2024 ACC Championships: Day 3 Finals Live Recap

2024 ACC SWIMMING AND DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Tuesday, February 20 to Saturday, February 24, 2023
• Greensboro Aquatic Center, Greensboro, North Carolina
• Defending Champions: NC State men / Virginia women
• Full Event Schedule
• 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 Heat Sheets

The 2024 ACC Swimming & Diving Championships continue tonight with finals of the 400 IM, 100 fly, and 200 free, as well as the men’s 3m diving event.

On the women’s side, Virginia swimmers posted the top times in prelims in all three swimming events. Even without ACC record holder Alex Walsh (who’s not swimming tonight), the Cavaliers had the three fastest times of the morning in the 400 IM , led by Ella Nelson, who will be swimming for her fourth-straight title in the event.

The event of the night could be the 100 fly, where top-seed Gretchen Walsh could take her former teammate Kate Douglass‘ all-time mark of 48.46. Walsh went 49.32 this morning. The Cavaliers have a whopping five women in the A-final of the 200 free, with Aimee Canny swimming in lane 4 after going 1:43.58 in prelims.

On the men’s side, three different teams will have swimmers in lane 4 of tonight’s A-finals. Louisville’s Tommy Bried led the 400 IM prelims with a 3:42.36. In the 100 fly, Youssef Ramadan of Virginia Tech is on the hunt for his fourth-straight title after going 44.37. He should be the favorite, but he could face stiff competition from NC State’s Luke Miller, who’s been 44.17 this season, and 2023 NCAA 200 fly champ Aiden Hayes.

The 200 free could also feature a repeat conference champion, as 2023 champ Chris Guiliano of Notre Dame posted the morning’s top time with a 1:32.91. Guiliano tied Miller’s ACC record with a 1:31.16 leading off Notre Dame’s 800 free relay Tuesday night. Another former ACC 200 champ, Georgia Tech’s Batur Unlu, who won in 2021, had the morning’s second-fastest time at 1:33.09, and will swim next to Guiliano. Finally, 1m runner-up Dylan Reed of Pitt will be diving for his first title tonight after posting the top score in this morning’s 3m diving competition.

TEAM SCORES THRU DAY 2

Women:

1. Virginia — 552
2. Louisville — 473.5
3. NC State — 418
4. Duke — 332
5. UNC — 328
6. Notre Dame — 274
7. Virginia Tech — 253.5
8. Florida State — 217
9. Pitt — 183
10. Georgia Tech — 177
11. Miami — 162

Men:

1. NC State — 531.5
2. Notre Dame — 335.5
3. Louisville — 302
4. Virginia Tech — 298.5
5. Florida State — 292
6. Virginia — 249.5
7. Georiga Tech — 235
8. UNC — 223
9. Pitt — 193
10. Duke — 130
11. Miami — 54

WOMEN’S 400 IM – FINALS

• NCAA Record: 3:54.60, Ella Eastin (Stanford) – 2018
• ACC Record: 3:57.25, Alex Walsh (Virginia) – 2022
• ACC Championship Record: 3:59.33, Ella Nelson (Virginia) – 2023
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 4:03.62
• 2023 NCAA Invite Time: 4:11.36

Top 8:

1. Ella Nelson (Virginia) – 4:03.80
2. Grace Sheble (NC State) – 4:09.51
3. Kim Herkle (Louisville) – 4:09.89
4. Ella Bathurst (Virginia) – 4:10.50
5. Anna Keating (Virginia) – 4:11.56
6. Katherine Helms (NC State) – 4:12.55
7. McKenzie Campbell (Georgia Tech) – 4:13.13
8. Rye Ulett (Louisville) – 4:17.78

UVA’s Ella Nelson won her fourth ACC title in this event with a 4:03.80 tonight, winning by nearly six seconds. Nelson becomes the first ACC to women to win four titles in this event since another Cavalier, Mirjana Bosevska, did the same from 2000 to 2003. Bosevska represented Macedonia at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics.

Virginia had three women in this A-final, and earned 4th and 5th finishes from Ella Bathurst (4:10.50) and Anna Keating (4:11.56). Louisville and NC State, who are battling for 2nd in the team standings, each had two women in the A-final. The Wolfpack earned more points with a 2nd place finish from Grace Sheble (4:09.51) and a 6th place showing from Katherine Helms (4:12.55), along with a B-final win from Yara Hierath (4:12.11) and a C-final win from Keelan Cotter (4:14.74).

The Cardinals’ Kim Herkle (4:09.89) and Rye Ulett (4:17.78) took 3rd and 8th, while Georgia Tech’s McKenzie Campbell took 7th at 4:13.13.

MEN’S 400 IM – FINALS

• NCAA Record: 3:28.82, Leon Marchand (Arizona State) – 2023
• ACC Record: 3:38.00, Gal Nevo (Georgia Tech) – 2009
• ACC Championship Record: 3:38.43, Robert Owen (VA Tech) – 2017
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 3:38.90
• 2023 NCAA Invite Time: 3:42.99

Top 8:

1. Kyle Ponsler (NC State) – 3:41.18
2. Max Matteazzi (Pitt) – 3:42.38
3. Owen Lloyd (NC State) – 3:43.18
4. Sebastien Sergile (Virginia) – 3:44.23
5. Louis Dramm (UNC) – 3:44.25
6. Tommy Bried (Louisville) – 3:45.56
7. Matthew Styczeń (Virginia) – 3:46.07
8. Nico Garcia (Virginia Tech) – 3:46.78

Kyle Ponsler made his move on the backstroke leg and never gave up the lead, hitting a lifetime best by well over a second to win in 3:41.18. Ponsler becomes for the first Wolfpack man to win this event since Anton Ipsen in 2018, and moved up four spots after finishing fifth last year.

Pitt’s Max Matteazzi had a big swim to take 2nd in 3:42.38. That’s well under last year’s NCAA qualifying time, and while there’s no guarantees, he put himself in a good position to qualify for his first NCAA champs with that swim.

Ponsler’s teammate Owen Lloyd was the only other man under 3:44, with a time 3:43.18. Virginia picked up 4th and 7th place finishes from their only two A-finalists of the evening, with Sebastien Sergile touching 4th in 3:44.23 and Matthew Styczen touching 7th in 3:46.07.

UNC’s Louis Dramm took 5th in 3:44.25, Louisville’s Tommy Bried couldn’t match his top-seed effort from this morning and took 6th in 3:45.56, and last year’s runner-up Nico Garcia finished 8th in 3:46.78.

WOMEN’S 100 FLY – FINALS

• NCAA Record: 48.46, Kate Douglass (Virginia) – 2023
• ACC Record: 48.46, Kate Douglass (Virginia) – 2023
• ACC Championship Record: 48.84, Kate Douglass (Virginia) – 2023
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 50.69
• 2023 NCAA Invite Time: 52.20

Top 8:

1. Gretchen Walsh (Virginia)- 48.25
2. Gabi Albiero (Louisville) – 50.68
3. Abby Arens (NC State) – 50.72
4. Sophie Yendell (Pitt) – 50.87
5. Christiana Regenauer (Louisville) – 51.20
6. Carly Novelline (Virginia) – 51.77
7. Giulia Carvalho (Miami) – 51.79
8. Jenny Halden (FSU) – 51.99

This seemed inevitable after this swim, but Gretchen Walsh took down the all-time mark in the 100 fly with a 48.25 tonight. That’s Walsh’s second individual record of the meet, after she set the all-time mark in the 50 free last night.

Last year, Walsh’s former teammate Kate Douglass won this event with American, NCAA, and U.S. Open records before lowering the mark at NCAAs the following month.

Walsh won by over two seconds, with Louisville’s Gabi Albiero taking 2nd in 50.68, just under the NCAA ‘A’ cut, followed closely by NC State’s Abby Arens (50.72). Walsh, Albier, and Arens each moved up one spot from last year, where they took 2nd-4th behind Douglass.

MEN’S 100 FLY – FINALS

• NCAA Record: 42.80, Caeleb Dressel (Florida) – 2018
• ACC Record: 43.15, Youssef Ramadan (VA Tech) – 2023
• ACC Championship Record: 43.90, Youssef Ramadan (VA Tech) – 2022
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 44.64
• 2023 NCAA Invite Time: 45.57

Top 8:

1. Youssef Ramadan (Virginia Tech) – 44.06
2. Aiden Hayes (NC State) – 44.41
3. Luke Miller (NC State) – 44.62
4. Noah Henderson (NC State) – 44.80
5. Abdelrahman Elarby (Notre Dame) – 45.03
6. Noah Bowers (NC State) – 45.04
7. Boyd Poelke (UNC) – 45.46
8. Dalton Lowe (Louisville) – 45.56

Virginia Tech senior Youssef Ramadan is now four-for-four in this event over her ACC career. The defending NCAA champ led from beginning to end, and touched in 44.06. That’s a bit off of his 43.90 championship record time from last year, but was still 0.35s ahead of NC State’s Aiden Hayes. Ramadan missed several weeks last fall due to an electric scooter accident.

Hayes (44.41), led a NC State sweep of the 2nd-4th spot, with Luke Miller (44.62) and Noah Henderson (44.80) following the way. Miller was off of his 44.17, but he has no reason to be fully tapered, with that time already have guaranteed his NCAA invite and NC State fully in the driver’s seat for this meet. Another Wolfpack swimmer, Noah Bowers, finished 6th in 45.04.

Louisville transfer Abdelrahman Elarby was the only Notre Dame swimmer in the A-final, but the Fighting Irish hauled in the points thanks to four swimmers in the B-final, which featured a 1-2 Notre Dame finish from Tate Bacon (45.41) and Tanner Fillion (45.47).

NC State’s Kacper Stokowski, who competed at the World Championships in Doha lat week, won the C-fianl in 45.59.

WOMEN’S 200 FREE – FINALS

• NCAA Record: 1:39.10, Missy Franklin (Cal) – 2015
• ACC Record: 1:39.80, Mallory Comerford (Louisville) – 2018
• ACC Championship Record: 1:40.23, Gretchen Walsh (Virginia) – 2024
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:42.84
• 2023 NCAA Invite Time: 1:45.31

Top 8:

1. Aimee Canny (Virginia) – 1:43.10
2. Paige Hetrick (Louisville) – 1:44.02
3. Maxine Parker (Virginia) – 1:44.31
4. Cavan Gormsen (Virginia) / Sarah Foley (Duke) – 1:44.43
5. (tie)
6. Reilly Tiltmann (Virginia) – 1:44.45
7. Tess Howley (Virginia) – 1:45.71
8. Annabel Crush (NC State) – 1:46.42

Aimee Canny picked up Virginia’s fifth-straight title in this event with a 1:43.10. Louisville’s Paige Hetrick was in the lead through the first 100, but Canny took the lead on the third lap and extended the lead on the last lap. Hetrick still touched 2nd, in 1:44.02.

It was a tight battle for third, with the next four women separated by only 0.14s. UVA’s Maxine Parker got her hand on the wall first, at 1:44.31, with teammate Cavan Gormsen and Duke’s Sarah Foley tying at 1:44.43, followed by Reilly Tiltmann of UVA at 1:44.45.

It’s worth nothing that while UVA swam the second-fastest 800 free relay ever on Tuesday night, Canny was the only member of that quartet to compete in the individual event this year. Alex Walsh, who was on that relay, won this event the last two years, but opted not to compete it here this year.

MEN’S 200 FREE – FINALS

• NCAA Record: 1:29.15, Dean Farris (Harvard) – 2019
• ACC Record: 1:31.16, Luke Miller (NC State) / Chris Guiliano (Notre Dame) – 2022 / 2024 (x2)
• ACC Championship Record: 1:31.16, Luke Miller (NC State) / Chris Guiliano (Notre Dame) – 2022 / 2024 (x2)
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:31.74
• 2023 NCAA Invite Time: 1:32.85

Top 8:

1. Chris Guiliano (Notre Dame) – 1:31.16
2. Brendan Whitfield (Virginia Tech) – 1:32.50
3. Daniel Diehl (NC State) – 1:32.72
4. Batur Unlu (Georgia Tech) – 1:32.93
5. Murilo Sartori (Louisville) – 1:32.98
6. Guy Brooks (Louisville) – 1:33.01
7. Patrick Hussey (UNC) – 1:33.12
8. Luis Dominguez (Virginia Tech) – 1:33.62

Double-tied record. The Fighting Irish have been showing up strong this week, and Chris Guiliano kept it rolling with a 1:31.16 win tonight. That’s the exact same time in which he led off Notre Dame’s 800 free relay Tuesday, and so he has once again matched the ACC record, which Luke Miller first set two years ago.

However, it wasn’t clear from the get-go that Guiliano would win his second-straight title. Virginia Tech freshman Brendan Whitfield threw down some outside early smoke, hitting the halfway mark at 43.83. He held on to the lead until the final lap, where Guiliano outsplit him 22.98 to 24.58. However, he had enough in the tank to hold off another freshman, NC State’s Daniel Diehl, and take 2nd 1:32.50 to 1:32.72.

2022 champ Batur Unlu of Georgia Tech touched 4th in 1:32.93, followed closely by Louisville teammates Murilo Sartori (1:32.98) and Guy Brooks (1:33.01).

Men’s 3m Diving – Finals

• ACC Record: 531.00, Nick McCrory (Duke) – 2014
• ACC Championship Record: 531.00, Nick McCrory (Duke) – 2014

Top 8:

1. Cameron Cash (Pitt) – 427.30
2. Dylan Reed (Pitt) – 417.00
3. Farouk Farouk (Miami) – 409.15
4. Renaldo Calderaro (NC State) – 405.80
5. Ben Nguyen (Notre Dame) – 379.25
6. Jacob Fisher (Virginia Tech) – 359.25
7. Rudolf Vazquez (UNC) – 349.95
8. Max Fowler (Georgia Tech) – 258.75

Pitt’s Cameron Cash earned his first ACC title with a score of 427.30, just shy of ten points more than teammate Dylan Reed (417.00), who was also the runner up Tuesday in the 1m. event. Miami’s Farouk Farouk, who finished 8th in the 1m, took 3rd tonight in 409.15.

Team Scores Through Day 3

Women:

1. Virginia — 846.5
2. Louisville — 682
3. NC State — 573
4. Duke — 433.5
5. UNC — 401.5
6. Virgina Tech — 308.5
7. Notre Dame — 276
8. Florida State — 266
9. Pitt — 226
10. Miami — 221
11. Georgia Tech — 220

With the women done competing for the day, there wasn’t much change in the team standings. In fact, the top five teams ended the day in the same order in which they started. The only changes came in 6th and 7th places, where Notre Dame and Virginia Tech swapped places, and 10th and 11th, where Miami (FL) moved ahead of Georgia Tech.

Men:

1. NC State — 812.5
2. Notre Dame — 559.5
3. Virginia Tech — 469.5
4. Louisville — 458
5. Florida State — 386
6. UNC — 380
7. Virginia — 344.5
8. Pitt — 315
9. Georgia Tech — 309
10. Duke — 164
11. Miami — 94

NC State unsurprisingly extended its lead today, while Notre Dame retained its hold on 2nd, and has a 90 point lead on Virginia Tech and a 101.5 point lead on Louisville. Virginia’s day 1 DQ is looking particularly painful at the moment, as they’re now 7th behind FSU and UNC, and have Pitt and Georgia Tech not far behind. Duke only scored 34 points today, but that’s enough to keep a sizable lead on the diving-only Miami program.