ACC Championships, Day 4 Finals: Alex Walsh, Katharine Berkoff Swim Second-Fastest Times Ever

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Alex Walsh -- Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

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ACC Championships, Day 4 Finals: Alex Walsh, Katharine Berkoff Swim Second-Fastest Times Ever

Her younger sister Gretchen Walsh has been the recipient of headlines this week thanks to her numerous record-setting performances, including the fastest times ever in the 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly plus the first-ever sub-20-second 50 free relay split. But Alex Walsh, the winner of five individual NCAA titles in her brilliant career at the University of Virginia, has been plenty solid this week in Greensboro, N.C., with strong relay splits plus her quickest 200 IM at a conference meet since 2021.

With Gretchen taking the night off from individual racing, Alex stepped up to shine in the 200 butterfly. She was the NCAA champion in the event two years ago and the runnerup last year, falling short on the last length thanks to a stunning finish from Texas’ Emma Sticklen. But since then, Walsh had not raced the event. This season, she seemed poised to switch her final-day event to the 200 breaststroke, with teammate and American-record holder Kate Douglass having graduated.

But Walsh opted to take a shot at the 200 fly at the conference meet — and the result was the usual domination we have come to expect from the Walsh sisters and the Virginia Cavaliers at the conference meet. Walsh was up by a bodylength at the 25-yard mark and by one-and-a-half seconds after 50 yards. Out in 24.48 and then 52.22 at the halfway point, Walsh was well off the sizzling pace she set in last year’s NCAA final, but she finished off her race with 28-mid splits, instead of the painful 59.66 closing 100 yards in last year’s national race.

Indeed, Walsh had something special down the stretch as she reached for the wall in 1:49.16, a full second quicker than her previous best time of 1:50.23. Walsh jumped from sixth all-time to second, behind only the American and U.S. Open records of 1:48.33 that Regan Smith swam in November. Walsh’s time set a new NCAA record, beating the 1:49.51 that Stanford’s Ella Eastin set in 2018. Walsh also beat her own conference record while crushing the meet record of 1:52.81 that Louisville’s Grace Oglesby set in 2019.

“I just wanted to give it one last go ’round,” Walsh told ACC Network in a post-race interview, hinting that she had no intentions of racing the event at the national meet next month before insisting that her lineup had not been finalized.

As Virginia claimed its 10th victory in 10 women’s swimming races thus far in Greensboro, the Cavaliers scored big points behind Walsh with Abby Harter taking third in 1:54.81 and freshman teammate Tess Howley coming in just behind at 1:54.88, but second place went to Duke’s Martin Peroni, who closed in 29.58 to overtake the two Virginia swimmers and take second place in 1:48.00.

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            Prelims     Finals       Points 
=========================================================================
                            === A - Final ===                            
 
  1 Walsh, Alexandr     UVA               1:52.05    1:49.16&A       32  
    r:+0.77  24.48        52.22 (27.74)
        1:20.61 (28.39)     1:49.16 (28.55)
  2 Peroni, Martina     Duke              1:55.52    1:54.00 IV23    28  
    r:+0.70  25.71        54.74 (29.03)
        1:24.42 (29.68)     1:54.00 (29.58)
  3 Harter, Abigail     UVA               1:55.01    1:54.81 IV23    27  
    r:+0.76  25.50        54.42 (28.92)
        1:23.91 (29.49)     1:54.81 (30.90)
  4 Howley, Tess        UVA               1:55.24    1:54.88 IV23    26  
    r:+0.71  25.20        53.70 (28.50)
        1:23.44 (29.74)     1:54.88 (31.44)
  5 Jernstedt, Edit     FSU               1:55.94    1:55.48 IV23    25  
    r:+0.75  25.29        54.05 (28.76)
        1:23.68 (29.63)     1:55.48 (31.80)
  6 Vannote, Elizab     UNC               1:56.63    1:56.54 B       24  
    r:+0.69  25.48        54.45 (28.97)
        1:24.50 (30.05)     1:56.54 (32.04)
  7 Schalow, Margar     UVA               1:56.95    1:56.77 B       23  
    r:+0.66  25.81        55.46 (29.65)
        1:25.77 (30.31)     1:56.77 (31.00)
  8 Purnell, Cather     Duke              1:57.61    1:58.71 B       22  
    r:+0.65  25.45        54.95 (29.50)
        1:26.20 (31.25)     1:58.71 (32.51)

That was not the last time on the night that fans at the Greensboro Aquatic Center would watch a swimmer record the second-quickest time ever in their respective event. That’s because Katharine Berkoff put on a show in the women’s 100 backstroke, winning a conference title for a fifth consecutive year while breaking Virginia’s long winning streak in women’s swimming events to begin the meet.

With Gretchen Walsh sitting out the 100 back this time to focus on her other events, Berkoff jumped out in front of the field with a 23.63 halfway split, but she flew home in 25.07. That allowed Berkoff to reach the wall in 48.70, crushing the previous meet record of 49.25 set by Walsh (on a relay leadoff) last year while edging her own best time of 48.74. The time was the second-quickest mark in history, trailing only Walsh’s American and NCAA records of 48.26. An amazing showdown awaits at the NCAA Championships, provided Walsh opts to defend her 2023 title and records next month in Athens, Ga.

NC State made a further statement by securing a 1-2 finish, with Kennedy Noble coming in at 50.92 for second place. Third went to Virginia’s Reilly Tiltmann in 51.82, just ahead of Duke freshman Ali Pfaff (52.00) while another Cavalier, Carly Novelline, swam the night’s third-quickest time overall with a winning mark of 51.72 in the B-final.

Event 25  Women 100 Yard Backstroke
=========================================================================
         MEET: # 49.25  2/17/2023 Gretchen C Walsh, UVA-VA
         CONF: % 48.26  11/16/2023Gretchen C Walsh, UVA-VA
         AMER: $ 48.26  3/14/2023 Gretchen C Walsh, UVA-VA
         USOP: & 48.26  3/14/2023 Gretchen C Walsh, UVA-VA
         NCAA: ! 48.26  3/22/2023 Gretchen C Walsh, UVA-VA
         Pool: * 49.25  2/17/2023 Gretchen Walsh, UVA-VA
                 50.88  A
                 52.36  IV23 Invited NCAA 2023
                 53.82  B
    Name           Year School            Prelims     Finals       Points 
=========================================================================
                            === A - Final ===                            
 
  1 Berkoff, Kathar     NC State            50.37      48.70#A       32  
    r:+0.99  23.63        48.70 (25.07)
  2 Noble, Helen        NC State            51.25      50.92 IV23    28  
    r:+0.62  24.51        50.92 (26.41)
  3 Tiltmann, Reill     UVA                 52.00      51.82 IV23    27  
    r:+0.74  24.95        51.82 (26.87)
  4 Pfaff, Alison       Duke                52.40      52.00 IV23    26  
    r:+0.72  25.21        52.00 (26.79)
  5 Pattison, Greer     UNC                 52.16      52.45 B       25  
    r:+0.65  25.30        52.45 (27.15)
  6 Bentz, Caroline     VA Tech             52.28      52.63 B       24  
    r:+0.80  25.44        52.63 (27.19)
  7 Donald, Meghan      NC State            52.45      52.72 B       23  
    r:+0.74  25.33        52.72 (27.39)
  8 Sheehan, Miriam     NC State            52.33      52.87 B       22  
    r:+0.82  25.24        52.87 (27.63)

The race schedule on the fourth night of racing at the ACC meet also included the men’s 200 fly and 100 back plus the women’s and men’s 100 breaststroke, women’s platform diving and the women’s and men’s 400 medley relay.

Virginia is on track to win yet another women’s ACC title, having accumulated 1178.5 points through the first four days of competition, while NC State sits just ahead of Louisville, 869 to 841, and Duke has a 48-point lead over fierce rival North Carolina for fourth. The men’s meet, meanwhile, belongs firmly to the Wolfpack while Notre Dame is the big story sitting in second place, 80 points up on Virginia Tech heading into the final day. Look for the Hokies to try to hold off Louisville (up by two) for fourth, while Florida State leads Virginia for fifth place by just 3.5 points.

Women - Team Rankings - Through Event 30                     
 
  1. Virginia, University of        1178.5   2. North Carolina State Universit    869
  3. Louisville, University of         841   4. Duke University                 673.5
  5. North Carolina, University of   625.5   6. Florida State University          433
  7. VA Tech                         423.5   8. Georgia Institute of Technolog    390
  9. Notre Dame, University of         364  10. Pittsburgh, University of         330
 11. University of Miami (Florida)     295
Men - Team Rankings - Through Event 31                      
 
  1. North Carolina State Universit 1063.5   2. Notre Dame, University of       746.5
  3. VA Tech                         666.5   4. Louisville, University of         664
  5. Florida State University          538   6. Virginia, University of         534.5
  7. North Carolina, University of     529   8. Pittsburgh, University of         438
  9. Georgia Institute of Technolog    392  10. Duke University                   198
 11. University of Miami (Florida)      94

Men’s 200 Butterfly

The NC State men have extended their lead in the team competition, opening the evening with an impressive 1-2 finish in the 200 fly, but the order was reversed from last season. Aiden Hayes, the conference and national champion in the event last year, was out with a sizzling 21.46 split after 50 yards, and the junior held a solid lead for most of the race, even as teammate Noah Bowers began to sneak up.

But Hayes fell badly off the pace down the stretch, his split just sixth-fastest in the field, while Bowers pulled even on the seventh and then ahead with a monstrous final underwater kicking segment. The fifth-year swimmer from Roanoke, Va., came home in 26.25, more than a second clear of anyone else in the race, and he reached the wall in 1:39.65. That time moved Bowers into the top-25 all-time in the event, tying him with the great Michael Phelps, as he clocked a mark ranked fourth nationally behind Arizona State swimmers Ilya Kharun and Leon Marchand plus Stanford’s Andrei Minakov.

Hayes held on to take second in 1:41.31, with North Carolina’s Sebastian Lunak placing third in 1:41.78 ahead of Notre Dame’s Tate Bacon (1:42.25).

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            Prelims     Finals       Points 
=========================================================================
                            === A - Final ===                            
 
  1 Bowers, Noah        NC State          1:41.44    1:39.65 A       32  
    r:+0.69  22.14        47.41 (25.27)
        1:13.40 (25.99)     1:39.65 (26.25)
  2 Hayes, Aiden        NC State          1:41.86    1:41.31 IV23    28  
    r:+0.67  21.46        46.96 (25.50)
        1:12.93 (25.97)     1:41.31 (28.38)
  3 Lunak, Sebastia     UNC               1:42.35    1:41.78 IV23    27  
    r:+0.65  22.46        48.49 (26.03)
        1:14.44 (25.95)     1:41.78 (27.34)
  4 Bacon, Tate         Notre Dame        1:41.76    1:42.25 IV23    26  
    r:+0.64  22.04        47.52 (25.48)
        1:13.74 (26.22)     1:42.25 (28.51)
  5 Hussey, Patrick     UNC               1:43.25    1:42.89 B       25  
    r:+0.68  22.76        48.73 (25.97)
        1:15.47 (26.74)     1:42.89 (27.42)
  6 Bloebaum, Carl      VA Tech           1:42.80    1:42.90 B       24  
    r:+0.64  22.17        48.16 (25.99)
        1:15.06 (26.90)     1:42.90 (27.84)
  7 Sergile, Sebast     UVA               1:43.60    1:43.66 B       23  
    r:+0.66  23.10        49.44 (26.34)
        1:16.15 (26.71)     1:43.66 (27.51)
  8 Poelke, Boyd        UNC               1:43.48    1:44.80 B       22  
    r:+0.73  22.37        48.61 (26.24)
        1:15.88 (27.27)     1:44.80 (28.92)

Men’s 100 Backstroke

It was a tight bunch in the early going of the men’s 100 back final, with the entire A-final field split by less than four tenths at the halfway point. NC State’s Kacper Stokowski, fresh off a semifinals appearance in the 100-meter back at last week’s World Championships, was tied for fourth at the halfway point, but then Stokowski put on a surge down the stretch.

Closing in 22.72, a whopping nine tenths quicker than anyone else in the race, Stokowski recorded a time of 44.36, three tenths shy of the ACC meet record he shares with former Wolfpack star Coleman Stewart but good enough for No. 2 in the national rankings, trailing only the 44.12 from Florida’s Jonny Marshall at the SEC Championships. Stokowski set the conference record at 43.83 at last season’s NCAA Championships as he finished runnerup to Indiana’s Brendan Burns. Stokowski was the NCAA winner in 2022.

Virginia’s Matt Brownstead ended up finishing second in 45.26, two hundredths ahead of the Wolfpack’s Hudson Williams (45.28).

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            Prelims     Finals       Points 
=========================================================================
                            === A - Final ===                            
 
  1 Stokowski, Kacp     NC State            45.22      44.36 A       32  
    r:+0.69  21.64        44.36 (22.72)
  2 Brownstead, Mat     UVA                 45.60      45.26 IV23    28  
    r:+0.79  21.62        45.26 (23.64)
  3 Williams, Hudso     NC State            45.80      45.28 IV23    27  
    r:+0.76  21.62        45.28 (23.66)
  4 Goncharov, Step     Pitt                45.87      45.44 IV23    26  
    r:+0.77  21.81        45.44 (23.63)
  5 Gentry, Marcus      Notre Dame          45.12      45.57 IV23    25  
    r:+0.95  21.55        45.57 (24.02)
  6 Wilson, Maximil     FSU                 45.75      45.58 IV23    24  
    r:+0.79  21.94        45.58 (23.64)
  7 Lowe, Dalton        Louisville          45.82      45.68 IV23    23  
    r:+0.78  21.64        45.68 (24.04)
  8 McCarty, Quinti     NC State            45.90      45.72 B       22  
    r:+0.77  21.88        45.72 (23.84)

Women’s 100 Breaststroke

While the Walsh sisters remain the headliners for the University of Virginia women’s team, Jasmine Nocentini is the team’s most impactful addition, with the transfer swimmer already making huge contributions to record-setting relays (including the 200 free relay Wednesday night) and in her main events. Now, Nocentini has recorded the country’s third-fastest mark in the 100 breaststroke, dominating the conference final.

Nocentini was out in 26.63, eight tenths clear of the field, and she extended the margin down the stretch to a whopping 1.73 seconds. Nocentini finsihed in 57.01, a mark topped by only Tennessee’s Mona McSharry and USC’s Kaitlyn Dobler this season, and for the first time in her career, Nocentini will head to the NCAA Championhips very much in the national mix in this event alongside McSharry, Dobler and the Texas duo of Anna Elendt and Lydia Jacoby.

NC State’s Abby Arens, who placed third in the 100 fly Thursday, took second her in 58.74, while there was a three-way tie for third. North Carolina’s Skyler Smith, who held down second place early on before fading slightly, touched in 58.81 along with Virginia’s Emma Weber and Duke’s Kaelyn Gridley.

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            Prelims     Finals       Points 
=========================================================================
                            === A - Final ===                            
 
  1 Nocentini, Jasm     UVA                 57.73      57.01*A       32  
    r:+0.62  26.63        57.01 (30.38)
  2 Arens, Abigail      NC State            59.12      58.74 IV23    28  
    r:+0.67  27.79        58.74 (30.95)
  3 Weber, Emma         UVA                 59.35      58.81 IV23    26  
    r:+0.74  27.78        58.81 (31.03)
  3 Smith, Skyler       UNC                 59.98      58.81 IV23    26  
    r:+0.67  27.47        58.81 (31.34)
  3 Gridley, Kaelyn     Duke                59.10      58.81 IV23    26  
    r:+0.74  27.75        58.81 (31.06)
  6 Brisson, Sabyne     GT                  59.35      59.84 B       24  
    r:+0.64  28.46        59.84 (31.38)
  7 Skirboll, Zoe       UVA                 59.89      59.86 B       23  
    r:+0.68  28.24        59.86 (31.62)
  8 Huggins, Madeli     FSU               1:00.05    1:00.39 B       22  
    r:+0.77  28.38      1:00.39 (32.01)

Men’s 100 Breaststroke

A sizzling final resulted in four swimmers separated by just over two tenths and four of the top-five swims in the country so far this season, but the win turned out to be the first this week for the University of Virginia men, as Noah Nichols reached the top of the podium with a six-hundredths margin of victory over Virginia Tech’s Carles Coll Marti.

At the halfway point, Florida State’s Peter Varjasi led by one hundredth over Coll Marti, 23.64 to 23.65, followed by Georgia Tech’s Leandro Odorici while Nichols sat in fourth place. But the Virginia swimmer had the most left in the tank, coming home in 26.90 to move into first and finish in 50.89, with Coll Marti coming in at 50.95. Nichols came in just shy of his own meet record of 50.82 from last year as well as Denis Petrashov’s conference record of 50.78.

Varjasi was third in 51.07, just ahead of Louisville’s Petrashov (51.10), while Odorici faded to fifth (51.69). The top four swimmers ranked first, second, fourth and fifth, respectively, in the nation this season, with only Florida’s Aleksas Savickas (51.01) splitting this group by virtue of his swim Friday at the SEC Championships.

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            Prelims     Finals       Points 
=========================================================================
                            === A - Final ===                            
 
  1 Nichols, Noah       UVA                 51.26      50.89 A       32  
    r:+0.67  23.99        50.89 (26.90)
  2 Coll Marti, Car     VA Tech             51.71      50.95 A       28  
    r:+0.62  23.65        50.95 (27.30)
  3 Varjasi, Peter      FSU                 51.98      51.07 A       27  
    r:+0.66  23.64        51.07 (27.43)
  4 Petrashov, Deni     Louisville          51.67      51.10 A       26  
    r:+0.69  24.07        51.10 (27.03)
  5 Odorici, Leandr     GT                  51.96      51.69 IV23    25  
    r:+0.64  23.84        51.69 (27.85)
  6 Pouch, Ananias      VA Tech             52.28      51.98 B       24  
    r:+0.69  24.62        51.98 (27.36)
  7 Baravelli, Tomm     FSU                 52.33      52.28 B       23  
    r:+0.67  24.35        52.28 (27.93)
  8 Maloney, Ethan      VA Tech             52.15      52.37 B       22  
    r:+0.65  23.95        52.37 (28.42)

Women’s Platform Diving

NC State freshman Bayleigh Cranford pulled off a paper-thin victory on platform, beating Louisville’s Else Prassterink by merely six tenths of a point to claim the win. Cranford recorded a final tally of 313.80, followed by Prassterink with 313.20. Well back in third was Georgia Tech’s Anna Bradescu with 297.40.

Event 29  Women Platform Diving
=========================================================================
         MEET: # 364.70  2/22/2014 Katrina Young, Florida St.
         CONF: % 367.20  3/16/2008 Brittany Viola, Miami
         Pool: * 367.00  3/21/2015 Jessica Parratto, IND
    Name           Year School            Prelims     Finals       Points 
=========================================================================
                             === Finals ===                              
 
  1 Cranford, Bayle  FR NC State           292.90     313.80         32  
  2 Prassterink, El  SR Louisville         272.10     313.20         28  
  3 Bradescu, Anna   SR GT                 260.30     297.40         27  
  4 Vazquez, Aranza  SR UNC                270.10     258.65         26  
  5 Gregersen, Isab  JR FSU                259.55     253.20         25  
  6 Clark, Kayleigh  SR FSU                253.60     252.65         24  
  7 Watson, Aliyah   SR Duke               252.45     248.55         23  
  8 Rakestraw, Emil  SR Duke               236.70     225.25         22

Women’s 400 Medley Relay

Gretchen Walsh was absent from the individual 100 back Friday, as Katharine Berkoff took the win, the only women’s swimming event not to go to Virginia thus far. Berkoff was impressive in the 100 back, clocking 48.70 for what was (at the time) the second-fastest mark ever. But Walsh blasted that mark out the window leading off Virginia’s 400 medley relay.

Walsh was out in 22.96, quicker than the 23.02 pace she set on the way to a stunning time of 48.26 at last year’s NCAA Championships. And Walsh came back quicker, too, with her 25.14 mark enough to get her to the wall in 48.10, knocking 16-hundredths from her previous record. Surely, Walsh is setting up a run at the 48-second barrier at next month’s NCAA Championships, either in the individual event or again leading off the relay.

The leadoff leg set the table for another dominant Virginia relay win, as Walsh provided an advantage of more than three-seconds on second-place NC State, which had 100 back runnerup Kennedy Noble swimming the leadoff leg. Walsh was followed by Jasmine Nocentini, who split 57.82 for the field’s quickest breaststroke split, before Alex Walsh went 49.13 on butterfly and Maxine Parker closed the door with a 47.44 freestyle split.

Virginia’s final time was 3:22.49, not far off the U.S. Open and NCAA records of 3:21.80 that the Walsh sisters, Kate Douglass and Aimee Canny set at last year’s ACCs. The American mark also belongs to Virginia, with the Walsh sisters, Douglass and breaststroker Alexis Wenger clocking 3:22.34 twice during the 2023 season. With Nocentini off her 100 breast winning time of 57.01, Virginia could certainly take down those marks at next month’s national meet.

NC State took second here in 3:28.23. After Noble, Abby Arens split 57.86 on breaststroke, with Miriam Sheehan following on butterfly and Katharine Berkoff coming home in a swift 46.09 after nearly false-starting with a -0.03 relay exchange, considered legal by one hundredth.

Louisville was third in 3:30.28 with Paige Hetrick, Ella Welch, Gabi Albiero and Christiana Regenauer. The Cardinals closed well with Albiero (50.37) and Regenauer (46.88) to run down and surpass Duke by 12-hundredths at the finish.

Event 30  Women 400 Yard Medley Relay
==================================================================================
         MEET: # 3:21.80  2/17/2023 University of Virginia, UVA-VA
                          G Walsh, A Walsh, K Douglass, A Canny
         CONF: % 3:21.80  2/17/2023 University of Virginia, UVA-VA
                          G Walsh, A Walsh, K Douglass, A Canny
         AMER: $ 3:21.80  2/17/2023 University of Virginia, UVA-VA
                          G Walsh, A Walsh, K Douglass, A Canny
         USOP: & 3:21.80  2/17/2023 University of Virginia, UVA-VA
                          G Walsh, A Walsh, K Douglass, A Canny
         NCAA: ! 3:21.80  2/17/2023 University of Virginia, UVA-VA
                          G Walsh, A Walsh, K Douglass, A Canny
         Pool: * 3:21.80  2/17/2023 University of Virginia, UVA-V
                          G Walsh, A Walsh, K Douglass, A Canny
                 3:31.38  A
                 3:33.48  B
    School                           Seed     Finals       Points 
==================================================================================
  1 UVA  'A'                      3:26.15    3:22.49 A       64  
     1) Walsh, Gretchen               2) r:0.40 Nocentini, Jasmine    
     3) r:0.24 Walsh, Alexandra       4) r:0.23 Parker, Maxine        
    r:+0.57  22.96        48.10 (48.10)
        1:15.09 (26.99)     1:45.92 (57.82)
        2:08.44 (22.52)     2:35.05 (49.13)
        2:57.68 (22.63)     3:22.49 (47.44)
  2 NC State  'A'                 3:28.27    3:28.23 A       56  
     1) Noble, Helen                  2) r:0.13 Arens, Abigail        
     3) r:0.50 Sheehan, Miriam        4) r:-0.03 Berkoff, Katharine   
    r:+0.59  24.77        51.23 (51.23)
        1:18.05 (26.82)     1:49.09 (57.86)
        2:13.32 (24.23)     2:42.14 (53.05)
        3:03.80 (21.66)     3:28.23 (46.09)
  3 Louisville  'A'               3:31.08    3:30.28 A       54  
     1) Hetrick, Paige                2) r:0.17 Welch, Ella           
     3) r:0.11 Albiero, Gabriela      4) r:0.17 Regenauer, Christiana 
    r:+0.75  25.31        52.49 (52.49)
        1:20.58 (28.09)   1:53.03 (1:00.54)
        2:16.02 (22.99)     2:43.40 (50.37)
        3:05.50 (22.10)     3:30.28 (46.88)
  4 Duke  'A'                     3:31.33    3:30.40 A       52  
     1) Pfaff, Alison                 2) r:0.17 Gridley, Kaelyn       
     3) r:-0.02 Ozkan, Aleyna         4) r:0.18 Foley, Sarah          
    r:+0.75  25.40        52.56 (52.56)
        1:19.82 (27.26)     1:51.53 (58.97)
        2:14.78 (23.25)     2:42.36 (50.83)
        3:05.19 (22.83)     3:30.40 (48.04)
  5 UNC  'A'                      3:37.16    3:32.14 B       50  
     1) Pattison, Greer               2) r:0.19 Smith, Skyler         
     3) r:0.19 Vannote, Elizabeth     4) r:0.24 Carlton, Delaney      
    r:+0.67  24.94        52.35 (52.35)
        1:19.62 (27.27)     1:51.45 (59.10)
        2:15.11 (23.66)     2:43.17 (51.72)
        3:05.95 (22.78)     3:32.14 (48.97)
  6 FSU  'A'                      3:32.24    3:32.28 B       48  
     1) Evans, Sarah                  2) r:0.29 Huggins, Madeline     
     3) r:0.32 Halden, Jenny          4) r:0.13 Muzito, Gloria        
    r:+0.66  25.57        53.43 (53.43)
        1:20.90 (27.47)     1:53.01 (59.58)
        2:16.33 (23.32)     2:44.02 (51.01)
        3:06.68 (22.66)     3:32.28 (48.26)
  7 GT  'A'                       3:36.78    3:35.07         46  
     1) Ferrari, Jillian              2) r:0.17 Brisson, Sabyne       
     3) r:0.25 Ripkova, Zora          4) r:0.34 Hadjiloizou, Anna     
    r:+0.77  25.79        53.57 (53.57)
        1:21.26 (27.69)     1:53.16 (59.59)
        2:17.41 (24.25)     2:45.93 (52.77)
        3:09.31 (23.38)     3:35.07 (49.14)
  8 Pitt  'A'                     3:34.77    3:35.15         44  
     1) Jansen, Claire                2) r:0.14 Strong, Jessica       
     3) r:0.30 Yendell, Sophie        4) r:0.13 Kudlac, Avery         
    r:+0.71  25.72        53.27 (53.27)
        1:21.65 (28.38)   1:55.13 (1:01.86)
        2:18.26 (23.13)     2:45.82 (50.69)
        3:08.91 (23.09)     3:35.15 (49.33)

Men’s 400 Medley Relay

The fastest heat of this medley relay was tight throughout, but in the end, no team could match NC State over a combination of all four strokes, even with the Wolfpack turning over two out of four legs from their ACC-title-winning relay last year and moving Luke Miller from freestyle to butterfly.

Kacper Stokowski provided his usual stout backstroke leg, touching in 44.99 to give the Wolfpack the lead. Sam Hoover, the new lead breaststroker for NC State this season, did not have the speed to match Virginia Tech’s Carles Coll Marti (50.54), Virginia’s Noah Nichols (50.44) or Louisville’s Denis Petrashov (50.26), but Hoover’s 51.61 did enough to give Miller a chance on butterfly.

Indeed, Miller split 44.08 to beat the field by more than a second and give a three-tenths advantage for Quintin McCarty on freestyle. McCarty came home in 41.52 to salt away the win in a time of 3:02.20, a half-second clear of Virginia Tech.

The Hokies’ Youssef Ramadan, Coll Marti, William Hayon and Luis Dominguez placed second at 3:02.76, and Notre Dame moved from fifth to third on the anchor leg thanks to a monster performance from Chris Guiliano.

Already the winner of the 50 free and 200 free this week, Guiliano was out in 18.63 and back in 21.54 for a final time of 40.17, the second-fastest relay split ever recorded. Only Caeleb Dressel has ever been quicker, with the six-time Olympic champion clocking 40.15 in 2018.

Virginia ended up fourth in 3:03.78, five hundredths ahead of Louisville (3:03.83).

Event 31  Men 400 Yard Medley Relay
==================================================================================
         MEET: # 3:01.10  2/17/2023 North Carolina State Universit, NC State
                          K Stokowski, M Hunter, N Korstanje, L Miller
         CONF: % 3:01.10  2/17/2023 North Carolina State Universit, NC State
                          K Stokowski, M Hunter, N Korstanje, L Miller
         AMER: $ 3:01.51  3/23/2017 California
                          R Murphy, C Hoppe, M Josa, M Jensen
         USOP: & 2:58.32  3/23/2023 Florida, Florida
                          A. Chaney, D. Hillis, J. Liendo, M Mcduff
         NCAA: ! 2:58.32  3/23/2023 Florida, Florida
                          A. Chaney, D. Hillis, J. Liendo, M Mcduff
         Pool: * 3:00.23  3/25/2021 Univeristy of Texas, TEX-S
                          C Staka, C Corbeau, A Jiang, D Krueger
                 3:04.96  A
                 3:06.84  B
    School                           Seed     Finals       Points 
==================================================================================
  1 NC State  'A'                 3:04.82    3:02.20 A       64  
     1) Stokowski, Kacper             2) r:0.28 Hoover, Samuel        
     3) r:0.09 Miller, Lukas          4) r:0.24 McCarty, Quintin      
    r:+0.80  22.07        44.99 (44.99)
        1:08.78 (23.79)     1:36.60 (51.61)
        1:56.69 (20.09)     2:20.68 (44.08)
        2:40.07 (19.39)     3:02.20 (41.52)
  2 VA Tech  'A'                  3:05.49    3:02.76 A       56  
     1) Ramadan, Youssef              2) r:0.00 Coll Marti, Carles    
     3) r:0.30 Hayon, William         4) r:0.11 Dominguez Calone, Luis
    r:+0.70  21.53        45.34 (45.34)
        1:08.34 (23.00)     1:35.88 (50.54)
        1:56.32 (20.44)     2:21.00 (45.12)
        2:40.70 (19.70)     3:02.76 (41.76)
  3 Notre Dame  'A'               3:05.53    3:03.26 A       54  
     1) Gentry, Marcus                2) r:0.06 Christianson, Bernhard
     3) r:0.39 Elaraby, Abdelrahman   4) r:0.31 Guiliano, Christopher 
    r:+0.63  21.95        45.53 (45.53)
        1:09.68 (24.15)     1:37.85 (52.32)
        1:58.10 (20.25)     2:23.09 (45.24)
        2:41.72 (18.63)     3:03.26 (40.17)
  4 UVA  'A'                      3:05.60    3:03.78 A       52  
     1) Brownstead, Matthew           2) r:-0.03 Nichols, Noah        
     3) r:0.08 Connery, Timothy       4) r:0.03 Boyle, Connor         
    r:+0.78  21.78        45.79 (45.79)
        1:09.20 (23.41)     1:36.23 (50.44)
        1:56.78 (20.55)     2:21.57 (45.34)
        2:40.81 (19.24)     3:03.78 (42.21)
  5 Louisville  'A'               3:07.39    3:03.83 A       50  
     1) Millard, Jackson              2) r:0.36 Petrashov, Denis      
     3) r:0.17 Lowe, Dalton           4) r:0.44 Sartori, Murilo       
    r:+0.72  22.30        46.74 (46.74)
        1:10.00 (23.26)     1:37.00 (50.26)
        1:57.26 (20.26)     2:21.53 (44.53)
        2:41.73 (20.20)     3:03.83 (42.30)
  6 FSU  'A'                      3:05.87    3:05.91 B       48  
     1) Wilson, Maximillian           2) r:0.28 Varjasi, Peter        
     3) r:0.23 Schulrath, Tobias      4) r:0.25 Pavlidi, Arijus       
    r:+0.83  21.83        45.75 (45.75)
        1:09.62 (23.87)     1:37.62 (51.87)
        1:58.30 (20.68)     2:23.24 (45.62)
        2:42.90 (19.66)     3:05.91 (42.67)
  7 UNC  'A'                      3:12.42    3:06.06 B       46  
     1) Davis, Walker                 2) r:0.28 Delmar, Benjamin      
     3) r:0.15 Poelke, Boyd           4) r:0.25 Hussey, Patrick       
    r:+0.54  22.29        46.64 (46.64)
        1:10.97 (24.33)     1:38.59 (51.95)
        1:59.22 (20.63)     2:23.59 (45.00)
        2:43.81 (20.22)     3:06.06 (42.47)
  8 Pitt  'A'                     3:08.38    3:07.30         44  
     1) Goncharov, Stepan             2) r:0.31 Chen, Jerry           
     3) r:0.25 Goraj, Marcin          4) r:0.14 Toledo Sanchez,Dominic
    r:+0.75  21.88        45.60 (45.60)
        1:09.99 (24.39)     1:38.03 (52.43)
        1:59.17 (21.14)     2:24.60 (46.57)
        2:44.47 (19.87)     3:07.30 (42.70)
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