The ACC will benefit from three new schools joining its ranks this fall, but their attempt to take credit for one of them on Wednesday rubbed some people the wrong way.
The ACC is set to add Cal, SMU, and Stanford to its ranks for fall competition, so the conference’s social media account sensed an opportunity when Katie Ledecky set an Olympic record with her dominant win in the women’s 1500 meters. Ledecky won two NCAA titles with Stanford when the Cardinal were still members of the Pac-12, but that did not stop the ACC from trying to take credit for Wednesday’s achievement.
𝐎𝐋𝐘𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐂 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐃 🚨
Ledecky bringing home the 🥇#AccomplishGreatness x #OlympiansMadeHere pic.twitter.com/GjdiTz9wiQ
— The ACC (@theACC) July 31, 2024
This did not exactly go over well. Ledecky has no ties whatsoever to the ACC. All the records she set at Stanford were Pac-12 records, and the conference titles she won there were Pac-12 championships. It’s like if the Big Ten tried to claim the dominant USC Trojans football teams of the mid-2000s.
Naturally, the ACC’s X account got roasted for this.
lol hell yes, ACC legend Katie Ledecky https://t.co/i0cyEsJn4t
— Bill Connelly (@ESPN_BillC) July 31, 2024
I, too, remember all those ACC championships Katie Ledecky won while at Stanford. A great many ACC championships, yes. So many ACC titles.
I'm going to scream. https://t.co/b5Cab4g3kX
— Michael Preston (@RM_Preston) July 31, 2024
Yes, ACC legend Katie Ledecky.
The ACC gets to claim Ledecky's gold about as much as UNM gets to since her mom swam for the Lobos back in the day. https://t.co/EjHaCout5J
— Geoff Grammer (@GeoffGrammer) July 31, 2024
Ledecky no longer trains at Stanford, having moved from the West Coast a few years ago. That doesn’t really help the ACC’s case, though. In fact, if anyone can currently claim her, it’s the SEC, not them.
