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Oct. 12, 2005
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The University of Virginia men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams open their 2005-2006 season by hosting SEC power Florida on Friday (October 14) at 1:00 p.m. at the UVa Aquatic and Fitness Center. One-meter diving for both the men and women will commence at noon. Admission is free of charge.
The Cavaliers are under the direction of 28th-year head coach Mark Bernardino. The men’s team won its school record seventh consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference championship in 2005, while the women’s team place second in the ACC Championship after winning the league title in 2003 and 2004.
The Virginia men went on to take 13th place at the 2005 NCAA Championship and finished the season with a 10-1 record overall and a 5-0 mark in the ACC. The Cavaliers return 20 letterwinners, including six All-Americans in 2005-06. Third-year Vanja Rogulj (Zagreb, Croatia/Split), the 2005 ACC Men’s Swimmer of the Year, captured first-team All-America honors in the 100 and 200 breaststroke at the NCAAs with sixth and fifth-place finishes, respectively. Second-year Pat Mellors (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic), the ACC Men’s Freshman of the Year, grabbed fifth place in the 400 individual medley to earn first-team All-America honors, while third-year John Millen (Lilburn, Ga./Parkview) rounded out UVa’s first-team All-Americans with a sixth-place performance in the 1650 freestyle. Fourth-year Fran Crippen (Conshohocken, Pa./Germantown Academy), the Cavaliers’ team captain, was a three-time honorable mention All-American (500 free, 1650 free and 400 I.M.) last season. Third-year Stefan Hirniak (Highland Park, N.J./Princeton Day) garnered honorable mention All-America accolades in the 200 butterfly, while second-year Bryan Stahl (Woodlands, Texas/The Woodlands) swam on UVa’s honorable mention All-American 200 free relay at NCAAs.
The Cavalier women were 10-2 overall and 5-1 in the ACC last season. UVa finished second at the 2005 ACC Championship and took 26th place at the NCAAs. Virginia returns the core of its team in 2005-06 as 17 of 20 letterwinners are back. Among the Cavaliers’ 17 returning letterwinners are two 2005 All-Americans. Fourth-year Brielle White (Philadelphia, Pa./Springside School) the 2005 ACC Women’s Swimmer of the Year, took fourth place in the 100 backstroke and was also 12th in the 200 backstroke for honorable mention All-America honors at NCAAs. Fourth-year Rachael Burke (Bethesda, Md./Good Counsel) was also an honorable mention All-American as she was 16th in the 1650 freestyle.
Florida swept the Cavaliers in last season’s dual meet. The Gators won the men’s meet 128-113 with the loss being the only blemish on the men’s dual meet record. The UVa women fell to Florida 131-90. The Gator men registered a 12-1 record, placed second at the SEC Championships and fifth at NCAAs last season. The Florida women were 9-2 overall and took third at the 2005 SECs. Florida went on to place fourth at the NCAA Championships.
For those unable to attend, the meet can also be followed on the world wide web via livestats at the following address: http://virginiasports.collegesports.com/livestats/c-swim/index.htm