GREENSBORO, N.C. – True freshman Batur ÜNLÜ won the 200 free championship and four school records were set in total at the third day of the 2021 ACC Men’s Swimming Championships at the Greensboro Aquatic Center on Friday evening. Heading into the final day of competition the Yellow Jackets are currently in seventh-place on the team leaderboard with 478 points.
Eight Jackets qualified for finals across five events backed by podium finishes by ÜNLÜ and the 400 medley relay squad.
ÜNLÜ broke the 200 free record twice on day three, clocking in at 1:32.87 in prelims and 1:32.40 in finals to take home the gold.
“It was another fantastic day for the men,” said Toni M. and Richard L. Bergmark Swimming & Diving Head Coach Courtney Shealy Hart. “Batur winning the 200 free, multiple B cuts and many lifetime bests highlighted today. Finishing the night with a silver medal and school record in the 400 medley was great. We are ready to go and finish strong tomorrow.”
ÜNLÜ assisted the 400 medley relay crew anchoring the 100 free segment. Junior Kyle Barone started the group off posting a 100 back split of 45.83. Senior Caio Pumputis hit a time of 51.66 in the 100 breast portion. Fellow senior Christian Ferraro followed that up with a 44.86 showing in the 100 fly section. ÜNLÜ finished off the historic relay with a 42.02 mark in the final 100 free. A time of 3:04.37 earned the quartet silver and is the third relay group to set a school record and second to garner a medal performance at ACC’s.
Barone pulled his share of the Jackets weight as he made an appearance in two separate finals securing spots the 100 fly and 100 back. Barone placed fourth at 45.93 in the 100 back and a 46.24 100 fly effort good for 11th-place, earning an NCAA B cut in both events. The 100 fly finals saw Ferraro finish just ahead of Barone taking seventh-place at 46.05.
Pumputis registered a time of 52.10 in the 100 breast to finish sixth. Sophomore Daniel Kertesz (53.99) & freshman Justin Alderson (53.51) accompanied Pumputis in the 100 breast finals finishing in 16th-place and 20th-place each, respectively, with NCAA B cuts. Junior Clark Wakeland joined ÜNLÜ in the 200 free taking 20th-place at 1:36.19, which was good for an NCAA B cut, while freshman Jonathan Shaheen placed 23rd in the 400 IM finals coming in at 3:54.30.
Here’s how the team rankings look going into the final day:
- Louisville – 783 Points
- Virginia Tech – 767 Points
- NC State – 732 Points
- Virginia – 629 Points
- North Carolina – 545 Points
- Florida State – 502 Points
- GEORGIA TECH – 478 Points
- Notre Dame – 401 Points
- Pittsburgh – 266 Points
- Duke – 231 Points
- Boston College – 148 Points
- Miami (Fl.) – 120 Points
Day four will see Tech face the 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast, 200 fly and 400 free relay. The entirety of the 2021 ACC Championships will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra.
NOTE: ACC Network Extra (ACCNX) programming is available online via the ESPN app or WatchESPN.com. Viewers must subscribe to a cable/satellite/digital provider that carries the ACC Network to view ACCNX programming.
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