Virginia Finishes Fourth at ACC Championship
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March 1, 2014
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GREENSBORO, N.C.—The Virginia men’s swimming and diving teams won two individual events on the way to finishing fourth overall as the ACC Championship concluded Saturday (March 1) at the Greensboro Aquatic Center.
Virginia Tech claimed the team title with 1,264.5 points, while NC State (1,226) and North Carolina (995) rounded out the top three. Virginia was fourth with 972 points, followed by Florida State (957.5), Notre Dame (907.5), Georgia Tech (543), Duke (482), Pittsburgh (412.5), Boston College (205) and Miami (156).
“Overall, we swam well and had some exceptional times, but had a couple of disappointing finals the last two nights,” UVa head coach Augie Busch said. “We will have a great group heading to NCAAs next month, so we look forward to getting back to work and preparing for what should be a great national meet.”
Senior Brad Phillips (Herndon, Va.) won the 1,650 free in a time of 14:58.00, the eighth-fastest time on UVa’s all-time list. It is Phillips’ second ACC title of his career (500 free in 2013). Senior Jan Daniec (Mission Viejo, Calif.) was 13th in 15:23.77, while sophomore Rodney Fentress (Virginia Beach, Va.) placed 15th in 15:28.68.
“I was very thankful to be in the next lane next to my best friend and teammate, Jan Daniec, and that gave me a lot of confidence because it was just like practice every single day,” Phillips said. “To be able to turn this meet around individually and add to the legacy of Virginia distance swimming is a great honor.”
In the next event, sophomore Luke Papendick (Kinnelon, N.J.) won the 200 back in a time of 1:40.99, matching his time in prelims, which was a new Virginia record.
“I was excited after this morning because it felt very smooth, but I felt tonight it didn’t feel great at all and I plowed through the water, Papendick said. “Luckily I was able to pull it out and overall, it was a solid time going towards NCAAs.”
Junior Kyle Dudzinski (Pittsburgh, Pa.) placed seventh in 1:43.78, while freshman Austin Quinn (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) and seniors Parker Camp (Brentwood, Tenn.) and Jack Murfee (Nashville, Tenn.) were 10th, 14th and 16th overall. Quinn’s time of 1:43.81 ranks eighth on UVa’s all-time list.
In the 200 breast, sophomore Yannick Kaeser (Mumpf, Switzerland) earned silver in a time of 1:54.29, the third-fastest time on UVa’s all-time list. Senior Taylor Grey (Williston, Vt.) placed sixth in 1:56.14.
Junior David Ingraham (Spartanburg, S.C.) touched seventh in the 200 fly in 1:44.38, while senior Nathan Hart (Asheville, N.C.) was eighth in 1:46.41. Ingraham and Hart posted times of 1:43.77 and 1:43.81 in prelims, respectively. Those times rank fifth and sixth on UVa’s all-time top 10.
The 400 free relay of Dudzinski, Ingraham, Papendick and Camp placed seventh in 2:57.22 to finish the meet.
Next up, the Cavalier divers will compete at the NCAA Zone Diving Championships March 10-12 in Christiansburg, Va. The NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships will be held in Austin, Texas, March 27-29.