Virginia Swimming And Diving Team Sweep Clemson
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Oct. 29, 2005
CLEMSON, S.C. – The 14th-ranked Virginia men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams registered their first victories of the 2005-06 season Saturday (October 29) as they defeated Clemson in an Atlantic Coast Conference matchup at McHugh Natatorium. The Cavalier men improved to 1-1 on the season with a convincing 141-100 win, while the UVa women registered a 125-118 triumph over the Tigers to improve to 1-1. The Clemson men fall to 1-1 overall and in the ACC, while the Tiger women drop to 0-2 overall and in the conference.
The Virginia men won nine of the first 11 events before swimming the final two events as exhibitions in their 141-100 victory. Fourth-year Fran Crippen (Conshohocken, Pa./Germantown Academy) won both the 200 and 500 freestyles, with times of 1:41.08 and 4:33.93, respectively. Crippen led a top-three UVa sweep in the 500 free with third-year John Millen (Lilburn, Ga./Parkview) coming in second (4:34.72) and second-year Pat Mellors (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic) taking third (4:34.88). Millen also won the 1000 freestyle with a time of 9:22.86, while Mellors touched first in the 200 individual medley (1:51.86). Third-year Andrew Barber (Vienna, Va./ Marshall) swept the diving events. He totaled 310.95 points in winning the one-meter competition and scored 293.10 in grabbing the top spot on the three-meter board.
The Cavaliers exhibitioned the 200 breaststroke and third-year Vanja Rogulj (Zagreb, Croatia/ Split) posted the fastest time (2:02.49), while second-year Ryan Hurley (Potomac, Md./Georgetown Prep) was right behind in 2:03.83. UVa opened the meet by winning the 400 medley relay with a time of 3:22.42. Second-year Bryan Stahl (Woodlands, Texas/ The Woodlands), Rogulj, third-year Stefan Hirniak (Highland Park, N.J./Princeton Day), and fourth-year Ethan McCoy (McMinnville, Ore./ McMinnville) swam legs on the winning relay. Hirniak also won the 200 butterfly with a time of 1:51.38. First-year Bjorn Falk (Wilton, N.H./High Mowing) rounded out UVa’s individual event winners by taking the top spot in the 200 backstroke with a time of 1:50.04.
The UVa women lost the first four events, but came back to win six of the final nine events to grab a 125-118 victory. The Cavaliers used a top three sweep in the 200 breaststroke – the next to last event of the meet – to clinch the win. Fourth-year Elaine Bennett (Richmond, Va./Douglas Freeman) grabbed the top spot in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:18.79. Second-year Anna Steenrod (Charlotte, N.C/Charlotte Latin) came in second with time of 2:19.67 and third-year Jenny Steiner (Lawrenceville, N.J./Lawrence) placed third (2:20.22). Bennett also won the 200 butterfly with a time of 2:04.13. Steenrod led a top-three Virginia sweep in the 200 I.M. with a time of 2:06.28. Fourth-year Katie Gordon (Winter Park, Fla./Trinity Prep) was second (2:06.88) and third-year Erin Corgan (Marietta, Ga./Marist) took third (2:09.09) in the 200 I.M. For the second consecutive meet, first-year Jackie Apple (New Albany, Ohio/ New Albany) swept the one and three-meter diving events with 263.55 and 274.28 points, respectively.
Second-year Jess Lewis (Allentown, Pa./ Parkland) touched first in the 100 freestyle, clocking a time of 52.27. She was also second in the 50 free (24.20). Fourth-year Rachael Burke (Bethesda Md./ Good Counsel) turned in a pair of runner-up performances. She was second to Clemson’s Kim Routh in the 1000 free (10:00.75) and the 500 free (4:58.39). Third-year Katy Bland (Raleigh, N.C./Leesville) finished second in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:52.20, while fourth-year Brielle White (Philadelphia, Pa./Springside School) was second in the 200 backstroke with a time of 2:03.79. The Cavaliers were one one-hundredth of a second shy of winning the meet-opening 400 medley relay. The foursome of White, Steenrod, second-year Stephanie Glover (Raleigh, N.C./Athens Drive), and Lewis posted a time of 3.49.86.
The Cavaliers return to the water on Wednesday (November 2) when they travel to Blacksburg, Va., to swim Virginia Tech at 6:00 p.m. in another installment of the Commonwealth Challenge.