2025 ACC Championships: Day 5 Prelims Live Recap

2025 ACC Swimming and Diving Championships

• February 18-22, 2025
• Greensboro Aquatic Center — Greensboro, North Carolina
• Full Event Schedule (pre-scratch timeline)
• Championship Central
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results
• Live Streaming
• Day 1 Finals Recap
• Day 2 Prelims Recap |Day 2 Finals Recap
• Day 3 Prelims Recap | Day 3 Finals Recap
• Day 4 Prelims Recap | Day 4 Finals Recap

Saturday Prelims Heat Sheets

The final day of the ACC Championships are upon us, and it promises to bring plenty of excitement.

After initially planning to send their NCAA qualifiers home following Friday’s prelims, Stanford has kept its full roster on board, meaning we will see Torri Huske in the 100 free today. She is the #2 seed just behind NCAA record-holder Gretchen Walsh, while UVA freshman Anna Moesch will also look to make waves as the #3 seed in the event.

Claire Curzan headlines the 200 back as the fastest seed in the event by nearly three full seconds; she also holds the NCAA record and could stand to take down the championship record as well. Vying for the runner-up spot will likely be Leah Shackley and Isabelle Stadden, who are the only other swimmers in the field entered with times under 1:50.

Alex Walsh will look to shine in the 200 breast; she is the defending champion in the event and holds the championship record, which she set just last year.

The men’s 200 back should bring plenty of excitement, with NCAA record-holder Destin Lasco in the mix. He is currently the #2 seed behind Cal teammate Gabriel Jett. Other swimmers to keep an eye on in the backstroke will be Michel Arkhangelskiy, who won the 100 last night, and Mewen Tomac, who placed 5th in the 100 last night after dropping over a second in just one month.

Jack Alexy headlines the men’s 100 free; the Olympian is the only swimmer in the field entered with a sub-41 time (40.82) and sits about .8 ahead of #2 seed Jerry Fox, so he will certainly be looking to hold onto the top spot for finals tonight.

Mile Prelims Heat Sheet

The early heats of the mile will kick off at 2:30pm EST, while the top 8 entries will race in finals tonight.

Women’s 200 Back

• NCAA Record: 1:46.87 – Claire Curzan, 2024
• ACC Record: 1:46.87 – Claire Curzan (UVA), 2024
• ACC Meet Record: 1:49.61 – Alexia Zevnik (NCS), 2017
• 2025 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:50.50
• 2024 NCAA Invite Time: 1:54.01

Top 8 Qualifiers

1. Claire Curzan (UVA) – 1:49.97
2. Leah Shackley (NCS) – 1:50.08
3. Erika Pelaez (NCS) – 1:51.64* (tie)
4. Isabelle Stadden (CAL) – 1:51.64* (tie)
5. Carmen Weiler Sastre (VT) – 1:51.79
6. Helen Noble (NCS) – 1:52.27
7. Emma Atkinson (VT) – 1:52.38
8. Tess Howley (UVA) – 1:52.69

Claire Curzan cruised into the top qualifying spot with the only sub-1:50 time in the field this morning. Her time of 1:49.97 was added about three seconds to her lifetime best, but she should be in a good spot to make a move tonight. Chasing down Curzan was Leah Shackley, who comfortably snagged the runner-up spot for finals with a 1:50.08, setting the pair up for an exciting race this evening.

Emma Atkinson made a jump up to qualify for the A-final; originally seeded 11th, she knocked over a second off of her season best and posted a 1:52.27 to snag the #7 spot. Pelaez essentially swapped places with Alison Pfaff, who came into the meet seeded 7th but placed 11th in 1:53.21 to qualify for the B-final. The rest of the top 8 qualifiers all maintained their original places, so it should be interesting to see what they come back and do tonight.

Men’s 200 Back

• NCAA Record: 1:35.37 – Destin Lasco, 2024
• ACC Record: 1:35.37 – Destin Lasco (CAL), 2024
• ACC Meet Record: 1:37.71 – Coleman Stewart (NCS), 2020
• 2025 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:38.80
• 2024 NCAA Invite Time: 1:40.62

Top 8 Qualifiers

1. Gabriel Jett (CAL) – 1:38.19
2. Destin Lasco (CAL) – 1:39.15
3. David King (UVA) – 1:39.55
4. Joshua Zuchowski (STAN) – 1:39.71
5. Mewen Tomac (CAL) – 1:40.07
6. Daniel Diehl (NCS) – 1:40.10
7. Keaton Jones (CAL) – 1:40.25
8. Oleksandr Zheltiakov (NCS) – 1:40.55

The quickest to the wall across the board by nearly a second, Gabriel Jett secured himself the middle lane in finals tonight with a 1:38.19, posting a new best time while he was at it. He shaved .12 off of his previous best, which he set just a few months back in December.

Chasing down Jett tonight will be teammate Destin Lasco, who holds the NCAA record in the event. Lasco came into the meet as the #2 seed and held onto that spot, turning in a 1:39.15 which was a couple hundredths faster than his entry time.

David King threw down a lifetime best 1:39.55 to secure the #3 spot heading into finals, shaving .27 off of his previous time. Similarly, Mewen Tomac dropped .23 to post a personal best of 1:40.07 and claim the #5 spot.

Joshua Zuchowski enjoyed a huge performance; originally seeded 20th, he knocked 2.86 off of his entry time and dropped .76 from his personal best, catapulting himself into the #4 spot with a lifetime best 1:39.71.

Women’s 100 Free

• NCAA Record: 44.83 – Gretchen Walsh, 2024
• ACC Record: 44.83 – Gretchen Walsh (UVA), 2024
• ACC Meet Record: 45.16 – Gretchen Walsh (UVA), 2024
• 2025 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 47.10
• 2024 NCAA Invite Time: 48.34

Top 8 Qualifiers

1. Gretchen Walsh (UVA) – 45.50
2. Torri Huske (STAN) – 46.93
3. Anna Moesch (UVA) – 47.21
4. Julia Dennis (LOU) – 47.28
5. Gabi Albiero (LOU) – 47.60
6. Olivia Nel (NCS) – 47.69
7. Mary-Ambre Moluh (CAL) – 47.96
8. Lucy Mehraban (LOU) – 47.98

Gretchen Walsh showed off her dominance once again, blasting ahead of the competition to hold onto the top spot heading into finals with a 45.50, marking her fastest prelims swim of her career. Walsh was almost 1.5 seconds faster than Torri Huske, who claimed the runner-up spot in 46.93. Despite adding a few tenths to her time, Anna Moesch also managed to hold onto her position as the #3 seed, turning in a 47.21 to remain in 3rd heading into finals.

Louisville’s Julia Dennis threw down a lifetime best performance of 47.28 to take 4th, shaving .56 off of her previous best time that she set at ACCs last season. Also turning in a significant personal best was Olivia Nel, whose time of 47.69 knocked over half a second off of her previous best and marked her first time under 48. Nel’s performance bumped her up from her original #13 seed to 6th heading into finals.

Men’s 100 Free

• NCAA Record: 39.90 – Caeleb Dressel, 2018
• ACC Record: 40.62 – Chris Guiliano (ND), 2024
• ACC Meet Record: 40.62 – Chris Guiliano (ND), 2024
• 2025 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 41.34
• 2024 NCAA Invite Time: 42.19

Top 8 Qualifiers

1. Jack Alexy (CAL) – 41.52
2. Quintin McCarty (NCS) – 41.61
3. Brendan Whitfield (VT) – 41.73
4. Matthew Jensen (CAL) – 41.77
5. Kaii Winkler (NCS) – 41.86
6. Andrei Minakov (STAN) – 42.06* (tie)
7. Jerry Fox (NCS) – 42.06* (tie)
8. Bjorn Seeliger (CAL) – 42.16

Racing into the top qualifying spot, Jack Alexy turned in a 41.52 to secure himself the middle lane tonight. Close behind him was Quintin McCarty, who threw down a lifetime best performance of 41.61 to snag the runner-up spot and shave .26 off of his best time. Originally seeded 9th, McCarty will be vying for one of the top spots on the podium tonight.

Cal’s Matthew Jensen jumped up the rankings; coming into the race as the #19 seed, he threw down a massive season best of 41.77 to claim the #4 spot heading into finals. Tying for 6th was Andrei Minakov and Jerry Fox, who both posted a 42.06 to secure their spot in the A-final. Minakov is coming off a sweep of the butterfly events, having won both the 100 and 200, while Fox, who was the #2 seed in this event coming into the race, placed 3rd in the 50 free earlier this week and will be looking for another top podium spot tonight.

Women’s 200 Breast

• NCAA Record: 2:01.29 – Kate Douglass, 2023
• ACC Record: 2:01.29 – Kate Douglass (UVA), 2023
• ACC Meet Record: 2:02.24 – Alex Walsh (UVA), 2024
• 2025 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 2:05.73
• 2024 NCAA Invite Time: 2:09.55

Top 8 Qualifiers

1. Alex Walsh (UVA) – 2:06.03
2. Lucy Bell (STAN) – 2:07.71
3. Leah Hayes (UVA) – 2:07.85
4. Aimee Canny (UVA) – 2:07.93
5. Kaelyn Gridley (DUKE) – 2:08.28
6. Madeline Huggins (FSU) – 2:08.30* (tie)
7. Lisa Nystrand (NCS) – 2:08.30* (tie)
8. Emma Weber (UVA) – 2:09.35

The Cavaliers clearly showcased their depth in the 200 breast, putting four swimmers in the A-final tonight. Alex Walsh led the way, turning in a 2:06.03 to secure the top spot by well over 1.5 seconds. Stanford’s Lucy Bell snagged the #2 spot in 2:07.71 and will be fighting to claim one of the top podium spots for the Cardinal tonight; she was followed closely by UVA’s Leah Hayes and Aimee Canny.

Hayes’s performance marked a huge personal best for her, as she dropped 1.12 seconds to post a 2:07.85 and mark her first time under 2:09.

Coming into the meet as the #3 seed, Duke’s Kaelyn Gridley turned in a 2:08.28; despite adding about 2.5 seconds to her entry time, she managed to secure herself a comfortable spot in the A-final as she placed 5th this morning. Emma Weber snagged the 8th spot heading into finals to give UVA its 4th swimmer in the top 8. Weber’s time of 2:09.35 just narrowly landed her in the A-final, as the 9th- through 13th-place qualifiers all posted 2:09s, with just .6 separating 8th from 13th.

Men’s 200 Breast

• NCAA Record: 1:46.35 – Leon Marchand, 2024
• ACC Record: 1:49.69 – Carles Coll Marti (VT), 2022
• ACC Meet Record: 1:49.69 – Carles Coll Marti (VT), 2022
• 2025 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:50.65
• 2024 NCAA Invite Time: 1:53.12

Top 8 Qualifiers

1. Jacob Eccleston (LOU) – 1:51.84
2. Yamato Okadome (CAL) – 1:51.86
3. Denis Petrashov (LOU) – 1:52.63
4. Benjamin Delmar (UNC) – 1:52.72
5. Xavier Ruiz (UNC) – 1:52.74
6. Carles Coll Marti (VT) – 1:52.77
7. Daniel Li (STAN) – 1:53.19
8. Thomas Bried (LOU) – 1:53.65

The men’s 200 breast is shaping up to have a number of close battles tonight, with several of the top 8 qualifiers being separated by mere hundredths. Coming into the meet as the #10 seed, Louisville’s Jacob Eccleston threw down a personal best time of 1:51.84 to narrowly claim the top spot. Just .02 behind him was Yamato Okadome (1:51.86), who placed 3rd in the 100 breast earlier this week.

Denis Petrashov, this year’s champion in the 100 breast, could make a move to sweep the breaststroke events; he secured the #3 spot in 1:52.63. Meanwhile Carles Coll Marti, who holds both the ACC conference and championship record in the 200 breast set back in 2022, took 6th in a 1:52.77. His time this morning was about three seconds off of his season best; he posted a 1:49.81 just weeks ago in early February, so it could be interesting to see what he does tonight.

Women’s Platform Diving

• NCAA Record: 396.75 – Haley Ishimatsu (USC), 2013
• ACC Record: 367.20 – Brittany Viola (MIA), 2008
• ACC Meet Record: 364.70 – Katrina Young (FSU), 2014

Top 8 Qualifiers

1. Lanie Gutch (UNC) – 328.00
2. Anna Lemkin (STAN) – 320.60
3. Kayleigh Clark (FSU) – 318.30
4. Emilie Moore (STAN) – 307.10
5. Aranza Vasquez (UNC) – 301.60
6. Sofia Knight (UNC) – 291.30
7. Mariana Osorio Mendoza (PITT) – 290.85
8. Anna Bradescu (GT) – 288.10

UNC freshman Lanie Gutch topped the ranking of finals’ qualifiers this morning, racking up a score of 328.00 points. Gutch, who previously took 2nd in the 3-meter diving event, claimed the #1 spot by a relatively small margin, just a few points ahead of Stanford’s Anna Lemkin (320.60). Another name to look out for heading into finals is Aranza Vasquez; after finishing 5th in the 3-meter, Vasquez landed in the #5 spot for the A-final of the platform event with 301.60 points.