Virginia Extends Lead in Third Day of ACC Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships

The Virginia Cavaliers earned a title hat trick, taking three individual ACC Championships in the third night of competition at the 2009 ACC Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships on Friday night at Maryland’s Eppley Recreation Center.  Virginia also struck relay gold in the 400 medley relay in the session.  Clemson, North Carolina and Duke also earned individual titles on Friday night.  Virginia leads the way with 581 points, followed by North Carolina (384) and Virginia Tech (312).   
 
Virginia’s Claire Crippen kicked off the evening by breaking the league record in the 400 IM with a first place time of 4:08.78 and defending her title from a year ago.  She bested the ACC record mark which she posted earlier in the day.  North Carolina’s Laura Moriarty earned second while Virginia Tech’s Erika Hajnal took third.  The Wahoos also won the 100 fly when Megan Evo touched the wall in 52.60.  In Friday’s prelims, Evo set the meet record at 52.48 seconds.  Maryland’s Jen Vogel finished second while Virginia Tech’s Sara Smith earned All-ACC honors in third.
 
Clemson’s Michelle Parkhurst successfully defended her title in the 200 Free with a time of 1:45.11.  In the prelims, she posted a new league record to secure the top seed entering the finals.  Virginia’s Jenna Harris finished second while North Carolina’s Ketura Harvey took third place.  North Carolina freshman Layne Brodie won her first career league title in the 100 breast with an ACC record breaking time of 1:00.02.  Virginia took the other two spots on the podium with Katherine McDonnell in second and Ellie Freeman in third.
 
Mei Christensen, from Virginia, swam an NCAA “A” cut in the 100 Back to take first place in 52.02.  She was followed by teammate Laruen Smart and Maryland’s Annie Fittin.  Christensen broke the league record in the prelims at 51.79 seconds.
 
On the 3-meter board, Duke’s Abby Johnson secured the Blue Devils’ first ever league title on the boards.  Her score of 414.45 bested Miami’s duo of Jenna Dryer and Brittany Viola which finished in second and third, respectively.  Johnson’s win also ended Viola’s string of four consecutive diving event victories and Miami’s run of six straight titles.
 
In the final event of the evening, Virginia won its fourth relay of the Championships in the 400 medley relay in a time of 3:33.49.  Virginia Tech’s squad finished second and North Carolina finished third.  Virginia’s record breaking time bested the previous league mark by three and a half seconds.  Overall, the ACC record has been broken in 11 of the 12 swimming events.
 
The ACC Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships will continue on Saturday with a full day of action.  Preliminary swimming rounds begin at 11 a.m. and finals starting at 7 p.m.  Diving platform events will take place at nearby Montgomery Aquatic Center.  The Men’s event will start at 11 a.m. while the Women’s competition commences at 2:25 p.m.  Live video streaming of the final evening of events will start at 7 p.m. on ACC Select.  
 
Team Scores (After 14 events):
1.       Virginia                                         581
2.       North Carolina                               384
3.       Virginia Tech                                 312
4.       Florida State                                 270
5.       Maryland                                      225
6.       Clemson                                       222
7.       Duke                                            217
8.       Miami                                          158
9.       Georgia Tech                                115
10.    NC State                                       110
11.    Boston College                               52

Tar Heels Remain in Second After Three Days of Competition.
Freshman Layne Brodie broke the Atlantic Coast Conference record in the 100-yard breaststroke, and  UNC’s 400-yard medley relay team established a new school record on the third night of swimming at the 2009 ACC Women's Swimming & Diving Championships at the University of Maryland's Eppley Recreation Center Pool.

The Tar Heels are in second place after three days of the championships with 384 points. Virginia leads with 581 points followed by UNC then Virginia Tech with 312, Florida State with 270, Maryland with 225, Clemson with 222, Duke with 217, Miami with 158, Georgia Tech with 115, N.C. State with 110 and Boston College with 52.
 
“We’ve had a tremendous meet so far,” head coach Rich Deselm said.  “Some of the things we’ve been looking for all season are being done really well, and I’m excited about that.  Our women are racing aggressively, asserting themselves in the pool and swimming fast. ”
 
UNC’s Brodie won the ACC Championship in the 100-yard breaststroke. Her time of 1:00.02 set an ACC record, an ACC meet record and UNC school record and was an NCAA "B" qualifying time. Brodie’s previous best was 1:02.12. She broke the ACC record of 1:00.45 set by Danica Wiznuik of UVA on March 30, 1999, and the ACC meet record of 1:00.52, also by Wiznuik. Brodie broke Katie Hathaway’s UNC school record of 1:00.89, set in 2002.
 
“Layne was out fast, in 28.35, and looked great,” Deselm said. “She dominated a really strong field.  She’s a real competitor.”
 
In the 400-yard individual medley, freshman Laura Moriarty took second place with time of 4:11.60, an NCAA “B” qualifying time and a career best time (old best was 4:18.29). Moriarty’s 4:11.60 moves her into second place on Carolina’s All-Time Top 10 depth chart. Fellow freshman Marie Pesacreta finished 10th in the event with a time of 4:19.11, knocking more than four seconds off of her personal best of 4:23.58.
 
Freshman Sarah Tanner and senior Kimmy Davis placed ninth and 13th, respectively, in the 100-yard butterfly, both posting career best times in prelims and then again in finals. The duo moved into third and sixth place, respectively, all-time at UNC. Tanner’s time of 54.00 was a “B” qualifying time and demolished her previous best of 55.26. Davis dropped more than two seconds to touch the wall at 54.61 (previous best 56.77).
 
Five Tar Heels swam career best times in the 200-yard freestyle. The top three finishers for UNC grabbed NCAA “B” qualifying times and claimed spot on UNC’s All-Time Top 10 depth chart. Sophomore Katura Harvey finished third and moved into third place all-time at Carolina in the event with a time of 1:46.94 (previous best 1:48.66). Sophomore Rebecca Kane took fifth and moved into fifth place all-time with a 1:4734 (previous best 1:50.20). Junior Eliza Butts placed 8th and moved into sixth all-time. Butts swam her career best time of 1:47.50 in prelims (previous best 1:47.96).
 
Junior Ashley Howard placed 13th in the 200-yard freestyle in1:48.44, putting her 10th all-time at Carolina (previous best 1:49.74). Senior tri-captain Whitney Sprague took 14th place in 1:48.52, just two tenths off of her career best. Freshman Katelyn Martin finished 18th in 1:49.03, a career best time (previous best 1:51.91).

Junior tri-captain Alison Clemens finished eighth in the 100-yard breaststroke, posting a career best time of 1:02.01 in prelims, which moved her into second place behind Brodie all-time at Carolina in the event. Freshman Katie Keel finished 12th and moved into fifth all-time at Carolina with a time of 1:02.58 (previous best 1:04.19).
 
Senior Kimmy Davis was 10th overall in the 100-yard backstroke with a “B” cut time of 54.61 (career best 54.29 in prelims, old mark 56.01). Davis’ 54.29 moved her into fifth place all-time at Carolina in the event. Junior Megan Steeves placed 14th in 54.84, also a “B” cut (career best of 54.37 set in prelims, previous best 54.69). Steeves’ prelims time moves her into sixth place all-time at UNC.
 
During the preliminary session, four Carolina exhibition swimmers swam career best times in the 100-yard backstroke. Freshman Candace Cooper’s time of 53.98 puts her in second place on Carolina’s All-Time Top 10 depth chart and is an NCAA “B” qualifying time. Fellow Freshman Sarah List touched the wall at 54.13, eclipsing her previous best by almost three seconds, achieving a “B” cut and putting her fourth on the UNC’s All-Time Top 10 Chart. Sophomore Caki Hartmann dropped over a second to swim a career best time of 55.57. Freshman Brooke Atkinson’s time of 55.37 bested her previous record of 56.18.
 
In the men’s one-meter diving event, junior David Solarz led the way for UNC by posting a seventh place finish and a score of 312.40 (316.90 in prelims). Freshman David MacDonald finished 16th with a score of 266.45
 
UNC wrapped up the evening with a school record swim of 3:36.79 to finish third in the 400-yard medley relay. The top three relays all eclipsed the previous ACC record in the event. The relay included Davis (54.97), Brodie (59.73), Tanner (53.57) and Kane (48.52). The previous school record was 3:40.81 set by Christy Watkins (54.27), Katie Hathaway (1:02.17), Summer Mack (54.36) and Stefanie Rulis (50.01).
 
“Across the board, I couldn’t be more proud of everybody,” Deselm said. “We’re looking forward to another great day tomorrow. We’re still chasing Virginia, and they’re a great team. It’s a fantastic meet, and we’re right in there fighting hard.”

H2Okies hold down third place heading into final day at the ACC Championships
The Virginia Tech H2Okie women’s swimming and diving team took part in its third day of competition at the Atlantic Coast Conference Championships. Tech continued to hold down the third spot just behind Virginia and North Carolina, respectively. The H2Okies have totaled 312 points after three days of competition.

Today, Tech competed in the 400 IM, 100 fly, 200 free, 100 breaststroke and 100 back, while the women divers competed in the 3-meter event, as the men dove in the 1-meter event.

In the 400 IM, freshman Erika Hajnal continued to impress in her first appearance at the ACC Championships. The freshman broke her second Tech record and made another NCAA “B” cut after crossing the line in 4:13.04 and finished in third place for 16 team points. Sophomore Lauren Ritter added an additional four points to the H2Okie score after finishing the race in 4:22.80.

The senior duo of Sara Smith and Megan Newell combined to score 30 points in their final ACC Championship appearance for the H2Okies in the 100 fly. Smith broke another school record and finished the race in 53.14 during the preliminaries. The McGaheysville, Va., native came in third place in the final round, touching in at 53.28. Meanwhile, her running mate Newell, who completed the race in 53.32, placed fifth in the event. Both garnered an NCAA “B” cut in the race.

In the 200 free, junior Kelly deMarrais posted a seventh place showing and finished the event in 1:47.58 for an additional 12 points for Tech. Meanwhile, sophomore Sarah Losinger scored 12 points, as well, for the H2Okies after claiming seventh in the 100 breaststroke. The Marietta, Ga., resident crossed the line in 1:02.58. In the consolation final, junior Jessica Earl added four more points to the Tech team score and completed the race in 1:02.65.

Tech scored a total of 20 points in the 100 back, highlighted by the 14-point showing and fifth place finish by sophomore Steffi Drechsel. The sophomore touched in at 53.84, good for an NCAA “B” cut. Senior Jordan McHorney swam in the consolation final for the H2Okies, recording a time of 54.63 and scoring six points.

The foursome of Drechsel, Losinger, Newell and Smith teamed to finish second in the 400 medley relay. The squad shattered a previous top-Tech-time in the event, by crossing the finish line in 3:36.50 for 34 points.

In men’s diving, junior Mikey McDonald rewrote a new record in the 1-meter event for the H2Okies. The junior from Annandale, Va. posted a score of 397.90, while registering a third place finish.

In the final day of action at the ACC Championships the H2Okies will take part in the 1650 free, 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast and the 200 fly event. The relay team will look to score in the 400 free relay, while the men and women’s diving teams will compete in the platform event.

Horner Sets Another Record As Seminoles Continue To Make Their Move At ACC Swimming And Diving Championships
The Florida State women's swimming team broke three more school records and Terry Horner shattered his own mark on the one-meter as the Seminoles enter the final day of the ACC Swimming and Diving Championships in fourth-place with 270 points trailing Virginia Tech by 42 points for third.
 
The one-meter competition will go down as the best in ACC history. Horner received a pair of perfect 10's and shattered his school record with a score of 447.95, but still finished second to Miami's Reuben Ross.  Ross scored an amazing 453.10 to edge Horner.  Senior Dan Frebel also made the finals and placed fourth with 354.55 points.
 
"Reuben outdid himself today and dove awesome," Horner said.  "I hung with him and had the opportunity to beat him, but I missed one dive.  I can't be upset because I demolished by old record and I'm really happy with my performance."
 
After breaking the school record in the 400 individual medley in the morning, freshman Jessica Sabotin finished fourth in the finals with a NCAA provisional time of 4:15.83.
 
In the 100 breast senior Georgia Holderness touched the wall in fourth place with a NCAA provisional time of 102.07 and senior Kylen Huntwork placed 14th with a time of 1:02.82.
 
Sophomore Jocelyn Phillips broke her own school record in the morning and then finished sixth in the 200 free in the finals with a time of 1:47.53.  Sophomore Holly Mills placed 10th for FSU with a 1:47.94.  Both swims were NCAA provisional times.
 
In the 100 fly three Seminoles scored points in the consolation final.  Sophomore C.J. Hendry placed 11th with a time of 54.46, sophomore Brittany Selts was 14th (55.03) and junior Tiffany Elias was 16th touching in 55.23.
 
Freshman Stephanie Sarandos also broke a school record in the morning and came back to take 12th-place in the 100 back with a NCAA provisional time of 54.76.
 
On the three-meter board FSU placed two divers in the top eight.  Freshman Lisi Rowland was the highest finisher with a career high of 306.80.  Junior Katie Sirounis followed up her top five finish the night before with an eighth-place performance (292.60).

In the final event of the day the relay squad of Sarandos, Holderness, Hendry and Phillips placed fifth in the 400 medley relay to finish fifth in a time of 3:40.49.
 
Parkhurst Defend ACC Title in 200 Free, Tigers Sixth
Michelle Parkhurst and the women's swimming and diving team completed the third day at the ACC Championship Meet at Eppley Recreation Center Natatorium. Parkhurst successfully defended her ACC title in the 200 freestyle and reclaimed her school record in the 100 back, from freshman Kelli Kyle. The Tigers are sixth after three days, having amassed 222 points so far.

Parkhurst trailed North Carolina's Eliza Butts by one-hundredth of a second after the first 100 yards of the 200 freestyle. Butts, however, ran out of gas down the stretch, as Parkhurst pulled away in the second half of the race to win by almost two full seconds. She claimed the 200 free ACC title for the second consecutive year, her sixth career ACC title, fourth individually.

The win was notable because it marks one of only swimming title so far not won by the Virginia Cavaliers, who have a sizable lead entering the final day. In the event, senior Cassy LaRussa moved up a spot on Clemson's all-time top ten with a 1:49.35 in the event, which placed her 19th overall.

Kyle, a freshman from Lithia, Fla., has had a breakout meet so far in College Park, placing sixth overall in the 100 back with a 54.01 after tying Parkhurst's school record of 53.58 in the preliminary round, which put her in the finals as the third seed. She also entered Clemson's all-time top ten in the 100 fly during prelims at sixth all-time.

Kyle's stop atop the Clemson record books in the 100 back was short-lived, however, as Parkhurst reclaimed the school record in her win of the consolation finals. She posted a 53.43 in the race, in which she was the defending ACC champion. However, her time in the prelims was good for 11th, placing her in the consolation finals heat.

Another freshman, Cara Lennon, had a terrific day as well, as she picked up points in the 100 back as well, placing 15th overall. Her times in the morning (54.97) and evening (55.03) were extremely consistent and the former was the third best time in Clemson history. The two dynamic freshmen, as well as Parkhurst, will compete on Saturday in the 200 backstroke, in which Parkhurst is the defending ACC Champion and Kyle and Lennon rank in the top seven in Clemson history.

Katrina Obas, a junior from Ottawa, Canada, posted a career-best time in the 100 breast, a 1:02.25, as she placed fifth in the 100 breaststroke. She again improved her standing as the second-fastest breaststroker in Clemson history, dropping her previous best by nearly half a second, and picking up valuable points in the event.

In the first event of the day, the 400 IM, the Tigers had two swimmers in scoring position, and each performed at a higher level than they had in the morning. Sophomore Elizabeth Savage placed 12th, dropping her time by more than three seconds from prelims to finals. Junior Mandy Snell placed 15th for the Tigers, as she shaved off time from her previous personal best in the consolation finals.

Carmen Groenewoud and freshman Kerry McLaughlin placed 20th and 23rd, respectively, as they completed their bonus consolation race. Groene would also competed in the consolation finals of the 100 breast, placing 23rd overall with a season-best 1:05.59.

Meggie Mizelle was the Tigers' lone competitor in the 100 butterfly, as she finished 22nd overall. Earlier in the day, she moved into third in Clemson history with a 55.39 in prelims. Mizelle will compete tomorrow in arguably her strongest event, the 200 butterfly.

The Tigers took down another school record in the last event of the night, the 400 medley relay. The group of Parkhurst, Obas, Mizelle, and Rachel Regone swam a 3:41.25, which broke an eight-year-old school record. The group placed seventh overall in the event. So far, the Tigers have set school records in all four relay events, and will shoot for a fifth in tomorrow's 400 free relay.

Two freshmen competed for the Tigers in the three-meter diving event, as Cassie Self finished 19th and Brooke George took 26th overall in the event. Saturday is the final day of competition for the women's ACC Championships.

The Tigers will compete in the 200 backstroke, where three Tigers are seeded in the top 16 coming into the event, and Parkhurst is the defending ACC champion in the event. Following the 200 back is the 100 free, where Rachel Regone will try to pick up her third medal of the meet, having already grabbed silver in the 50 free and 200 free relay.

The Tigers will then take part in the 200 butterfly and 200 breaststroke, as well as the platform diving events, before taking on the field in the 400 free relay.

Johnston Wins ACC Title On Three-Meter Board
Freshman diver Abby Johnston became Duke’s first ACC champion on the boards, as she won the three-meter tonight at the 2009 ACC Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships at the University of Maryland’s Eppley Recreation Center.
 
Johnston’s score of 414.45 gave her the conference title and a new school record, as she broke her own Duke record by 19 points. Fellow freshman Jessica Lyden placed fourth in the finals behind her teammate, scoring a personal-best 344.25.
 
On the men’s side, Cody Kolodziejzyk was sixth in the one-meter with a score of 339.05.
 
In the team scoring after three days, Duke remains in seventh place with a total of 217, but made up significant ground on its ACC rivals. Duke is just five points off Clemson and eight behind Maryland with one day left.
 
“We did another great job today – we are obviously so proud of our diving team and of [diving coach] Drew Johansen and what he has done with that program in such a short period of time.”
 
“We had an outstanding morning today [during prelims], we did our job, and came back in a lot swims this evening in the finals. We will see where we finish up tomorrow night, but it’s been exciting not only for us but for the whole conference. Everyone is swimming well – it may be the fastest meet for the ACC ever.”
 
In the pool, junior Shannon Beall took sixth in the championship final of the 100 butterfly in a school record and personal-best 53.66. In the 100 breaststroke, junior Meredith Bannon placed sixth in 1:02.35, as she also broke the school record.
 
The Blue Devils 400 medley relay team of Meghan Dwyer, Bannon, Steffi Niessl, and Beall was sixth in a Duke-record 3:40.97, more than three seconds faster than the record set last year.
 
Hurricanes’ Reuben Ross Takes 1-meter Diving Title at ACC’s
Junior men’s diver Reuben Ross took first place in back-to-back days at the Atlantic Coast Conference Swimming & Diving Championships, collecting the 1-meter springboard title at the Eppley Recreation Center Natatorium in College Park, Md.  Ross won the 3-meter title yesterday for the Hurricanes.
 
After taking first place in the men’s 3-meter event yesterday, Ross claimed top honors on Friday evening with a score of 453.10 in the finals of the 1-meter springboard.  Ross had finished in second place behind eventual finals second place finisher Terry Horner of Florida State in the preliminaries.  Horner had beaten Ross in their previous head-to-head match-up in the season-opener for the Hurricanes back in October at the Whitten University Pool in Coral Gables.
 
In the women’s 3-meter event, senior Jenna Dreyer finished second with a total score of 382.80 … finishing behind top place finisher freshman Abby Johnston (Duke) who totaled 414.45 in her final round of dives.  Junior NCAA Champion Brittany Viola’s quest for consecutive sweeps at the ACC Championships was denied as she finished third in the event with a score of 357.90.
 
Over on the swimming lanes, Miami continues to burn hot times in the water for third-year head coach Christie Shefchunas.
 
In the 100 breaststroke, freshman Dana Hatic posted a school-record mark of 1:01.93 to finish ninth overall for the Hurricanes as she also amassed an NCAA ‘B’ cut qualifying mark in the event.  The previous-best time for UM stood since 1999 when Rhiannon Leir (1:02.46) set the mark.  Senior Britta Boesing punched in at 1:02.57 in the finals to post her season-best performance for the event after finishing with a mark of 1:03.14 in the preliminaries.  Fellow senior Katie Eason also had a season-best time with her finish of 1:03.46 on the day.
 
The 400 medley relay squad, consisting of Boesing (leadoff), Dana Hatic (second leg), Cori Lallier (third leg) and Annika Saarnak (anchor) set yet another school-record time with their finish of 3:43.42, finishing ninth overall.
 
The Hurricanes established a new school time after the previous mark was helped to be set by 2008 Summer Olympic Gold Medalist Manon Van Rooijen (Netherlands) back in 2002, with the help of teammates Johns, Williams and MacLennan at UM.
 
In the 200 freestyle, it was redshirt freshman Lauren Jacoby touching at a team season-best mark of 1:49.50 for the Orange and Green, while teammate Annika Saarnak took center stage with an NCAA ‘B’ cut qualifying mark of 1:48.04.  Saarnak earned her second NCAA ‘B’ cut mark for the tournament, and the fourth overall for UM.
 
Ryann Labreche finished at 1:51.07 overall—her season-best performance for the event.
 
Junior Cori Lallier picked up a team-best time for the 2008-09 campaign in the 100 butterfly with a performance of 55.25 seconds.  Teammate Annika Saarnak touched the wall at 55.62 seconds, also a personal-best time for her on the year.  Meanwhile, Deidre Novotny followed that up yet another season-best performance of 55.95, while freshman Erin Simpson finished in at 57.18.
 
Overall, the Hurricanes are now eighth overall with a total score of 158 points through three complete days of action.  They have steadily jumped up the boards since the first day (10th) and then the second (9th).
 
GEORGIA TECH WOMEN’S SWIMMING IN NINTH AFTER DAY 3 OF ACC CHAMPIONSHIPS
Ryann Kopacka and Brittany Gobat each set school records as the Georgia Tech women’s swimming & diving team sits in ninth place after three days of competition at the 2009 ACC Championships on the campus of the University of Maryland. Diver Hannah Krimm finished fifth in the three-meter event tonight, her second straight top five finish on the weekend.
 
After breaking the school-record with a time of 54.73 in the prelims of the 100 back, Kopacka posted an NCAA B-cut time in the consolation finals Friday, with a 54.80 while placing 13th. Heidi Hatteberg’s swam a 56.04 which was good for 22nd-place and a career-best for the freshman.
 
Gobat also broke a school-record on the day with a 1:02.23 for a 10th-place finish and an NCAA B-cut time in the 100 breast consolation finals. Teammate Lisa Pucci swam strong in the same event, as she touched the wall in 15th-place while swimming a career-best 1:03.69. Hen Pauker was the third Jacket to touch the wall in the event, swimming a 1:05.19 that was good for 21st-place.  
 
In the women’s three-meter diving finals, Hannah Krimm placed fifth with a score of 320.00, the second straight night she has finished in the top five.
 
“Hannah had some great dives today against the toughest competition ever at ACC's,” diving coach John Ames said. “I was very proud of Hannah's ability to nail the dives she did today.  She struggled a little in practice on some dives last week, but she nailed them when she needed to tonight.”
 
In the only men’s event of the weekend, Jacob Tzegaegbe and Dave Springfels took the plank for the Jackets in the one-meter dive. Neither was able to advance to the finals however, as Tzegaegbe scored a 251.60 for a 19th-place finish and Springfels posted a 226.50 tally while finishing 21st. 
 
In the 200 free consolation finals, Agatha Kwasnik improved on her NCAA B-cut time from the prelims to clock a 1:48.06 while finishing 11th. Sarah Broadley (20th) and Keren Siebner (24th) posted times of 1:49.49 and 1:53.31, respectively, in the bonus consolation.   
 
Racing in the 100 fly bonus consolation, Jordan Evans swam a career-high 55.14 for 18th-place, just missing the school record by two-hundredths of a second. Christine Chuang also competed in the race finishing in 24th with a time of 56.03.
 
The Jackets closed out the evening session Friday with an eight-place finish in the women’s 400 distance medley relay. The team of Kopacka, Gobat, Evans and Kwasnik posted a 3:42.17 time in the final event of the day.
 
The morning session began with the 200-fly, in which Jordan Evans came within .08 seconds a school record with a time of 55.20 in prelims. That swim was good for a 17th-place finish. Christine Chuang placed 19th with a time of 55.25, while Vida Jemec (55.84), Erin O’Donnell (56.22) and Katherine Locker (56.44) all set career-highs.
 
The 200-free saw Agatha Kwasnik set a NCAA B-cut time of 1:48.12 as she finished 11th. Sarah Broadley came in 18th place, touching the wall in 1:49.65. Keren Siebner (1:50.29), Taylor Flynn (1:50.47) and Katie Bond (1:52.40) all recorded career-highs as well for the Yellow Jackets.
 
The 100 breast saw a school record go down as Brittany Gobat touched the wall in 1:02.66. That was good for a 10th-place finish and a spot in the consolation finals. Lisa Pucci finished 16th with a career-high time of 1:03.71, while Hen Pauker (1:04.84) and Vida Jemec (1:07.28) recorded solid swims as well for Georgia Tech.
 
The final event of the morning’s prelims session was the 100-back and another record went down as Ryann Kopacks broke her own mark with a time 54.73 and a 12th-place finish. That was also a NCAA B-cut time. Heidi Hatteberg finished 22nd with a career-best mark of 55.96, while Jessie Mason also established a new career-high with a time of 56.53.
 
Linkenauger, Smith Break More Records at ACC’s
Anna Linkenauger and Erica Smith continued to chip away at the NC State record books on Friday, Feb. 20 during the third day of competition at the ACC Championships. Several other all-time top-10 times were recorded as the Pack put up another strong body of work.

Linkenauger broke her second school record in as many days by smashing the 400 IM top time by nearly 2 seconds. After swimming a 4:18.27 in the prelims, Linkenauger took seventh in the finals with a 4:18.04, topping Jennifer Kopenitz’s 4:20.91 from last year. Kopenitz herself posted the second fastest time in school history with a 4:19.90 in the prelims, later placing eighth in the finals on a 4:23.95. Jessica Ward’s 4:22.13 is also the new fourth best mark ever. Maresa Like-Mathews (4:29.89), Taryn Shelley (4:30.68), Sarah Merritt (4:31.53) and Jessica McBroom (4:32.01) also swam the event.

Smith broke a record she set just months ago in the 100 backstroke prelims, putting up an astounding 54.03, which also stands as an NCAA “B” cut qualifier. She later placed seventh in the finals on a 54.24. Also in the prelims, Brianna Grover (57.30) and Katie Robinson (57.73) posted the fifth and eighth best times in school history respectively, while Patrice Dason (57.97) and Morgan Robertson (58.86) also took part.

Dason’s 55.15 in the 100 butterfly prelims was only eclipsed by her 55.11 in the consolation finals, marking the second fastest swim in school history and the quickest on the year. Meg Thompson added a 55.20, the third quickest in school history and fastest this season, while Robertson (58.35) and Katie Robinson (59.48) added strong showings of their own.

Lucy Lindsey offered the fourth best showing ever in the 200 freestyle with a 1:50.30, while Ashley Richter posted a 1:51.63 and Grover contributed a 1:51.95.

Thompson was again solid in the 100 breaststroke, clocking in with a 1:05.05, good for ninth best in the Wolfpack records books. Ward (1:05.49) and Jessica Stewart (1:07.34) also came up strong.

In diving, Austin Hampton grabbed fifth overall in the 1-meter dive with a 342.60, while Alex Dambly (300.85) and Scott Blackwelder (272.45) competed in the prelims. Blackwelder’s dive is third best on the team this year.

Kristin Davies put up a 281.25 and Chelsea Ale offered a 247.65 in the 3-meter board.