ACC Championships, Day 4 Prelims: Alex Walsh Blasts Meet Record in 200 Fly
ACC Championships, Day 4 Prelims: Alex Walsh Blasts Meet Record in 200 Fly
Alex Walsh hadn’t swum a 200 fly in NCAA competition since her silver medal at the 2023 NCAA Championships. That meant an early swim in an unseeded heat Friday at the ACC Championships. Which ultimately made no difference to the UVA star.
Walsh went 1:52.05 to set the meet record to kick off the fourth day of the meet at the Greensboro Aquatic Center.
Her 1:50.23 from NCAAs last year is the conference record. The meet record had belonged to Grace Oglesby of Louisville at 1:52.81 from 2019.
All the action from the penultimate day of competition:
- Meet Page
- Live Results
- Night 1 Women’s Recap
- Night 1 Men’s Recap
- Night 2 Women’s Recap
- Night 2 Men’s Recap
- Night 3 Recap
Team Standings
Women - Team Rankings - Through Event 20 1. Virginia, University of 846.5 2. Louisville, University of 683 3. North Carolina State Universit 573 4. Duke University 433.5 5. North Carolina, University of 401.5 6. VA Tech 308.5 7. Notre Dame, University of 276 8. Florida State University 266 9. Pittsburgh, University of 226 10. University of Miami (Florida) 221 11. Georgia Institute of Technolog 220
Men - Team Rankings - Through Event 22 1. North Carolina State Universit 812.5 2. Notre Dame, University of 559.5 3. VA Tech 469.5 4. Louisville, University of 458 5. Florida State University 386 6. North Carolina, University of 380 7. Virginia, University of 344.5 8. Pittsburgh, University of 315 9. Georgia Institute of Technolog 309 10. Duke University 164 11. University of Miami (Florida) 94
Women’s 200 butterfly
Alex Walsh came roaring out of the gates with a meet record no one could match. Only teammate Abigail Harter was within three seconds, and only just, in 1:55.01. UVA has the top three seeds, with Tess Howley clocking in third at 1:55.24. Margaret Schalow added a fourth A finalist.
Walsh’s record complements her sister Gretchen Walsh’s record in the 100 fly this week.
The top seed entering the meet, Louisville’s Gabi Albiero, scratched the event.
Duke has a pair of A finalists, Martina Peroni fourth in 1:55.52 and Catherine Purnell eighth.
Event 23 Women 200 Yard Butterfly ================================================================== MEET: # 1:52.81 2/23/2019 Grace Oglesby, Louisville-KY CONF: % 1:50.23 3/18/2023 Alex Walsh, UVA AMER: $ 1:48.33 10/20/2023Reagan Smith, Ariizona St. USOP: & 1:49.51 10/20/2023Reagan Smith, Stanford NCAA: ! 1:49.51 3/18/2018 Ella Eastin, Stanford Pool: * 1:51.11 3/21/2015 Kelsi Worrell, UOFL-KY 1:52.86 A 1:55.92 IV23 Invited NCAA 2023 1:59.23 B Name Year School Seed Prelims ================================================================== === Preliminaries === 1 Walsh, Alexandr UVA NT 1:52.05#qA r:+0.79 25.10 53.53 (28.43) 1:22.78 (29.25) 1:52.05 (29.27) 2 Harter, Abigail UVA 1:54.71 1:55.01 qIV23 r:+0.77 25.72 54.73 (29.01) 1:24.33 (29.60) 1:55.01 (30.68) 3 Howley, Tess UVA 1:54.75 1:55.24 qIV23 r:+0.70 26.00 55.27 (29.27) 1:24.87 (29.60) 1:55.24 (30.37) 4 Peroni, Martina Duke 1:54.01 1:55.52 qIV23 r:+0.74 26.14 55.53 (29.39) 1:25.43 (29.90) 1:55.52 (30.09) 5 Jernstedt, Edit FSU 1:56.11 1:55.94 qB r:+0.75 25.81 54.91 (29.10) 1:24.77 (29.86) 1:55.94 (31.17) 6 Vannote, Elizab UNC 1:58.50 1:56.63 qB r:+0.75 26.05 55.73 (29.68) 1:25.96 (30.23) 1:56.63 (30.67) 7 Schalow, Margar UVA 1:55.28 1:56.95 qB r:+0.67 26.31 56.09 (29.78) 1:26.57 (30.48) 1:56.95 (30.38) 8 Purnell, Cather Duke 1:56.68 1:57.61 qB r:+0.65 25.79 55.58 (29.79) 1:25.81 (30.23) 1:57.61 (31.80)
Men’s 200 butterfly
Noah Bowers led a crowded field with a time of 1:41.44. Not far behind is Notre Dame’s Tate Bacon (1:41.76) and NC State’s Aiden Hayes (1:41.86) in which might be the defining selection. Bowers has been 1:41.26 this year and entered as the top seed.
It’s a great event for North Carolina, which pushed three into the A final, led by Sebastian Lunak in fourth.
Event 24 Men 200 Yard Butterfly ================================================================== MEET: # 1:37.92 2/18/2022 Nicolas J Albiero, Louisville-KY CONF: % 1:37.92 2/18/2022 Nicolas J Albiero, Louisville-KY AMER: $ 1:37.35 3/25/2017 Jack Conger, Texas USOP: & 1:37.35 3/25/2017 Jack Conger, Texas NCAA: ! 1:37.35 3/25/2017 Jack Conger, Texas Pool: * 1:38.64 3/27/2021 Nicolas Albiero, LOU-KY 1:40.16 A 1:42.57 IV23 Invited NCAA 2023 1:45.89 B Name Year School Seed Prelims ================================================================== === Preliminaries === 1 Bowers, Noah NC State 1:41.26 1:41.44 qIV23 r:+0.71 22.78 48.74 (25.96) 1:15.01 (26.27) 1:41.44 (26.43) 2 Bacon, Tate Notre Dame 1:44.57 1:41.76 qIV23 r:+0.64 22.17 47.77 (25.60) 1:14.01 (26.24) 1:41.76 (27.75) 3 Hayes, Aiden NC State 1:44.60 1:41.86 qIV23 r:+0.67 22.38 48.64 (26.26) 1:15.13 (26.49) 1:41.86 (26.73) 4 Lunak, Sebastia UNC 1:43.24 1:42.35 qIV23 r:+0.66 22.39 48.37 (25.98) 1:14.80 (26.43) 1:42.35 (27.55) 5 Bloebaum, Carl VA Tech 1:44.33 1:42.80 qB r:+0.65 23.03 49.14 (26.11) 1:15.73 (26.59) 1:42.80 (27.07) 6 Hussey, Patrick UNC 1:48.48 1:43.25 qB r:+0.70 22.63 48.72 (26.09) 1:15.48 (26.76) 1:43.25 (27.77) 7 Poelke, Boyd UNC 1:47.57 1:43.48 qB r:+0.72 22.63 48.92 (26.29) 1:15.64 (26.72) 1:43.48 (27.84) 8 Sergile, Sebast UVA 1:43.41 1:43.60 qB r:+0.63 22.97 49.61 (26.64) 1:16.55 (26.94) 1:43.60 (27.05)
Women’s 100 backstroke
Katharine Berkoff is the top seed in the 100 back, the two-time NCAA champion and NC State graduate student going 50.37 to ease to the top seed. This is an event in which the top seed entering the meet, Gretchen Walsh, scratched.
Berkoff was one of two swimmers that entered with A cuts, excluding Walsh. Kennedy Noble has one, as well, and she’s the second seed in 51.25 seconds after prelims. The Wolfpack have four A finalists, with Miriam Sheehan sixth and Meghan Donald eighth.
Virginia has just one in the final eight, Reilly Tiltmann third in 52.00.
Men’s 100 backstroke
Marcus Gentry set the pace in prelims, but all eyes will be on the second seed. That’s Kacper Stokowski, the meet record co-holder from last year.
Gentry set the pace in 45.12. But just .10 back is Stokowski. The Polish international entered as the top seed with a time of 44.37 from the regular season.
Third is Matt Brownstead of Virginia in 45.60. NC State has three in the A final, Hudson Williams fifth and Quintin McCarty eighth. It took 45.90 to make the A final.
Event 26 Men 100 Yard Backstroke ================================================================== MEET: # 44.04 2/28/2020 Coleman Stewart/Kaspar Stokows, NC State-NC CONF: % 43.83 3/24/2023 Kaspar Stokowski, NC State-NC AMER: $ 43.35 3/25/2022 Luca Urlando, Georgia USOP: & 43.35 3/25/2022 Luca Urlando, Georgia NCAA: ! 43.35 3/25/2022 Luca Urlando, Georgia Pool: * 44.04 2/28/2020 Coleman Stewart, NCSU-NC 44.71 A 45.70 IV23 Invited NCAA 2023 47.47 B Name Year School Seed Prelims ================================================================== === Preliminaries === 1 Gentry, Marcus Notre Dame 45.77 45.12 qIV23 r:+0.69 21.66 45.12 (23.46) 2 Stokowski, Kacp NC State 44.37 45.22 qIV23 r:+0.77 21.74 45.22 (23.48) 3 Brownstead, Mat UVA 47.07 45.60 qIV23 r:+0.77 21.89 45.60 (23.71) 4 Wilson, Maximil FSU 45.32 45.75 qB r:+0.86 21.93 45.75 (23.82) 5 Williams, Hudso NC State 46.17 45.80 qB r:+0.70 21.95 45.80 (23.85) 6 Lowe, Dalton Louisville 46.09 45.82 qB r:+0.81 21.90 45.82 (23.92) 7 Goncharov, Step Pitt 46.54 45.87 qB r:+0.77 22.10 45.87 (23.77) 8 McCarty, Quinti NC State 46.52 45.90 qB r:+0.81 21.80 45.90 (24.10)
Women’s 100 breaststroke
Jasmine Nocentini blistered a time of 57.73 seconds to book a fresh NCAA A cut and lead the field by more than a second. The Italian international is one of three UVA swimmers in the A final, with Emma Weber tied for fourth and Zoe Skirboll sixth.
The second seed went to Kelyn Gridley of Duke in 59.10 seconds. Abigail Arens of NC State is third in 59.12.
Event 27 Women 100 Yard Breaststroke ================================================================== MEET: # 56.72 2/18/2022 Sophie E Hansson, NCSU-NC CONF: % 56.72 2/18/2022 Sophie E Hansson, NCSU-NC AMER: $ 55.73 3/22/2019 Lilly King, Indiana USOP: & 55.73 3/22/2019 Lilly King, Indiana NCAA: ! 55.73 3/22/2019 Lilly King, Indiana Pool: * 57.23 3/19/2021 Sophie Hansson, NCSU-NC 58.02 A 59.73 IV23 Invited NCAA 2023 1:01.46 B Name Year School Seed Prelims ================================================================== === Preliminaries === 1 Nocentini, Jasm UVA 58.19 57.73 qA r:+0.63 27.16 57.73 (30.57) 2 Gridley, Kaelyn Duke 58.74 59.10 qIV23 r:+0.72 27.82 59.10 (31.28) 3 Arens, Abigail NC State 59.26 59.12 qIV23 r:+0.68 27.97 59.12 (31.15) 4 Weber, Emma UVA 59.02 59.35 qIV23 r:+0.72 28.22 59.35 (31.13) 4 Brisson, Sabyne GT 59.08 59.35 qIV23 r:+0.70 28.39 59.35 (30.96) 6 Skirboll, Zoe UVA 1:00.17 59.89 qB r:+0.70 28.28 59.89 (31.61) 7 Smith, Skyler UNC 59.32 59.98 qB r:+0.68 27.94 59.98 (32.04) 8 Huggins, Madeli FSU 58.76 1:00.05 qB r:+0.76 28.00 1:00.05 (32.05)
Men’s 100 breaststroke
Noah Nichols gave Virginia both top seeds in the 100 breaststroke events, going 51.26 seconds. That’s his season best by nearly a half-second. Nichols owns the meet record of 50.82 from last year.
Second is Denis Petrashov of Louisville is 51.67. Carles Coll Marti of Virginia Tech, the top seed entering the meet, secured the third seed in 51.71. Both Leandro Odorici of Georgia Tech and Peter Varjasi of Florida State cracked 52 seconds. NC State is without an A finalist, and only ninth-place Sam Hoover is in the top 24.
Event 28 Men 100 Yard Breaststroke ================================================================== MEET: # 50.82 2/17/2023 Noah P Nichols, UVA-VA CONF: % 50.78 3/24/2023 Denis Petrashov, Louisville-KY AMER: $ 49.69 3/23/2018 Ian Finnerty, Indiana USOP: & 49.69 3/23/2018 Ian Finnerty, Indiana NCAA: ! 49.69 3/23/2018 Ian Finnerty, Indiana Pool: * 50.18 3/26/2021 Max McHugh, MINN-MN 51.10 A 51.90 IV23 Invited NCAA 2023 53.63 B Name Year School Seed Prelims ================================================================== === Preliminaries === 1 Nichols, Noah UVA 51.67 51.26 qIV23 r:+0.68 23.97 51.26 (27.29) 2 Petrashov, Deni Louisville 51.95 51.67 qIV23 r:+0.71 24.40 51.67 (27.27) 3 Coll Marti, Car VA Tech 51.52 51.71 qIV23 r:+0.61 23.89 51.71 (27.82) 4 Odorici, Leandr GT 52.76 51.96 qB r:+0.65 24.01 51.96 (27.95) 5 Varjasi, Peter FSU 52.10 51.98 qB r:+0.69 24.04 51.98 (27.94) 6 Maloney, Ethan VA Tech 53.50 52.15 qB r:+0.68 24.42 52.15 (27.73) 7 Pouch, Ananias VA Tech 54.10 52.28 qB r:+0.69 24.78 52.28 (27.50) 8 Baravelli, Tomm FSU 53.14 52.33 qB r:+0.67 24.28 52.33 (28.05)