Swimming And Diving Set For ACC Championships

Tuesday, February 14

Greensboro, N.C.

All Day

North Carolina

ACC Championships

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati

February 13, 2023 | Swimming & Diving

Championship Central Order Of Events

By: UNC Athletics Communications

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The UNC swimming and diving teams will compete in the 2023 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships at the Greensboro Aquatic Center from Feb. 14 – 18.

The five-day ACC Swimming and Diving Championships will begin on Tuesday with 200 medley relay and 800 freestyle relays as well as the women's 3-meter and men's 1-meter diving finals beginning at 5:30 p.m. Diving preliminaries will start at 10 a.m.

Preliminary heats for all swimming events will begin at 9:30 a.m. the remainder of the week with event finals starting Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 5:30 p.m. and Saturday at 6 p.m.

The entire championship meet with be streamed on ACCNX.

"We want to see as many people get on the podium as possible," UNC head coach Mark Gangloff said. "We have a real strong possibility of medaling in the springboard diving events, women's relay events and the women's 50 free. Those are just a few of the events that we're excited about. It should be a good week."

North Carolina is led by its diving contingent. Anton Down-Jenkins took home the gold medal in the men's one-meter diving competition, while Alex Hart and Aranza Vazquez each earned all-conference honors.

Vazquez owns the top women's three-meter diving score in Division I this season, posting a total score of 409.60 in the tri-meet against Virginia and NC State. Her score of 350.70 in the dual meet versus Duke is the highest on the one-meter springboard by any ACC diver in 2023. She was named ACC Diver of the Week five times.

Down-Jenkins hold the top men's three-meter score (46.105) among ACC divers this season and Alex Hart owns the second-highest one-meter score (368.45). The duo has combined for four ACC Diver of the Week awards this season.

An 11-time All-America performer, Grace Countie leads the UNC women into championship week. She holds the third-fastest time (21.64) in the 50-yard freestyle and is one of three Tar Heels in the top eight of 100-yard backstroke along with Greer Pattison and Sophie Lindner.

Lindner ranks seventh in the 200-yard backstroke.

Olivia Nel joins Countie, Lindner and Pattison as one of the top 200 freestyle relay teams in the ACC. The foursome has already qualified for the NCAA Championships with a time of 1:26.99, three-tenths of a second behind Virginia for fastest in the ACC.

Nel is expected to compete for a spot in the finals of 100-yard freestyle as is Ellie VanNote in the 100 and 200-yard butterfly.

VanNote will enter the meet with the second-fastest time in the 200-yard butterfly (1:54.07) by an ACC swimmer.

On the men's side, Patrick Hussey, Tomas Sungaila and Louis Dramm have each recorded NCAA B qualifying mark in the men's 200-yard freestyle and will challenge for a spot in the ACC championship finals.

Boyd Poelke is expected to challenge for a spot on the podium in the men's 100-yard butterfly as is Hussey in the 200-yard butterfly and the 400-yard IM.

Noah Rutberg will join Hussey, Sungalia and Dramm in the 800-freestyle relay. The previously registered an NCAA B qualifying time in the event and currently owns the second-fastest time (6:20.19) in the ACC.