Prelims Results | Finals Results | Full Meet Results
GREENSBORO, North Carolina — No. 17 Notre Dame finished the 2021 ACC Championships tied for seventh place Saturday. The men were led by Jack Hoagland, who was named 2021 ACC Championships Most Valuable Swimmer after earning his third-consecutive ACC gold medal, Saturday’s coming in the 1650 Free. He had previously won championships this week in the 500 Free and the 400 IM.
Sophomore Hoagland is the first ACC swimmer to win three individual championships in the same year since 2018, when NC State’s Ryan Held and Anton Ipsen achieved the feat.
He is the first Irish male swimmer to earn the honor in the ACC, as women’s swimmer Emma Reaney was named ACC meet Most Valuable Swimmer in 2014.
“Jack worked incredibly hard this year, despite the obstacles,” head swim coach Mike Litzinger noted. “To pull that triple off is especially difficult because they’re distance-oriented events. When you’re not able to train over the summer, or have limited pool space over the holidays, to make that one happen was certainly something special.”
Also making noise on the day was junior Josh Bottelberghe, who set a new Notre Dame record in the 200 Breast with a 1:52.87, breaking the previous mark from 2015 (1:53.33, Zachary Stevens). Both he and Hoagland hope to lead the Irish selections to the NCAA Championship in Greensboro.
“Zach Stevens was a heck of an athlete, and it was a heck of a swim by Josh, and that’s an NCAA scoring swim, so we’re excited about that,” Litzinger added. “I think Tyler Christianson and Jack Fitzpatrick are looking pretty strong for the NCAAs as well, so we’ll see what the selections are. I think we’ve got a good crew of boys to go back to Greensboro.”
While the future for the rest of the season looks bright for Notre Dame, there were moments to reflect on the progress made during a season that, for all teams, seemed uncertain at times.
“I’m proud of our coaches – they did a great job,” the head coach expressed. “Mitch Dansky and Aaron Bell did a great job with Jack [Hoagland] this year as his primary coaches, so hats off to them.
“Now, it’s on to the next thing, and I’m very proud of our senior guys and the way that they led everybody through this whole season, because it was difficult. We made it through the ACC meet, and their leadership certainly showed.”
PRELIMS
To start off the morning, sophomore Fitzpatrick tied for 13th overall with a B-cut 1:43.03, a time which moved him up to fifth all-time in Irish records. Freshman Kaden Smesko followed in 18th with a B-cut 1:44.02, moving on to the C Final and becoming the seventh-fastest performer in program history. Senior Will Cumberland also made it to the C Final, placing 21st with a 1:44.51.
Senior Sadler McKeen also swam in the 200 Back prelim, clocking a 1:47.13 for 30th.
In the 100 Free, sophomores Cason Wilburn and Topher Stensby competed for the Irish and both earned berths in the C Final. Wilburn touched the wall in 43.75 for 20th (B cut), and Stensby posted a B-cut 43.78 for 21st. With his time, Stensby entered the program Top 10 rankings in the event in ninth.
Junior Bottelberghe made a statement in the 200 Breast prelim, claiming the top seed heading into finals. He posted a 1:53.34, moving him up to No. 2 in the program Top 10 rankings in the event, just .01 second off the Notre Dame record (1:53.33 by Zachary Stephens in 2015).
Freshman Christianson improved his own fourth-ranked time in Irish records, touching the wall in a B-cut 1:54.56 for 10th. Fellow freshman Sean Faikish qualified for the C Final, clocking a 1:57.75 (B Cut) to place 18th, also placing ninth all-time among Irish swimmers. Senior JP Becker made his first-career ACC final, posting a 1:59.03 to place 23rd.
Finally, in the 200 Fly, junior Zach Smith led the way with a B-cut 1:45.02 to place 13th and earn a spot in the B Final. Junior Max Miranda posted a 1:46.28 (B cut) for 17th and the top seed in the C Final.
Senior Brendan Santana narrowly missed finals, touching the wall in 1:47.01 for 25th, and sophomore Charles Korndorffer placed 31st with a 1:49.12.
FINALS
The evening session began with the 1650 Free race, as Hoagland claimed his third title of the week with the 14:31.83 swim, an NCAA A cut. He also improved his time as the second-fastest performer in program history.
Freshman Liam Smith also made his mark, placing seventh in the 1650 Free with a 15:08.60 (B cut), ranking fifth all-time in Notre Dame records. Sophomore Liam Hutchinson placed 13th with a B-cut 15:16.95, and sophomore Thacher Scannell placed 30th with a 15:34.76.
Continuing in the 200 Back, Fitzpatrick led the Irish in 10th with a 1:42.25 (B Cut), also improving on his morning time and moving into third in program records. Smesko posted a 1:44.30 (B cut) for 19th, while Cumberland placed 23rd with a 1:45.17.
In the 100 Free final, Wilburn turned in a 20th-place 43.56 (B cut), and Stensby posted a 43.93 for 23rd. Wilburn improved his time as seventh-fastest all-time in the event in Irish records.
Bottelberghe’s record came in the 200 Breast, clocking a 1:52.87, improving on his morning time and placing fourth overall. Christianson placed 11th with a B-cut 1:54.32, improving his No. 4 time in program records, while Faikish placed 19th with a B-cut 1:57.32, moving up to seventh place all-time in Notre Dame history. Becker rounded it out in 22nd with a 1:58.62.
Becker, a senior captain, made a notable mark in his first-ever trip to the ACC Championships.
“What a way to finish off your senior year,” Litzinger noted. “If I could describe JP at all, it is ‘stick-to-it-iveness.’ He struggled his first couple years with us, and all of a sudden, he finds himself in one of the fastest meets in the country and finds a way to get his hand on the wall to score some points for the team. You couldn’t script a better ending.”
In the 200 Fly, Zach Smith placed 13th with a B-cut 1:45.40, and Miranda came in 23rd at 1:46.81.
To finish the night, the team of Stensby, Wilburn, Santana and McKeen combined for seventh place in the 400 Free Relay, clocking a 2:53.15.
UP NEXT
The Irish swimmers will await selections to the NCAA Championships, which will be held back in Greensboro (women: March 17-21, men: March 24-27). The Notre Dame divers will set their sights on the Zone meet, which is scheduled to take place March 12-14.
STANDINGS
1.Louisville – 1181 points
2. NC State – 1179
3. Virginia Tech – 1085
4. Virginia – 921
5. Florida State – 740
6. North Carolina – 729
T-7. Notre Dame – 639
T-7. Georgia Tech – 639
9. Pitt – 453
10. Duke – 341
11. Miami – 207
12. Boston College -180