5 Races To Watch At The 2016 Women’s ACC Championships

Photo Courtesy: Louisville Athletics

By Chandler Brandes, ACC Beat Writer

The 2016 Women’s ACC Championships begin tomorrow in Greensboro. Virginia won in 2015, followed by North Carolina and Virginia Tech.

5 Races to Watch:

1. 50 Free
With 20 women already under the 23 second barrier, the 50 free title will come down to a nail-biting finish. Kelsi Worrell is seeded first in the event, but it’s still unclear which event she will scratch since she’s currently entered in four. NC State’s Rikki Bonnema will look to defend her title, but a trio of Virginia sprinters, as well as Duke’s Maddie Rusch, could make that hard.

2. 400 IM
Virginia’s Kaitlyn Jones, who took second in the event last year, is the top returner and holds the number one seed, while a pair of freshman hold the number two and three seeds. Virginia Tech’s versatile Klaudia Nazieblo, who did not swim this event in 2015, is seeded fourth. Each swimmer will utilize their strengths as some fast times are sure to be posted.

3. 100 and 200 Breaststrokes
Louisville’s Andrea Cottrell is seeded first in both the 100 and 200 breaststrokes, but Virginia’s Laura Simon isn’t too far behind. In 2015, Simon took second in the 100 and first in the 200, while Cottrell took third in both. Cottrell has already achieved an A cut in the 100, and both juniors have B cuts in the 200. Watch for some fast times as they both battle it out for the win.

4. 500 Free
Seeded nearly 10 seconds ahead of the rest of the field, Virginia’s Leah Smith is the sure favorite to win the 500 free. Smith will look to capture her third ACC title in this event as she gets closer to going under the 4:30 barrier. However, the battle for the other top spots is wide open: seven swimmers are already seeded under 4:45, and expect to see much faster times posted.

5. 400 Free Relay
NC State is seeded .30 seconds ahead of Virginia, and both schools have achieved NCAA A cuts in this event. There’s a high chance the meet record will be broken: the Wolfpack’s seed time of 3:14.39 is exactly the ACC Meet Record set in 2014 by North Carolina. NC State won this event last year at ACCs over the Cavaliers, and this relay, which will conclude the meet on Saturday, will be an exciting―and close―race to watch.

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Lisa Remele Harris

8 years ago

GO HOOS! WIN!!

Natalie Gray Snyder

8 years ago

Go Pack!!!!!

Staci Hill

8 years ago

Go CARDS! You’ve got this! #L1C4