Seven Swim In Finals For UVA On Day Two At ACC Championships
Feb. 28, 2017
Day Two Final Results | Schedule of Events | Championship Central
ATLANTA – Seven swimmers advanced to the finals of three individual events on Tuesday (Feb. 28) as No. 14 Virginia closed out day two of the ACC Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships at Georgia Tech’s McAuley Aquatics Center.
Virginia got a fifth-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle relay as well as finals finishes in the 500-yard freestyle, the 200-yard individual medley and the 50-yard freestyle.
The Cavaliers are in seventh-place with a score of 250 after two days of competition.
The Cavaliers had several swimmers turn in some of the top times of the season on Tuesday, including a new career-best from Bryce Keblish (Fairfield, Conn.) in the 200-individual medley. Keblish won the C finals of the 200 IM with a time of 1:45.46, eighth all-time in program history and replacing his previous time of 1:45.66 on the all-time list.
Also turning in times that ranked among the top individual times of the season, and in program history, were sophomore Sam Magnan (Bethlehem, Pa.) and freshman John Whiteside (Fairfield, Conn.). Magnan finished seventh in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:17.36, while Whiteside finished fourth in the B finals, 12th overall, of the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 19.90.
“The men did well tonight,” said Virginia head coach Augie Busch. “I am proud of their effort after what was a disappointing prelim session. As long as we keep our focus, then I know we can have a lot of success here. Our best days are yet to come and we’re looking forward to it.”
Competing in the 500-yard freestyle, Magnan swam a then season-best 4:17.94 in preliminaries, earning a spot in the A finals. He then bested that mark in the finals, touching in a time of 4:17.36 – the seventh best time in program history to finish seventh in the 500 free.
Swimming in the C finals of the 500 freestyle, Matt Hrabchak (Concord, Mass.) set the pace early, holding the lead at the halfway point of the race and never relinquishing his hold on the position. The sophomore’s time of 4:22.87 finished first in the final to place 17th.
In the 200-yard individual medley, Keblish won the C finals with his time of 1:45.46 – setting a career mark in the event, while Austin Quinn finished third in the B finals, 11th overall, with a time of 1:44.81. Ted Schubert (Ashland, Va.) finished with a time of 1:46.60 to take fifth in the C finals of the 200-individual medley.
Two Cavaliers swam in the B finals of the 50-yard freestyle with Lockman and Whiteside competing for Virginia. Whiteside turned in a career-best time of 19.90 and the sixth-best time in program history for the event to finish 12th, while Lockman finished in 20.00 to take 13th.
Virginia closed the night with the 200-freestyle relay, turning in the best time of the season as the quartet of Lockman, Whiteside, Gust Kouvaris (Troy, Mich.) and Luke Georgiadis (Jacksonville, Fla.) finished with a time of 1:18.45 to take fifth in the event.
The ACC Championships continue on Wednesday with six events. Prelims for the 400-yard butterfly, 100-yard butterfly, 200-yard freestyle, 100-yard breaststroke and 100-yard backstroke begin at 10 a.m. The finals will begin at 6 p.m. with the 400-yard medley relay also being held at that time.