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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The ninth-ranked Virginia women’s swimming and diving team (3-2, 1-0 ACC) defeated No. 11 North Carolina 161.5-138.5 Saturday at the Aquatic and Fitness Center. Senior Liz Shaw claimed three individual event wins and sophomore Lauren Perdue broke her own pool record in the 100 freestyle.

The Tar Heels (5-2, 2-1 ACC) led by three points, 133.5-130.5, heading into the final two events of the meet – the 200 IM and 400 freestyle relay.

Virginia’s senior class, who has captured all four dual meets against North Carolina in their careers, shined in the 200 IM. Led by Liz Shaw’s winning time of 2:00.64, the Cavaliers went 1-2-3 in the event. Classmates Claire Crippen (2:01.51) and Amanda Faulkner (2:03.64) finished second and third, respectively. Shaw and Crippen’s times were NCAA ‘B’ cuts.

“I was glad I had who I had left for the 200 individual medley,” Virginia head coach Mark Bernardino said. “We had three seniors left. I told the girls that nobody had beaten them in their four-year ACC career. It was no more appropriate to have three seniors in this race. The three that we happen to have in there are all individual medley champions in the ACC. We had the right cards left to play in the end and I don’t think there was any way they were going to be denied.”

UVa followed the 200 IM with a 1-2 finish in the final event of the day, the 400 freestyle relay. The team of Perdue, Kelly Flynn, Hannah Davis and Emily Lloyd won the race in a time of 3:20.15. Teammates Anna Dobben, Kristen Moores, Meredith Perdue and Rachel Naurath followed second with a mark of 3:22.61. Both were NCAA ‘B’ cuts.

“Both our relay teams were superb,” Bernardino continued. “We debated who was going to be on what relay and in what order to swim them. Ultimately we came out with the right people in the right places at the right time and we really surged at the end of the meet.”

Virginia also went 1-2-3 in the 200 butterfly, another race won by Shaw. The Richmond, Va., native clocked a winning time of 1:57.47, followed by Naurath (1:59.68) and Crippen (2:00.33). All three were NCAA ‘B’ times.

Shaw’s third individual event win was a first-place performance in the 100 butterfly, clocking a NCAA ‘B’ mark of 54.24.

Perdue set the pool record in the 100 freestyle with a time of 48.82, breaking her own mark of 49.08 set last season. Perdue also took first-place honors in the 200 freestyle with a NCAA ‘B’ time of 1:45.74.

“She is one tough cookie,” Bernardino said of Perdue. “She had a beautiful swim in the 200 freestyle and that really gave her tremendous confidence and set the rest of the meet up well. In the 100 free, the race strategy was simple and she executed it to perfection. Then she came back and gave that last relay a huge lead.”

Naurath began a solid day with a victory in the 1000 free, clocking a winning time of 9:48.73. She was followed by seniors Katya Bachrouche (9:53.27) in second and Anne Summer Myers (9:55.89) in fourth.

The Cavaliers compete in their final home meet at 11 a.m. Sunday against Duke. Virginia’s eight seniors – Katya Bachrouche, Claire Crippen, Hannah Davis, Amanda Faulkner, Jennings Grant, Kristen Moores, Anne Summer Myers and Liz Shaw – will be recognized prior to the start of the meet. Diving competition will begin at 9:30 a.m.

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