There was controversy at the ACC Swimming and Diving Championships on Saturday, and two NC State swimmers were at the center of it. Owen Lloyd finished first in the 1650-yard freestyle, only to be disqualified and watch as his title was handed to Wolfpack teammate Ross Dant, according to Swim Swam.
Lloyd finished the 1650 freestyle in 14:37.04, and he watched as Dant finished just over two seconds later to finish in second place. Lloyd jumped and reached over the barrier to celebrate the one-two finish with his teammate, but officials ruled that Lloyd interfered with another swimmer before the race was over.
As a result, Lloyd was stripped of first place, and Dant was awarded the title. Lloyd looked dejected as he sat beside the pool, and Dant delivered a fiery defense of his teammate in an interview with the ACC Network.
NC State swimmer Owen Lloyd was disqualified after winning the 1650 free at yesterday’s ACC Championships.
— Cory Smith (@RCorySmith) February 26, 2024
Here’s Ross Dant, who finished second and was crowned the winner, sticking up for Lloyd. The violation for “interfering with another swimmer” is at the end. pic.twitter.com/Ix0cM9y1GJ
"I think that's the dumbest rule in swimming," Dant said. "Owen beat me fair and square. He should be on that podium. He was excited. That was a huge win for him. He earned that, and that's his emotion. That's what we get in the sport of swimming when we do well. We train all year for a moment like that, and to have him disqualified is the dumbest thing ever. He works so hard every day. He is gonna be on the No. 1 trophy. I am not going to stand up there."
League officials have not spoken out about the ruling, and Dant stands as the champion for now. However, as Swim Swam points out, there have been plenty of examples throughout the years of swimmers crossing lanes in celebration after winning a race.
