Alex Walsh And Luke Miller Both Choose 200 Free on Day 3 at ACCs (HEAT SHEETS)

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)
• Full Event Schedule
• Championship Central
• Pre-Scratch Psych Sheets
• Women’s Fan Guide
• Men’s Fan Guide
• Live Results
• Thursday AM heat sheets (Day 3)

University of Virginia junior Alex Walsh had another big choice to make on day 2 of the 2023 ACC Swimming & Diving Championships.

After opting out of both individual entries on Wednesday, Walsh will swim her first individual race of the meet on Thursday morning in the women’s 200 free, where she is the #6 seed.

That means she is dropping the 400 IM, where she would have been the #2 seed behind teammate Ella Nelson.

Walsh is the defending NCAA Champion in the 400 yard IM, and is the defending ACC Champion in the 200 yard freestyle. She swam 1:42.28 in the 200 free to win last year’s ACC title. This year, the path to that title goes through another teammate, top seeded Aimee Canny, who joined the Cavaliers from South Africa this semester. Her 1:42.78 is almost two seconds better than any woman in the ACC has been so far this season.

This will be Walsh’s first 200 free of the meet – she didn’t swim on Virginia’s 800 free relay to open the meet, though they won that relay anyway. Walsh did swim legs on the 200 medley relay and 200 free relay, both of which now own the fastest time in history for those respective events.

Walsh has four entries remaining and two individual swims left to reach her maximum. She’ll have to choose between the 200 fly, 100 breast, 200 back, and 200 breast over the final two days of competition.

The big choice on the men’s side was for NC State junior Luke Miller. He opted to race the 200 free, where he’s the top seed by over a second (1:31.87) instead of the 100 fly, where he would have been the #3 seed.

The 200 free will be Miller’s first individual event of the meet. He split 18.77 on the third leg of NC State’s winning 200 free relay on Wednesday, and 1:31.65 on the third leg of NC State’s winning 800 free relay on Tuesday. That 800 free relay split was the fastest of the field, which bodes well for his individual 200 on Thursday.

Notably, NC State sophomore Sam Hoover hasn’t raced yet at the meet. He was 5th in the 200 free and 200 IM at last year’s ACC Championship meet, and has only two individual entries left this weekend (100 free, 200 breast).

Women’s 400 IM

• Alex Walsh, Virginia (#2 seed)
• Katherine Helms, NC State (#13 seed) – for the 200 free

Men’s 400 IM

• Matthew Heilman, Virginia (#9 seed)
• Conall Monahan, NC State (#10 seed)

Women’s 100 fly

• Sam Baron, Virginia (#10 seed)
• Abby Hay, Louisville (#12 seed) – for the 400 IM
• Ella Welch, Louisville (#18 seed)

Men’s 100 fly

• Luke Miller, NC State (#3 seed) – for the 200 free
• Noah Bowers, NC State (#15 seed) – for the 200 free

Women’s 200 free

• Sarah Foley, Duke (#9 seed) – for the 400 IM
• Tristen Ulett, Louisville (#13 seed) – for the 100 fly
• Christiana Regenauer, Louisville (#15 seed) – for the 100 fly
• Ella Welch, Louisville (#16 seed)
• Sarah Watson, NC State (#17 seed) – for the 100 fly

Men’s 200 free

• Mario Molla Yanes, Virginia Tech (#7 seed) – for the 100 fly
• Sam Hoover, NC State (#16 seed)
• Marcin Goraj, Pitt (#20 seed) – for the 100 fly