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UVA Women Dominate on Day 3 of ACC Swim & Dive Championships

The Cavaliers swept all three ACC titles on Thursday night in Greensboro

Matt Newton

Three ACC women's swimming titles were up for grabs on Thursday night at the Greensboro Aquatic Center. The Cavaliers came away with all three, strengthening their lead at the 2023 ACC Swimming & Diving Championships. 

Virginia had three swimmers advance to the finals in the women's 400-yard individual medley, headlined by the two-time defending ACC Champion in the event, Ella Nelson. The UVA senior defended her crown once again, as Nelson won her third-straight 400-yard IM ACC title with a time of 3:59.33 that broke her own meet record and holds up as the 11th-fastest time ever recorded in the event. Virginia's Ella Bathurst and Sophia Wilson finished fifth and sixth, respectively. 

The party continued for the Cavaliers in the 100-yard butterfly, where Kate Douglass and Gretchen Walsh essentially had a race of their own at the front of the field. In the end, Douglass beat out Walsh for the title with a blistering time of 48.84, the fastest time ever recorded in the event as Douglass broke Maggie McNeil's US Open and NCAA record (48.89). Gretchen Walsh took second place in 49.34 and Lexi Cuomo was seventh. 

Finally, in the 200-yard freestyle, the Cavaliers again placed two swimmers on the top two spots of the podium as Alex Walsh broke a UVA record to win the ACC title in 1:41.63, which is also the best time in the NCAA this season. Right behind Walsh was Virginia freshman Aimee Canny, who took second place with a 1:42.62. 

The three ACC title wins, including a pair of 1-2 finishes, have given the Cavaliers a healthy 213.5 lead in the team standings with 879 total points. Virginia looks well on the way to cruising to a fourth-straight ACC Championship. The biggest question that remains is if the Cavaliers eclipse their record-setting score of 1418.5 team points from last season. 

ACC Women's Swim & Dive Championships Standings (after day three):

  1. Virginia - 879
  2. Louisville - 665.5
  3. NC State - 611
  4. North Carolina - 432
  5. Virginia Tech - 360
  6. Duke - 347
  7. Florida State - 293
  8. Notre Dame - 248
  9. Miami - 215
  10. Georgia Tech - 197
  11. Pittsburgh - 169.5
  12. Boston College - 100

On the men's side, Tim Connery notched a fifth-place finish in the 100-yard butterfly with a UVA record time of 45.12, but the Cavaliers did not advance to the finals in any other event. The Virginia men now sit in fifth place with 428 points, while NC State has a sizable lead on the rest of the field with 898.5 points. The important challenge for UVA now is to try to chase down Virginia Tech in the standings. The Hokies are in third place with 504.5 points. Whichever team finishes higher on the team standings will earn a point towards the 2022-2023 Commonwealth Clash. Virginia has two more days of competition to try to close that gap. 

ACC Men's Swim & Dive Championships Standings (after day three): 

  1. NC State - 898.5
  2. Louisville - 522.5
  3. Virginia Tech - 504.5
  4. Notre Dame - 448.5
  5. Virginia - 428
  6. North Carolina - 360
  7. Florida State - 353
  8. Pittsburgh - 271
  9. Georgia Tech - 241.5
  10. Duke - 166
  11. Miami - 150
  12. Boston College - 80

The fourth day of competition at the 2023 ACC Swimming & Diving Championships will feature the 200-yard butterfly, 100-yard backstroke, 100-yard breaststroke, women's platform diving, and 400-yard medley relay. 

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Matt Newton
MATT NEWTON

Matt launched Virginia Cavaliers On SI in August of 2021 and has since served as the site's publisher and managing editor, covering all 23 NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. He is from Downingtown, Pennsylvania and graduated from UVA in May of 2021.

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