Kate Douglass And Katharine Berkoff Pull Off Rare 4-In-A-Row Wins At ACC Championships

2023 ACC SWIMMING AND DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Tuesday, February 14 to Saturday, February 18, 2023
• Greensboro Aquatic Center, Greensboro, North Carolina
• Defending Champions:
  • Women: Virginia (3x)
  • Men: NC State (results)
• Full Event Schedule
• Championship Central
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results
• Live Streaming

Kate Douglass and Katharine Berkoff won the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke, respectively at the 2023 ACC Championships, making them both four-time champions in those events. Douglass pulled off the 4-peat on day three of the meet to become the 12th woman to do so and Berkoff became #13 on day four.

Douglass’ 4th-straight 100 butterfly victory came with a new NCAA, US Open, and American record of 48.84. She out-swam Maggie MacNeil‘s previous NCAA and US Open record of 48.89 from 2021. The other woman to have won four 100 butterflies at the ACC Champions is Melanie Buddemeyer from UNC who won the event in 1985, 1986, 1987, and 1989. Buddemeyer also won the 200 butterfly in all four of those years.

Kate Douglass Time Progression: ACC Championships 100 Butterfly

• 2020 – 50.83
• 2021 – 49.96
• 2022 – 49.86
• 2023 – 48.84

Katharine Berkoff Time Progression: ACC Championships 100 Backstroke

• 2020 – 51.64
• 2021 – 50.45
• 2022 – 49.41
• 2023 – 49.45

By winning the 100 backstroke at the 2023 ACC Championships, Katharine Berkoff became one of the few women to win the event at four straight editions of the meet. Berkoff first won this event in 2020, then again in 2021, 2022, and now in 2023.

Only three others have done so in Sue Walsh of NC State, Brielle White from Virginia, and, most recently, Courtney Bartholomew. Walsh’s win streak lasted from 1981 to 1984, White’s from 2003 to 2006, and Bartolowmew’s from 2013 to 2016. Notably, the 100 backstroke is the event where most women have pulled off a 4-peat. No other event features more than two 4-peats.

ACC Championships Individual Four-Time Champions

• 50 Freestyle
  • Christy Watkins, UNC (2000 – 2003)
• 100 Freestyle
  • Mallory Comerford, Louisville (2016 – 2019)
• 500 Freestyle
  • Leah Smith, UVA (2014 – 2017)
• 1650 Freestyle
  • Leah Smith, UVA (2014 – 2017)
• 100 Backstroke
  • Sue Walsh, UNC (1981 – 1984)
  • Brielle White, UVA (2003 – 2006)
  • Courtney Bartholomew, UVA (2013 – 2016)
  • Katharine Berkoff, NC State (2020 – 2023)
• 200 Backstroke
  • Sue Walsh, UNC (1981 – 1984)
  • Courtney Bartholomew, UVA (2013 – 2016)
• 100 Breaststroke
  • Sophie Hansson, NC State (2019 – 2022)
• 200 IM
  • Erika Acuff, UNC (1997 – 2001)
• 400 IM
  • Polly Winde, UNC (1983 – 1986)
  • Mirjana Bosevska, UVA (2000 – 2003)
• 100 Butterfly
  • Melanie Buddemeyer, NC State (1985 – 1987, 1989)
  • Kate Douglass, UVA (2020 – 2023)
• 200 Butterfly
  • Melanie Buddemeyer, NC State (1985 – 1987, 1989)