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Virginia Narrows Gap Behind NC State at ACC Women's Championships

With one night to go at the 2017 ACC Women’s Swimming & Diving Championship, the team race has tightened up as NC State holds a narrow 26.5 point lead over Virginia. 

The Wolfpack had a big performance in the 100 backstroke and won the 400 medley relay, while Virginia tallied 117 points in the 200 freestyle to get back into the team race. The lead changed hands twice on the night.

With seven events remaining in the championship, NC State sits in first with 776.5 points, while Virginia has 750. Louisville is in third with 674.5, followed by North Carolina (665), Duke (513.5), Virginia Tech (485), Florida State (457.5), Notre Dame (428.5), Miami (294.5), Pitt (294), Georgia Tech (256), Boston College (122), and Clemson (73). 

In the final day of action on Thursday at the McAuley Aquatic Center, NC State will attempt to win their first women’s ACC title since 1980, while Virginia will be going for their 10th straight championship. 

Louisville’s Mallory Commerford won the 200 freestyle and broke an ACC record that had stood since 2011. Virginia Tech’s Reka Gyorgy (400 individual medley), North Carolina’s Hellen Moffitt (100 butterfly), Virginia’s Laura Simon (100 breaststroke), NC State’s Alexia Zevnik (100 backstroke), and Pitt’s Dominic Giordano (3-meter) all took home individual titles on Wednesday.

In the only relay of the night, NC State won its first 400 medley relay since 1981. 

The 2017 ACC Swimming & Diving Championships resume Thursday morning at 10 a.m. with the preliminaries in the 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, 200 butterfly, and the men’s and women’s platform diving. The finals for those events, in addition to the final heat of the 1650 freestyle and the 400 freestyle relay, begin at 6 p.m.

400 Medley Relay

Alexia Zevnik, Kayla Brumbaum, Krista Duffield, and Courtney Caldwell became the first NC State team to win the 400 medley relay since 1981 in the final event of Wednesday night.

Zevnik went out in 50.81, and the Wolfpack led the rest of the way to finish in 3:28.26 and earn 64 points for NC State. The time stands as the fastest in the country this year.

Louisville placed second in 3:30.45, followed by Virginia in 3:31.42. 

Men’s 3-Meter

Pitt’s Dominic Giordano, the 2016 NCAA 3-Meter Champion, won his first ACC title in the event on Wednesday night. 

The senior scored 388.25 in morning prelims to qualify with the second-highest score, and then defeated two-time defending champion Briadam Herrera of Miami in the finals with a score of 451.60.

Herrara claimed silver with 428.70, while North Carolina’s Jack Nyquist won bronze with 407.10. 

100 Backstroke

NC State’s Alexia Zevnik claimed her second individual title of the week, this time winning the 100 backstroke. 

The senior posted an NCAA automatic qualifying time of 50.80 to become the first NC State swimmer to win the event in program history. 

North Carolina claimed the other two podium spots, with Caroline Baldwin in second (51.38) and Hellen Moffitt (51.42) in third. 

The battle for the team title continues to heat up, and the 100 backstroke was a big one for NC State. The Wolfpack had six scoring swimmers, including four of the top eight, and outscored Virginia, 124-15 to retake the team lead from the Cavaliers. Through 13 events, NC State sits at 712.5 points, just ahead of Virginia at 696. 

100 Breaststroke 

Virginia’s Laura Simon touched the wall in 58.46 to become the first Virginia swimmer to win the 100 breaststroke since Danica Wizniuk in 1999. 

Swimming in lane three next to the defending champion in the event, Louisville’s Andrea Cottrell, Simon posted the fastest opening leg at 27.46 and closed in 31.00 to win her first 100 breaststroke title. 

Cottrell finished in second in 58.81, followed by NC State’s Kayla Brumbaum in 58.91. All three of the top three finishers tallied NCAA automatic qualifying times. 

200 Freestyle

Louisville’s Mallory Comerford successfully defended her title in the 200 freestyle in record-setting fashion. 

The sophomore went out in 24.12, and then split 25.94, 25.97, and 25.67 to finish in 1:41.70. Her time lowered the previous ACC record in the event, held by Virginia’s Lauren Perdue, that had stood since 2011. 

Virginia’s Leah Smith claimed the silver medal for the second straight year, finishing in 1:43.29. Virginia Tech’s Jessica Hespeler claimed bronze in 1:44.37. 

The event was a big one for Virginia, which had six scoring swimmers and four championship finalists. The Cavaliers tallied 117 points in the 200 freestyle and took over the lead in the team race for the first time. 

100 Butterfly

North Carolina’s Hellen Moffit came into tonight as the favorite in the 100 butterfly with the fastest qualifying time from this morning, and she backed it up in the championship final. 

The senior posted a 23.83 split in the first 50 yards to grab the lead and finished in 50.86 to win the title, the first for a North Carolina swimmer in the event since 1998. 

Moffit’s time stands as the second fastest in the country this year. 

Duke’s Leah Goldman claimed silver in 51.62, while Notre Dame’s Erin Sheehan won bronze in 52.22.

400 Individual Medley

The action is back underway at the McAuley Aquatic Center, and a Virginia Tech freshman just made a ton of noise in the 400 individual medley. 

Swimming next to the defending champion, Virginia’s Kaitlyn Jones, Reka Gyorgy sat in second through the first 100 yards and then grabbed the lead in the backstroke.  

The two battled back and forth during the breaststroke before Gyorgy pulled away during the freestyle leg to grab the win. 

Gyorgy touched the wall in an NCAA automatic qualifying time of 4:04.97, good for the sixth fastest time in the country this year and her first ACC title. 

Jones finished second in 4:06.80, followed by NC State’s Hannah Moore in 4:09.10. 

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