UVa's 800 Free Relay Takes Fourth at NCAA Championships

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Virginia’s 800 freestyle relay team finished in fourth place as the second night of finals was held Saturday at the 2010 NCAA Championships. Junior Scot Robison also recorded a fourth-place finish in the 200 free, repeating as an All-American in the event. The meet, which runs through Sunday, is being held at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion on Ohio State’s campus.

Through 14 events, Virginia holds eighth place with 100 points. California currently leads the meet (348.5) followed by Texas (330) and Arizona (269).

The 800 freestyle relay team of Matt McLean, John Azar, Robison and Taylor Smith claimed fourth-place honors with a time of 6:18.99. It marked the third consecutive year UVa’s 800 free relay team has earned All-America accolades, finishing in the top-8.

“We were really hungry to excel in that relay and I am thrilled these guys came through like that,” head coach Mark Bernardino said. “The unit is the corps and each guy gave their heart to that relay. It was a great way to end the night.”

Robison’s fourth-place finish was the highest of his career at the NCAA meet after he clocked a time of 1:33.50. He placed fifth overall in the 200 free as a sophomore in 2009 and was 26th in the event as a freshman in 2008.

“He went for it,” Bernardino said. “He went out hard and went toe-to-toe with the American record holder for the whole race. “Scot is a great athlete too and fourth is nothing to be ashamed of.”

The 200 medley relay team of Eric Olesen, Tom Casey, Peter Geissinger and Azar earned honorable mention All-America honors with their 16th-place finish. The Cavalier quartet finished in 1:27.82.

“In the first relay we obviously made some changes pulling Scot off of it to try to preserve him for the longer races later in the night,” Bernardino said. “It didn’t work to perfection but those guys swam well.”

The third and final day of the NCAA Championships will be held Sunday with preliminaries in the 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast, 200 fly, 1650 free, platform diving and the 400 free relay.

2010 Men’s NCAA Championships
Team Standings – Top 10
Through event 14