Women’s ACC Championships: Mallory Comerford and Leah Smith Set Up 200 Free Showdown

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

Wednesday morning’s preliminary action at the women’s ACC championships featured qualifying in the 400 IM, 100 fly, 200 free, 100 breast and 100 back, along with the men’s 3-meter diving competition. The morning set up an evening session which will feature a showdown between Louisville’s Mallory Comerford and Virginia’s Leah Smith in the 200 free.

Virginia’s Kaitlyn Jones picked up the top seed in the first event when she edged out Virginia Tech’s Reka Gyorgy in the 400 IM, 4:09.94 to 4:09.98. Gyorgy cut more than seven seconds from her seed time to earn lane five at night. NC State’s Hannah Moore qualified third in 4:10.93, just ahead of UVA’s Rachel Politi (4:11.07).

Also making the final were UNC’s Catherine Hulsey (4:11.34), Georgia Tech’s Kira Debruyn (4:12.99), Louisville’s Rachael Bradford-Feldman (4:13.65) and Virginia Tech’s Fiona Donnelly (4:14.03).

After finishing second behind Kelsi Worrell in the 100 fly a year ago, Hellen Moffitt will be heavily favored to win her first conference title Wednesday night. The UNC senior qualified first in 50.99, more than a second clear of the rest of the field.

Behind her, five swimmers finished within 0.16 of each other. Louisville’s Grace Oglesby finished second in 52.27, just ahead of Duke’s Leah Goldman (52.29). UNC’s Sarah Koucheki (52.37), Florida State’s Tayla Lovemore (52.38) and Duke’s Alyssa Marsh (52.43) were right there as well, with Notre Dame’s Erin Sheehan (52.46) and Louisville’s Nastja Govejsek (52.75) securing the outside lanes for the final.

Comerford picked up the top spot in the 200 free by five one-hundredths of a second over Smith, who won two Olympic medals this summer in Rio. Comerford’s big breakthrough came at last year’s ACC championships, when the then-freshman edged out Smith to win her first individual ACC title. This year, Comerford will go in seeded first at 1:43.74, followed by Smith in 1:43.79.

Virginia Tech’s Jessica Hespeler was third in 1:45.22, followed by UVA’s Jen Marrkand (1:45.22) and Notre Dame freshman Abbie Dolan (1:45.42). Georgia Tech’s Iris Wang (1:45.87) and UVA teammates Morgan Hill (1:46.23) and Eryn Eddy (1:46.32) also made the final.

Louisville made it two consecutive races with a top-seeded swimmer as Andrea Cottrell qualified first in the 100 breast in 58.61. Cottrell will look to defend her ACC title from a season ago. Qualifying second was NC State’s Kayla Brumbaum, who cut seven tenths from her best time to finish in 58.85, and Virginia’s Laura Simon picked up the third seed in 59.01.

Pitt’s Lina Rathsack qualified fourth in 59.80, and Florida State’s Natalie Pierce was fifth in 59.98. Pierce currently ranks No. 2 in the country this year at 58.41. Notre Dame’s Meaghan O’Donnell (1:00.13), UVA’s Vivian Tafuto (1:00.35) and Louisville’s Silvia Guerra (1:00.53) also got into the final.

NC State, currently leading the team competition with 452.5 points—68 ahead of nine-time defending champion Virginia—made an impressive statement in the 100 back when Wolfpack swimmers picked up each of the top three seeds. Elise Haan qualified first in 51.13, just ahead of teammate Alexia Zevnik (51.14). Courtney Caldwell finished third in 51.35.

To top off that excellent performance, NC State’s Lotta Nevalainen also got into the final, qualifying eighth in 52.81—one one-hundredth ahead of Notre Dame’s Catherine Mulquin (52.82).

Moffitt, who will compete in two different finals tonight, qualified fourth in 51.43, just ahead of UNC teammate Caroline Baldwin (51.59). Also making the final were Virginia Tech’s Klaudia Nazieblo (52.53) and Louisville’s Alina Kendzior (52.64).

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