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March 21, 2000
2000 NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships
University Aquatic Center
Minneapolis, Minn.
March 23-25
Eight Virginia Swimmers Qualify for NCAAs
The Virginia swimming program is represented by eight swimmers atthe 2000 NCAA Division I Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships. Theeight qualified swimmers are fourth-years Doak Finch and Austin Ramriez,third-years Jamie Grimes and Troy Johnson, second-years Ed Moses and ChrisMousetis, and first-years Dan DeMarco and Evan Taylor.
Well Represented
The Cavaliers have entrants in 16 of the 18 swimming events. Theonly swimming events the ‘Hoos are not in are the 400-meter individualmedley and the 200-meter freestyle relay. UVa is not represented in thethree diving events (one and three-meter and platform) as well. See page 2of the notes for an entire breakdown of Virginia’s event entrants.
Head Coach Mark Bernardino
Mark Bernardino is in his 22nd-year at the helm of the Virginiaswimming program. Bernardino sports a 142-80-0 record as Virginia’s headcoach. He has been named the Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Coach of theYear six times (the 2000 award has not been announced yet). He has alsobeen named the women’s ACC Coach of the Year seven times.
Bernardino’s men’s squads have finished among the top 25 teams inthe NCAA Championship 12 times in the past 18 years. Last year, UVa placed10th at the NCAAs. The best Virginia finish at the men’s NCAAs is 14th in1999. His men’s squads have won four ACC Championships, including the lasttwo titles (1999 and 2000).National Rankings
UVa has been ranked among the nations elite programs throughout the1999-2000 season.
In the current College Swimming Coaches Association of America(CSCAA) Top 25 Poll released March 9, the Cavaliers are ranked an all-timebest seventh in the nation.
Virginia began the season ranked 11th in the preseason poll and hasremained in the top 10 throughout the season, including a program-bestseventh in the March 9 poll.
UVa’s Participants in the 2000 NCAA Championships
| Swimmer | Event | Seed | Time |
| Dan DeMarco | 1500M Free | 13 | 15:11.48 |
| Doak Finch | 200M IM | 24 | 1:47.69 |
| 100M Fly | 33 | 48.59 | |
| 200M Fly | 2 | 1:43.54 | |
| Jamie Grimes | 400M Free | 27 | 4:23.73 |
| 1500M Free | 6 | 15:01.63 | |
| Troy Johnson | 50M Free | 48 | 20.31 |
| 100M Free | 44 | 44.57 | |
| 200M Free | 31 | 1:37.49 | |
| Ed Moses | 200M IM | 29 | 1:48.23 |
| 100M Breast | 1 | 52.60 | |
| 200M Breast | 1 | 1:53.99 | |
| Chris Mousetis | 200M IM | 23 | 1:47.68 |
| 100M Back | 29 | 48.90 | |
| 200M Back | 20 | 1:45.65 | |
| Austin Ramirez | 200M Free | 24 | 1:37.12 |
| 400M Free | 3 | 4:18.61 | |
| 1500M Free | 5 | 15:00.98 | |
| Evan Taylor | 200M IM | 43 | 1:49.73 |
| 100M Fly | 37 | 48.68 | |
| 200M Fly | 15 | 1:45.82 | |
| Relay | 200M Medley | — | 1:41.33 |
| Relay | 400M Medley | 7 | 3:11.60 |
| Relay | 800M Free | — | 7:16.63 |
| Relay | 400M Free | — | 3:21.67 |
* all times are in yards
Cavaliers Win ACC Championships
The Virginia men’s swimming and diving team won its secondconsecutive ACC Championship and fourth overall Saturday evening, Febraury26 at Maurice J. Koury Natatorium on the campus of the University of NorthCarolina. The Cavaliers scored 801 points in the three-day meet tooutdistance North Carolina (662.50) by 138.5 points for the title. N.C.State was third with 507.5 points, followed by Florida State (488.5),Maryland (384.5), Georgia Tech (289), Clemson (274) and Duke (116). UVawon 11 of the 20 events during the three-day meet.
Fourth-year Austin Ramirez was named the ACC Meet’s Most ValuableSwimmer after winning three individual events and capturing one relaytitle. He capped off a terrific meet by winning the 1650 freestyle in anACC Meet record time of 15:00.98. In the 500 free, Ramirez broke theformer ACC Meet record of 4:19.53 by turning in an NCAA automaticqualifying time of 4:18.61. The two victories for Ramirez marked thefourth consecutive year that he has won both events, and in doing so,Ramirez became just the second ACC swimmer to win four consecutive titlesin two different events. The only other ACC swimmer to accomplish the featis UVa’s Andy Wren, who won the 100 and 200 butterfly events from 1980through 1983. Ramirez won his other individual title in the 200 free(1:37.12). Ramirez also swam the anchor leg of Virginia’s 800 free relaythat recorded the second fastest time in school history (6:33.95).
ACC Champions
Virginia won nine individual ACC titles with six swimmersaccounting for the first-place finishes. In addition to Austin Ramirezwinning the 200, 500 and 1650 free, the Cavaliers had two other swimmerswin a pair of events. Fourth-year Doak Finch won the 200 fly (1:43.54) and400 IM (3:49.60) titles, while second-year Chris Mousetis won the 200 back(1:45.65) and 200 IM (1:47.68) titles. Finch set an ACC Meet record in the200 fly and Mousetis’ time in the 200 IM established a UVa school reocrd.Second-year Ed Moses won the 100 breast (52.60), while fourth-year JaredFelker took the 100 butterfly (48.41). Moses set school, ACC Meet and ACCrecords with his time in the 100 breast.
The Cavaliers also won two relay titles at the 2000 ACCChampionships. The foursome of Finch, Mousetis, third-year Troy Johnsonand Ramirez won the 800 free relay title with a time of 6:33.95. Mousetis,Moses, Finch and Johnson teamed to win the 400 medley relay with a time of3:11.60.
Best Cavalier Finishes in the NCAA Championship
Virginia is coming off its best finish ever in the NCAAChampionships in 1999. The Cavaliers scored 114 points to take 14th place.Below is a list of Virginia’s finishes in the NCAAs since the 1981 season.
| 14th | 114 pts. | 1999 |
| 17th | 89 pts. | 1998 |
| 19th | 51 pts. | 1992 |
| 19th | 69 pts. | 1989 |
| T20th | 55 pts. | 1997 |
| 22nd | 36 pts. | 1994 |
| 22nd | 35.5 pts. | 1988 |
| T22nd | 25 pts. | 1995 |
| 23rd | 40 pts. | 1993 |
| T23rd | 5 pts. | 1981 |
| 24th | 12 pts. | 1983 |
| T24th | 10 pts. | 1982 |
| 26th | 21 pts. | 1990 |
| T30th | 13 pts. | 1991 |
| T33rd | 7 pts. | 1987 |
| T33rd | 17 pts. | 1994 |
Returning All-Americans
Four of Virginia’s competitors in the 2000 NCAA Championships arereturning All-Americans.
Fourth-year Austin Ramirez is an eight-time All-American. Heearned All-American honors three times in each of the last two years andwas a two-time All-American as a freshman in 1997. Ramirez has garneredAll-America accolades in the 500 and 1650 freestyles the last three years,including first-team honors in 1998. He has also swam legs on UVa’s 800free relay (1998) and 400 medley relay (1999) All-American relay teams.Ramirez is an 11-time ACC Champion.
Fourth-year Doak Finch is a six-time All-American, including sixfirst-team selections. He is a three-time first-team All-American in the200 butterfly and also captured first-team All-America honors in the 400 IMin 1998. Finch was also a member of the same two All-America relay teamsthat Ramirez was a member. Finch is a 10-time ACC champion as well.
Third-year Jamie Grimes earned All-America honor in the 1650freestyle (9th place) at the 1999 NCAAs.
Second-year Ed Moses is a two-time first-team All-American havingwon the awards by finishing as the runner-up in the 100 and 200breaststroke at the 1999 NCAA Championships. He is a three-time ACCchampion (100 breast – 2000, 200 breast – 1999, and 400 medley relay -2000).
Top Seed
Second-year Ed Moses is the top seed in both the 100 and 200breaststroke. Moses posted the fastest time in the NCAA this year of 52.60at the ACC Championships. He also swam 1:53.99 in the 200 breast in a timetrial at the ACCs for the top NCAA time in that event. Both of those timesestablished Virginia school records.
Moses, the 1999 ACC Rookie of the Year, has competed in one shortcourse meters meet during the year, the FINA World Cup in College Park, Md.in November and won three gold medals (50, 100 and 200). Moses won the 50breaststroke with a time of 27.65, and in the process beat Mark Warnecke ofGermany, who holds the short course (25 meter pool) world record. Mosescaptured his second gold medal of the meet when he won the 200-meterbreaststroke by nearly a full second. He posted a time of 2:11.89 with TomWilkens of the Santa Clara Swim Club finishing second in 2:12.77. In the100 breast, Moses won his third gold medal with a winning time of 1:00.18,1.28 seconds faster than second-place finisher Elvin Chia, who swims forthe Athens Bulldogs.
Quadruple Double
Fourth-year Austin Ramirez became just the second ACC male swimmerto win four ACC titles in two different events last month at the 2000 ACCChampionships.
With his wins in the 500 and 1650 free, Ramirez matched UVa’s AndyWren as a four-time champion in two events. Wren won the 100 and 200butterfly events from 1980 through 1983.
Four-time Champion
Fourth-year Doak Finch was successful in his bid to become the 14thindividual to win four successive ACC titles in the same event as he wonthe 400 individual medley with a personal-best time of 3:49.60. It is thesecond fastest 400 IM time in UVa school history.
Finch, who broke his own school record in the prelims (1:47.90),was also second to Mousetis in the 200 IM, just a mere one one-hundredth ofa second behind in 1:47.69.
Mousetis Shines at ACCs
Second-year Chris Mousetis had an outstanding ACC Championship. Hewon a pair of individual titles and also swam a leg on two winning relays.
Mousetis opened the meet by dethroning teammate and two-timedefending champion Doak Finch in the 200 IM by one one-hundredth of asecond. Mousetis swam a personal-best and school record time of 1:47.68 toedge Finch. Mousetis capped off an outstanding ACC Championship by winningthe 200 backstroke title in a personal best time of 1:45.65. He alsoplaced second in the 100 back (49.13).
Mousetis also won two relay titles at the 2000 ACC Championships.He was a member of the winning 800 free relay (6:33.95) and 400 medleyrelay (3:11.60) teams. The 400 medley relay team set a school record.Mousetis was also a member of the 200 medley relay team that set the schoolrecord (1:28.16) at the ACC Championships.
All-American Record Chase
Fourth-year Austin Ramirez has earned All-America honors eighttimes during his career. He needs just one top-16 finish to tie the schoolrecord for number of times earning All-America honors. Currently, PeterWright (1992-95) and Shamek Pietucha (1996-1999) hold the record with nineAll-America honors. Ramirez is tied with Glenn Houck (1987-89) for secondwith eight All-America certificates.
At the 2000 NCAA Championships, Ramirez will swim in threeindividual events (200, 400 and 1500 free) and should also swim on at leastone Virginia relay during the championships.
First NCAA Champion
At the 1999 NCAAs, Virginia graduate Shamek Pietucha became thefirst Cavalier swimmer to win an NCAA title. Pietucha, who is currently amember of the Canadian National Team, won the 200 butterfly with schoolrecord time of 1:43.50.