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
Once again, the University of Virginia women have lowered an NCAA record in a relay event. This time, they set a new mark in the 400 medley relay, delivering a 3:21.80 to win the 2023 ACC Championships title.
The record-breaking quartet included Gretchen Walsh on backstroke, Alex Walsh on breaststroke, Kate Douglass on butterfly, and Aimee Canny on freestyle. Walsh opened up with a 49.25 to get off to an early lead. That swim itself was a new ACC Meet Record, clearing the 49.45 that NC State’s Katharine Berkoff swam earlier in the night as the new championship standard.
Gretchen Walsh was followed by her sister Alex who split a 57.45, which was also the fastest split in the field.
Douglass was next and swam a 48.25, which is the fastest split in history by nearly a second. Canny took it home in a 46.85 on the freestyle.
The time also marks a new, US Open record, ACC record, ACC Championships record, and UVA record. All of those records were the same before tonight: 3:22.34. The Virginia women set the previous record of 3:22.34 at the 2022 ACC Championships and they actually went on to exactly tie the record at NCAA Championships the next month. Both times, the UVA relay consisted of the Walsh sisters, Alexis Wenger, and Kate Douglass.
This swim is not a new American record as Aimee Canny is South African and can’t set American records. The American record remains the 3:22.34 that Walsh, Walsh, Wenger, and Douglass set in 2022.
| 2023 ACC Championships | 2022 ACC Championships | 2022 NCAA Championships | |
| Back | Gretchen Walsh (49.25) | Gretchen Walsh (49.71) | Gretchen Walsh (49.44) |
| Breast | Alex Walsh (57.45) | Alexis Wenger (56.79) | Alexis Wenger (57.27) |
| Fly | Kate Douglass (48.25) | Alex Walsh (49.59) | Alex Walsh (49.45) |
| Free | Aimee Canny (46.85) | Kate Douglass (46.25) | Kate Douglass (46.18) |
| Final | 3:21.80 | 3:22.34 | 3:22.34 |
Behind UVA’s record swim, the NC State women swam a 3:28.28 for silver and the Duke women hit a 3:31.35 for third.
This 400 medley marks UVA’s third record-breaking relay of the meet, following their swims in the 200 medley (1:31.73) and 200 freestyle (1:23.87) relays on day 1 and 2, respectively. Gretchen Walsh, Alex Walsh, and Kate Douglass have participated in all three of those NCAA record swims, while Lexi Cuomo was on both 200-yard relays.
Having won the first four relays at the 2023 ACC Championships, UVA will attempt to for 5-for-5 on night five of the meet when they contest the 400 freestyle relay.
Douglass finally hit some of her walls perfectly, especially the back half of that swim. The long glides are the only thing that has prevented some of her other swims from taking off a similar chunk
Maybe bad math but it looks like the first 50 of every leg would have been good enough for 4th in the 200 medley at this meet
Huske doesn’t have the ability to go 48.2 on a relay
Douglass MVP college swimming
Can’t wait to see what Texas does next week. Texas is prob the only team that could pose a threat to UVA, though after tonight an upset looks more doubtful.
Texas is formidable in the middle two legs, but has no answer for a 49-low GW leadoff.
Kelly Pash has a good free leg too… but yeah, can’t compete with that backstroke leg
the more kate swims fly, the more I believe she has a chance at gold in Paris.
That 22.25 for Douglass’s first 50 is RIDICULOUS. That would be one of the fastest 50 fly splits of all time and she proceeded to follow it up with a 26.00. We didn’t see a sub-22 50 fly split from a woman until this season. And Kate Douglass almost went sub-22 for the first 50 of a 100. Just insane
Douglass went 21.95 back in 2020
Dahlia went 21.96 back in 2015
200-yard. NCSU went 3:26… yeah
Lol the Princeton pic