UVA Men's Swimmers Finish Sixth at ACC Championships
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Feb. 27, 2016
Greensboro, NC – A trio of top-four finishes highlighted the Virginia men’s swimming and diving team on the final day of competition at the ACC Championships in Greensboro, N.C. The Cavaliers finished the four-day competition in sixth place with 737 points.
N.C. State won its second consecutive ACC title with 1,402 points. Louisville was second with 1,067.5 points followed by North Carolina with 892 points.
Senior Yannick Kaeser (Mumpf, Switzerland) turned in UVA’s best overall finish at the meet with a second-place performance in the 200-yard breaststroke competition. Kaeser finished with a time of 1:53.41 which bettered the UVA record he set earlier in the season.
The Cavaliers opened the evening with a third-place finish by freshman Sam Magnan (Bethlehem, Pa.) in the 1,650-yard freestyle. Magnan swam a personal best time at 15:06.45.
Just missing a trip to the awards podium was freshman Zach Fong (Mooresville, N.J.), who placed fourth in the 200 fly at 1:44.39.
“I am so proud of these men for the way they fought all week,” said Virginia coach Augie Busch. “We are very young team and they showed character and toughness beyond their years. This week was an incredible experience battling not only with them, but with the whole men’s team. Anytime you go 70 percent best times, you’re having a great meet, which was what these men were able to accomplish. It’s a great group of guys for whom I have tremendous respect and we’re pumped for what the future holds for UVA men’s swimming and diving.”
A total of nine Cavaliers advanced to Saturday’s finals. Junior Austin Quinn (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) placed sixth in the B-Final of the 200-yard backstroke at 1:46.00. Sophomore Henrik Pohlmann (Beavercreek, Ohio) was fifth in C-Final for the event at 1:46.06.
In the 100-yard freestyle, sophomore Nicholas Magana (Scottsdale, Ariz.) was fifth in the B-Final at 43.56 while junior Matt Lockman (Charlottesville, Va.) was seventh in the C-Final at 44.29.
In addition to Kaeser’s runner-up performance in the 200 Breaststroke, the Cavaliers had three other swimmers in the finals of that competition. Freshman Murat Yildirim (Istanbul, Turkey) placed fourth in the B-Final race with a time of 1:57.67 while senior Eric Holden (Orange, Conn.) was eighth in that race at 1:58.98. Freshman Alex Albracht (Mission Hills, Kan.) placed fifth in the C-Final at 1:59.89.
In the 400-yard freestyle relay, Magana, freshman Bryce Keblish (Fairfield, Conn.), Lockman and sophomore Luke Georgiadis (Jacksonville, Fla.) placed seventh at 2:54.73.
During the four-day meet the Cavaliers managed to set 33 personal bests on a team that saw the bulk of its scoring come from seven freshmen and two sophomores.
The meet also signified the men’s swimming and diving matchup between Virginia and Virginia Tech in the Commonwealth Clash, sponsored by Virginia529, the official college savings plan of University of Virginia Athletics. By way of finishing higher in the team standings, Virginia Tech earned one point in the Virginia529 Commonwealth Clash, the point rivalry series between UVA and Virginia Tech. Virginia now leads the 2015-16 Commonwealth Clash, 7-4.5. Learn more about Virginia529 and this competition at thecommonwealthclash.com.