Kylee Alons Becomes Fifth Woman To Split Sub-22 For 50 Fly To Open ACC Championships

2023 ACC SWIMMING AND DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Tuesday, February 14 to Saturday, February 18, 2023
• Greensboro Aquatic Center, Greensboro, North Carolina
• Defending Champions: Virginia (women); NC State (men)
• 2022 Results
• Full Event Schedule
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NC State senior Kylee Alons had an explosive start to the ACC Championships on Tuesday, rattling off one of the fastest butterfly splits of all-time on the Wolfpack’s 200 medley relay.

Alons split 21.99 swimming the fly leg for NC State, becoming just the fifth woman in history under 22 seconds. The split ranks Alons #5 all-time, with LSU fifth-year Maggie MacNeil having produced the fastest in history in November at the Art Adamson Invite in 21.85.

All-Time Women’s 50 Butterfly Relay Splits (SCY)

1. Maggie MacNeil, LSU — 21.85
2. Gretchen Walsh, Virginia – 21.91
3. Kate Douglass, Virginia – 21.95
4. Kelsi Dahlia, Louisville – 21.96
5. Kylee Alons, NC State – 21.99
6. Alyssa Marsh, Duke – 22.05
7. Kelsi Dahlia, Louisville – 22.07
8. Olivia Bray, Texas – 22.17
9. Kelsi Dahlia, Louisville – 22.21
10. Louise Hansson, USC – 22.23

Alons hit her split after a lightning-fast .08 reaction time off the blocks, as she gained half a second on Virginia’s Lexi Cuomo (22.49) heading into the anchor leg.

The Cavaliers, who also had Gretchen Walsh lead off with the fastest 50 back time in history at 22.65, ultimately cruised to victory in a new American Record of 1:31.73, as Kate Douglass anchored them home with a blazing 20.49 freestyle split.

The Wolfpack placed second in 1:33.02, with Alons joined by Katharine Berkoff (23.22), Heather MacCausland (26.40) and Abby Arens (21.41) on back, breast and free.

Alons has typically been the freestyler on NC State’s 200 medley relays, including when they won the NCAA title in 2021, but switched places with Arens back in November at the midseason Wolfpack Invite. The move paid dividends, as Alons rattled off a 22.66 split and the Pack won the event handily over Stanford.

At last season’s NCAA Championships, the fastest fly leg came from Alabama’s Morgan Scott at 22.26.

NC State placed second to UVA at the 2022 NCAAs, with Arens (22.93) and Alons (21.22) combining to bring the Pack home in 44.15 over the final 100 yards. Switching spots, the duo was three-quarters of a second faster here at ACCs (43.40).