2023 ACC Championships: Day 4 Prelims Live Recap

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

Friday Morning Heat Sheets

The 2023 ACC Championship keep rolling along this morning with prelims of the 200 fly, 100 back, and 100 breast. Unlike yesterday, where we saw former ACC champions in every event, some events are guaranteed to have a new swimmer atop the podium.

Women’s 200 Butterfly

• NCAA Record: 1:49.51, Ella Eastin (STAN) – 2018 Pac-12 Championships
• ACC Record: 1:50.61, Kelsi Worrell (LOU) – 2016 NCAA Championships
• ACC Championship Record: 1:52.81, Grace Oglesby (LOU) – 2019
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:52.86
• 2022 NCAA Invite Time: 1:56.14

Top 8:

1. Abby Hay (Louisville) – 1:54.61
2. Abby Arens (NC State) – 1:54.98
3. Abby Harter (Virginia) – 1:55.79
4. Grace Sheble (NC State) – 1:56.15
5. Edith Jernstedt (Florida State) – 1:56.65
6. Ellie Vannote (UNC) – 1:56.85
7. Tristen Ulett (Louisville) – 1:57.11
8. Martina Peroni (Duke) – 1:57.16

If you were cheering for an “Abby” in any of the last three heats, you were cheering for a winner, three different women with that name won the final three heats of the morning, and collectively put up the fastest three times in the field.

Abby Hay of Louisville led the way out of heat 4, clocking a 1:54.61 that’s just a bit off of her prelims time from last year. Hay ultimately finished 3rd in the A-final last year with a time of 1:54.77. Today, teammate Tristen Ulett (1:57.11) and UNC’s Ellie Vannote (1:56.85) also qualified fro the A-final out of the same heat.

Defending champion Abby Arens of NC State posted the 2nd-fastest time fo the morning with a 1:54.98 in the final heat. Duke’s Martina Peroni (1:57.16) was the only other women to qualify for the A-final from that heat.

Third seed went to Abby Harter of UVA, who won heat #3 with a time of 1:55.79. In that race, she held off NC State’s Grace Sheble (1:56.160 and Florida State’s Edith Jernstedt (1:56.65), both of whom made the top eight overall.

Six of today’s A-finalists also competed in last year’s A-fina, with Vannote and Peroni being the two new additions.

Men’s 200 Butterfly

• NCAA Record: 1:37.35, Jack Conger (TEX) – 2017 NCAA Championships
• ACC Record: 1:37.92, Nick Albiero (LOU) – 2022 ACC Championships
• ACC Championship Record: 1:37.92, Nick Albiero (LOU) – 2022
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:40.20
• 2022 NCAA Invite Time: 1:42.42

Top 8:

1. Noah Bowers (NC State) – 1:41.36
2. Aiden Hayes (NC State) – 1:41.77
3. Josh Fong (Virginia) – 1:43.03
4. Adam Mahler (Pitt) – 1:43.24
5. Luke Miller (NC State) – 1:43.32
6. Landon Gentry (Virginia Tech) – 1:43.81
7. Patrick Hussey (UNC) – 1:44.02
8. Gustavo Saldo (Louisville) – 1:44.49

NC State senior Noah Bowers hit a new personal best of 1:41.36 this morning to lead the field. Last year, Bowers went 1:42.42 in prelims before taking 4th in finals with a 1:41.91, which stood as his personal best until this morning.

Bowers’ teammate Aiden Hayes qualified 2nd overall this morning with 1:41.77. Hayes finished 3rd in the A-final last year, and has a best of 1:40.39. The Wolfpack put a third man into the A-final as Luke Miller qualified 5th overall with a time of 1:43.32. Luke won the B-final last year.

No other school put more than one man into the A-final.

UVA’s Josh Fong qualified 3rd with a time of 1:43.03. Fong will join Bowers and Hayes as the only three men from last year’s A-final to make the top 8 this morning.

Pitt’s Adam Mahler (1:43.24), Virginia Tech freshman Landon Gentry (1:43.81), UNC’s Patrick Hussey (1:44.02), and Louisville’s Gustavo Saldo (1:44.49) round out the top 8. The race for 8th was particularly tight, as only 0.14s separated Saldo from the 13th-place swimmer, Boyd Poelke of UNC (1:44.63).

Women’s 100 Backstroke

• NCAA Record: 48.74, Katharine Berkoff (NCSU) – 2021 NCAA Championships
• ACC Record: 48.74, Katharine Berkoff (NCSU) – 2021 NCAA Championships
• ACC Championship Record: 49.41, Katharine Berkoff (NCSU) – 2022
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 50.89
• 2022 NCAA Invite Time: 52.46

Top 8:

1. Katharine Berkoff (NC State) – 50.53
2. Kennedy Noble (NC State) – 51.46
3. Reilly Tiltmann (Virginia) – 51.58
4. Grace Countie (UNC) – 51.70
5. Kylee Alons (NC State) – 51.75
6. Emma Muzzy (NC State) – 52.03
7. Carly Novelline (Virginia) – 52.18
8. Sophie Lindner (UNC) – 52.35

The NC State women are locked into a big battle with Louisville for 2nd, but they got a boost out of this event, as they qualified four women for the A-final.

Katharine Berkoff led the way with a 50.53, a time that appears to move her to #4 in the nation this season. Freshman Kennedy Noble hit a new best time, clocking 51.46 to qualify 2nd overall. Kylee Alons (51.75) returns to the A-final for the Wolfpack, while last year’s B-final champion, Emma Muzzy, moves up to the championship final after going 52.03.

UNC swimmers Grace Countie (51.70) and Sophie Lindner (52.35) are also returning A-finalists, as is UVA’s Reilly Tiltmann (51.58). UVA freshman Carly Novelline (52.18) qualified for her first ACC championship final as well.

Men’s 100 Backstroke

• NCAA Record: 43.35, Luca Urlando (UGA) – 2022 NCAA Championships
• ACC Record: 43.98, Coleman Stewart (NCS) – 2019 NCAA Championships
• ACC Championship Record: 44.04, Coleman Stewart / Kacper Stokowski
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 44.79
• 2022 NCAA Invite Time: 45.87

Top 8:

1. Giovanni Izzo (NC State) – 45.41
2. Kacper Stokowski (NC State) – 45.58
3. Tommy Janton (Notre Dame) – 45.61
4. Berke Saka (Georgia Tech) – 45.68
5. Max Edwards (Virginia) – 45.86
6. Matt Brownstead (Virginia) – 45.91
7. Mason Herbet (Florida State) – 46.07
8. Dalton Lowe (Louisville) – 46.10

There will be a lot of new faces in this year’s A-final, as only three men will compete for the title tonight out of last year’s championship final.

NC State’s Giovanni Izzo posted the top time of the morning with a new personal best of 45.41. He’ll be joined in the A-final by teammate and reigning champion Kacper Stokowski, who qualified 2nd with a 45.58.

Notre Dame freshman Tommy Janton has been looking strong all season, and he made his first ACC championship final with a 45.61, knocking nearly a second off of his previous best. Georgia Tech’s Berke Saka was out like a rocket in heat 4, and he was the only man out of that heat to qualify for the top eight, winning with a 45.68. Saka won the B-final last year.

UVA senior Max Edwards got under 46 for the first time in his career, qualifying 5th with a 45.86. Teammate Matt Brownstead, who finished 8th last year, qualified 6th with a 45.91.

FSU’s Mason Herbet (46.07) made the A-final again, and Louisville’s Dalton Lowe (46.10) rounds out the top 8.

Women’s 100 Breaststroke

• NCAA Record: 55.73, Lilly King (IU) – 2019 NCAA Championships
• ACC Record: 56.72, Sophie Hansson (NCS) – 2022 ACC Championships
• ACC Championship Record:56.72, Sophie Hansson (NCS) – 2022
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 58.10
• 2022 NCAA Invite Time: 59.87

Top 8:

1. Alex Walsh (Virginia) – 58.79
2. Andrea Podmanikova (NC State) – 58.95
3. Heather MacCausland (NC State) – 59.04
4. Tara Vovk (Miami) – 59.11
5. Emma Weber (Virginia) – 59.14
6. Skler Smith (UNC) – 59.30
7. Kaelyn Gridley (Duke) – 59.65
8. Aubree Brouwer (NC State) – 59.72

Alex Walsh of UVA will be aiming to snap a four-year NC State winning streak in this event, but she’ll have to deal with plenty of Wolfpack competitors tonight. Walsh posted the top time of the morning (58.79) after scratching the 200 fly in favor of this event. Freshman teammate Emma Weber joins her in the A-final after a 59.14 this morning.

But NC State should be in the mix to continue their streak, as Andrea Podmanikova (58.95) and Heather MacCausland (59.04) touched just behind Walsh. NC State freshman Aubree Brouwer also qualified for the top eight with a 59.72.

The Wolfpack qualified a total of nine women for A-finals today, compared to just two for Louisville. That puts NC State in good position to move back ahead of the Cardinals in the team competition; heading into today, Louisville had a 54.5 point lead.

Miami’s Țară Vovk (59.11), UNC’s Skyler Smith (59.30), and Duke’s Kaelyn Gridley (59.65) all qualified for the A-final as well.

Men’s 100 Breaststroke

• NCAA Record: 49.69, Ian Finnerty (IU) – 2018 NCAA Championships
• ACC Record: 51.03, Evgenii Somov (LOU) – 2021 ACC Championships
• ACC Championship Record: 51.03, Evgenii Somov (LOU) – 2021
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 51.40
• 2022 NCAA Invite Time: 52.20

Top 8:

1. Noah Nichols (Virgina) – 51.03
2. Mason Hunter (NC State) – 51.76
3. Carles Coll Marti (Virginia Tech) – 51.84
4. Flynn Crisci (Pitt) – 51.93
5. Denis Petrashov (Louisville) – 52.06
6. Cooper Van Der Laan (Pitt) – 52.30
7. AJ Pouch (Virgina Tech) – 52.55
8. Daniel Worth (Virginia) / Ethan Maloney (Virginia Tech) – 52.81*

All sorts of great storylines in this event.

We’ll start at the top, where Noah Nichols of UVA tied Evgenii Somov’s meet and conference records with a 51.03. Somov, who finished his eligibility with Louisville last year, won this an event five years in a row, thanks to the NCAA granting all athletes who competed in the 2020-2021 season an extra year of eligibility.

If Nichols can get his hands on the wall first tonight, he’ll be the first Cavalier to win this event since Vanja Roguli won three-straight titles from 2005 to 2007. Only Leon Marchand at 51.01 has been faster than Nichols this season, pending other results from this morning.

NC State’s Mason Hunter qualified 2nd overall with a time of 51.76, lowering the Wolfpack record of 51.86 set by Rafal Kusto last year. Hunter, a grad transfer who competed for Michigan previously, has been a huge boost for NC State this season.

Virginia Tech’s Carles Coll Marti qualified 3rd with a 51.84, and teammate AJ Pouch also made the A-final with a 52.55. The Hokies actually had the last ACC champion in this event not named Evgenii Somov — Brandon Fiala won in 2017.

Pitt also put two men into the A-final. Flynn Crisci, who transferred from William & Mary in the wake of the school cutting its swim program (although ultimately reinstating it), got under 52 for the first time this morning with a 51.93. That should punch his NCAA ticket. Teammate Cooper Van Der Laan qualified 6th at 52.30. Van Der Laan took 3rd last year.

Denis Petrashov of Louisville joins Van Der Laan, Nichols, Coll Marti, and Crisci in making the top 8 again, going 52.06 this morning.

UVA initially also had Max Iida qualify for the A-final with a 52.64, but he was DQ’d. That sets up a swim-off for the final spot in the championship final, between teammate Daniel Worth and Virginia Tech freshman Ethan Maloney, both of whom went 52.81 this morning.

Update: Maloney won the swim-off, going under 52 with a 51.9.