nearly a full pool-length ahead of teammate Tamila Holub and Louisville’s Sophie Cattermole. Her time of 15:48.37 was a season best by 6 seconds, and her 2nd fastest time ever. Moore also became the first new ACC mile champion since 2014, when Leah Smith won as a freshman, and then went on to win as a sophomore, junior, and senior.

Tamila Holub and Sophie Cattermole both went best times to come in 2nd and 3rd. The top 6 in the event all went under the NCAA invited time of 16:16.41 from last year.

NC State started out the final night of competition in the manner they were hoping for, throwing down a 1-2-4-6 finish in the event. With that finish, the Wolfpack is now down by just 20.5 points on Louisville.

 

WOMEN’S 200 BACK

  • Meet: 1:49.61 2/16/2017 Alexia Zevnik, NCSU-NC
  • ACC: 1:49.09 3/18/2017 Alexia Zevnik, NC State
  • American: 1:47.84 3/21/2013 Elizabeth Pelton, California
  • NCAA: 1:47.84 3/21/2013 Elizabeth Pelton, California
  • U.S. Open: 1:47.84 3/21/2013 Elizabeth Pelton, California
  • Pool Record: 1:47.91 3/21/2015 Missy Franklin, California-PC
  • 1:50.99 A
  • 1:54.00 Invited to 2017 NCAA
  • 1:59.19 B
  1. Paige Madden (Virginia) – 1:51.81
  2. Elise Haan (NC State) – 1:52.65
  3. Megan Moroney (Virginia) – 1:53.28

Freshman Paige Madden took control in the end of the race to claim the ACC title, finishing in a best time of 1:51.81. She overtook runner-up Elise Haan on the last 50, splitting a 28.33 to Haan’s 29.22. Madden also threw down an impressive 27.92 on the 3rd 50, and her 100 splits were 55.56 and 56.25. Megan Moroney picked up her 3rd top 3 finish of the meet, posting a best time 1:53.28. The top 3 are very safe for being invited to the NCAAs this year.

Erin Earley of Virginia took the B final with the 3rd fastest overall time of 1:53.16. On top of that being a great prformance for UVA in the team standings, that will be good enough for an invite to the NCAAs. Marcie Maguire touched out Reka Gyorgy in the C final, 1:54.52 to 1:54.71.

WOMEN’S 100 FREE

  • Meet: 46.75 2/16/2017 Mallory Comerford
  • ACC: 46.35 3/17/2017 Mallory Comerford
  • American: 45.56 3/18/2017 Simone Manuel
  • NCAA: 45.56 3/18/2017 Simone Manuel
  • U.S. Open: 45.56 3/18/2017 Simone Manuel
  • Pool Record: 46.09 3/21/2015 Simone Manuel
  • 47.53 A
  • 48.62 Invited to 2017 NCAA
  • 49.99 B
  1. Mallory Comerford (Louisville) – 46.65
  2. Caroline Baldwin (UNC) – 47.40
  3. Morgan Hill (Virginia) – 48.02

In what might have been her best individual performance of the meet, Mallory Comerford threw down a new meet record 46.65 100 free. That came in exactly 1-tenth faster than her meet record that she set last year. She was out .01 seconds slower than runner-up Caroline Baldwin, 22.69 to 22.68, but came back in a roaring 23.96 to pull away from Badwin by nearly a second. Virginia went 3-4-6-7 in the event, led by Morgan Hill. That finish was likely the final nail nail in the coffin for Louisville’s hopes of catching Virginia tonight.

Casey Fanz won the B final with a 48.58, out-touching Iris Wang by just .02 seconds. Kyla Valls took the C final with a 48.97.

WOMEN’S 200 BREAST

  • Meet: 2:04.34 2/22/2014 Emma Reaney, Notre Dame
  • ACC: 2:04.06 3/22/2014 Emma Reaney, Notre Dame
  • American: 2:03.18 3/18/2017 Lilly King, Indiana
  • NCAA: 2:03.18 3/18/2017 Lilly King, Indiana
  • U.S. Open: 2:03.18 3/18/2017 Lilly King, Indiana
  • Pool Record: 2:04.34 2/22/2014 Emma Reaney, UND-IN
  • 2:07.18 A
  • 2:10.55 Invited to 2017 NCAA
  • 2:15.99 B
  1. Mariia Astashkina (Louisville) – 2:09.01
  2. Natalie Pierce (Florida State) – 2:09.05
  3. Rachael Bradford-Feldman (Louisville) – 2:09.38

Louisville posted a Virginia-freestyle-event-esque finish in the 200 breast, finishing 1-3-4-5, bringing themselves back within 200 points of Virginia. With 2 individuals and a relay left however, time is not on the Cardinals’ side. Freshman Mariia Astashkina was able to run down 100 breast champ Natalie Pierce on the final 50, posting a 2:09.01 to Pierce’s 2:09.05. Astashkina was out fast, touching at the 100 in 1:02.01, with each of her 50s slowing down by a little (29.61/32.40/33.06/33.94). Rachael Bradford-Feldman came in 3rd right behind Pierce at 2:09.38, while Louisville teammates Lauren James and Morgan Friesen finished with 1.3 seconds of Astashkina.

Lindsay Morrow took the B final with a 2:11.10, while Caroline Hauder won the C final with a 2:11.51.

WOMEN’S 200 FLY

  • Meet: 1:53.19 2/21/2015 Tanja Kylliainen
  • ACC: 1:50.61 3/19/2016 Kelsi Worrell
  • American: 1:49.92 2/25/2009 Elaine Breeden
  • NCAA: 1:49.92 2/25/2009 Elaine Breeden
  • U.S. Open: 1:49.92 2/25/2009 Elaine Breeden
  • Pool Record: 1:51.11 3/21/2015 Kelsi Worrell
  • 1:53.80 A
  • 1:56.60 IV17 Invited to 2017 NCAA
  • 1:59.59 B
  1. Grace Oglesby (Louisville) – 1:53.87
  2. Jen Marrkand (Virginia) – 1:54.89
  3. Klaudia Nazieblo (VT) – 1:55.01

Grace Oglesby completed the duo 100/200 fly win, Passing Jen Marrkand on the final 50 to be her by over a second. Oglesby posted incredibly even splits for a 200 fly: 26.08/29.43/29.15/29.21. She was off the meet record of 1:53.19, which she has 2 more seasons to break. Marrkand already has the A cut in the 200 fly with her season best 1:53.55, and Oglesby has the A cut in the 100 fly, which automatically qualifies them to swim the 200 fly at the NCAAs. Klaudia Nazieblo and Duke’s Isabella Paez (4th – 1:55.45) will both also get invites to the NCAAs.

Jessica Horomanski took the B final with a 1:58.60, while Madison Boswell won the C with a 1:59.23.

WOMEN’S 400 FREE RELAY

  • Meet: 3:10.31 2/16/2017 NC State
  • ACC: 3:10.31 2/16/2017 NC State
  • American: 3:07.61 3/18/2017 Stanford
  • NCAA: 3:07.61 3/18/2017 Stanford
  • U.S. Open: 3:07.61 3/18/2017 Stanford
  • Pool Record: 3:08.54 3/21/2015 Stanford
  • 3:15.43 A
  • 3:16.93 B
  1. Virgina – 3:09.45
  2. Louisville – 3:10.73
  3. UNC – 3:14.91

Virginia capped off an incredibe meet with a new ACC Record-setting 400 free relay. Morgan Hill led off with a 48.25, followed by Caitlin Cooper with a 46.82, Laine Reed at 47.04, and Eryn Eddy anchoring in 47.34. Mallory Comerford did her best to catch Eddy on the final leg, posting a 46.68, but Louisville still finished over a second behind. Virginia’s time was less than 2 seconds off the NCAA record of 3:07.61.

Notre Dame picked up an A relay cut, finishing in 4th with a 3:15.22.

Virginia already had the team title wrapped up before the relay, but after they have now officially won the ACC women’s team title, making it their 10th title out of the last 11 years.

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FormerHooSwimmer
6 years ago

I want to go on the record to say this. The passion and energy that Todd Desorbo and his entire coaching staff have brought to UVA Swimming in such a short time has been amazing. They have energized the UVA athletes and that’s pretty apparent in the results. What’s not seen is how they have engaged the entire UVA Swimming family, from the parents to the alumni. Most former swimmers were put off by the way that Mark Bernardino was treated and dismissed after years of both success in the pool and developing his student athletes for swimming and future endeavors. While almost nobody would have wanted to step into the unenviable role of replacing Mark, Busch compounded it by… Read more »

swamfan
6 years ago

It’s amazing how much stronger uva is this year than last year. Especially considering they lost leah smith and kaitlin jones. Did a new coaching staff really make that much of a difference? If so that’s pretty embarrassing for Busch.

Aquaman
Reply to  swamfan
6 years ago

To be fair, last year UVA had the immediate bummer of the 2 Medley Relay DQ and missed Meghan Moroney. It would’ve been very close otherwise and it wasn’t like the Busch’s girls lost previously. Nc State had an excellent team. Moreover the UVA girls had their highest NCAA finishes ever under those coaches.
Todd brings a whole new level of energy, but Augie bashing is growing stale

SwimGeek
Reply to  Aquaman
6 years ago

True – they finished top-5 at NCAAs twice. But those finishes were built on a small cadre of exceptional women — Courtney Bartholomew, Leah Smith, Laura Simon, Kaitlyn Jones, and a few others were scoring major points and put together great relays. But when see what certain swimmers did in 3 years with the old staff and one year with new staff . . . the comparison is rather stark. The times don’t lie.

SwimGeek
6 years ago

It will be very interesting to see what DeSorbo is able to do with the UVA men over the next several years. He may have fallen into the perfect situation and could surpass his old boss very quickly. UVA could turn into an East Coast version of CAL — great public school; cares about Olympic Sports.

Crusty
6 years ago

3:09!!!!!!!

SwimGeek
Reply to  Crusty
6 years ago

Talk about an emphatic way to close out the meet. Wow. 46.8 from Caitlin Cooper! 47.0 from Laine Reed. Both of those ladies are seniors. Coming into this year, Cooper’s best time was 48.9. Reed’s best time coming into this year was 49.0. Think that coaching change worked out for them?

Leto
Reply to  SwimGeek
6 years ago

So happy for those two to finish strong like that!

Crusty
6 years ago

Open challenge to any UNC fan, affiliate, whoever.

Women finish 4th again, only second time ever.

HOWEVER, this year they are way way closer to 6th than third.

I’m asking for any single, reasonable, rational reason why DeSelm should keep his job? He will get 5-7th in men. He can’t recruit against Hollaway or Desorbo in the slightest. There is absolutely nothing that will change that.

To anyone, really anyone, is there any rational argument? Remember the popularity of UNCs school., their recruiting geography, the fact they are endowed for scholarships. Is there any reaso?. Seriously, he’s a good guy, loves UNC, but program is failing. Looking for reason?.

Swimmer
Reply to  Crusty
6 years ago

Maybe it’s the coach but maybe all the recent investigations, corruption and scandals have bruised the schools image.

Crusty
Reply to  Swimmer
6 years ago

The story you’ve painted is the same it has been for the past 5 years. Some great swims…some, but as many if not more dissapointing swims which is why they fail as a team.

Ha on the scandals, last I saw UNC has not dropped in academic standing.

With regards to the coach. I’ll issue a challenge. As a recruit, go visit State, UVA, and UNC

Would you rather swim for Holloway, Desorbo, or DeSelm. Who is exciting, who motivates. Someone yesterday mentioned hiring the young hungry coach every time…yep that’s the answer.

To my original question, neither of you gave a compelling answer why he should retain the job. Just sideways answers to distract.

As to who you would… Read more »

Swammer
Reply to  Crusty
6 years ago

Yeah, Desorbo is definitely the most exciting coach to swim for right now. I don’t know much about the UNC coach or its program. I’ve only been following ACC’s because I have a sibling swimming. Those guys would definitely give some new energy to the program, and if you think you can get one of those guys then by all means go for it. I know a 4th place finish isn’t ideal. However, they didn’t lose to anyone they were supposed to lose to. As a former college swimmer I know it’s really hard to break into that top three of these big conferences.

Crusty
Reply to  Swammer
6 years ago

Before last year the women had never finished worst than third

Swammer
Reply to  Crusty
6 years ago

Not associated with UNC whatsoever, but whenever people want their coach out, I think an important question is who will you get that’s better? I wouldn’t say there’s a lot of people who think that UNC is a swimming powerhouse. As excellent of a school as it is, that sort of perspective can really hurt in recruiting. They’ve had some great swims throughout the meet but lack enough depth to compete for the top spots.
I’m not saying he’s great or even the best option, but you’ve got to have an idea of what you can get when you give a coach up.

SwimGeek
Reply to  Swammer
6 years ago

Hardly the first time mentioned on this board — Yuri Suguiyama. He’s an alum. He’s been with Durden since 2012. He’s ready to be a head coach. He’s from the DC area and would probably like to get a lot closer to home.

Captain Ahab
6 years ago

UVA has a lot of really good freestylers which means point for relays and that made the difference this be year.

Admin
Reply to  Captain Ahab
6 years ago

Relays rarely win conference titles. With still 1 relay left, Virginia only has a 6 point advantage over Louisville in relays. Relay DQs certainly lose conference titles, but it’s usually impossible to get enough separation in points at a conference meet to matter.