ACC vs Big Ten College Challenge: Day 1 Live Recap

ACC vs Big Ten College Challenge

The first of two sessions of the ACC vs Big Ten College Challenge is set to get underway from Purdue University, with timed finals in eight different events slated for this evening. Individually, we’ll see the men and women contest the 400 IM, 100 free, 200 back, 200 breast, 100 fly and 500 free, and we’ll also see the 400 medley relay at the beginning of the session and the 800 free relay to close things off.

Each event will only have one heat, with four swimmers from each team. The Big Ten have been assigned lanes 1, 3, 5 and 7, and the ACC will have 2, 4, 6 and 8. Full heat sheets for the session (and tomorrow’s) can be found here.

Women’s 400 Medley Relay

  1. B1G ‘A’, 3:25.71
  2. ACC ‘A’, 3:28.30
  3. B1G ‘B’, 3:31.60

The Big Ten ‘A’ team kicked the meet off with a win in the women’s 400 medley relay, registering a time of 3:25.71 to beat ACC’s ‘A’ squad by two and a half seconds.

They had the top backstroke split in the field from Beata Nelson (50.86), the top breast leg from Lilly King (56.92) and then the top fly split from Maggie MacNeil (50.66). Siobhan Haughey anchored them in 47.27, and Mallory Comerford had the top freestyle leg in the field in 45.97 for the ACC. She was joined by Elise Haan (51.90), Mariia Astashkina (59.29) and Grace Oglesby (51.14). Nelson’s back leg also stands up as the fastest in the NCAA season by almost a full second.

Men’s 400 Medley Relay

  1. ACC ‘A’, 3:06.10
  2. B1G ‘A’, 3:06.47
  3. B1G ‘B’, 3:06.95

The ACC was the first to get on the board on the men’s side, winning the 400 medley relay with their ‘A’ team in 3:06.10 over Big Ten ‘A’ (3:06.47) and ‘B’ (3:06.95).

Coleman Stewart led them off in 45.35, improving on his NCAA-leading 100 back time of 46.26, and then Valdas Abaliksta (52.64), Kanoa Kaleoaloha (46.38) and Justin Ress (41.73) brought them home. Ress was the fastest in the field on the anchor.

Big Ten’s top team was made up of three Hoosiers, with Gabriel Fantoni (46.13), Ian Finnerty (52.03) and Vini Lanza (45.47) handing off to Ohio State’s Ruslan Gaziev (42.84). Max McHugh (51.16) and Zach Apple (42.05) were both faster on breast and free for their ‘B’ team.

Women’s 400 IM

  1. Bailey Andison, B1G, 4:05.56
  2. Emma Muzzy, ACC, 4:05.60
  3. Ally McHugh, B1G, 4:07.89

B1G senior Bailey Andison made a big push on the back half of the women’s 400 IM to narrowly edge out ACC freshman Emma Muzzy, using a 26.77 last 50 to win by just four one-hundredths in a time of 4:05.56. Muzzy was 4:05.60, while Ally McHugh (4:07.89) and Kristen Romano (4:11.74) took 3rd and 4th for some more valuable Big Ten points.

Andison, Muzzy and McHugh’s times were the top-3 in the nation so far this season, and the first three to break 4:10. Through two events the Big Ten women lead 27-9.

Men’s 400 IM

  1. Samy Helmbacher, ACC, 3:44.43
  2. Tommy Cope, B1G, 3:45.80
  3. Marci Barta, ACC, 3:45.95

ACC junior Samy Helmbacher used strong back and free legs to win the men’s 400 IM in a time of 3:44.43, fending off Tommy Cope (3:45.80) of the Big Ten who had the fastest breast split in the field. ACC freshman Marci Barta, who had the top time in the country coming into this event in 3:49.75, took 3rd in 3:45.95, as the top-5 finishers were all under his old NCAA-leading time.

With a 1st, 3rd and a 5th, the ACC men grow their lead to 24-12 after two events.

Women’s 100 Free

  1. Mallory Comerford, ACC, 46.96
  2. Siobhan Haughey, B1G, 47.09
  3. Catie Deloof, B1G, 48.34

Almost dead even at the 50, Mallory Comerford edged out Siobhan Haughey on the back half to win the women’s 100 free for the ACC, clocking 46.96 which improves on her nation-leading 47.57 from the SMU Classic. Haughey’s 47.09 puts her 2nd in the country.

Catie Deloof took 3rd to give B1G a 2-3 finish, though their lead was cut down to 15 (34-21).

Men’s 100 Free

  1. Jacob Molacek, ACC, 42.63
  2. Zach Apple, B1G, 42.75
  3. Justin Ress, ACC, 43.05

Seniors swept the top-5 spots in the men’s 100 free, with Jacob Molacek of the ACC edging out Big Ten’s Zach Apple for the win in 42.63. Apple was 2nd in 42.75, and Justin Ress (43.05) of the ACC and Bowen Becker (43.25) of the Big Ten were also under the previous NCAA leading time of 43.40.

The ACC extended their lead to 37-18.

Women’s 200 Back

  1. Beata Nelson, B1G, 1:51.85
  2. Tevyn Waddell, B1G, 1:53.47
  3. Jess Unicomb, B1G, 1:54.27

After leading off the Big Ten’s relay with the fastest 100 back in the NCAA this year, Beata Nelson did the same in winning the 200 back in a time of 1:51.85, out-splitting everyone in the field on all four 50s.

Tevyn Waddell (1:53.47) and Jess Unicomb (1:54.27) took 2nd and 3rd to give the Big Ten a sweep of the top-3 positions, giving them a 16-3 margin for the event. That gave them a lead of 50-24.

Men’s 200 Back

  1. Andreas Vazaios, ACC, 1:41.62
  2. Nicolas Albiero, ACC, 1:41.70
  3. Cameron Tysoe, B1G, 1:41.96

Andreas Vazaios and Nicolas Albiero made it a 1-2 finish for the ACC in the men’s 200 back, with Vazaios’ blistering 25.20 third 50 giving him the lead over early leader Cameron Tysoe of the Big Ten before coming home for a final time of 1:41.62. Albiero made a big push on the last 50, splitting 25.74, as he just ran out of room to catch Albiero and finished just .08 back in 1:41.70.

Tysoe took 3rd in 1:41.96, with teammates Fantoni (1:43.34) and Mohamed Samy (1:43.38) 4th and 5th for the Big Ten. The ACC extended their lead to 50-24.

The top-6 finishers slot in as the 2nd through 7th fastest swimmers in the NCAA this season, only trailing Patrick Mulcare (1:40.75) of USC.

Women’s 200 Breast

  1. Lilly King, B1G, 2:06.81
  2. Calypso Sheridan, B1G, 2:08.03
  3. Lindsey Kozelsky, B1G, 2:08.77

American Record holder Lilly King led a 1-2-3-4 finish for the Big Ten in the women’s 200 breast, pulling away from teammate Calypso Sheridan on the last 50 with a 32.77 split. She put up a time of 2:06.81 for the top time in the country, and also got her under the ‘A’ cut of 2:06.94.

Sheridan took 2nd in 2:08.03, and Lindsey Kozelsky (2:08.77) and Rachel Munson (2:09.77) were 3rd and 4th. This extended their lead from 26 to 43, as they’re now up 68-25.

Men’s 200 Breast

  1. Max McHugh, B1G, 1:54.20
  2. Caio Pumputis, ACC, 1:54.79
  3. Keefer Barnum, ACC, 1:56.99

Max McHugh of the Big Ten out-duelled the ACC’s Caio Pumputis to win the men’s 200 breast, as they went the top-2 times in the nation with showings of 1:54.20 and 1:54.79 respectively.

Keefer Barnum (1:56.99) and Evgenii Somov (1:57.55) got 3rd and 4th for the ACC, while Ian Finnerty of the Big Ten was notably DQed for a non-simultaneous touch (would’ve been 7th in 2:00.92). The ACC lead is now 60-33.

Women’s 100 Fly

  1. Maggie MacNeil, B1G, 50.09
  2. Grace Oglesby, ACC, 51.64
  3. Christie Jensen, B1G, 51.94

Maggie MacNeil, a Michigan freshman representing the Big Ten, destroyed the women’s 100 fly field in 50.09, answering Louise Hansson‘s 50.40 from earlier today. That puts her 1st in the country, and Grace Oglesby of the ACC improved her season-best by .01 to remain 3rd in the NCAA.

Another win gives the Big Ten women a lead of 80-32.

Men’s 100 Fly

  1. Vini Lanza, B1G, 46.06
  2. Coleman Stewart, ACC, 46.22
  3. Kanoa Kaleoaloha, ACC, 46.35

Vini Lanza and Coleman Stewart, who came into tonight tied for the 2nd-fastest time in the country in the men’s 100 fly in 47.14, went to battle tonight with Lanza prevailing in a time of 46.06. That rockets him past Zach Harting (46.93) for the top time in the nation, and Stewart (46.22), Kanoa Kaleoaloha (46.35), and Michael Salazar (46.92) also passed Harting.

The ACC lead dipped a bit, down to 67-45.

Women’s 500 Free

  1. Ally McHugh, B1G, 4:39.63
  2. Rose Bi, B1G, 4:39.79
  3. Mackenzie Padington, B1G, 4:42.64

Ally McHugh out-sprinted Big Ten teammate Rose Bi to win the women’s 500 free in a time of 4:39.63, putting her 1st in the country as she passes Comerford’s 4:40.33. Bi (4:39.79) also got by that mark, while Mackenzie Padington took 3rd in 4:42.64 for a B1G podium sweep.

That gives them a decisive 94-37 lead.

Men’s 500 Free

  1. Felix Auboeck, B1G, 4:13.06
  2. Zach Yeadon, ACC, 4:13.68
  3. Ricardo Vargas, B1G, 4:17.40

Felix Auboeck and Zach Yeadon went mano a mano in the men’s 500, with Yeadon holding the advantage at every single checkpoint until the final 100 when Auboeck turned on the jets to steal the win in 4:13.06. That puts him 1st in the NCAA, with Yeadon’s 4:13.68 good for 2nd, overtaking USC’s Victor Johansson (4:17.06).

Ricardo Vargas, who came in with the #2 time in the country at 4:19.92, improved on that in 4:17.40 to give the Big Ten a 1-3 finish. Outscoring the ACC 13-5 here, the Big Ten now only trails by 13 (72-59).

Women’s Platform Diving

  1. Olivia Rosendahl, B1G, 317.40
  2. Kristen Hayden, B1G, 261.00
  3. Christy Cutshaw, B1G, 259.05

The Big Ten swept the top-4 positions in platform diving (only 3 count for scoring), led by Olivia Rosendahl of Northwestern who put up a massive 317.40 points. Kristen Hayden and Christy Cutshaw took 2nd and 3rd as they now hold a 70-point advantage over the ACC, 110-40.

Men’s 3 Meter Diving

  1. James Connor, B1G, 429.35
  2. Joseph Cifelli, B1G, 405.70
  3. Briadam Herrera, ACC, 397.75

Normally rivals, James Connor of Indiana and Joseph Cifelli of Purdue went 1-2 for the Big Ten in the men’s 3-meter, providing some key points for the team.

Briadam Herrera of the ACC prevented a sweep with a 3rd place finish with a score of 397.75, but the 1-2-4 finish for the Big Ten brought them within two points (down 76-74) heading into the 800 free relay after they trailed by 13 after the 500.

Women’s 800 Free Relay

  1. B1G ‘A’, 6:58.30
  2. ACC ‘A’, 7:00.43
  3. B1G ‘B’, 7:10.07

The Big Ten women continued their domination to finish off the first session of the meet with a win in the 800 free relay, clocking 6:58.30 as their ‘A’ team beat out ACC’s (7:00.43).

The ACC led by two and a half seconds heading into the anchor leg, thanks in part to a blistering 1:41.89 leg from Mallory Comerford swimming 2nd, but Siobhan Haughey managed to run down Paige Madden to earn the win for the Big Ten with a final split of 1:42.88. She was joined by Rose Bi (1:46.54), Catie Deloof (1:43.81) and Chantal Nack (1:45.07).

Joining Comerford on the ACC team was Morgan Hill (1:46.59), Abby Dolan (1:44.49) and Madden (1:47.46).

The 1-3 finish capped a fantastic first session for the B1G women, as they lead 123-44 heading into day 2.

Men’s 800 Free Relay

  1. B1G ‘A’, 6:18.68
  2. ACC ‘A’, 6:20.16
  3. ACC ‘B’, 6:26.54

The two teams had their ‘A’ teams go to war in the men’s 800 free relay, with the ACC holding a slight advantage heading into the final exchange.

Mohamed Samy then dropped a 1:33.47 leg on the anchor to book the win for the Big Ten in 6:18.68, with Zach Apple (1:35.32), Felix Auboeck (1:34.30) and Vini Lanza (1:35.59) joining him on the team.

The ACC ‘A’ squad was made up of Andreas Vazaios (1:35.06), Jacob Molacek (1:34.33), Zach Yeadon (1:35.42) and Rodrigo Correia (1:35.35), who touched for a final time of 6:20.16.

Paul DeLakis had a notable 1:35.66 split for Big Ten’s ‘B’ team, but all four of ACC’s ‘B’ swimmers went 1:36 to give them 3rd place in 6:26.54 (with Big Ten 4th in 6:27.83). There was another sub-136 from Christian Ferraro (1:35.91 anchor) for ACC’s ‘C’ team.

At one point down 27 points, the Big Ten men now lead heading into day 2 by three points, up 85-82.

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Troy
5 years ago

This is such cool set up I wonder if other conferences will do this in future.

Swimmer
Reply to  Troy
5 years ago

Not too happy with the format. A lot of swimmers are relay only. Why not have 2 heats. They took a 45 min break before the 800 relay.

Fat swammer
Reply to  Swimmer
5 years ago

Two heats would’ve been nice, but otherwise, I liked the format.

Oldswimfan
5 years ago

Molacek is gonna win 100 free this year

Young man
Reply to  Oldswimfan
5 years ago

Yes

Hswimmer
Reply to  Oldswimfan
5 years ago

Zach ZAPPLE will win it

Rsquad
Reply to  Hswimmer
5 years ago

I don’t think ZApple is training sprint at IU. Could negatively impact his performances given he was a pure sprinter at Auburn and had pretty good results with that. Just sayin.

Swimmer
Reply to  Oldswimfan
5 years ago

Or Justin Ress. Either way an NC State swimmer will win it

Speedy Exchanges
5 years ago

Men’s 400 Medley Relays- Look at the early take offs. Were they not using the timing system? McHugh -0.12? Ress-.0.07? Another -.28? and a NRT? I’ve never seen this many before.

Swimdad
5 years ago

Great 500 between Auboeck and Yeadon…

frizzaly
5 years ago

The B1G victory in the W800 Free Relay is even more impressive considering three out of four swimmers were from Michigan

ACC fan
5 years ago

Two huge freshman swims Maggie MacNeil 100 fly and Emma Muzzy 4IM.

Swimmingnerd
5 years ago

Missed both 500 races due to diving

kdswim
Reply to  Swimmingnerd
5 years ago

You did not miss much… well except two 4:13’s… Amazing swims at this point in season… and top two Women’s times this year.

Missing reults
5 years ago

Results are from 11/02 Purdue/ wis/ tenn link

About James Sutherland

James Sutherland

James swam five years at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario, specializing in the 200 free, back and IM. He finished up his collegiate swimming career in 2018, graduating with a bachelor's degree in economics. In 2019 he completed his graduate degree in sports journalism. Prior to going to Laurentian, James swam …

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