2020 ACC Men’s Championships: Day 4 Finals Live Recap

2020 ACC Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships

• When: Wednesday, February 26th to Saturday, February 29th Prelims 10:00 am | Finals 6:00 pm (1650 prelims Saturday at 4:00 pm)
• Where: Greensboro Aquatic Center, Greensboro, North Carolina (Eastern Time Zone)
• Defending Champion: North Carolina State University (NC State) (29x, 5th-straight) (results)
• Streaming: ACC Network
  • Day 2 Finals
  • Day 3 Finals
  • Day 4 Finals
• Championship Central: Here
• Detailed Timeline: Here
• Psych Sheets: Here
• Live Results
• Saturday Finals Heat Sheets

We’re down to the final session of the 2020 ACC Men’s Championships. At this point, NC State looks like to be a lock for their 6th-straight team title, but there’s still plenty of great racing ahead of us this evening.

Heats of the 1650 are already underway (we’ll talk more about them below), and tonight’s session will also include the 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast, 200 fly, and timed finals of the 400 free relay.

Notre Dame’s Zach Yeadon is the top seed in the 1650 and will be going for the distance sweep after crushing a 4:10.39 in the 500 free on Thursday.

Mitchell Whyte of Louisville put up the fastest time this morning in the 200 back, and he’ll swimming besides defending champion Coleman Stewart of NC State, who also won the 100 back last night for the 3rd straight year.

The 100 free appears to be wide open tonight. Duke’s Miles Williams had the fastest time of the morning with a 42.53, but the field was all within half a second of that. Keep an eye on lane 1, where Nyls Korstanje, who topped the psych sheet with a 42.43 coming into the meet, will be swimming.

Caio Pumputis, the defending champion in the 200 breast, qualified 10th this morning, missing the A-final, meaning that we’ll see a new champion in that event. Virginia Tech freshman AJ Pouch swam a lifetime best this morning to take the top seed, and he’ll be swimming against a field that includes five returners from last year’s A-final.

200 fly defending champion Nick Albiero broke his own meet record this morning with a 1:40.51, and he’ll be looking to hold off a heat contains five men who went 1:42s this morning.

The meet will conclude with the 400 free relay. The Louisville Cardinals are the defending champions, and while they only return half of that relay, they did put a total of 6 men into tonight’s 100 free finals, so on paper, they should have a good shot of defending their title.

In terms of the battle for team standings, Louisville and Virginia are vying for 2nd place, Virginia Tech should have 4th secure, with Notre Dame trying to top FSU for 5th. UNC should be locked into 7th, while Pitt and Georgia Tech are competing for 8th.

Standings After Day 3

1. NC State – 853
2. Virginia – 762
3. Louisville – 746
4. Virginia Tech – 596
5. Florida State – 589.5
6. Notre Dame – 558.5
7. North Carolina – 486
8. Pitt – 385
9. Georgia Tech – 379
10. Duke – 344
11. Miami (diving only) – 197
12. Boston College – 102

1650 Free – Timed Finals

• ACC record: 14:24.43 – Anton Ipsen (NC State), 2018
• ACC meet record: 14:31.21 – Anton Ipsen (NC State), 2018
• 2019 champion: Brendan Casey (Virginia), 14:37.50

Top 3:

1. Zach Yeadon (Notre Dame) –  14:27.93
2. Jack Hoagland (Notre Dame) – 14:35.19
3. Ross Dant (NC State) – 14:37.69

Early heats recap:

UVA freshman Jack Walker knocked over a minute off his lifetime best to lead the early heats with a time of 15:01.72. The SWIMS database only actually shows two previous 1650s in his career, with his most recent one being a 16:11 from December 2018. Walker took 2nd in the 500 free Thursday night. Walker projected more a mid-distance specialist coming out of high school, but has been stronger in the 500/1650 than the 200 this week.

NC State had the next two-fastest times, courtesy of a pair of 15:03s from Curtis Wiltsey and Daniel Erlenmeyer, the latter of whom took 8th place last year with a time of 14:59.51. That’s a new lifetime best by about nine seconds for Wiltsey, a sophomore who didn’t compete at ACCs last year.

Five of the eight men swimming in the fastest heat of the 1650s are seeded with a time below 15:00, so we’ll see if Walker’s or either of the NC State swimmers’ times are enough to crack the top eight.

Fastest heat recap:

Notre Dame junior Zach Yeadon completed the distance sweep, dominating the final heat of the 1650 with a 14:27.93 that broke the ACC meet record. Yeadon already had the 2nd-fastest time in the nation with his 14:32.48 from the Ohio State Invite.

Yeadon’s freshman teammate Jack Hoagland took 2nd in 14:35.19. Hoagland’s been on an incredibly improvement curve all season. He came into college with a best time of 16:37.65, and how has set a new personal best in this race each of the four times he’s swum this season.

Another freshman, NC State’s Ross Dant, finished in 3rd with a time of 14:37.69, also a new personal best. Teammate Eric Knowles moved up one spot from last year, taking 4th with a 14:47.94, just about a second slower than his time from last year.

This event turned out to be a bit slower than last year, so Walker, Wiltsey, and Erlenmeyer ended up taking 5th-7th, with Louisville’s Hayden Curley taking 8th in 15:04.55. Louisville ended up with four scorers in the event, but all finished behind Walker.

Virginia has a 2 point lead, and are seeded to score roughly 40 more points than Louisville in the next four events, but the Cavaliers certainly don’t have enough of a cushion to make any mistakes. Notre Dame now has a 3.5 point lead on Virginia Tech, but the Hokies are projected to score roughly 80 more points than the Fighting Irish over the next few events. The race for 8th is still up in the air as well. Georgia Tech now has a 17 point lead over Pitt, and Pitt is projected to score 10 more points than Georgia Tech in the remaining individual events.

200 Back – Finals

• ACC record: 1:38.56 – Hennesey Stuart (NC State), 2016
• ACC meet record: 1:39.05 – Grigory Tarasevich (Louisville), 2017
• 2019 champion: Coleman Stewart (NC State), 1:39.10

1. Coleman Stewart (NC State) – 1:37.71
2. Mitchell Whyte (Louisville) – 1:39.46
3. Samuel Tornqvist (Virginia Tech) – 1:40.10

NC State senior Coleman Stewart went out in style, taking down the ACC meet and conference records in the last individual ACC swim of his career. Stewart knocked nearly a second off of the overall conference record, a 1:38.56 held by NC State alum Hennesey Stuart. That’s the third-straight conference title in this event for Stewart, who has swept the backstrokes here over the last three years. Stewart’s time ranks his #3 in the nation this season.

Louisville’s Mitchell Whyte took 2nd to pair with his 2nd place finish in the 100 back. His time of 1:39.46 moves him to #4 in the nation this season. Whyte also took 2nd last season.

Virginia Tech’s Samuel Tornqvist took 3rd in 1:40.10, a new personal best by roughly half a second. Last year he was 5th with a 1:41.39. UVA’s Justin Grender (1:41.05) and Virginia Tech’s Lane Stone (1:41.88) took 4th and 5th. Notre Dame’s Jack Montesi (1:42.05) and UNC’s Christopher Thames (1:42.26) were also under 1:43. NC State freshman Ross Dant took 8th in 1:48.61, roughly ten minutes after taking 3rd in the 1650.

100 Free – Finals

• ACC record: 41.05 – Ryan Held (NC State), 2018
• ACC meet record: 41.41 – Ryan Held (NC State), 2018
• 2019 champion: Kanoa Kaleoaloha (Florida State), 42.34

1. Nyls Korstanje (NC State) – 42.13
2. Peter Varjasi (Florida State) – 42.68
3. Andrej Barna (Louisville) / Will Messenger (North Carolina) – 42.69

NC State sophomore Nyls Korstanje completed his sweep of the two shortest freestyle events, going 42.13 from lane 1 to take the victory here, after winning the 50 free on Thursday. That’s Korstanje’s 2nd-fastest time ever, behind only 41.91 from last year’s NCAAs, and puts him roughly 6th in the nation this season.

The race for 2nd was incredibly tight. Florida State’s Peter Varjasi just got his hand on the wall first with a 42.68. Louisville’s Andrej Barna and UNC’s Will Messenger tied for 3rd at 42.69, with UVA’s Ryan Baker just a hair behind at 42.72.

Duke’s Miles Williams, who had the fastest time in prelims, touched 6th in 42.90, followed by Louisville’s Abdelrahman Sameh (43.03) and Virginia Tech’s Tommy Hallock (43.14).

Pitt’s Blaise Vera, who took 2nd last year, but missed the A-final this morning, won the B-final with a 42.61 that would’ve earned him 2nd in the A-final tonight.

Updated Standings:

1. NC State – 1099
2. Louisville – 917.5
3. Virginia – 907
4. Virginia Tech – 728
5. Notre Dame / Florida State – 697.5
6. (tie)
7. North Carolina – 546.5
8. Pitt / Georgia Tech – 412
9. (tie)
10. Duke – 368
11. Miami – 197
12. Boston College – 102

200 Breast – Finals

• ACC record: 1:50.79 – Caio Pumputis (Georgia Tech), 2019
• ACC meet record: 1:51.46 – Caio Pumputis (Georgia Tech), 2019
• 2019 champion: Caio Pumputis (Georgia Tech), 1:50.79

1. Evgenii Somov (Louisville) – 1:52.54
2. Keefer Barnum (Virginia) – 1:52.91
3. AJ Pouch (Virginia Tech) – 1:53.69

So far tonight, we’re 4-4 in terms of swimmers having won multiple events this week. Louisville’s Evgenii Somov completed the breaststroke sweep, cracking 1:53 for the first time in his career to win in 1:52.54.

UVA’s Keefer Barnum, like Somov a junior, knocked a whole second off of his lifetime best to take 2nd in 1:52.91. Virginia Tech’s AJ Pouch, who had the fastest time this morning, shaved 0.03s off of his prelims time to take 3rd in 1:53.69.

The Cavaliers also got a 4th place finish from Casey Storch (1:54.04) and a 6th place effort from Matthew Otto (1:54.85), while Louisville’s Daniel Sos took 8th in 1:55.67, putting UVA up by nearly 30 points with two events to go. Both teams have one man in the A-final of the 200 fly, but UVA has a B-finalist while Louisville has a C-finalist.

Notre Dame’s Joshua Bottelberghe, who took 4th last year, finished 5th tonight in 1:54.07, his 2nd-fastest swim ever, and UNC’s Valdas Abaliksta took 8th in 1:55.67.

200 Fly – Finals

• ACC record: 1:38.57 – Andreas Vazaois (NC State), 2019
• ACC meet record: 1:40.51 – Nick Albiero (Louisville), 2020
• 2019 champion: Nick Albiero (Louisville), 1:40.70

1. Nick Albiero (Louisville) – 1:38.65
2. Blake Manoff (Virginia Tech) – 1:40.48
3. Antani Ivanov (Virginia Tech) – 1:41.01

Nick Albiero came within a tenth of a second of the overall conference record, blasting a 1:38.65 that moves him up to #1 in the nation this season. That’s Albiero 2nd-straight victory in this event, completes the fly sweep this week, and breaks his own conference meet record from this morning.

Virginia Tech swept the next two spots. Blake Manoff moves to #3 this season with a 1:40.48, a NCAA ‘A’ cut, and Antani Ivanov took 3rd here for the second season in a row with his time of 1:41.01.

UVA’s Ted Schubert, who swept the IMs over the last two days, touched 4th here with a 1:41.34. That’s a new personal best for him by 0.01s; he took 6th in this event last year.

NC State sophomore Zach Brown moved from 8th in this event last year to 5th this year with his time of 1:42.30. Teammate Erge Gezmis finished 7th in 1:44.00.

Georgia Tech’s Christian Ferraro (1:42.93) took 6th, and FSU’s Max Polianski (1:47.17) took 8th.

Current Team Standings

1. NC State – 1186
2. Virginia – 1037
3. Louisville – 1010.5
4. Virginia Tech – 850
5. Notre Dame – 763.5
6. Florida State – 758.5
7. North Carolina – 580.5
8. Pitt – 476
9. Georgia Tech – 472
10. Duke – 375
11. Miami – 197
12. Boston College – 102

At the point, most of the team races are settled, but the final relay could impact a few of the battles we’ve been talking about.

Virginia leads Louisville by 26.5 points, meaning that as long as the Cavaliers don’t DQ and finish at least 9th, they’ll hold onto 2nd place.

Florida State sits 5 points behind Notre Dame. They either need to win this relay, or otherwise finish 4 spots ahead of the Fighting Irish to run them down for 5th.

Pitt holds a 4 point lead over Georgia Tech, so as long as they come out ahead on this relay, they’ll hold onto 8th.

400 Free Relay – Timed Finals

• ACC record: 2:44.31 – NC State, 2018
• ACC meet record: 2:45.69, NC State, 2018
• 2019 champion: Louisville, 2:48.35

1. NC State – 2:48.03
2. Louisville – 2:50.02
3. Florida State – 2:50.54

The Wolfpack put the cherry on top of their 6th-straight conference championship, actually finishing this relay the better part of a second faster than they did last year. Coleman Stewart led off in 42.34 and Nyls Korstanje dropped a 41.34 2nd leg. But the real difference came on the back half, where freshman Hunter Tapp split 42.42 after going 43.35 individually, and Noah Hensley, whose best individual 100 free time is a 44.10 from last November, anchored in 41.93, to combine for a 2:48.03. That’s the 2nd-fastest time in the nation this season, behind only Texas.

Louisville ended up 2nd despite putting six men into one of the three 100 free finals. Albiero led off in 42.36, nearly matching Stewart, Andrej Barna split 42.81 on the 2nd leg, breaststroker Somov split 42.66 on the 3rd leg, and freshman Sameh anchored in 42.19, combining for a time of 2:50.02.

Florida State (2:50.54) was also under the NCAA ‘A’ cut of 2:51.11 and and Virginia (2:51.43) was under the NCAA ‘B’ cut of 2:52.46, while UNC (2:52.55) and Virginia Tech (2:52.58) just missed it.

Final Team Standings

1. NC State – 1250
2. Virginia – 1089
3. Louisville – 1066.5
4. Virginia Tech – 898
5. Florida State – 812.5
6. Notre Dame – 803.5
7. North Carolina – 630.5
8. Pitt – 520
9. Georgia Tech – 506
10. Duke – 421
11. Miami – 197
12. Boston College – 134