Tigers Off to Fast Start in ACC Championships

Feb. 20, 2008

The ACC Women’s Swimming Championship got underway on Wednesday night in Atlanta, with the Tigers in 10th place (28 points) after two events with 19 events to go. The 200 medley group took fifth, while the 800 free relay group was disqualified, despite finishing third.

Despite the disqualification, junior Michelle Parkhurst made arguably the most noise, swimming the first leg of the 800 free relay in 1:44.74, breaking the old ACC record of 1:44.78 set by former Clemson swimmer Mitzi Kremer.

The meet got underway with Virginia Tech winning the 200 medley relay in a pool record 1:40.17. The Tigers quartet of Ashley Clay, Katrina Obas, Alex Allen , and Lauren Sindall touched in at an NCAA-B 1:42.05 to take fifth (28 points).

The second and final event of the night, the 800 free relay, the Tigers’ group of Michelle Parkhurst, Cassy LaRussa, Summer O’Donnell, and Rachel Regone finished third in a would-be school-record 7:14.84. However, the Tigers were disqualified due to a false start.

However, Parkhurst’s 200 free lead-off time will count, and is thus an ACC record, pool record, ACC meet record, and NCAA-A mark. The time was the second fastest in the NCAA this year behind a 1:44.52 from Stanford’s Julia Smit. This is Parkhurst’s fourth school record as the holds the 100 back and 200 back, as well as the 200 free relay.

Virginia won the event in 7:09.29, downing the old ACC record by more than four seconds.

Competition resumes tomorrow with the 500 free, 200 IM, 50 free, women’s one-meter diving, and men’s three-meter diving.