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Oct. 21, 2004
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The University of Virginia women’s swimming and diving team opens its 2004-2005 season by hosting Atlantic Coast Conference newcomer Miami in a dual meet on Friday (October 22) at 5:00 p.m. at the UVa Aquatic and Fitness Center. The Cavalier men will hold an intrasquad meet at the same time. Admission is free of charge.
For those unable to attend, the meet may be followed on UVa’s website – virginiasports.com – via live stats. Results will be posted at the conclusion of each event. The address is http://virginiasports.collegesports.com/livestats/c-swim/index.htm Or simply click on the Livestats icon on the Daily Sports Calendar located on the bottom of the front page of virginiasports.com.
The Cavaliers are under the direction of 27th-year head coach Mark Bernardino. The women’s team won its second consecutive ACC Championship last season and finished 19th at the 2004 NCAA Championship. The UVa men won their school-record sixth consecutive ACC title last season and placed 13th at the NCAAs.
The Virginia women were 6-4 overall and 4-2 in the ACC last season. The Cavaliers return 17 letterwinners, including a trio of first-team All-Americans. Third-year Rachael Burke (Bethesda, Md./Good Counsel) was the 2004 NCAA runner-up in the 1500-meter freestyle. Third-year Brielle White (Philadelphia, Pa./Springside School) was fourth in the 100-meter backstroke, while second-year Kimi Kelly (Mount Vernon, N.Y./Ursuline School) was sixth in the 1500-meter free to round out UVa’s first-team All-Americans. White went on to finish fourth in the 100-meter backstroke at the 2004 Olympic Trials. She was also an honorable mention All-American in the 200-meter backstroke and Kelly earned the same honor in the 400-meter freestyle.
In 2003-2004, the Cavalier men were 10-1 in dual meets and a perfect 6-0 in the ACC to run their conference dual-meet winning streak to 25. UVa welcomes back 19 letterwinners, including six All-Americans. Fourth-year Michael Raab (Rockville, Md./Walter Johnson) was a first-team All-American in the 200-meter butterfly with his fifth-place performance at the 2004 NCAA Championships. He was also third in the same event at the 2004 Olympic Trials and recently bettered the NCAA short-course record in the 200 fly while finishing sixth at the FINA World Championships. Third-year Fran Crippen (Conshohocken, Pa./Germantown Academy), the 2004 and 2004 ACC Men’s Swimmer of the Year, was an honorable mention All-American in the 400 and 1500-meter freestyles and the 400-meter individual medley, while fourth-year Bo Greenwood (Manakin, Va./Goochland) was also an honorable mention All-American in the 400 I.M. Second-year Vanja Rogulj (Zagreb, Croatia/Split), the 2004 ACC Men’s Rookie of the Year, earned honorable mention All-America accolades in the 100 and 200-meter breaststroke. He also represented Croatia in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Rogulj and Raab also swam legs on UVa’s 400-meter medley relay. Second-year John Millen (Lilburn, Ga./Parkview) was an honorable mention All-American in the 1500-meter free, while Stefan Hirniak (Highland Park, N.J./Princeton Day) swam on the Cavaliers’ honorable mention All-America 800-meter free relay along with Crippen. In addition, fourth-year Luke Anderson (Charlottesville, Va./Bolles School), who was a first-team All-American in 2002, returns to help anchor the sprint freestyle events for the Cavaliers.