Feb. 16, 2017
THE FLATS — Georgia Tech swimming and diving set a total of 17 school records over the four days of competition at the 2017 ACC Swimming & Diving Championships held at the McAuley Aquatic Center on the campus of Georgia Tech. The women’s team finished 10th overall with a total of 391 points for the championship meet.
The Yellow Jackets topped last year’s championship finish of 11th-place and 356 points.
“I am very proud of our team this week,” said head coach Courtney Shealy Hart. “We broke 17 school records. We moved up a place in the ACC. They have worked hard and it’s great to be able to see them accomplish their goals. I’m certainly looking forward to the men’s championships and then NCAAs and getting back to work and continuing to improve in our conference and continuing to reach all of our goals as a team.”
NC State claimed the ACC team title with a score of 1183.5 points, besting defending champion Virginia (1100.5), Louisville (1027) and North Carolina (980).
Virginia Tech rounded out the top five with 739 points, while Duke (725.5), Notre Dame (654.5), Florida State (625.5) and Pitt (428) finished in the top 10 in front of the Yellow Jackets.
The Yellow Jackets finished ahead of Miami (361.5), Boston College (152) and Clemson (144), who only fields a diving team.
Women’s Highlights
The Yellow Jackets got off to a great start in the prelims on the final day of the championships, as Iris Wang set another school record in the 100 free, while Maddie Paschal,Kira de Bruyn, Caroline Lee,Kaitlin Kitchens, Kristen Hepler,Laura Branton, Tamir Gonen Cohen,Chloe Miller, Emily Ilgenfritz and Sara al Khatib all etched their names in the top 10 of the Tech record books in a number of different events.
The trend continued into the finals where Wang reset the record in the 100 free, Branton registered a new school record in the 200 fly finals and the relay team of Wang, Ruiu, de Bruyn and Kitchens set a new record in the 400 free relay to close out the night and give the women’s team a clean sweep in breaking all five of the relay records this week.
Wang set another school record on Thursday morning in the 100 free prelims, as the sophomore finished in a tie for 10th overall with a new Tech record time of 48.73. Her time was also an NCAA `B’ qualifying time.
The sophomore went on to set the record again in the 100 free with a time of 48.63 in the `B’ finals to place 10th overall in the sprint event.
Tech’s Kitchens recorded the fourth-best time in school history and a 32nd-place finish in the 100 free with a time of 50.00 in the prelims, also a new career best mark for the junior, while junior Morgan Lyons finished 45th with her time of 51.59.
Paschal touched the wall 19th overall in the 200 back prelims with an NCAA `B’ qualifying time and career best mark of 1:58.42. The senior’s time is the second-best mark in the 200 back in school history.
Right on the heels of Paschal were a trio of Jackets in de Bruyn (1:58.68), Lee (1:59.00) and Alex Rieger (1:59.61). De Bruyn finished 21st overall, while Lee placed 23rd to also advance to the finals. De Bruyn’s time was the fifth-best mark in school history for the 200 back, while Lee’s ranks sixth overall in the top 10 record books.
Sara Gilbert also swam for the Jackets in the 200 back prelims, finishing with a time of 2:00.61.
In the 200 back finals, Lee turned in a career best time of 1:57.38, both an NCAA `B’ qualifying time and the second-best time in Tech history to finish 19th overall.
Fellow Jackets de Bruyn and Paschal placed 20th and 23rd overall with times of 1:57.96 and 1:59.42, respectively. De Bruyn’s time of 1:57.96 ranks as the third-best mark in school history in the 200 back and is an NCAA `B’ mark.
Co-captain Chiara Ruiu qualified for the `B’ finals of the 200 breast with an NCAA `B’ qualifying time of 2:13.02 in the prelims, while Helper placed 23rd to reach the `C’ finals of the 200 breast with a new career best time of 2:14.33, also an NCAA `B’ mark. Helper’s time is also the third-best in Tech history.
Ruiu went on to place 13th overall in the 200 breast finals with an NCAA `B’ time of 2:12.92.
In the 200 fly prelims, Tech had three swimmers earn a spot in the finals on Thursday night, while four total swimmers recorded times in the top 10 in the school record books.
Branton grabbed a spot in the `B’ finals of the 200 fly with an NCAA `B’ mark of 1:59.36 in the prelims. Her time is not only a new career best, but also is the third-best in school history.
The sophomore then topped her prelims time by almost a full two seconds, touching the wall in a new Tech record time of 1:57.47 to place 10th overall in the 200 fly event. The time was yet again another NCAA `B’ qualifying mark.
Both Gonen Cohen and Miller finished in the top 24 to earn spots in the finals of the 200 fly with career best times of 2:00.19 and 2:00.60, respectively. Just missing out on a spot in the finals was Ilgenfritz who touched the wall in 25th-place overall with her new career best mark of 2:00.80. Gonen Cohen, Miller and Ilgenfritz’ times rank fifth, sixth and seventh all-time in school history.
Both Gonen Cohen and Miller finished 22nd and 23rd overall in the 200 fly finals with times of 2:00.50 and 2:01.56, respectively, to score points for the Jackets.
Fellow freshman Maddie Oliver also turned in a time of 2:03.06 in the 200 fly prelims to place 29th overall.
Ilgenfritz wrote her name in Tech’s top 10 in in the 1650 free, as she recorded a team season-best and a career-best time of 16:45.41 to finish 15th overall in the prelims. Her time was also the third-best time in Tech history for the mile swim.
Fellow freshmen Gonen Cohen and Sara al Khatib also registered top 10 times in Tech history in the 1650 free. Gonen Cohen placed 20th overall with her time of 16:56.64, the fourth-best time in Tech history, while al Khatib touched the wall in 24th with a time of 17:01.67, the seventh-best time in the program record books. Both times were career-best marks for the first year Jackets.
In the platform prelims, senior Madison Young (188.25) and freshman Carly Doi (187.30) finished back-to-back in 22nd and 23rd overall to score for the Jackets, while fellow first-year Jacket Abbey Yates placed 37th with her score of 149.85.
To cap off the night, the 400 free relay team of Wang, Ruiu, de Bruyn and Kitchens touched the wall in a school record time of 3:18.41 to place eighth overall for the relay event.
Men’s Highlights
With the men’s diving part of the ACC Swimming & Diving Championships concluding on Thursday, the Yellow Jackets had two divers score team points with their top 20 finishes in the platform prelims.
Sophomore Matt Casillas placed 16th overall on the platform dive with a score of 261.15, while fellow classmate Nolan Mallet recorded a score of 259.15 in the prelims.
After the three diving events — the 1-meter and 3-meter springboard and the platform — the men’s team will enter the swimming portion of the swimming and diving championships in two weeks, Feb. 27 thru March 2, in eighth-place overall with 67 points.
Tech Tidbits
* The 400 free relay team of Wang, Ruiu, de Bruyn and Kitchens set a new Tech record with a time of 3:18.41.
* Iris Wang set a new school record in the 100 free prelims with her time of 48.73. Her time is also an NCAA `B’ qualifying time.
* Wang rewrote the 100 free record in the finals with a time of 48.63, another NCAA `B’ mark for the sophomore.
* Maddie Paschal recorded a new career-best mark of 1:58.42 in the 200 back prelims. Her time is also the second-best in school history for the 200 back and an NCAA `B’ mark.
* Kira de Bruyn registered a new career-best time of 1:58.68 in the 200 back prelims. Her time is the fifth-best mark in school history for the 200 back and an NCAA `B’ cut time.
* De Bruyn reset her new career-best time in the 200 back with an NCAA `B’ mark of 1:57.96, which also ranks third all-time in Tech history.
* Caroline Lee turned in a new career-best time of 1:59.00 in the 200 back prelims. Her time is the sixth-best time in school history for the 200 back and an NCAA `B’ qualifying time.
* Lee turned in a new career-best mark of 1:57.38 in the 200 back finals, an NCAA `B’ qualifying mark and the second-best time in school history.
* Kaitlin Kitchens posted the fourth-best time in Tech history in the 100 free with a time of 50.00 in the prelims. Her time is also a new career best.
* Chiara Ruiu recorded an NCAA `B’ cut time of 2:13.02 in the 200 breast prelims.
* Ruiu went on to register a second NCAA `B’ mark in the 200 breast finals with a time of 2:12.92 in the night session.
* Kristen Hepler registered the third-best time in Tech history in the 200 breast prelims with a new career best mark and an NCAA `B’ time of 2:14.33.
* Laura Branton turned in a career-best time of 1:59.36 in the 200 fly prelims, an NCAA `B’ qualifying time and the third-best time in school history.
* Branton recorded a new Tech record in the 200 fly finals with a time of 1:57.47. Her time is an NCAA `B’ cut and also a new career-best mark.
* Tamir Gonen Cohen posted a new career-best time of 2:00.19 in the 200 fly prelims, the fifth-best time in Tech history.
* Gonen Cohen also tallied a new career-best mark of 16:56.64 in the 1650 free, the fourth-fastest time in school history.
* Chloe Miller recorded the sixth-best time in school history in the 200 fly prelims with a new career-best time of 2:00.60.
* Emily Ilgenfritz registered a new career-best mark of 2:00.80 in the 200 fly prelims, the seventh-best time in the program’s history.
* Ilgenfritz also recorded a new career-best time of 16:45.41 in the 1650 free, a season-best time for Tech and also the third-best time in Tech history.
* Sara al Khatib touched the wall in a new career-best time of 17:01.67 in the 1650 free, the seventh-best time in the Yellow Jackets’ history.
Hear from Coach Hart following tonight’s competition. #ACCWSD pic.twitter.com/trwAG0xnRC
— Ga Tech Swim & Dive (@GTSwimDive) February 17, 2017
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