Women’s 200 Backstroke Prelims
Another big race, and more youth backstrokers near the top of the pile, just like we’ve seen just about everywhere in the country this weekend. This time, though, it was a veteran on top, as Virginia’s Caroline Kenney swam a 1:53.97 for the top seed – her season-best by 5 seconds, and more than a second faster than her best time from this meet last year.
Virginia freshman Courtney Bartholomew is 2nd in 1:54.75, followed by North Carolina freshman Annie Harrison in 1:55.89. The top 7 swimmers in this A-Final all swim for either North Carolina or Virginia, firing up both sides of this intense rivalry with some very public trash-talking. Hopefully, that will translate to a lot of fast times tonight.
Women’s 100 Free Prelims
Florida State’s Tiffany Oliver, already with a 50 free win under her belt, will be looking for a sprint double tonight after taking easily the top seed in the 100 free with a 48.47 in the 100 free. She was more than half-a-second faster than anybody else in this morning (and was a new school record), but we know that Lauren Perdue will be much, much faster in the final, as she has been throughout this meet. Perdue comes in having never lost a 100 freestyle at these ACC Championship, even through her injury last year, and won’t be apt to do so tonight.
Her teammate Emily Lloyd (3rd – 49.19) gives the Cavaliers the best 1-2 punch in the race as they try to hold off Florida State from taking a third relay win in tonight’s 400 free relay. They’ll fill that relay out likely with Rachel Naurath, who sprinted very well in the 200 free relay, which should give them enough to win.
Women’s 200 Breast Prelims
Nobody went under 2:10 in this women’s 200 breast, with the top-seed Weronika Paluszek from Virginia Tech touching in 2:10.68. She was one of a couple of under-the-radar, international Virginia Tech pickups this season.
Notably, she would’ve been the 8th finalist in the SEC, and the only swimmer from this race who would’ve even been top 8 at that meet, showing what a down-year it is for ACC breaststroking.
The second seed is Duke’s Christine Wixted in 2:10.93, who will hope to hang on better in finals than she did in that of the 100 on Friday, and then a big dropoff to Florida State’s Kristin Polley in 2:13.55.
Women’s 200 Fly Prelims
Further fueling this UNC-UVA rivalry, Virginia’s Alison Haulsee took the top seed in the women’s 100 fly in 1:55.91, followed very closely by North Carolina’s Meredith Hoover in 1:55.97. The focus will be onthose two tonight, but just to their left coming home will be Virginia Tech’s Heather Savage in 1:56.63. Her first 150 was two-seconds better than anyone else before pulling way back on the last 50 yards, perhaps as a warning shot for a big time to come in finals. North Carolina’s Cari Blalock was 4th in 1:56.74.
“Words Fly” ?? Come on don’t leave us hanging… give us the dish!
You are being pretty cryptic,who is doing the trash talking?