2023 ACC Champs Day 5 Ups/Mids/Downs: UVA Women, NCST Men Aim At Historic Point Totals

2023 ACC CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Tuesday, February 14 to Saturday, February 18, 2023
• Greensboro Aquatic Center, Greensboro, North Carolina
• Defending Champions:
  • Women: Virginia (3x)
  • Men: NC State (1x)
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Team Scores Thru Day 4

Women:

1. Virginia – 1128
2. NC State – 942
3. Louisville – 822.5
4. UNC-Chapel Hill – 687
5. Duke – 574
6. Virginia Tech- 468
7. Florida State – 461
8. Notre Dame – 408
9. Georgia Tech – 308
10. Miami (FL) – 299
11. Pitt – 249.5
12. BC – 137

Men:

1. NC State – 1163
2. Louisville – 727.5
3. Virginia Tech – 688
4. Virginia – 659
5. Notre Dame – 585.5
6. Florida State – 474
7. UNC-Chapel Hill – 459
8. Pitt – 438.5
9. Georgia Tech – 333.5
10. Duke – 228
11. Miami (FL) – 150
12. BC – 123

The Virginia women had a relatively quiet day 4 (for them anyway) as they posted a daily line of “just” 5/2/0. They were back in business this morning, putting 10 swimmers into ‘A’ finals, two in ‘B’ finals, and 1 in a ‘C’ final. That gives them a conference-best 13 individual finals swims, not counting the 1650 timed finals, and gives them a projected points total of 293.

Even with American record holder Kate Douglass opting for the 100 freestyle over the 200 breaststroke, the Cavaliers still put four swimmers into the ‘A’ final, led by Alex Walsh at 2:06.31. Ella Nelson sits eight-hundredths behind at 2:06.39, with Anna Keating and Emma Weber qualifying sixth and seventh.

Douglass choosing the 100 freestyle also gave the Hoos four women in that ‘A’ final, and she led the way in a meet record of 46.50. Gretchen Walsh is seeded second at 47.20. The other two UVA qualifiers are Lexi Cuomo (47.71) and Aimee Canny (48.05). After Canny’s 46.50 split on the 400 medley relay, the UVA coaches have a tough choice to make between her and Cuomo — who’s been dropping time left and right — for the final spot on the 400 freestyle relay, so watch for them to light it up in finals to make their cases.

The largest point total by an ACC championship team is 1492.5, courtesy of the 2020 Virginia team. Without the 1650 or the 400 free relay factored in, the Cavaliers have a projected final score of 1421, which sets them up nicely to break their record from three years ago.

In the race for second, the Louisville women took a massive blow in day 4 finals when their 400 medley relay got disqualified. That, plus the fact that NC State has two more swims than they do tonight (and both in the ‘A’ final), likely puts them out of contention for ACC runners-up. The Cardinals highest seed of the morning is third, as Gabi Albiero and Paige Hetrick qualified in that position for the 100 free and 200 back, respectively.

NC State has a line of 6/3/1, highlighted by Kennedy Noble as the top seed in the 200 back in a speedy 1:51.39. They also have Noble’s senior teammate Emma Muzzy as the #2 seed at 1:52.19.

DAY 5 UPS/MIDS/DOWNS – WOMEN

Credit to Andrew Mering for running the numbers.

SCORED PRELIMS — WOMEN

1. Virginia – 293
2. NC State – 203.5
3. Louisville – 156.6
4. Virginia Tech – 97
5. UNC-Chapel Hill – 77.5
6. Duke – 77
7. Florida State – 74
8. Miami (FL) – 40
9. Notre Dame – 28.5
10. Georgia Tech – 15
11. BC – 12
12. Pitt – 12

SCORED PRELIMS + ACTUAL — WOMEN

1. Virginia – 1421
2. NC State – 1145.5
3. Louisville – 979
4. UNC-Chapel HIll – 764.5
5. Duke – 651
6. Virginia Tech – 565
7. Florida State – 535
8. Notre Dame – 436.5
9. Miami (FL) – 339
10. Georgia Tech – 323
11. Pitt – 261.5
12. BC – 149

Here’s a wild example of the NC State men’s dominance at this meet: without platform diving, the 1650 free, or the final relay factored in, they are on track for a final score 1405 points, while no other team is projected to crack 1000 points.

Last year, the NC State men reclaimed the ACC title in dominant fashion by setting the record for largest point total by a championship team at 1501.5. Given their strength in the mile and barring a disqualification in the relay, this year’s Wolfpack team has a good shot at outscoring that total.

They are tied with Virginia Tech for total individual finals swims at 12, but the difference between them and the Hokies is that while both put six into ‘A’ finals, NC State put their other six swimmers into ‘B’ finals, while Virginia Tech is split 3/3 between ‘B’ and ‘C’ finals.

Virginia Tech is currently sitting third behind Louisville, but their strong morning has projected them to leap-frog the Cardinals for second. In fact, the Virginia men are also expected to pass Louisville. The Cavaliers earned a line of 5/3/3 while the Cardinals only mustered 2/3/4. That means that both the Hokies and the Cardinals are expected to outscore the Cardinals by a significant margin, with a projected 239 and 185 points to Louisville’s 113.

Notre Dame is expected to hold onto fifth, while Pitt had a great morning, earning seven individual finals swims. Their prelims total +actual score has them jumping over UNC and Florida State. In practice, UNC’s diving might be too much for them to overcome, but the fact that they are in the conversation for a finish in the top half of the conference is a huge achievement for first year head coach Chase Kreitler and his swimmers.

DAY 5 UPS/MIDS/DOWNS – MEN

Credit to Andrew Mering for running the numbers.

SCORED PRELIMS — MEN

1. NC State – 242
2. Virginia Tech – 239
3. Virginia – 185
4. Louisville – 113
5. Notre Dame – 97
6. Pitt – 94.5
7. Florida State – 48.5
8. Georgia Tech – 42
9. UNC-Chapel Hill – 18
10. Duke – 7
11. Miami (FL) – 0
12. BC – 0

SCORED PRELIMS + ACTUAL — MEN

1. NC State – 1405
2. Virginia Tech – 927
3. Virginia – 844
4. Louisville – 840.5
5. Notre Dame – 682.5
6. Pitt – 533
7. Florida State – 522.5
8. UNC-Chapel Hill – 477
9. Georgia Tech – 375.5
10. Duke – 235
11. Miami (FL) – 150
12. BC – 123