By Madeline Folsom on SwimSwam
Atlantic Coast Conference Championships
Dates: Diving: Sunday, February 15–Tuesday, February 17 Swimming: Tuesday, February 17–Saturday, February 21 Location: McAuley Aquatic Center, Atlanta, GA Defending champions: UVA women (6x); Cal men (1x) Live Results Live Video: ESPN+ ($) Schedule of Events (PDF) Championship Central Pre-Scratch Psych Sheet Teams: Boston College, Cal, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami (women swimming & diving/men diving), NC State, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, SMU, Stanford, Virginia, Virginia TechEvent Schedule
Sunday
Men’s 1-Meter Women’s 3-MeterMonday
Women’s 1-Meter Men’s 3-MeterTuesday
Platform 200 Medley Relay 800 Free RelayWednesday
200 Free Relay 500 Free 200 IM 50 FreeThursday
400 IM 100 Fly 200 FreeFriday
200 Fly 100 Back 100 Breast 400 Medley RelaySaturday
200 Back 100 Free 200 Breast 1650 Free 400 Free Relay2025 Final Standings
Virginia – 1451.5 Stanford – 1141 Louisville – 935.5 Cal – 864 NC State – 787.5 North Carolina – 781.5 Florida State – 467 Pitt – 462 Virginia Tech – 411.5 Miami – 387 Duke – 376 Notre Dame – 275 Georgia Tech – 184 SMU – 183.5 Boston College – 103The 2025 ACC Championships saw the addition of a few major programs from the collapse of the PAC-12. Stanford and Cal finished 2nd and 4th in their first year in the conference, and Virginia continued to reign supreme as they picked up their 6th straight title by more than 300 points over Stanford.
Despite graduating some of their top swimmers after the 2024 Championships, the UVA women are primed to pick up 7 straight at this year’s meet as they maintain their position as the top women’s program in the NCAA.
While UVA looks like the favorite, the meet is shaping up to be far closer than 300 points between the top two teams. UVA’s smallest margin of victory stands at 71.5 points from their 2022 title, but it could be closer in 2026.
Stanford is looking like a clear pick for 2nd place with their performances this season, but Louisville, Cal, and NC State will all be trying to move up into better positions after their 3rd, 4th, and 5th place finishes in 2025.
Swimmers to Watch
Boston College — Emma McNulty (Senior – distance free), Olivia Brown (Sophomore – fly), Lauren Lee (Sophomore – sprint free), Chloe Otten (sophomore – distance/fly/IM)
The Eagles had one individual point from last year’s meet courtesy of now graduated Samantha Smith and her 24th place finish in the 200 fly. At this year’s meet, their relays are currently their best chances for points, but they have some athletes who could move into scoring position.
Senior Emma McNulty finished 34th in the 1650 free last year, swimming 17:35.55. She has a lifetime best of 16:54.57 from March of 2021 which would put the Eagles in strong position in the event. She currently ranks 43rd in the conference at 17:45.47
There are also a few sophomores who were not far out of scoring position last year and are leading the team in a few events. Butterflyer Olivia Brown was 38th in the 200 fly with her 2:03.35. Her best was set at 2:01.88 in January of last year, which sits just outside a scoring spot.
Lauren Lee and Chloe Otten both have a few team leading swim coming in as the top 100 and 200 freestyler and Otten sits in 1st or 2nd in the distance free events, 200 fly, and 400 IM.
Cal Berkeley — Mary-Ambre Moluh (Sophomore – free/back), Mia West (Sophomore – free/back/fly/IM), Claire Weinstein (Freshman – free), Teagan O’Dell (Freshman – back/IM), Ella Cosgrove (Freshman – distance free)
The Golden Bears were 4th last year, and their team only seems to be stronger this year with their exceptional freshman class helping boost the program
Starting with the returning swimmers, they have the number one scorer from last season, Mary-Ambre Moluh coming back after racking up 73 points in 2025. This year, she ranks 11th in the 50 free (21.79), 8th in the 100 free (47.43), and 6th in the 100 back (50.61). Her 100 free is faster than it was at this point last season and her 50 free and 100 back are just off (21.57/49.68). She will likely be a huge scorer for Cal and will have huge relay duties.
Mia West is also a returner for Cal, but her point potential has skyrocketed from last year. In 2025, she scored 25 points for the team with one ‘B’ finals swim and two ‘A’ finals swims. She has had an exceptional season, setting numerous best times and currently sits in the top-8 in the conference in the 100 free (5th – 47.22), 200 free (3rd – 1:41.74), 500 free (8th – 4:39.75), 100 back (7th – 50.78), 100 fly (7th – 51.12), 200 fly (5th – 1:53.32), 200 IM (6th – 1:54.77), and 400 IM (8th – 4:04.91). It is not clear what West will swim this year, but whatever it is, she will be a huge ‘A’ finals threat whenever she gets on the blocks and could be looking at 60+ points.
Moving onto the freshmen, Claire Weinstein has the top time in the 1650 in the ACC (15:52.28), the 2nd fastest time in the 500 free (4:24.81), and the 5th fastest time in the 200 free (1:42.13), where she is a World Champs medalist. It would be shocking if she doesn’t earn three top-8 finishes for Cal and she will probably find herself in the 70 point range. It is also not outside the realm of possibility that she wins all three of her events.
Teagan O’Dell, and Ella Cosgrove are also freshmen who have multiple ‘A’ final event potential. O’Dell is a major backstroke/IM contender at 4th in the 100 back (50.51), 6th in the 200 back (1:51.13), and 2nd in the 200 IM (1:53.19). Cosgrove is a distance freestyler who is 7th in the 500 (4:39.26), and 6th in the 1650 (16:13.97).
Duke — Kaelyn Gridley (Senior – breast), Ali Pfaff (Junior – back), Tatum Wall (Senior – free/fly)
Duke will likely have a similar distribution of scorers to the 2025 Championships. They return their top five individual swimming scorers from last year, and all seem poised to have similar performances. Kaelyn Gridley was the ACC Champion in the 100 breast last year, and she is back this year, though the competition in the breaststroke events has gotten stronger. She currently ranks 7th in the conference at 58.46. Her best event at the Championships will likely be the 200 breast, where she sits in a comfortable 2nd place position, more than a second faster than Virginia’s Aimee Canny in 3rd. She will likely not catch Lucy Bell for 1st place, but will rack up significant points for the Blue Devils.
Duke also has school record holder Ali Pfaff in the backstroke events. Pfaff is ranked 9th in the 100 at 51.06, which is her personal best time, and 8th in the 200 with her 1:51.99. Her 200 back time is about half-a-second off her best of 1:51.55 from November of 2024.
Their final 20+ point scorer was Tatum Wall, who earned an 8th place finish in the 50 free and a 12th place finish in the 100 free last year. This year, she sits in the same spots, tied for 8th in the 50 free and at 12th in the 100. Making the ‘A’ final in both events is going to be a hard feat for all the swimmers with the depth in the ACC, but if Wall is in peak form, she should easily score in both events. She also currently sits in 16th in the 100 fly, and adding a 3rd scoring event would help Duke significantly in their hunt to pass Miami.
Florida State — Julia Mansson (Senior – breast), Julia Brzozowski (Senior – distance free), Liberty Horter (Freshman – distance free), Kayleigh Clark (GS — diving)
The Seminoles are coming off a very strong 2025 season that saw them finish 7th in the conference. Their only 20+ swimming point scorer returning from last season is senior Julia Mansson, who earned ‘B’ finals swims in both breaststroke events. Mansson currently sits in 18th in the 100 at 1:00.17 and 19th in the 200 with her 2:10.50. Her 100 breast is slightly off her personal best 59.97 while her 200 breast is about a second off the 2:09.68 best time she set in October of 2022.
Julia Brozozowski is their next highest returning point scorer after she brought in 13 points for her 14th place finish in the mile last season. This season, she sits in 19th with the 16:47.60 she swam at the UGA Fall Invite, which is about 13 seconds off the 16:24.82 she swam at last year’s ACCs. French freshman Liberty-Belle Horter is another potential point scorer in the mile. She currently ranks 30th with the 16:49.10 she swam at the UGA Fall Invite, but she does not have a ton of experience in the SCY 1650, and could have a significant drop when she shaves and tapers the event.
Florida State’s biggest point scorer will likely be redshirt grad-student Kayleigh Clark. Last year, Clark had the highest point total for Florida State, bringing in 52 points after finishing 18th on the 1 meter, 7th on the 3 meter, and 8th on the platform.
Georgia Tech — Phoebe Wright (Senior – back), Nina Stanisavljevic (Sophomore – free), Vivien Rothwell (Junior – back)
In 2025, the Yellowjackets picked up the 13th place finish at ACCs, coming in just half-a-point ahead of the newcomer SMU women’s team. They lost a few of their top point scorers, including diver Anna Bradescu, who was the only athlete to score double digit points.
Junior Sabyne Brisson brought in 9 points at last year’s ACC Championships, but, while she still appears on the roster, she has not swum a meet for the Yellowjackets this season. After her, senior Phoebe Wright scored 6 points with a 19th place finish in the 200 backstroke. She currently sits in 20th this season at 1:53.93, and will be looking to move up in placement, sitting just seven tenths out of ‘B’ finals position of 1:53.46.
Nina Stanisavljevic brought in 3 points in 2025 after finishing 24th in the 50 free and 23rd in the 100. She currently sits just outside of scoring at 26th in the 50 with her 22.31. This is three tenths faster than she swam last season, and she will likely end up in the top 24 due to people ahead of her swimming in other events. She is 48th in the 100 at 49.29, three tenths off the 49.97 she swam last season.
Vivien Rothwell did not score any points last year, but she will come into the meet in scoring position in the 100 backstroke, ranking 24th in the ACC.
Louisville — Anastasia Gorbenko (Freshman – free/breast/IM), Daria Golovaty (Sophomore – distance free), Caroline Larsen (Sophomore – free), Julia Dennis (Senior – free)
The top of the leaderboard behind Virginia and Stanford is shaping up to be a tight battle between a few different teams, and Louisville is definitely in the mix. At the midseason break, they received all-arounder Anastasia Gorbenko from Israel, and she has made a huge impact on the team in just a few meets. She currently ranks in the top 8 in the 200 free (7th), 100 breast (T-2nd), 200 breast (4th), and 200 IM (3rd). It is looking like she will race both breaststrokes and the 200 IM, and she will be a near lock for the ‘A’ final in all three events. She will also have huge relay duties for the Cardinals, with strong freestyle splits in the few meets she has swum.
Outside of Gorbenko, where Louisville thrives is the freestyle events. Daria Golovaty, Caroline Larsen, and Julia Dennis all brought in more than 50 points last season with Larsen being the only swimmer who swam a non-free event.
Golovaty scored 58 points with a 7th in the 200 free, 9th in the 500, and 12th in the 1650. She currently sits 12th in the 200 at 1:43.52, which is nearly a second faster than the 1:44.34 she swam at last year’s ACCs. She is 12th in the 500 free (4:40.88) and has not raced the 1650 this season. Freshman Thilda Hall ranks ahead of her in both at 6th in the 500 (4:38.91) and 5th in the 1650 (16:10.35). In the mile, Louisville also has Leticia Fassina Romao ranked 3rd at 15:56.88.
Dennis has the 3rd fastest time in the 50 free (21.21) with Caroline Larsen coming in tied for 8th (21.70), and freshman Julie Mishler at 14th (21.83). In the 100 free, Dennis and Larsen are tied at 6th in the ACC (47.38) while Mishler sits back in 11th (47.61). Other potential major point scorers include Mia Cheatwood (breast/IM), Summer Cardwell (distance free), and Ella Welch (free/fly)
Miami — Chiara Pellacani (Senior – diver), Ashlyn Massey (Sophomore – fly), Isabelle Videment (Freshman – free), Ines Mahmoudi (Freshman – free), Savannah Barr (Senior – free)
Undoubtedly the biggest point scorer for the Miami Hurricanes will be senior diver Chiara Pellacani. After bringing in 59 points last year, Pellacani is back this season, and she will be major in the point totals.
Sophomore Ashlyn Massey is their highest swimming point scorer to return this year, bringing in 15 points with her 23rd place finish in the 100 fly and 14th place finish in the 200 fly last year. This year, she is ranked 25th in the 100 fly and will likely earn a ‘C’ finals position in the event. In the 200, she sits 16th and will be fighting to pick up a ‘B’ finals swim for the 2nd year in a row. Massey is also the 2nd fastest 200 freestyler on the Miami team (1:47.17) and will likely swim a number of relays for the Hurricanes.
Freshman Isabelle Videment has the fastest time in the 50 (22.78) and the 2nd fastest time in the 100 (50.13) and she could have strong swims to move into scoring position, and will be huge on relays along with fellow freshman Ines Mahmoudi and senior Savannah Barr. Mahmoudi has the fastest 100 free time on the team (49.86) while Barr has the fastest 200 free time (1:47.03).
Sophomore Marissa Inouye scored 9 points for the team last year in the distance freestyle events, but she has not competed this season despite appearing on the Miami roster.
NC State — Eneli Jefimova (Freshman – breast), Leah Shackley (Sophomore – back/fly), Erika Pelaez (Sophomore – back/free), Kennedy Noble (Senior – back/IM)
Another one of the teams that will be in contention for a top-three spot in the conference is the NC State Wolfpack. They were 5th last year, coming in almost 150 points behind Louisville.
This year, they have filled one of their crucial gaps in the breaststroke events thanks to freshman Eneli Jefimova, who currently sits tied for 2nd in the country this season with Louisville’s Gorbenko, and her 200 breast time is 6th (2:07.15). The 3rd-6th ranked swimmers have just over half-a-second between them and it will be a tight race for the bronze, but Jefimova is a solid ‘A’ finalist in the event.
The Wolfpack also has their sophomore duo of Leah Shackley and Erika Pelaez. Shackley was their highest point scorer last season, earning 81 points. This season, she ranks 2nd in the 100 back (50.09), 3rd in the 200 back (1:49.67), and 5th in the 100 fly (50.90). Her 100 backstroke was a new personal best, but she still has some time to drop in the 200 back and 100 fly. If she swims her best times at ACCs, she would finish 2nd in the 200 back and 3rd in the 100 fly.
Pelaez scored 76 points, and so far this season, she is ranked 3rd in the 100 back (50.44), 2nd in the 200 back (1:49.18), and 15th in the 200 free (1:44.03).
Finally, Kennedy Noble is in her senior year with the Wolfpack and she is coming off two eighth place finishes in the 100 and 200 back last season. She is currently the fastest 200 IMer on the NC State team with the 1:56.85 she swam at the Raleigh Rumble, which is more than two seconds faster than she swam in the event at last year’s ACC Championships. She also sits 11th in the 100 back (51.52) and 10th in the 200 back (1:52.13)
North Carolina — Lanie Gutch (Sophomore – diver), Sofia Knight (Sophomore – diver), Eliana Joyce (Junior – diver), Mary Macaulay (Junior – fly/IM), Taylor Bloom (Junior – fly), Sophie Frei (Junior – back), Emma Karam (Senior -Back)
The Tar Heels lost a few major scorers last year with the graduations of Aranza Vasquez and Skyler Smith. They will have sophomore divers Lanie Gutch and Sofia Knight and junior diver Eliana Joyce return this year after scoring 189 points combined at last year’s ACC Championships.
Mary Macaulay is their highest returning swimming point scorer, bringing in 33 points in 2025 after finishing 9th in the 200 IM, 16th in the 400 IM, and 23rd in the 200 fly. Right now she is ranked 19th in the 200 fly (1:56.17), 16th in the 200 IM (1:57.17), and 13th in the 400 IM (4:08.08), putting her in position to score in all three events again this season.
Sophia Frei and Emma Karam are both potential scorers in the backstroke events. Frei is ranked 20th in the 100 (52.06) and 14th in the 200 (1:52.63), while Karam is 17th in the 100 (51.88) and 15th in the 200 (1:52.83).
Taylor Bloom scored 22 points in 2025 after earning an 8th place finish in the 200 fly. This year, she is ranked 12th in 1:55.19.
Notre Dame — Carli Cronk (Sophomore – fly/IM), Lainey Mullins (Junior – free/fly/IM), Hollie Widdows (Sophomore – free), Emily Hamill (Freshman – back)
Sophomore Carli Cronk is likely to be Notre Dame’s biggest point scorer again this season. She currently ranks 13th in the 200 fly (1:55.28) and 19th in the 400 IM (4:08.80). Last year, she picked up 43 points after finishing 17th in the 500 free, 9th in the 400 IM, and 13th in the 200 fly.
Lainey Mullins is ranked 25th in the 500 free (4:44.78) and is a strong finals contender. She scored in the 400 IM and 200 fly at last year’s meet, finishing 20th and 19th respectively, but this year she sits in 32nd in the 400 IM (4:15.09) and 200 fly (1:57.36). She could still end up in scoring position, but she will likely need very strong swims in both.
Sophomore Hollie Widdows did not score any points at last year’s meet, and she will be hoping to change that this year for the Fighting Irish. Her 50 free time of 22.45 from the Miami Invite ranked 32nd in the ACC while her 100 free time of 48.24 sits in scoring position at 23rd.
Freshman Emily Hamill also sits in scoring position, currently ranked 19th in the 200 back, at 1:53.91.
Pitt — Sydney Gring (Junior – back/fly/IM), Claire Jansen (Senior – back), Avery Kudlac (Junior – free), Kimmy Shannon (Sophomore – back/IM
Last year, Pitt had a very strong performance at the ACC Championships. They graduated top point scorer Sophie Yendell, who brought in 49 points with two top-8 finishes, but junior Sydney Gring is back this year after scoring 48 points. Gring did not earn any ‘A’ finals swims last year, but she finished 10th in the 200 IM , 10th in the 100 fly, and 13th in the 100 back.
This season, she ranks 12th in the 100 fly, 17th in the 200 IM, and 21st in the 100 back. She will be hoping to earn an ‘A’ finals swim in the 100 fly, coming in at 51.48, two tenths behind 8th ranked Annie Jia’s 51.23. She is also ranked 18th in the 200 fly, and could change up her schedule this year for the 200 fly over the 100 back.
Senior Claire Jansen is seeded 8th in the 100 back at 51.03 and 4th in the 200 back at 1:50.47, which was a huge lifetime best time for her. Jansen will be fighting to earn two ‘A’ finals races in the backstroke events, and her relay contributions will also be huge as backstroker on the medleys.
Junior Avery Kudlac scored 9 points last year, and this year, she is already in scoring position in the 100 free, ranked 24th with her 48.28. She is also 28th in the 50 free (22.35) and 43rd in the 200 free (1:46.42).
Sophomore Kimmy Shannon will be hoping to improve her point total this year. After scoring 19 points as a freshman following a 10th place finish in the 400 IM and a 23rd place finish in the 200 back, she is coming into the meet this season as the 9th ranked 400 IMer (4:06.18), the 24th ranked swimmer in the 200 back (1:54.71), and the 26th ranked swimmer in the 200 IM (1:58.25).
Southern Methodist — Maddy Parker (Junior – free), AnneMarie Vlaic (Freshman – fly), Jimena Leal (Senior – back/IM)
The Mustangs swam their first ACC conference meet last year, finishing 14th, coming in just half-a-point behind Georgia Tech. They lost their top point scorer in diver Jaclynn Fowler, but they retained junior Maddy Parker, their top swimming point scorer. She is coming into the meet at 20th in the 50 free (22.10) and 22nd in the 100 free (48.23). Last year, she finished 20th in the 50 (22.32) and 17th in the 100 (48.36). She will be hoping to convert one of those swims into a ‘B’ finals race this year, and she will also have massive relay duties for the Mustangs.
AnneMarie Vlaic has made an immediate impact as a freshman at SMU, and is a potential scorer at her first ACCs. She is coming into the meet ranked 23rd in the 200 fly with the 1:56.40 she swam at the SMU Invite, which was a new lifetime best swim for her. She is also ranked 43rd in the 100 fly (53.38) and a large drop could move her up there as well.
Senior Jimena Leal is another potential point scorer. She is coming into the meet ranked 27th in the 200 backstroke (1:55.27) with a number of swimmers ahead of her not likely to race the event at ACCs. She was 32nd in the event last year, so she will be trying to earn her first career ACC points this year.
Stanford — Torri Huske (Senior – free/fly/IM), Caroline Bricker (Junior – breast/fly/IM), Lucy Bell (Senior – breast/IM), Annam Olaswere (Freshman – free), Anna Lemkin (Sophomore – diver)
Just like last year, the reigning ACC and NCAA runner-up Stanford has an absolutely stacked roster.
Torri Huske scored 92 points at last year’s meet, and this year, she is looking to make it a perfect 96. It is not clear what Huske will swim yet, but she currently leads the ACC in the 50 free (21.01), and 100 fly (48.90), and she is 2nd in the 100 free (46.15) and 7th in the 200 IM (1:55.13). Her 200 IM time is a little more than five seconds off her best of 1:49.67 from the NCAA Championships, which would be the top time in the conference by three seconds.
Caroline Bricker and Lucy Bell both scored huge points last year as well, with Bricker bringing in 84 points and Bell scoring 80. This season, Bricker, the 2025 NCAA Champion in the 400 IM, has posted the top time in the 400 IM (3:59.70) with Bell coming in just behind her in 2nd (4:01.13). She also sits 3rd in the 200 fly (1:52.77), 7th in the 200 breast (2:07.87), and 8th in the 200 IM (1:55.31).
Bell is the reigning NCAA Champion in the 200 breaststroke, and this year she has added the 100 breast to her repertoire. She will also be shooting for a perfect 96 points at the ACC Championships as she leads the conference in the 100 breast (57.60), 200 breast (2:03.72), and 200 IM (1:52.50).
The whole Stanford roster is scoring threats this year, but a new member to the roster is freshman Annam Olasewere, who is currently ranked 6th in the 50 free (21.51), and the 9th in the 100 free (47.54). She fills a big gap in the Stanford program that didn’t have any swimmers in the ‘A’ or ‘B’ final of the 50 free last year after Huske opted for the 200 IM.
Other huge names to watch are Gigi Johnson and Emily Thompson on the swimming side. Thompson scored 71 points last year in the IM events and the 200 fly, earning ‘A’ finals swims in all three, and Johnson scored 31 last year, but has had a strong season and sits in 3rd in the 100 fly (50.51), 10th in the 100 free (47.57), and 16th in the 50 free (21.99).
Stanford also has 53-point diver Anna Lemkin as the reigning conference champion in the platform along with Emilie Moore, who scored 34 points, and freshman diver Ellie Cole, who could all bring in major points for the Cardinal.
University of Virginia — Claire Curzan (Junior – free/back/fly), Sara Curtis (Freshman – free/back/fly), Anna Moesch (Sophomore – free), Aimmee Canny (Senior – breast), Emma Weber (Senior – breast)
The UVA women are somehow more stacked than the Stanford women, and their depth is particularly impressive.
Claire Curzan is another athlete hoping for a perfect 96 points this year. She currently holds the top times in the conference in the 100 back (49.12), 200 back (1:47.89), and 200 fly (1:51.35), and she sits in 2nd in the 100 fly (49.13), and 5th in the 50 free (21.48). Last year, she swam the 50 free, 100 fly, and 200 back at the conference meet, but any combination of the five events above is possible.
Freshman Sara Curtis has exploded while swimming for the Cavaliers, and currently sits in 2nd in the nation in the 50 free (21.18), 3rd in the 100 free (46.62), 5th in the 100 back (50.56), and 4th in the 100 fly (50.68). She has steep competition both on her team and from other teams in all four events, but she will be a major point scorer as a near lock for three ‘A’ finals swims.
One of the biggest stories out of Virginia this year has been Anna Moesch. She was excellent for the Cavaliers as a freshman picking up 68 points at ACCs, but she has soared to new heights this year, and is not only the ACC favorite, but one of the NCAA favorites in a few events. She has the top time in the ACC in the 100 free at 45.98, which is faster than Huske’s lifetime best of 46.01, and makes her the 5th fastest performer in history. She also leads the ACC in the 200 freestyle with the 1:40.25 she swam at the CSCAA Dual Meet Tournament making her the 4th fastest performer in history. She also ranks 4th in the 50 free (21.44). If Moesch can replicate these performances, she could be one of the top swimmers at the meet.
Aimee Canny and Emma Weber will headline the breaststroke races for UVA with Weber seeded 4th in the 100 (57.96) and Canny seeded 6th (58.30). In the 200, Canny is seeded 3rd (2:06.54) and Weber is seeded 7th (2:07.87).
Every UVA swimmer could be on this list, but Leah Hayes, Tess Howley, and Cavan Gormsen all also hold multiple top-8 times in the conference.
Virginia Tech — Carmen Weiler Sastre (Senior – free/back), Emily Claesson (Senior – free/fly ), Athena Meneses Kovacs (Junior – fly), Bengisu Caymaz (Junior – distance free) Kate Anderson (Junior – distance free)
Virginia Tech will return their 2025 top scorer Carmen Weiler Sastre. The senior is faster than she was at this point last season in the 200 free and 100 back, but she is ranked similarly to last year when she finished 9th in the 200 free, 6th in the 100 back, and 5th in the 200 back. She will come into the meet ranked 22nd in the 200 free (1:44.49), 12th in the 100 back (51.59), and 13th in the 200 back (1:52.54). She will be hoping to earn her way back into at least two ‘A’ finals this year, even as the 200 free has become more competitive.
Emily Claesson is another potential scorer. Last year, she brought in 11 points in the 100 free, and this year she is coming in as the 34th rank in the 50 free (22.47), the 30th seed in the 100 (48.45), and the 32nd seed in the 100 fly (52.92), which could easily become scoring swims with athletes not swimming events or drops on Claesson’s part.
Athena Meneses Kovacs didn’t score any points at last year’s meet, but she seems to be on the precipice of scoring position in a number of events this year. She comes in ranked 26th in the 100 fly (52.59), which could put her into scoring position once entries are final.
Finally, we have distance swimmers Bengisu Caymaz and Kate Anderson. Caymaz is the only Hokie currently ranked in the top 8 in an event with her 16:22.78 in the mile coming in at exactly 8th in the conference, and Anderson sits in 15th at 16:30.27.
Races to Watch
100 Breast – The women’s 100 breaststroke has been fast this season, particularly in the ACC. Last year, Duke’s Kaelyn Gridley won the event in 58.23, which was about a tenth off her best time, and was four hundredths faster than UVA’s Emma Weber, who swam 58.27 for 2nd. This season, five swimmers have already been under that winning mark with four of them swimming sub-58 seconds. Lucy Bell has the top seed at 57.60, but just seven hundredths behind her Louisville’s Anastasia Gorbenko and NC State’s Eneli Jefimova are tied at 57.67. After them, we have Emma Weber (57.96), Silje Slyngstadli (58.21), Aimee Canny (58.30) and Gridley (58.46). While she is seeded 7th, Gridley has been 58.14, and she will be looking to repeat as champion this year, potentially dipping under 57 seconds for the first time.
200 free – While UVA’s Anna Moesch seems to be the clear favorite for the win in the 200 free, the spots from 2nd to 5th come in just half-a-second separated, and in those top five is SCM American Record holder Claire Weinstein. Moesch holds the lead at 1:40.25, nearly a second-and-a-half ahead of UVA teammate Madi Mintenko, who is 2nd at 1:41.70. Mintenko is followed by Mia West (1:41.74), Aimee Canny (1:41.85), and Weinstein (1:42.13). If anyone makes the leap to Moesch’s 1:40.25, Weinstein would be one of the least surprising. The race will be a preview of what we can expect to see at NCAAs, where there have already been eight swimmers under 1:42 this season.
50 free – The UVA women’s team has one of the strongest women’s sprint freestyle groups we have seen in a long time. They have four swimmers in the top eight this season and two more in the top 16. Leading the whole field is Stanford’s Torri Huske, who may or may not swim the event at ACCs. She historically races the 200 IM, but she could pick up wins in either event at both the ACC and NCAA level. She sits at 21.01, a little under two tenths ahead of UVA freshman Sara Curtis, who has been 21.18 this season. They are followed extremely closely by Julia Dennis (21.21), Anna Moesch (12.44), Claire Curzan (21.48), Annam Olasewere (21.51), and Bryn Greenwaldt (21.51) in the top 8. The 50 free is always one of the closest races, and with Gretchen Walsh’s graduation, this will be the first time there is a new champion in the event since the 2022 championships when Kate Douglass won.
SwimSwam Picks
Virginia Stanford Louisville Cal NC State UNC Duke Pitt Virginia Tech Florida State Miami Georgia Tech Notre Dame SMU Boston CollegeIt doesn’t seem like 2026 will bring an end to Virginia’s reign at the top of the ACC, their depth and top end speed look like too much to eclipse on paper, though crazier things have happened.
If any team is going to take down the six-time champion Cavalier women, it’s the Stanford Cardinal. They have had an exceptional season, and they just seem to be getting faster. With Stanford just joining the ACC last year, we could be seeing the beginning of a huge rivalry on the women’s side.
Louisville, Cal, and NC State could organize themselves in any way, but have separated themselves as a dominant top five. Louisville adding Gorbenko will be huge for the team next week, and since she hasn’t swum a shave and taper meet for the Cardinals yet, we can expect to see some drops from her. The Louisville relays will also pull a ton of point scoring weight, which is what gave them the edge for 3rd.
Cal has some exceptional swimmers, but many of their top athletes are freshmen which makes it hard to predict how they will perform at an NCAA conference meet. Cal also historically does not execute a full taper, particularly for their top swimmers who are practically locked into the NCAA Championships, so they could drop below NC State in the ACC rankings.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: 2026 ACC Women’s Fan Guide: Cavaliers Aiming For Seventh Straight
Hence then, the article about 2026 acc women s fan guide cavaliers aiming for seventh straight was published today ( ) and is available on swimswam ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( 2026 ACC Women’s Fan Guide: Cavaliers Aiming For Seventh Straight )
Also on site :