Vazquez Defends 3-Meter Title, Relay Earns Bronze On Day One Of ACC Championships

Tuesday, February 20

Greensboro, NC

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North Carolina

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Aranza Vazquez Montano - 3m champion 2024 ACC

Photo by: Jerome M. Ibrahim

Vazquez Defends 3-Meter Title, Relay Earns Bronze On Day One Of ACC Championships

February 20, 2024 | Swimming & Diving

Championship Central Results Photo Gallery

GREENSBORO, N.C. – The first day of the 2024 Atlantic Coast Conference Swimming and Diving Championships saw North Carolina earn two medals, as Aranza Vazquez defended her 3-meter diving title while the women's 200 medley relay collected bronze.

After day one at the Greensboro Aquatic Center, the Tar Heel women lead a tight team race with 159 points, just ahead of Louisville (155) and Virginia (154). The men's team sits in fourth with 138 points behind Notre Dame (176), NC State (159) and Pitt (151).

Vazquez was crowned 3-meter champion for the second year in a row and the third time in her career. She totaled 366.30 on the higher of the two springboards to win the event by 11 points over Duke's Margo O'Meara (355.35).

A senior, Vazquez has secured a podium finish on the 3-meter event all four years. The reigning ACC Women's Diver of the Year now has six conference titles to her name.

In the pool, Greer Pattison (23.93), Skyler Smith (26.20), Ellie VanNote (23.01) and Delaney Carlton (22.01) began the night by earning bronze in the 200 medley relay. Their combined time of 1:35.15 was an automatic NCAA qualifying cut and punched their ticket to the big dance next month.

Pattison's lead-off backstroke time of 23.93 and Smith's 26.20 on the breaststroke leg were both the second fastest splits in the field.

The 800 freestyle relay squad of Georgia Nel (1:45.47), Elizabeth Sowards (1:46.72), Madeline Smith (1:46.99) and VanNote (1:45.13) earned another top-4 finish. They finished fourth in 7:04.31, fast enough for an NCAA B cut.

On the men's side, the 200 medley relay of Walker Davis (21.18), Ben Delmar (24.10), Boyd Poelke (20.23) and Louis Dramm (19.08) finished eighth with a time of 1:24.59.

Patrick Hussey (1:33.06), Dramm (1:34.29), Matthew Van Deusen (1:35.94) and Sebastian Lunak (1:34.87) joined forces in the 800 freestyle relay, stopping the clock in 6:18.16. That time clinched an NCAA B standard.

Alex Hart dove to fifth place on the 1-meter board with a final tally of 347.25, marking the fourth top-8 finish on the event at the conference meet in his career.

The Tar Heels return to action on Wednesday for the second day of the championship meet in Greensboro, North Carolina. Tomorrow's event lineup includes the 500 freestyle, 200 individual medley, 50 freestyle, women's 1-meter diving and 200 freestyle relay (finals only).

Swimming prelims will begin at 9:30 a.m. ET with finals starting at 5:30 p.m. Diving prelims are slated for 1 p.m. ET. All sessions will air on ACCNX.