Story Links
Feb. 16, 2000
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The University of Virginia women’s swimming anddiving team begins competition in the 22nd annual Atlantic Coast ConferenceSwimming and Diving Championship on Thursday, February 17 at KouryNatatorium on the campus of the University of North Carolina in ChapelHill, N.C. The ACC Championship runs through Saturday, February 19. TheCavaliers are two-time defending champions and are looking for their fourthACC title overall.
Virginia, under the direction of 22nd-year head coach Mark Bernardino, iscurrently ranked eighth in the College Swimming Coaches Association ofAmerica (CSCAA) Top 25 Poll released on February 10. The UVa women wereranked seventh in the previous CSCAA Poll. North Carolina is the onlyother ranked ACC team and the Tar Heels are tied for 16th in the nation.UNC’s depth will make it a difficult task for Virginia to win its thirdconsecutive ACC title. UVa finished the 1999-2000 dual meet with an 8-0overall record and a 5-0 mark in the ACC. Virginia has won 20 consecutivedual meets dating back to the 1997-98 season.
Virginia holds the top time among the seven ACC teams in four of the fiverelay events heading into the ACC Championships. The Cavaliers won four ACCrelay titles in 1999. The 800 free relay was the only relay UVa did notwin. In 1999-2000, the lone relay event the Cavaliers don’t have the toptime is the 200 free relay, but they have the second fastest time (1:34.54)in that event. UVa possesses the top times in the 200 medley relay(1:44.03), 400 medley relay (3:46.78), 400 freestyle relay (3:26.41) and800 free relay (7:24.41).
The Cavaliers hold the top time in five of 13 swimming events. UVa alsopossesses the second fastest time in five events as well. The two Virginiaswimmers with the majority of the top ACC times this season are a pair offirst-years, Mirjana Bosevska (Skopje, Macedonia/Trinity Prep) and CaraLane (Charlotte, N.C./Providence).Bosevska, a member of the Macedonian Olympic Team, holds the top time inthree events and has the second fastest time in a fourth. Bosevska is thetop-seeded swimmer in the 1000 free (the 1650 free is swam at the ACCsinstead of the 1000), the 500 free (4:45.02) and the 400 individual medley(4:15.58). She is the second-seeded swimmer in the 200 IM (2:03.73).
Lane is ranked among the top three in five different events. She holds theconference’s top times this season in the 200 butterfly (1:59.35) and istied for the top time in the 200 free (1:50.10). Lane is the second seedin the 500 free (4:45.45) and the 1650 free behind Bosevska. Lane actuallyhas a faster time than Bosevska in the 1650 free this season. Lane posteda time of 16:09.98 in the 1650 free at the Cavalier Invitational (Dec. 4),while Bosevska finished in 16:14.59. Lane also holds the third fastesttime in the 400 IM (4:17.95).
Fourth-year Rebecca Cronk (Charlottesville, Va./Albemarle) holds the ACC’stop time in the 50 free (23.26). She is also seeded third in the 100 free(51.11). Cronk has won 11 ACC titles in her career and is the defendingchampion in the 50 and 100 freestyle. Third-year Megan Iffland(Wilmington, Del./St. Mark’s) is seeded second in both the 100 and 200backstroke with times of 55.69 and 2:01.34, respectively. Iffland has beena member of five ACC relay championship teams in the last two years.