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Sophomore Liz Shaw and the women’s swimming team will compete this week at the 2009 NCAA Championships in College Station, Texas. Fresh off their second consecutive ACC championship, the Cavaliers have 12 student-athletes participating at the championships and at least one in every swimming event. Fans can watch all three days live on the Internet by clicking here. Shaw, a Richmond, Va., native, is the top returning finisher for Virginia after recording a fourth-place showing in the 200 butterfly last year as a freshman.
Question: What is the mentality for you and the team this week going into the NCAA Championships?
Shaw: We are all so excited. I’m excited to finally get to be in Texas – I feel like it has been a long time coming and now it’s finally here. All the girls are really focused and we have goals that are our top priority. We are all just really excited and focused and ready to be in Texas.
Question: How will these championships compare to last year – your first as a college swimmer?
Shaw: I feel much more relaxed going into the meet. I know what to expect and how the competition is going to be. I know that I can’t just coast through the morning (preliminaries), that I have to go all out every time. Having that first year of experience really puts me at ease in terms of my nerves.
Question: How do you feel coming off of winning the ACCs for a second consecutive year?
Shaw: It was so awesome to be able to top what we did last year in terms of point value. I think our seniors especially had an amazing meet so they are really excited to get back to NCAAs and swim at a higher level, nationally, than they did last year. So many of the girls stepped up and had the greatest meets of their lives so they are all excited to compete with teams outside of the ACC for a change.
Question: Is it surprising that you had 12 people qualify for NCAAs?
Shaw: No it’s not surprising. That is a lot of people but all the girls worked so hard. They know how to race and what it takes for our team to be good nationally so it is what I expected. We are all so excited to put Virginia on the map and perform even better than we did last year.
Question: What is your favorite highlight or moment of the ACCs this year?
Shaw: My favorite moment this year was winning all the relays. I think that really speaks to the team dynamic that we had going and it was just so exciting. Every single race within every single relay was great. Even when some of the races seemed really close we always pulled out a win so that was an awesome thing to do.
Question: What is your favorite event to swim?
Shaw: I would have to say my favorite event to swim would be the 200 fly. It is a really good distance. The 100 fly is really frustrating for me because the second you get in there you have to go the fastest you can go, but in the 200 you have to be strong but paced at the same time.
Question: How did you get started swimming?
Shaw: I started doing summer league when I was six because my babysitter took me to the pool with her two kids and told me to get in so I did. That same night I swam in the meet. My mom was about to have a heart attack, but it was exciting for me. I started doing year-round when I was about 12.
Question: What made you want to come to Virginia?
Shaw: It was definitely the combination of strong athletics and strong academics that made me want to come to school here. I think it is one of the best – if not the best – school in balancing those two things. Also, the team dynamics really stood out to me. I didn’t want to go to a place where the women swam separately from the men. When I came here on my trip I saw that the men and women do everything together and they are all best friends. It is not just the boys swimming in two lanes cheering for themselves – everyone cheers for everyone. I love being a part of this team and it was definitely that team aspect that attracted me to Virginia initially.
Question: What is your major?
Shaw: I plan on being a psychology major but I have not declared yet. I like learning about and knowing how people work. I love seeing how people interact, listening to them, helping them with their problems. I love that in psychology when something is going on mentally, there are ways to fix and diagnose it. It is really interesting. I don’t know if I necessarily want to be a psychiatrist or psychologist but I definitely want to do something where I help people in some capacity, so we will see where this takes me.
Question: What has been your favorite class at UVa?
Shaw: I loved criminology. I took it first-year. It was different than I thought it would be. It was a sociology class but it really focused more on studying the criminals themselves. The professor was also hilarious and I laughed every single day in that class.
Question: What do you like to do for fun?
Shaw: I like watching movies. I have a list right now of classic movies that I have to see. “Schindler’s List” is right on the top of the list. I haven’t seen it yet. Other than that, I love just hanging out with my teammates.
Question: What is your favorite spot on Grounds?
Shaw: I would have to say the Lawn. It is very cliché but I just love it.