Comerford Leads Cardinals Through First Day of ACC/Big Ten Challenge

Saturday, November 10

West Lafayette, Ind.

5:00 p.m.

University of Louisville

ACC/BIG TEN CHALLENGE

Mallory Comerford races the 200 freestyle at the Ralph Wright Natatorium.

Comerford Leads Cardinals Through First Day of ACC/Big Ten Challenge

November 10, 2018 | Swimming & Diving

The Cards collected one A cut and seven B cuts.

By: Kylie Klotzbach

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Mallory Comerford posted the nation-leading time in the 100 freestyle to lead the University of Louisville and the ACC through the first night of competition at the inaugural ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Friday evening. Collectively, the Cardinals posted one NCAA A cut and seven NCAA B cuts.

After the first session at Purdue's Morgan J. Burke Aquatic Center, the Big Ten men hold a slight 85-82 edge over the ACC. The ACC women trail the Big Ten women 123-44.

The ACC 'A' 400 medley relay team featured three Cardinals as Elise Haan of NC State combined with Mariia Astashkina (59.29), Grace Oglesby (51.14) and Comerford (45.97) to finish second with a time of 3:28.30. Comerford's anchor split was over a full second faster than the next closest competitor.

On the men's side, Nicolas Albiero (46.07) and Andrej Barna (43.03) closed out the final two legs of the 400 medley relay to help the ACC 'B' relay team to a fourth place finish with a time of 3:08.56.

In one of the most anticipated matchups of the night between a pair of All-Americans, Comerford edged the Big Ten's Siobhan Haughey by just over a tenth of a second in the 100 free to win the event with a time of 46.96, surpassing her own nation-leading time and earning her second NCAA A cut of the season. In the men's race, Barna took eighth with a 44.69.

Alina Kendzior turned in a solid swim in the 200 back, placing fifth with an NCAA B cut time of 1:56.00. Albiero helped the ACC men to a 1-2 finish in the men's race, finishing just behind NC State's Andreas Vazaios (1:41.62) with a time of 1:41.70, an NCAA B cut and the third fastest time this year.

The Big Ten swept the 200 breast, led by NCAA champion and Olympic gold medalist Lilly King, but Astashkina was the top finisher for the ACC in fifth with another NCAA B cut time of 2:10.24. Evgenii Somov turned in his best performance of the season in the men's event, touching fourth in an NCAA B cut time of 1:57.55.

In the 100 fly, Oglesby took second, stopping the clock in an NCAA B cut time of 51.64. Zach Harting finished sixth in the men's race, touching the wall in time of 47.45.

Sophie Cattermole added another top finish for the ACC women in the 500 free as she posted an NCAA B cut time of 4:43.92 en route to a fourth place finish. Marcelo Acosta also took fourth in the 500 free, notching yet another NCAA B standard time of 4:18.09.

The Cardinals once again earned the top ACC finish as Molly Fears took fifth on the women's platform with an NCAA Zone qualifying score of 255.65.

Comerford closed out a successful evening with the fastest 200 split (1:41.89) in the 800 free relay as she joined forces with Morgan Hill (UVA), Abigail Dolan (1:44.49) and Paige Madden (1:47.46) help the ACC to a second place finish with a 7:00.43.

In the men's 800 free relay, Albiero (1:36.74) and Harting (1:36.22) combined with Samy Helmbacher (Pitt) and Marci Barta (ND) to lead the ACC 'B' relay team to a third place finish in the final event of the evening.

The final session of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge begins tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. at the Morgan J. Burke Aquatic Center.