North Carolina Heads into Final Day of ACC Women’s Championships in the Lead

CHAPEL HILL, North Carolina, February 16. NORTH Carolina held onto its lead to close out day three of the 2007 ACC Women's Swimming and Men's and Women's Diving Championships at Koury Natatorium in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels placed swimmers in the top three in four of the events on the day and combined for 497 points after 14 events to hold a 52-point advantage over the rest of the competition.

Florida State turned up the heat Friday, winning four events to close in on UNC's lead with 445 points. Virginia totaled 333.5 points and remains in third place, followed by fourth-place Virginia Tech with 280 points. Miami sits in fifth after finishing the day with 256 points.

Clemson and Maryland tallied 251 and 228 points, respectively, while Georgia Tech (111), Duke (110), NC State (98.5) and Boston College (60) complete the field.

Senior Erin Corgan started off the evening with a win for Virginia, posting an NCAA "B" cut time of 4:17.31 to claim the 400 individual medley. The senior from Marietta, Ga., became the third Cavalier in the last eight years to win the event, as UVa dominated the race from 2000-04.

Sasha Malanina of Maryland came in at 4:17.62 to take the silver, while North Carolina's Alison Clemens finished third with a 4:20.45 time. Both marks were NCAA "B" cuts.

Florida State made a big splash in the 100-yard breaststroke, as the Seminoles took first and second. Christie Raleigh turned in an impressive performance, as she shattered the ACC Meet record and a pool record that has stood for 10 years with an NCAA "A" cut of 53.00 to notch her second straight title. The sophomore from Toms River, N.J., also successfully defended her 50 freestyle title Thursday winning the event for the second year in a row.

Teammate Lauren Sparg, who tied the ACC meet record earlier in the day in preliminaries, also posted an NCAA "A" mark (53.28) in the 100 fly, while North Carolina's Lindsey Marck rounded out at third with a "B" time 54.09.

Junior Jess Lewis became the first UVa swimmer since 1994 to capture the 200-yard freestyle, as she finished the race with a winning 1:48.06. That mark was one of five NCAA "B" marks in the championship final. North Carolina rounded out the top three in the 200 free, as Eliza Butts (1:48.18) finished second and Kristin Oxford (1:48.98) placed third.

The Seminoles came within 26 points of the Tar Heel lead after 11 events when Lauren Brick turned in an NCAA automatic qualifying time of 1:00.57 to capture the 100-yard breaststroke. The senior from Culpeper, Va., became only the second swimmer in ACC history to win the 100 breaststroke three consecutive years.

Virginia Tech's Jessica Botzum and Millie Campbell rounded out the top three in the 100 breast at second and third, respectively. Botzum, who won the 200 individual medley the previous day, posted an NCAA automatic 1:01.41 while Campbell's time of 1:02.86 was an NCAA "B" mark.

In the 100-yard backstroke, Florida State's Romy Altmann became the second Seminole ever to win the event and the first since 1996 when Jodi Kreig who won it back-to-back. The senior from Cape Town, South Africa, touched in with an NCAA "B" time of 55.14, breaking the pool record that was set in 1997 by UNC's Richelle Fox.

Michelle Parkhurst of Clemson swam a "B" cut (55.17) for second place, and Virginia's Mei Christensen also recorded an NCAA "B" standard (55.49) to complete the top three.

Diving finals for the men's 1-meter and women's 3-meter wrapped up Friday night with Miami's Ruben Ross and Jenna Dreyer making it a sweep of both springboard events. It also marks the first time Miami has swept the diving events in both the men's and women's competition.

Ross, who took gold in the 3-meter Thursday, won the 1-meter 24 hours later to collect his second individual championship title. Dreyer, who also claimed the 1-meter title Thursday, became the first Hurricane in ACC history to win the 3-meter board with a score of 364.15.

A freshman from Regina, Saskatchewan (Canada), Ross became the second Hurricane in ACC history to win both the 1- and 3-meter events at the same league championship. Miguel Velazquez was the first Hurricane to accomplish the feat at the 2005 ACC Championships. Teammate Derek Starks, who was the 1-meter champion in 2006, picked up his second career silver medal, while NC State sophomore Austin Hampton came in third.

In the women's 3-meter diving competition, Miami's Heather Bounds scored 353.25 points to take the silver while Georgia Tech's Stephanie England finished third with a score of 293.25.

Day three of the ACC Championships wrapped up in thrilling fashion, as Florida State captured the 400 medley relay for the third consecutive year. The quartet of Romy Altmann, Lauren Brick, Lauren Sparg and Christie Raleigh combined to break the ACC meet and pool records with a 3:39.15.

Virginia's foursome of Mei Christensen, Katherine McDonnell, Stephanie Glover and Jess Lewis touched in at 3:42.30 for second place, while the Tar Heel squad of Meagan Eickman, Alison Clemens, Lindsey Marck and Eliza Butts came in third at 3:42.39. All three marks were NCAA "B" cuts.

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