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April 8, 2003
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia men’s swimming and diving team ended its best season in school history with award-winning performances at the 2003 Men’s NCAA Championships in Austin, Texas (March 27-29). The championships were hosted by the University of Texas at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center. Virginia scored 125 points to earn a 10th-place finish at the meet, the highest finish in school history, improving on last year’s 11th-place performance. It is the fifth consecutive year the Cavaliers have finished in the top 15 at the NCAA Championships. UVa had nine men compete in the meet, and eight earned All-America honors. Virginia had three swimmers post finishes meriting first-team honors.
First-year Fran Crippen (Conshohocken, Pa./Germantown Academy) earned Virginia’s first All-America award of the meet with his performance in the 500 freestyle. Crippen’s fifth-place time of 4:16.48 earned first-team honors and is the second-fastest time in school history. Crippen overshadowed his performance in the 500 by shattering the Atlantic Coast Conference and Virginia school records in the 1000 and 1650 freestyles. Crippen swam a time of 14:46.05 to place third in the 1650 freestyle, to earn his second first-team All-America certificate. Crippen’s split for the first 1000 set the school and ACC records with a time of 8:54.56. The ACC and school records of 14.51.70 in the 1650 free were previously held by teammate Ian Prichard. Rounding out his individual swims was Crippen’s 18th-place finish in the 400 individual medley (3:50.35). Crippen also earned honorable mention accolades leading off Virginia’s 12th place 800 freestyle relay, which recorded a time of 6:30.19, the third fastest in school history.
Third-year Ian Prichard (Ventura, Calif./Buena) captured his second consecutive first-team certificate in the 1650 freestyle, placing sixth in a time of 14:53.64. Also for the second consecutive year, Prichard won the consolation final of the 500 freestyle. Finishing ninth overall, his time of 4:18.04 was actually the sixth fastest time of the finals session. His swim as a member of the 12th place 800 freestyle relay earned Prichard another honorable mention certificate. Prichard also swam in the 200 freestyle and finished with a time of 1:37.65 to tie for 27th place.
Second-year Michael Raab (Rockville, Md. / Walter Johnson) earned first-team All-America honors for the first time with his third-place finish in the 200 butterfly. Raab’s time of 1:42.84 broke Shamek Pietucha’s school and ACC record of 1:43.50. Raab garnered two more All-America honors as a memeber of two relays. Raab swam the butterfly leg for the Cavaliers in the 400 medley relay that finished 11th (3:14.26). Raab earned his second honorable mention award as the anchor of the 12th place 800 freestyle relay. Raab also competed in the 100 butterfly, finishing three-tenths of a second out of contention for the consolation finals in 17th place after entering the event seeded 35th. Raab clocked a time of 47.57, the second fastest time in school history and his personal best by almost seven-tenths of a second.
Third-year Luke Anderson (Charlottesville, Va./Bolles School) earned All-America honors in two individual events and two relays at the NCAAs. One of Anderson’s many achievements of the meet came in the 200 freestyle relay, when he broke his school record in the 50 freestyle with his lead-off split of 19.64. Anderson earned honorable mention All-America accolades for his 12th-place finish in the 50 freestyle (19.82). In the 100 freestyle, his time of 43.82 resulted in a 13th-place showing and another honorable mention certificate. Anderson was a member of the honorable mention 400 medley and 400 freestyle relays that finished 11th and 12th, respectively.
Third-year Luke Wagner (Englewood, Colo./Regis Jesuit) collected honorable mention accolades in four events at the 2003 NCAAs. Wagner earned All-America honors for the third consecutive year in the 200 backstroke. His 10th-place finish earned him an honorable mention certificate in the 200 backstroke (1:44.51). Wagner earned an honorable mention certificate for swimming the backstroke leg on UVa’s 11th place 400 medley relay. He was also a part of the 12th place 400 and 800 freestyle relays, earning two honorable mention certificates. Wagner also clocked a time of 49.07 in the 100 backstroke to finish 27th.
Virginia’s lone fourth-year at the 2003 NCAA Championships, Dan DeMarco (Great Neck, N.Y. / Great Neck South) placed ninth in the 1650 freestyle (15:01.28). It is the third consecutive year DeMarco has garnered honorable mention accolades in the 1650 freestyle. DeMarco also swam in the 500 freestyle, touching in at 4:24.80 to finish 31st.
The Cavaliers had three relays earn honorable mention All-America accolades at the NCAAs. Wagner, Anderson, Raab, and third-year Adam Kerpelman (Lutherville, Md./St. Paul’s School) teamed up to place 11th in the 400 medley relay, posting the third fastest time in school history (3:14.26). The 800 freestyle relay of Prichard, Crippen, Wagner, and Raab joined forces to turn in a 12th place time of 6:30.19, which is the third fastest time in Virginia history. Kerpelman, Anderson, third-year Jon Haag (Ashland, Ohio/Ashland), and Wagner combined to place 12th in the 400 freestyle relay (2:56.23) for the Cavaliers’ third honorable mention All-America relay of the meet. Anderson, Kerpelman, Haag, and Wagner swam in the 200 freestyle relay that was disqualified in the preliminaries.
Kerpelman also competed in three individual events for the Cavaliers. His top individual finish was 30th in the 100 free (44.25). Kerpelman also tied with teammate Haag in the 50 free for 33rd place. Both men swam 20.20 in that event. Kerpelman also swam in the 200 freestyle, finishing 44th (1:39.88). Haag also competed in the 100 free, finishing 47th with a time of 44.82. Haag’s time of 20.20 in the 50 freestyle was a career-best time for the third-year.
Virginia had one swimmer who swam at the NCAAs that did not qualify for All-America honors. Second-year Bo Greenwood (Manakin, Va./Goochland) swam in the 200 and 400 individual medleys and the 200 butterfly. Greenwood placed 28th in the 200 I.M. (1:48.74) and 27th in the 200 butterfly (1:47.42). Greenwood was on pace to qualify for the finals in the 400 I.M. when he was disqualified from the event. Greenwood earned honorable mention All-America honors in the 400 I.M. at the 2002 NCAAs.