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March 29, 2003
AUSTIN, Texas – University of Virginia second-year Michael Raab (Rockville, Md./Walter Johnson) and first-year Fran Crippen (Conshohocken, Pa./Germantown Academy) both registered third-place finishes during the final day of competition Saturday (March 29) at the 2003 NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships at the Jamail Texas Swimming Center. Both Raab and Crippen captured first-team All-America honors with their performances. As a team, the Cavaliers finished a school best 10th at the NCAAs with 125 points.
Virginia was 11th at the 2002 NCAAs and improved to 10th in 2003 with 125 points. Auburn won the 2003 NCAA Championships with 609 points and Texas was second with 413 points, followed by Stanford (374).
Crippen opened the final session of the 2003 NCAAs with a third-place finish in the 1650 freestyle. In addition to earning first-team All-America honors with his performance, Crippen also shattered the school and Atlantic Coast Conference records with his time of 14:46.05. Third-year Ian Prichard (Ventura, Calif./Buena), who held the previous school and ACC records with a time of 14:51.70, placed sixth in the 1650 freestyle with a time of 14:53.64. He was also a first-team All-American for the second consecutive year. Fourth-year Dan DeMarco (Great Neck, N.Y./Great Neck South) just missed first-team All-America status as he placed ninth with a time of 15:01.28. He became an honorable mention All-American for the third straight year.
Raab also earned first-team All-America accolades with his record-setting third-place performance in the 200 butterfly. He set both the school and ACC records in the 200 fly with a time of 1:42.84. Raab, who registered the top time in the prelims (1:42.89), bettered Shamek Pietucha’s school and ACC record of 1:43.50.
Third-year Luke Wagner (Englewood, Colo./Regis Jesuit) placed 10th in the 200 backstroke with a time of 1:44.51. He was 13th in the prelims in a time of 1:44.60. Third-year Luke Anderson (Charlottesville, Va./Bolles School) took 13th place in the 100 freestyle with a time of 43.82. Anderson was ninth in the prelims with a season-best time of 43.48.
Virginia also finished 12th in the 400 freestyle relay with a time of 2:56.41 after going 2:56.23 in the prelims, which is the third fastest time in school history. Third-year Adam Kerpelman (Lutherville, Md./St. Paul’s School), third-year Jonathan Haag (Ashland, Ohio/Ashland), Wagner and Anderson swam legs on the honorable mention All-America relay.
Several Virginia swimmers competed in the prelims during the third and final day of NCAA competition. Kerpelman and Haag both swam the 100 freestyle. Kerpelman was 30th (44.25), while Haag was 46th (44.82). Second-year Bo Greenwood (Manakin, Va./Goochland) placed 27th in the 200 butterfly with a time of 1:47.42.