ACC Men’s 500 Freestyle ‘A’ Final to Feature Seven Freshmen, No Returners from 2025 Champs

2026 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships

• Dates:
  • Diving: Sunday, February 15–Tuesday, February 17
  • Swimming: Tuesday, February 17–Saturday, February 21
• Location: McAuley Aquatic Center, Atlanta, GA
• Defending champions: UVA women (6x); Cal men (1x)
• Live Results
• Live Video: ESPN+ ($)
• Schedule of Events (PDF)
• Championship Central
• Pre-Scratch Psych Sheet
• Live Results
• Live Recaps
  • Prelims: Day 4
  • Finals: Day 1|Day 2|Day 3
• Teams: Boston College, Cal, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami (women swimming & diving/men diving), NC State, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, SMU, Stanford, Virginia, Virginia Tech

MEN’S 500 FREESTYLE – FINAL

• NCAA: 4:02.31 — Léon Marchand, ASU (2024)
• ACC: 4:06.74 — Lucas Henveaux, California (2025)
• ACC Championship Record: 4:08.83 — Lucas Henveaux, California (2025)
• Pool: 4:06.61 — Matthew Sates, Georgia (2022)
• 2025 NCAA Invite Time: 4:14.13

Top 8

1. Ryan Erisman (California) – 4:11.17
2. Eduardo Oliveira de Moraes (California) – 4:13.02
3. Max Carlsen (NC State) – 4:14.49
4. Nathan Wiffen (California) – 4:14.72
5. Ethan Ekk (Stanford) – 4:15.20
6. Patrick Branon (ND) – 4:16.10
7. Norvin Clontz (California) – 4:16.23
8. Oscar Isberg (Louisville) – 4:16.58

This evening’s 500 freestyle ACC Championship final will feature a much different field from that of a year ago, as seven of the eight qualifiers are freshmen, with the only non-freshman, Cal’s Eduardo Olivera de Moraes, swimming in his first ACC Championships after transferring into the program from Michigan.

Top seed, Cal freshman Ryan Erisman, will look to continue his momentum after clocking a lifetime best time this morning in 4:11.17, over a second and a half better than he was at the Minnesota Invite in December, where he touched in 4:12.78. He will be one of four Cal Golden Bears in the championship final with Olivera de Moraes, Nathan Wiffen, and Norvin Clontz.

2026 ACC 500 Free Championship Finalists’ Ages and Classes:

Wiffen is a clear outlier when comparing the ages of the freshmen in this heat, having committed to Cal at 23, making this his first year of eligibility.

Notre Dame’s Patrick Branon and Louisville’s Oscar Isberg are also among the older competitors in this race at 20 and 21, respectively. Following the suspension of the Notre Dame men’s swimming program for the 2024-2025 season, Branon is making his first appearance at the ACC Championships for the Fighting Irish.

Isberg, a native of Denmark, is also in his first season in the NCAA with the Cardinals, and will turn 22 on May 13.

The highest-placing returner from the 2025 championship final was Stanford’s Henry McFadden, who was 3rd in this event a season ago with a time of 4:12.33. As a junior in 2026, McFadden just missed the championship final, finishing 9th in 4:16.91, and will be the top seed in tonight’s consolation final. NC State senior Lance Norris was also just off reaching the top 8, touching 11th this morning in 4:17.26 after placing 6th in this event in 2025 in 4:15.26.