Comerford Wins Third Straight NCAA Championship

Friday, March 22

Austin, Texas

All Day

University of Louisville

Women's NCAA Championships

Mallory Comerford wins the 200 free at NCAA Championships.

Photo by: Justin Casterline

March 22, 2019 | Swimming & Diving

Friday Finals Results Saturday Prelims Heat Sheets

Mallory Comerford won the 200 freestyle, becoming the first three-time champion in Louisville history.

By: Kylie Klotzbach

AUSTIN, Texas – Mallory Comerford won her third straight NCAA title in the 200 freestyle to lead the University of Louisville women's swimming and diving team through the third night of competition at the NCAA Championships, capturing the gold in a time of 1:40.26. With the victory, Comerford becomes the first three-time NCAA champion in a single event in program history.

The senior from Kalamazoo, Mich. is now a three-time NCAA Champion, nine-time individual All-American and 16-time relay All-American. The University of Louisville swimming and diving program also extends its streak of national champions to eight consecutive seasons.

Comerford won the 200 freestyle outright by nearly a full second at the 2018 NCAA Championships with the second fastest time in history (1:39.80) after tying Olympian Katie Ledecky for gold in 2017. At this year's championships, Comerford ran down the field over the final 25 yards to win by one-tenth of a second over Stanford freshman Taylor Ruck.

"What a day, I'm so proud of this group," said UofL head coach Arthur Albiero. "We battled hard this morning, put ourselves in a position for success, especially in the 200 medley relay. We were seeded 22nd, nowhere to be found, to qualify for the final and hold on for fifth overall was exciting. I'm proud of the group, and obviously Mallory. Winning a title never gets old. As a matter of fact, this is the eighth consecutive year winning an NCAA individual title. It says a lot about the program and the support we have that goes with it. We're going to get ready for the next races and we'll be ready to go for session six tomorrow."

Also competing in an individual A final for the Cards was junior Grace Oglesby, who finished eighth in the 100 fly in a time of 51.10 to earn All-American honors in the event for the second straight season.

Alina Kendzior finished fifth in the B final of the 100 back with a time of 51.72 to earn Honorable Mention All-American honors for the second straight season. The senior was just off her school record time of 51.71 and improved upon her finish from last year's championships by two spots.

In the final event of the evening, Kendzior (24.07), Kaylee Wheeler (26.90), Oglesby (22.86) and Lainey Visscher (21.74) finished fifth in the 200 medley relay, establishing the fourth fastest time in program history with 1:35.57.

The Cardinals enter the final day of competition in fourth place in the team race with 163 points behind California (328), Stanford (299.5) and Michigan (233).

The Cards will be back in action tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. ET for the final preliminary session at the NCAA Championships. The event lineup features the 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast, 200 fly, 400 free relay and platform diving.