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April 14, 2003
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia men’s and women’s swimming and diving program held its annual awards ceremony Saturday (April 12) with 13 student-athletes receiving awards for their contributions to Virginia’s very successful 2002-2003 season.
First-year Fran Crippen (Conshohocken, Pa./Germantown Academy) and fourth-year Cara Lane (Charlotte, N.C./Providence) were chosen as the men’s and women’s team MVPs, respectively. Crippen was also designated as the Rookie of the Year for the men. Diver of the Year honors went to fourth-year Alison Sharp (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock). The women’s Rookie of the Year award went to first-year Rachael Burke (Bethesda, Md./Good Counsel). Burke and third-year Ian Prichard (Ventura, Calif./Buena) received the Ramirez Scholarship. Fourth-year Mirjana Bosevska (Skopje, Macedonia/Trinity Prep) and second-year Michael Raab (Rockville, Md./Walter Johnson) were the recipients of the Coaches Award. Third-years Amy Baly (Atlanta, Ga./Marist School) and Luke Wagner (Englewood, Colo./Regis Jesuit) were given the Academic Award for their respective teams. Wagner also received the Bernardino Endowed Scholarship. Baly and third-year diver Pete Amstutz (St. Joseph, Mich./St. Joseph) were the recipients of the Ramirez Family Award. The Unsung Hero award was given to fourth-year Dan DeMarco (Great Neck, N.Y./Great Neck South). Fourth-year Joe Shrum (Charlottesville, Va./Charlottesville) and second-year Katie McWilliams (Stratford, Conn./Bunnell) were named the men’s and women’s Hardest Workers.
Lane turned in the Cavaliers’ top performance of the NCAA Championships with her second-place finish in the 1650 freestyle. Lane’s career-best time of 15:53.49 broke her own school and Atlantic Coast Conference records by four tenths of a second. The performance earned Lane, the 2000 and 2001 NCAA champion in the mile, her fourth consecutive first-team All-America honor in the mile. Lane also collected her fourth consecutive first-team certificate in the 500 free, finishing sixth in a time of 4:44.08. Lane earned honorable mention All-America accolades for her 10th-place finish in the 400 individual medley and as a member of the 11th place 800 free relay. During her swimming career at Virginia, Lane amassed a total of 15 All-America awards, earning first-team honors 10 times.
Crippen ended his first season at Virginia by being named the 2003 ACC Men’s Swimmer of the Year and Rookie of the Year. At the ACC Championships, he won the 500 freestyle, placed second in the 1650 freestyle, and was a member of the winning 800 freestyle relay. Crippen capped off his season with outstanding performances at the NCAA Championships. Crippen earned first-team All-America honors in the 500 and 1650 freestyles, placing fifth and third, respectively. His time of 14:46.05 in the 1650 shattered the former ACC and school records in the event. His split of 8:54.56 broke the school and ACC records for the 1000 free as well. Crippen also swam a leg on the men’s 12th place 800 freestyle relay to earn an honorable mention All-America accolade.
Sharp was named Virginia’s Diver of the Year. She qualified for the NCAA Zone B Diving Regionals for the fourth consecutive year and finished in 26th place on the one-meter board and 31st in the three-meter competition. Sharp set new school records in the one and three-meter diving events in her last season diving for Virginia. She broke her own six-dive one-meter school record against N.C. State with 292.05 points. Sharp also broke the school record on the three-meter board in the six-dive format with 304.43 points against North Carolina.
Burke, the 2003 ACC Women’s Rookie of the Year, was a first-team All-American in two events at the NCAA Championships. Burke received first-team honors for her sixth-place finish in the 500 free (4:43.95) and seventh-place performance in the 1650 free (16:09.31). Both of Burke’s times were career-bests. Burke also swam a leg on the 11th place 800 free relay to earn an honorable mention certificate. At the ACC Championships, Burke won the 1650 freestyle and was a member of the winning 800 free relay.
Burke and Prichard were the recipients of the Ramirez Scholarship that is awarded to members of the team that have earned the respect and recognition of their peers and coaches through their commitment, achievement, and positive approach to the sport. Prichard won his second consecutive first-team certificate in the 1650 freestyle at NCAAs, placing sixth in a time of 14:53.64. Prichard finished ninth overall in the 500 free with a time of 4:18.04. His swim as a member of the 12th place 800 freestyle relay earned Prichard another honorable mention certificate.
Bosevska and Raab earned the Coaches Award, which is given in recognition of significant athletic contribution to the University of Virginia, dedication, attitude, commitment, and performance that is instrumental to the team’s success. Bosevska ended her impressive career at UVa with her fourth consecutive first-team All-America award in the 400 individual medley (7th place – 4:13.27). Bosevska’s personal best time of 16:13.05 and eighth-place swim earned first-team honors in the 1650 free. She also obtained honorable mention honors for her 10th place swim in the 200 I.M. (1:59.74) and for swimming a leg on the 11th place 800 free relay. Bosevska concludes her final season at Virginia as a 15-time recipient of All-America honors, including eight first-team certificates. She also won her fourth consecutive title in the 400 I.M. and swam on the winning 800 free relay at the 2003 ACC Championships. Raab 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 the school and ACC records. Raab garnered two more All-America honors as a part of the 400 medley relay that finished 11th (3:14.26) and the 12th place 800 freestyle relay. Raab won his second consecutive title in the 200 fly at the ACC Championships.
Amstutz and Baly were recipients of the Ramirez Family Leadership Award, which is presented to one member of each of Virginia’s men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams. The recipients exhibit traits of superior leadership ability, high ethics, excellence in the classroom, preeminence in the University community and exceptional prospects for positively representing the university, the Virginia swimming and diving program and themselves in all of their business and community activities now and in the future. Baly also received the Academic Award for the women’s team. Baly earned honorable mention All-America honors in the 400 I.M. as she placed 12th in 4:15.13. Amstutz broke the school record in one-meter diving with a six-dive score of 334.13 points during a dual meet against North Carolina.
Wagner was the Academic Award winner for the men’s squad. Wagner also received the Bernardino Endowed Scholarship. Wagner collected honorable mention accolades in four events at the 2003 NCAA Championships. Wagner’s 10th-place finish earned All-America honors for the third consecutive year in the 200 backstroke. Wagner garnered three honorable mention certificates for swimming in the 400 medley relay (11th) and the 12th place 400 and 800 freestyle relays.
McWilliams and Shrum were the Hardest Workers for the women’s and men’s teams, respectively. McWilliams competed at the NCAA Championships in the 500 and 1650 freestyle events, finishing 19th in the 1650 free. Shrum set career bests in the 200, 500 and 1650 freestyles for the fourth consecutive year at the ACC Championships.
DeMarco received the Unsung Hero award. DeMarco placed ninth in the 1650 freestyle at the 2003 NCAA Championships, garnering honorable mention accolades in the 1650 for the third consecutive year.
In 2002-2003, 25th-year head coach Mark Bernardino’s Cavaliers had outstanding seasons. The men’s team was 8-1 on the season and a perfect 5-0 in the ACC. The Cavaliers claimed their fifth consecutive ACC title and seventh overall. The UVa men went on to finish a school-best 10th at the NCAAs. Eight of nine Cavaliers who swam in the NCAA Championships earned All-America accolades. The women’s team went 7-1 overall, 4-1 in the ACC and won the ACC Championship, dethroning the three-time defending champion North Carolina. Virginia placed 13th at the Women’s NCAA Championships with eight of the 12 swimmers who participated in the NCAAs earning All-America honors.