2021 ACC Women’s Championships: Day 2 Finals Live Recap

 2021 ACC WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIPS

• When: Wednesday, February 17th – Saturday, February 20th | Prelims: 11:00 am | Finals: 7:00 pm (EST) (Except Wednesday’s timed finals, which begin at 5:15 EST)
• Where: Greensboro Aquatic Center, Greensboro, NC
• Defending Champion: University of Virginia (x1) (results)
• Format: 25 Yards/Short Course Yards (SCY)
• Championship Central: Here
• Championship Manual
• Psych Sheets (uncut)
• Live Results

The Virginia (UVA) Cavaliers hold a 20-plus point lead over Duke, Notre Dame, and NC State after sweeping the 200 medley relay and 800 free relay on Wednesday evening. Tonight, the 2021 ACC Women’s Championships will continue with the finals of the 500 free, 200 IM, 50 free, and timed finals of the 200 free relay. Earlier in the day, the women’s 1-meter diving and men’s 3-meter diving finals took place, with Miami sophomore Mia Vallee and UNC junior Anton Down-Jenkins winning their respective events.

All three top individual seeds tonight will aim to defend their respective 2020 ACC titles. In the 500 free, UVA senior Paige Madden posted the lone sub-4:40 swim with 4:38.58, just two seconds off of her winning time from last year. Seeded second tonight is NC State sophomore Kate Moore, who also was the 2020 event runner-up. Virginia Tech senior Reka Gyorgy is seeded third in the event, ahead of last year’s third-place finisher UVA sophomore Maddie Donohoe.

Then, versatile UVA sophomore Kate Douglass will have her crack at the 200 IM, where she led the prelims with a smooth 1:52.71. Tonight, her lifetime best and all-time No. 3 swim of 1:50.92 and the 2018 American record of 1:50.67, held by Stanford’s Ella Eastin, could go down in Greensboro. UVA teammates #2 seed Alex Walsh, #4 Ella Nelson, and #7 Abby Harter join Douglass in the A-final. Last year’s event runner-up, NC State senior Julia Poole, will also swim in the top final.

NC State junior Kylee Alons has a shot at defending her 2020 ACC 50 free title in the pool tonight. Her sophomore teammate, backstroke ace Katharine Berkoff, is seeded second in the event, setting up for a potential NC State 1-2 finish. Virginia sophomore Lexi Cuomo is seeded 8th in the event while UNC junior Grace Countie is seeded 4th for the Tar Heels.

The evening will finish off with the 200 free relay, where NC State is seeded just 0.37s ahead of UVA. Alons and Berkoff will certainly be key legs for NC State while Douglass should certainly represent UVA in the water.

WOMEN’S TEAM SCORES — AFTER DAY 1

1. Virginia, 165
2. Duke / Notre Dame, 144
3. –
4. NC State, 142
5. Virginia Tech, 137
6. Georgia Tech / Louisville / Miami, 124
7. –
8. –
9. North Carolina, 112
10. Florida State, 96
11. Pittsburgh, 90
12. Boston College, 60

Women’s 1-Meter Diving Finals

• ACC Record: 379.98, Jenna Dreyer (MIA), 2007
• ACC Meet Record: 361.85, Abby Johnston (DUKE), 2011
• 2020 Champion: Cami Hidalgo (GTCH), 313.10

On the 1-meter diving boards, Miami sophomore Mia Vallee took the 2021 ACC title with 340.95 points, out-scoring yesterday’s 3-meter champion UNC freshman Aranza Vazquez (322.55 points). Vallee took second behind Vazquez during yesterday’s 3-meter final. Placing third for UNC was sophomore Paige Burrell (312.80 points), improving from her 31st-place finish from yesterday.

Duke also scored two upperclassmen in the top 8, with Maddison Pullinger (288.60 points) placing 6th and Ellie Winslow (263.25) placing 8th. Last year’s ACC champion, Georgia Tech senior Cami Hidalgo, failed to advance to finals, placing 9th in prelims with 278.70 points. Yesterday, Hidalgo finished 3rd on the 3-meter boards.

Men’s 3-Meter Diving Finals

• ACC Record: 531.00, Nick McCrory (DUKE), 2014
• ACC Meet Record: 531.00, Nick McCrory (DUKE), 2014
• 2020 Champion: James Brady (NCS), 392.65

UNC junior Anton Down-Jenkins picked up his second win on the diving boards with his top 3-meter score of 452.25 points. Sophomore teammate Alexander Hart placed third tonight with 412.35 points, roughly nine points behind event runner-up Miami sophomore Max Flory (421.30 points).

Miami picked up two more top-8 scorers, thanks to 6th-place finisher Jack Matthews (389.55 points) and 7th-place finisher Brodie Scapens (370.90 points). Yesterday’s third-place finisher on the 1-meter board, Georgia Tech’s Rueben Lechuga, placed 8th tonight with 363.45 points.

WOMEN’S 500 FREE FINALS

• ACC Record: 4:28.90, Leah Smith (UVA), 2017
• ACC Meet Record: 4:30.74, Leah Smith (UVA), 2016
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 4:35.76
• 2020 Champion: Paige Madden (UVA), 4:36.19

1. Paige Madden (UVA)- 4:33.25
2. Kate Moore (NCS)- 4:38.09
3. Reka Gyorgy (VT)- 4:40.10

Defending her 2020 ACC title with a 4:33.25 was UVA senior Paige Madden, touching in at 4:33.25. Earlier at the 2020 Tennessee Invite, Madden swam the top time in the NCAA this season with a 4:33.09. Finishing in second place was NC State senior Kate Moore, breaking 4:40 with a 4:38.09. Earlier in December, Moore swam the No. 4 time in the NCAA with a 4:37.94. Virginia Tech’s Reka Gyorgy, another senior, rounded out the top 3 with a 4:40.10.

UVA sophomore Maddie Donohoe took 4th in the A-final with a 4:44.33. However, two swimmers from the consolation finals out-swam Donohoe. Winning the C-final was Louisville junior Maria Sumida at 4:43.73, the 4th-fastest time overall. Winning the B-final was another Louisville swimmer, freshman Liberty Williams, touching in with the 5th-fastest overall time at 4:44.05.

WOMEN’S 200 IM FINALS

• ACC Record: 1:50.92, Kate Douglass (UVA), 2020
• ACC Meet Record: 1:51.36, Kate Douglass (UVA), 2020
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:53.66
• 2020 Champion: Kate Douglass (UVA), 1:51.36

1. Alex Walsh (UVA)- 1:51.53
2. Kate Douglass (UVA)- 1:51.97
3. Julia Poole (NCS)- 1:54.52

At the 100 mark, it looked as if UVA sophomore Kate Douglass was going to defend her 2020 ACC title. However, freshman teammate Alex Walsh hauled in a 31.98 on the breaststroke leg to level with Douglass heading into the final 50. Walsh then out-swam Douglass by four-tenths on the free leg to upset the defending champion for the 2021 title. Walsh won the event with a new lifetime best of 1:51.53, now the 6th-fastest performance in history. Only Douglass has been faster as a freshman swimmer in this event, making Walsh the No. 2 freshman all-time in this event’s history.

This now keeps an interesting streak alive in this event: no swimmer has repeated as ACC 200 IM champion since Erika Acuff‘s three straight wins from 1997 to 1999.

All-Time Women’s 200 IM SCY Performances

1. Ella Eastin, 1:50.67, 2018
2. Beata Nelson, 1:50.79, 2019
3. Kate Douglass, 1:50.92, 2020
4. Kathleen Baker, 1:51.25, 2018
5. Kate Douglass, 1:51.36, 2020
6. Alex Walsh, 1:51.53, 2021
7. Meghan Small, 1:51.62, 2019
8. Ella Eastin, 1:51.65, 2016
9. Sydney Pickrem, 1:51.66, 2019
10. Beata Nelson, 1:51.66, 2020

Douglass settled for second in this event at 1:51.97. Earlier at the 2020 Tennessee Invite, Douglass swam a 1:50.92 ACC record and No. 3 all-time swim. Finishing in third place was NC State senior Julia Poole, clocking in at 1:54.52. UVA sophomore Ella Nelson picked up fourth place with a 1:55.32.

WOMEN’S 50 FREE FINALS

• ACC Record: 21.42, Kate Douglass (UVA), 2020
• ACC Meet Record: 21.54, Caitlin Cooper (UVA), 2018
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 21.66
• 2020 Champion: Kylee Alons (NCS), 21.63

1. Kylee Alons (NCS)- 21.78
2. Lexi Cuomo (UVA)- 21.99
3. Gabi Albiero (LOU)- 22.03

Successfully defending her 2020 ACC title in this event was NC State junior Kylee Alons, stopping the clock at 21.78. According to her interview, she missed the turn during prelims and aimed to perfect it tonight. Alons led prelims with a 21.70, just 0.08s faster than her finals swim.

Out of lane 8, UVA sophomore Lexi Cuomo blasted 10.33 off the start to flip first into the wall. Cuomo bettered her 8th-place prelims finish to a runner-up finish in finals with a 21.99. Taking third place was Louisville junior Gabi Albiero, clocking in at 22.03.

Tying for fourth place were NC State sophomore Katharine Berkoff and UNC junior Grace Countie, both touching in at 22.08.

NC State junior and Swedish native Sophie Hansson won the B-final with a 22.40, shaving a tenth off prelims.

WOMEN’S 200 FREE RELAY TIMED FINALS

• ACC Record: 1:26.15, NC State, 2019
• ACC Meet Record: 1:26.15, NC State, 2019
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:28.43
• 2020 Champion: UVA, 1:26.73

1. UVA – 1:26.54
2. NC State – 1:26.59
3. Louisville – 1:28.88

Leading off the UVA relay to a new 50 free ACC meet record of 21.50 was 200 IM runner-up Kate Douglass, shaving 0.04s off Caitlin Cooper‘s 2018 record. Douglass’ lead-off time would have easily won the 50 free final. Leading off the NC State relay was sophomore Katharine Berkoff, touching in at 21.84. That would have placed second in tonight’s 50 free final, where she tied for fourth place at 22.08.

Next in the water for NC State was 50 free champion Kylee Alons, who split 21.11 to lead over UVA’s Lexi Cuomo (21.72). NC State’s Sophie Hansson split 21.83 to hold off UVA’s Kyla Valls (22.23) to narrowly hold the lead. That was until freshman Alex Walsh hit the water for her anchor leg for UVA.

Walsh flipped at the 25 mark in 9.92 seconds, almost instantly catching up to NC State anchor Heather Maccausland (21.81) after her stellar underwater. At the touch, Walsh clocked in a 21.09 to touch out NC State for the ACC relay title by 0.05s. UVA won the event with a 1:26.54 to NC State’s 1:26.59. Both times now lead the NCAA this season.

Louisville won the second heat of three, led off by third-place finisher in the 50 free Gabi Albiero (22.13), just a tenth off her earlier swim. Their time of 1:28.88 placed third overall. Virginia Tech placed third in the last heat, but placed fourth overall at 1:28.96.

WOMEN’S TEAM SCORES — AFTER DAY 2

1. UVA, 510
2. NC State, 486
3. Virginia Tech, 376
4. Louisville, 311.50
5. Duke, 290
6. Notre Dame, 276
7. UNC, 244.50
8. Miami, 238
9. Florida State, 214
10. Georgia Tech, 210
11. Pittsburgh, 159
12. Boston College, 115

MEN’S TEAM SCORES — AFTER TWO DIVING EVENTS

1. UNC, 192
2. Miami, 120
3. Virginia Tech, 109
4. Louisville, 78
5. Florida State, 76
6. Georgia Tech, 56
7. NC State, 34
8. Duke, 31
9. Pittsburgh, 18
10. Notre Dame, 10