Story Links

Feb. 22, 2005

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The University of Virginia men’s swimming and diving team is ready to begin its quest for a seventh consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference title. The 2005 Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Swimming and Diving Championship takes place Wednesday, February 23 through Saturday, February 26 at the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center in Atlanta, Ga. Finals commence each evening at 7:00 p.m. with prelims being held Thursday through Saturday at 11:00 a.m. The Cavaliers have won the yearly title every season since 1999 and eight overall.

Virginia, under the direction of 27th-year head coach Mark Bernardino, is the six-time defending ACC champion. The Cavaliers are the favorites to win the 2005 ACC Championship. The men’s swimming and diving team’s six straight ACC titles is the school record for most consecutive ACC championships.

The Cavaliers won the 2004 ACC Championship with 848.50 points. Florida State was second at the 2004 ACC’s with 537 points, while North Carolina was third with 507 points. Prior to UVa winning the last six ACC titles, North Carolina won six consecutive ACC Championships from 1993 to 1998.

Two teams are currently ranked in the February 8 addition of the College Swim Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Top 25 Poll. Virginia is 10th in the nation, while North Carolina is 20th. Georgia Tech and Florida State both appear in the “Others Receiving Points” portion of the poll.

The 2005 ACC Men’s Swimming and Diving Championship feature six returning individual 2004 ACC champions who combined to win eight events. Virginia has four returning ACC champions from last season. Third-year Fran Crippen (Philadelphia, Pa./Germantown Academy), the 2003 and 2004 ACC Swimmer of the Year, is the two-time defending champion in the 500 free and also won the 400 individual medley title in 2004. Fourth-year Bo Greenwood (Manakin, Va./Goochland) is the three-time defending champion in the 200 I.M. He is looking to become the first Cavalier to win four 200 I.M. titles and the first ACC swimmer to do so since North Carolina’s John Davis won four consecutive titles from 1988 to 1991. Fourth-year Michael Raab (Rockville, Md./Walter Johnson) is the three-time defending champion in the 200 butterfly. He is bidding to become the second Cavalier to capture four ACC titles in the 200 fly. Andy Wren won four 200 butterfly titles from 1980 to 1983. Second-year Vanja Rogulj (Zagreb, Croatia/Split) rounds out UVa’s returning 2004 ACC champions. He took the 200 breaststroke event last season. Virginia also welcomes back Luke Anderson (Charlottesville, Va./Bolles School), who has won seven individual ACC titles, including three straight in the 100 free (2001, 2002 and 2003).

Results for the 2005 ACC Men’s Swimming and Diving Championship will be available on the world wide web via livestats at http://ramblinwreck.collegesports.com/sports/c-swim/spec-rel/05m-accchamp.html

Print Friendly Version