The North Carolina State Wolfpack put eight swimmers into championship finals during the final morning of prelims at the women’s ACC championships in Atlanta. Leading nine-time defending ACC champion Virginia 776.5 to 750 heading into the final day, the Wolfpack look to be on the verge of winning the program’s first ACC team title since 1982.<\/p>\n
Virginia won’t give up easily, though, and the Cavaliers have four A-finalists this evening, along with\u00a0Leah Smith\u00a0<\/strong>going in the 1650 free. Louisville also had a strong morning, securing eight championship final spots as the Cardinals are now favored to finish third.<\/p>\n Going for her third title of the meet after already winning the 200 IM and 100 back, NC State’s\u00a0Alexia Zevnik\u00a0<\/strong>paced the field in the prelims of the 200 back. She posted a time of 1:51.03 for the fourth-fastest time in the country this season and the top time of the morning by more than two seconds.<\/p>\n Virginia Tech’s\u00a0Klaudia Nazieblo<\/strong> qualified second in 1:53.04, while NC State put two more swimmers in the championship final with\u00a0Elise Haan\u00a0<\/strong>(third, 1:53.47) and\u00a0Mackenzie Glover<\/strong> (sixth, 1:54.60). Notre Dame’s\u00a0Alice Trueth\u00a0<\/strong>(1:53.86) and North Carolina’s\u00a0Hellen Moffitt\u00a0<\/strong>(1:53.96) qualified fourth and fifth, respectively, while Virginia Tech’s\u00a0Fiona Donnelly\u00a0<\/strong>(1:55.17) and Louisville’s\u00a0Alina Kendzior\u00a0<\/strong>(1:55.19) secured the outside lanes for the final.<\/p>\n After posting an ACC record-time of 1:41.70 in the 200 free Wednesday night, Mallory Comerford<\/strong>\u00a0blasted another ACC record in the 100 free prelims. She posted a time of 47.00 to break\u00a0Kelsi Worrell’s\u00a0<\/strong>conference record of 47.30 set last season. Comerford ranks second in the country this season with that time, and she could chase\u00a0Olivia Smoliga’s <\/strong>Georgia Tech\u00a0pool record of 46.70 in the final.<\/p>\n Comerford was actually third in her heat at the halfway point, trailing NC State’s\u00a0Ky-Lee Perry\u00a0<\/strong>and UNC’s\u00a0Carol Baldwin<\/strong>, but she stormed home in\u00a024.02 to win by more than bodylength. Baldwin ended up posting a time of 47.96 for the third overall seed, while Perry qualified sixth in 48.47.<\/p>\n In addition to Perry, NC State put three other swimmers into the final with second seed\u00a0Courtney Caldwell\u00a0<\/strong>(47.89), fourth seed\u00a0Lotta Nevalainen<\/strong> (48.12) and seventh seed Natalie Labonge\u00a0<\/strong>(48.62). A second Tar Heel,\u00a0Sarah Hitchens<\/strong>, qualified fifth in 48.36, and Louisville’s\u00a0Casey Fanz<\/strong> finished eighth in 48.71.<\/p>\n