2017 Women's ACC Championships

ACC Finals Day 2: N.C State Wins 3 of 4, Leah Smith Narrowly Misses Record

ACC Finals Day 2: N.C State Wins 3 of 4, Leah Smith Narrowly Misses Record

Day 2 finals at the 2017 ACC Swimming & Diving Championships brought a pair of meet records from the N.C. State Wolfpack.

Feb 15, 2017 by Maclin Simpson
ACC Finals Day 2: N.C State Wins 3 of 4, Leah Smith Narrowly Misses Record

500-Yard Freestyle


ACC Meet: 4:30.74 (Leah Smith - Virginia, 2016)
Conference: 4:30.37 (Leah Smith - Virginia, 2016)
NCAA 'A' Automatic: 4:36.30
NCAA 'B' Consideration: 4:47.79


Olympian Leah Smith was just off her Atlantic Coast Conference meet record from last year with a 4:30.81 on Tuesday night at Georgia Tech's McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta. She took out the race in a quick 1:46.9, but it was just short of rewriting the record books. In second was Louisville's Mallory Comerford ​with a 4:37.47, holding off North Carolina State's Hannah Moore in 4:38.07. Winning the B-final with a gutterball from the outside lane was Duke's Verity Abel​, who qualified 16th, improving on her 4:49.71 morning swim with a 4:45.39. In another great race, Duke senior ​Brittany Friese​ claimed the top spot in the C-final, knocking five seconds off her prelim time and best time with a 4:46.30.

1.) Leah Smith (UVA): 4:30.81 (NCAA 'A')
2.) Mallory Comerford (Louisville): 4:37.47
3.) Hannah Moore (N.C. State): 4:38.07
4.) Jessica Hespeler (Virginia Tech): 4:39.40
5.) Macey Arnold (UNC): 4:42.07
6.) Rachel Muller (N.C. State): 4:42.57
7.) Amanda Richey (Pitt): 4:43.69
8.) Cecelia Williams (UVA) 4:48.80


200 IM


ACC Meet: 1:54.92 (Emma Reaney - Notre Dame, 2014)​ 1:54.44 (Alexia Zevnik - N.C. State, 2017)
Conference: 1:54.05 (Kaitlyn Jones - Virginia, 2016)
NCAA 'A' Automatic: 1:55.35
NCAA 'B' Consideration: 2:01.59


N.C. State's Alexia Zevnik upset current ACC record holder Kaitlyn Jones and broke Emma Reaney's meet record with a time of 1:54.44. A close race between the top three at the 100 ended with Zevnik's 26.55 freestyle leg, which was more than a second faster than anyone else. Virginia's Kaitlyn Jones led at the 150 but finished second with a time of 1:54.93. Jones' teammate Jenni Marrkand finished third with a 1:56.69. Once again, the B-final had some fireworks, with Pitt's Lina Rathsack going 1:57.76, a full two seconds faster than her prelim time. Her monster 32.91 breaststroke split was the fastest out of anyone in Tuesday night's A, B, or C final. Pushing her the whole way was Duke's Leah Goldman, touching the wall one-10th behind in 1:57.77.

1.) Alexia Zevnik (N.C. State): 1:54.44 (ACC MEET RECORD)
2.) Kaitlyn Jones (UVA): 1:54.93 (NCAA 'A')
3.) Jenni Marrkand (UVA): 1:56.69
4.) Reka Gyorga (Virginia Tech): 1:57.22
5.) Alina Kendzior (Louisville): 1:58.27
6.) Fiona Donnelly (Virginia Tech): 1:58.46
7.) Rachael Bradford-Feldman (Louisville): 1:59.15
8.) Andee Cottrell (Louisville): 1:59.18


50 Freestyle


ACC Meet: 21.85 (Kelsi Worrell - Louisville, 2016)​ 21.78 (Caroline Baldwin - UNC, 2017)
Conference: 21.57 (Kelsi Worrell - Louisville, 2016)
NCAA 'A' Automatic: 21.80
NCAA 'B' Consideration: 22.99


N.C. State scored another big win after Ky-lee Perry snuck in before UNC's Caroline Baldwin 21.88 to 21.93. Baldwin's time was just off her prelims and meet record-breaking swim of 21.78. Perry's time as well was a bit slower than her 21.80 from Tuesday morning. N.C. State's Natalie Labonge tied her teammate Courtney Caldwell, going matching 22.00s. Caldwell's 21.99 this morning was more than half a second faster than her seed time of 22.64, which also was the same as her time from last year's ACC meet.

1.) Ky-lee Perry (N.C. State): 21.88
2.) Caroline Baldwin (UNC): 21.93
3.) Natalie Labonge (N.C. State): 22.00
4.) Courtney Caldwell (N.C. State): 22.00
5.) Sarah Hitchens (UNC): 22.06
6.) Caitlin Cooper (UVA): 22.12
7.) Casey Fanz (Louisville): 22.19
8.) Ellen Thomas (UVA): 22.22

1-Meter Diving


Florida State freshman Ayla Bonniwell took home the 1-meter diving crown after passing Miami's Wally Layland​, who was in first coming into Tuesday night's final. Molly Carlson, another FSU freshman, came in third.

1.) Ayla Bonniwell (FSU): 320.85
2.) Wally Layland (Miami): 308.50
3.) Molly Carlson (FSU): 307.65
4.) Marcela Maric (Miami): 287.85
5.) Daniel Reitsma (Clemson): 286.50
6.) Blair Mulka (FSU): 281.00
7.) Kylie Towbin (UVA): 255.00
8.) Elissa Dawson (UNC): 176.10

200 Freestyle Relay


ACC Meet: 1:27.50 (N.C. State, 2016)​ 1:27.31 (N.C. State, 2017)
Conference: 1:27.50 (N.C. State, 2016)​ 1:27.31 (N.C. State, 2017)
NCAA 'A' Automatic: 1:28.98
NCAA 'B' Consideration: 1:29.75

If the 50 freestyle earlier in the session was any indication, this 200 freestyle relay was set up to be an incredible race. As expected, N.C. State and UNC went wire to wire with the Wolfpack narrowly claiming the throne in 1:27.31 over UNC's 1:27.36. N.C. State's usual suspects swam lights out in this race with three sub-22 splits from ​Ky-lee Perry, Krista Duffield, ​and ​Courtney Caldwell. ​But the key to this being such a phenomenal race was someone we did not see in the individual 50 -- UNC's ​Hellen Moffitt​, who anchored in a blistering 21.49. It is no surprise that Moffitt has speed as the senior threw down a jaw-dropping 22.29 50 butterfly split in Monday night's 200 medley relay.​

1.) N.C. State: 1:27.31 (ACC MEET RECORD)
2.) UNC: 1:27.36 (NCAA 'A')
3.) Virginia: 1:28.27 (NCAA 'A')
4.) Louisville: 1:28.48 (NCAA 'A')
5.) Duke: 1:28.51 (NCAA 'A')
6.) FSU: 1:29.28
7.) Notre Dame: 1:29.47
8.) Georgia Tech: 1:30.73
9.) Pitt: 1:30.81
10.) VA Tech: 1:31.28
11.) Miami: 1:31.91
12.) Boston College: 1:35.62



Team Scores


1.) N.C. State - 452.5
2.) UVA - 385.5
3.) UNC - 384
4.) Louisville - 383
5.) Duke - 315
6.) FSU - 297
7.) VA Tech - 266
8.) Miami - 228
9.) Notre Dame - 218
10.) Pitt - 195
11.) Georgia Tech - 141
12.) Boston College - 92
13.) Clemson - 73