Virginia Men’s Swimming/Diving Finishes 10th Amid Flurry Of Program Records

Virginia
Virginia posted some of the fastest times in program history during the meet. ~ Photo courtesy of Virginia Athletics

The Virginia men’s swimming and diving team finished in the top 10 for the third straight NCAA Championship meet this past week, matching its streak from 2009 to 2011. The Cavaliers outperformed their seed projection by 45.5 points to climb into the top 10.

Across the four-day meet in Atlanta, the Hoos broke program records eight different times, an achievement that included two instances where a Virginia swimmer broke a record in the prelims only to be outdone by a teammate in the finals.

In the 200-yard backstroke, senior Justin Grender qualified for the A final in 8th with a then program record time of 1:39.49 only for freshman Jack Aikins to reset the record while winning the consolation final with a time of 1:39.26. In the other instance, sophomore Matt King’s record time of 41.48 in the 100-yard freestyle prelims fell after fellow sophomore Matt Brownstead finished 4th in the A final with a time of 41.22. King finished 7th in the final with another personal best time of 41.34.

Brownstead and King also had the chance to swim as relay teammates as they joined forces on the 200- and 400-yard freestyle relays as well as the 200-yard medley relay. While they finished in 5th, 4th, and 11th places in those races respectively, the 200-yard medley relay set a new UVA record, the 200-yard freestyle relay was second fastest in program history, and the 400-yard freestyle relay marked the best relay finish for Virginia in a decade.

The 800-yard freestyle relay and the 400-yard medley relay added 12th place and 14th place finishes for the Hoos, the latter doing so in program record time. All of those relay swims scored points for the team.

Brownstead was the standout performer of the meet for the Hoos as he provided two top four performances in his individual races, including Virginia’s sole top three finish. His time of 18.60 in the 50-yard freestyle was good enough for 3rd place, All-American honors, and the 5th fastest time in the history of the event. Senior Casey Storch added himself to the All-American honorable mentions list when he placed 16th in the 400-yard IM race. His prelim time placed him third in program history for the event.

All told, the Hoos secured their third straight top 10 finish in the NCAA Championships while breaking eight program records. The Hoos narrowly outgained Virginia Tech, but edged out the Hokies and forced them out of the top 10. Out of the ACC, only NC State placed better (4th place) than the Hoos. And lastly, perennial powerhouses California and Texas combined for the top two spots for the eighth straight time and 11th time in the last 12 NCAA Championships.

Virginia will look to extend its own streak of top 10 postseason finishes to four next season in what will be coach Todd DeSorbo’s sixth season in Charlottesville.