ACC Championships, Day 1: Stanford Women, Cal Men Enter Conference With Relay Wins
The Stanford Cardinal and California Golden Bears are finding instant success in their new conference home. The two west coast schools now racing in the Atlantic Coast Conference each scored relay wins to open this year’s conference championship meet, with Torri Huske blasting the anchor leg for the Stanford women’s 200 medley relay to secure a win while the Cal men came out on top in a tight 200 medley relay field.
The Tuesday evening session also included the 800 freestyle relays plus women’s 1-meter diving and men’s 3-meter diving. The meet is being held in Greensboro, N.C., and will continue through Saturday.
Women’s 200 Medley Relay
The Cal women appeared on track to open their tenure in the ACC with a win, leading through three legs of the 200 medley relay top heat, but a tremendous anchor leg by Olympic gold medalist Torri Huske was enough to put the Stanford Cardinal over the top. Huske came home in 20.60 to help Stanford reach the wall in 1:34.05, about three tenths ahead of Cal’s 1:34.05. Levenia Sim, Lucy Thomas and Gigi Johnson joined Huske in the victorious effort.
Cal’s team of Isabelle Stadden, Lea Polonsky, Mckenna Stone and Mary-Ambre Moluh came in second in 1:34.34. Even though Moluh lost the lead coming home, the freshman still posted a very solid split of 21.38. Third went to Louisville’s team of Abby Karl, Caroline Larsen, Gabi albiero and Julia Dennis, with Dennis splitting 20.87 coming home.
Stanford moved to No. 3 in the nation behind Virginia and Texas while Cal sits tied for fifth with Florida (with Tennessee fourth). Virginia ended up fourth here in 1:35.22, almost four seconds off the team’s season-best mark of 1:31.53, which is only two hundredths away from the NCAA record the team set in 2023. However, Virginia went with a team of Tess Howley, Emma Weber, Carly Novelline and Anna Moesch while choosing to rest stars Gretchen Walsh, Alex Walsh and Claire Curzan for the other relays to come.
Event 3 Women 200 Yard Medley Relay ================================================================================== MEET: @ 1:31.73 2/14/2023 University of Virginia, UVA-V G Walsh, A Walsh, A Cuomo, K Douglass CONF: # 1:31.53 3/15/2023 University of Virginia, UVA-V G Walsh, A Walsh, A Cuomo, K Douglass AMER: $ 1:31.53 3/14/2023 University of Virginia, UVA-V G Walsh, A Walsh, A Cuomo, K Douglass USOP: % 1:31.53 3/14/2023 University of Virginia, UVA-V G Walsh, A Walsh, A Cuomo, K Douglass NCAA: ^ 1:31.53 3/14/2023 University of Virginia, UVA-V G Walsh, A Walsh, A Cuomo, K Douglass Pool: & 1:31.73 2/14/2023 University of Virginia, UVA-V G Walsh, A Walsh, A Cuomo, K Douglass 1:36.24 A 1:36.76 B School Seed Finals Points ================================================================================== 1 Stanford 'A' 1:34.61 1:34.05 A 64 1) Sim, Levenia FR 2) r:0.16 Thomas, Lucy SO 3) r:0.23 Johnson, Garlynd JR 4) r:0.34 Huske, Victoria JR r:+0.54 24.17 50.48 (26.31) 1:13.45 (22.97) 1:34.05 (20.60) 2 California 'A' 1:34.24 1:34.34 A 56 1) Stadden, Isabelle 5Y 2) r:0.07 Polonsky, Lea SR 3) r:0.14 Stone, Mckenna SR 4) r:0.20 Moluh, Mary-Ambre FR r:+0.71 23.61 50.05 (26.44) 1:12.96 (22.91) 1:34.34 (21.38) 3 Louisville 'A' 1:35.30 1:34.55 A 54 1) Karl, Abigail SR 2) r:0.37 Larsen, Caroline FR 3) r:0.18 Albiero, Gabi 5Y 4) r:0.14 Dennis, Julia JR r:+0.69 24.26 51.01 (26.75) 1:13.68 (22.67) 1:34.55 (20.87) 4 UVA 'A' 1:31.53 1:35.18 A 52 1) Howley, Tess SO 2) r:0.14 Weber, Emma JR 3) r:0.25 Novelline, Carly JR 4) r:0.28 Moesch, Annaliesa FR r:+0.71 24.75 51.21 (26.46) 1:13.70 (22.49) 1:35.18 (21.48) 5 NCSU 'A' 1:34.26 1:35.22 A 50 1) Noble, Helen JR 2) r:0.05 Brouwer, Aubree JR 3) r:0.17 Shackley, Leah FR 4) r:0.21 Nel, Olivia JR r:+0.59 24.15 51.12 (26.97) 1:13.88 (22.76) 1:35.22 (21.34) 6 FSU 'A' 1:35.13 1:35.27 A 48 1) Velden, Alice FR 2) r:0.21 Huggins, Madeline SR 3) r:0.14 Halden, Jenny 5Y 4) r:0.37 Muzito, Gloria SR r:+0.81 23.96 50.62 (26.66) 1:13.21 (22.59) 1:35.27 (22.06) 7 UNC 'A' 1:35.01 1:35.48 A 46 1) Pattison, Greer SR 2) r:0.08 Smith, Skyler SR 3) r:0.16 Sowards, Elizabeth SR 4) r:0.24 Nel, Georgia SR r:+0.59 23.82 49.96 (26.14) 1:13.47 (23.51) 1:35.48 (22.01) 8 Pitt 'A' 1:35.81 1:36.68 B 44 1) Jansen, Claire JR 2) r:0.12 Viberg, Cecilia JR 3) r:0.25 Yendell, Sophie 5Y 4) r:0.21 Wiechertjes, Anna FR r:+0.71 24.23 52.47 (28.24) 1:14.52 (22.05) 1:36.68 (22.16)
Men’s 200 Medley Relay
The Cal men took the win in their first ACC relay by holding off a spirited outside-smoke effort from Florida State in the 200 medley. The Golden Bears used three swimmers in their final year of college eligibility along with freshman breaststroker Yamato Okadome to put together a time of 1:21.54. Bjorn Seeliger swam backstroke, and Dare Rose handled butterfly, but it took an 18.10 anchor split from Jack Alexy to secure first place. Cal’s time ranks No. 4 in the country behind times posted by Tennessee, Florida and Texas at the SEC Championships earlier in the evening.
Behind a blistering 19.10 butterfly leg from Michel Arkhangelskiy, the Seminoles briefly moved into the lead, and the efforts of Mason Herbet, Tommasso Baravelli and Sam Bork were enough to secure a second-place time of 1:21.98. NC State’s team of Hudson Williams, Sam Hoover, Luke Miller and Quintin McCarty came in third at 1:22.06.
Women’s 1-Meter Diving
Women’s 800 Freestyle Relay
Men’s 800 Freestyle Relay
Men’s 3-Meter Diving