Cavaliers Sweep Pitt and LSU
Oct. 21, 2017
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Pittsburgh, Pa.- The Virginia men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams swept Pitt and LSU on Sat. (Oct. 21) in a two-day meet in Pittsburgh, Pa. at Trees Pool.
The No. 13 Virginia women’s team topped Pitt, 218-130, and LSU, 251-97, while the No. 22 Cavalier men defeated Pitt, 196.5-155.5, and LSU, 222-131.
“The teams came out today for the second day of the competition and picked up right where they left off,” head coach Todd DeSorbo said. “The women had a phenomenal weekend with some great racing. They’re learning a lot from week to week and practice to practice. I am excited about where the women are. We are in the perfect spot in October and I am looking forward to the rest of the season. There were a lot of highlights and a lot of great wins and great relays. They continue to impress us and keep us excited. We are excited about the rest of the season and where this women’s team can be in February and March. The ultimate goal is to be ready for NCAA Championships in March, with the ACCs being a stepping stone towards that. Every meet that we have from here until then is practice, just like every day. We are just fine tuning, learning and getting better.
“The men had a great competition as well. Pitt and LSU put up a good fight and challenged our men. It was good to see our men respond and finish off the meet strong, especially with some great breaststroke and backstroke swims near the end of the meet. We finished on a great note with the 400-freestyle relay win. Like the women, they continue to improve and get better from week to week. Again, that is the goal, to get them seasoned, and to get them used to swimming hard and tired. We treat our meets just like we do practice. We race a lot in practice and we race a lot in meets. We are making sure they are ready when it comes down to four- or five-day competitions at the end of the season with the ACC Championships and NCAAs.”
The Cavalier women opened the swim meet with a win in the 200-yard medley relay. Freshman Marcella Maguire (Ridgefield, Conn.), sophomore Madeleine Vonderhaar (Lakeside Park, Ky.), senior Dina Rommel (East Amherst, N.Y.) and senior Caitlin Cooper (Atlanta, Ga.), respectively, recorded a time of 1:42.54 for first place.
Senior Jennifer Marrkand (Westford, Mass.) paced the women’s team, capturing a first-place finish in the 200-yard individual medley (2:01.58) and 200-yard butterfly (1:58.02).
Cooper topped the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 22.63, while sophomore Mary Claire Tansill (Bristow, Va.) placed first in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:15.27. Freshman Paige Madden finished first in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:49.40.
Sophomores Joe Clark (Worcester Park, Great Britain) and Jacob Wells (Henrico, Va.) led the men’s team, capturing first-place swims in the 100-yard backstroke and 200-yard breaststroke, respectively. Clark recorded a time of 48.50, while Wells recorded a time of 2:01.62.
The Cavaliers concluded the meet with a sweep in the 400-yard freestyle relay. Freshman Anna Pang (Singapore), freshman Emma Seiberlich (Audubon, Pa.), junior Rachel Politi (Bexley, Ohio) and sophomore Morgan Hill (Olney, Md.), respectively, finished first with a time of 3:23.19, while the men’s team of Clark, sophomore Ryan Baker (Arlington, Va.), junior Bryce Keblish (Fairfield, Conn.) and freshman Samuel Schilling (Excelsior, Minn.), respectively, recorded a time of 2:58.61.
“We are looking forward to a week off from competition,” DeSorbo said. “We’ll get some good training in and then we will compete against Duke at home, then Louisville and Princeton in a few weeks. One of the most exciting things about today was the energy from our team from start to finish. They thrived and supported each other. They thrived on each other’s energy. It was exciting to see that this team is developing as a family and as athletes.”
The Cavaliers will return to action on Nov. 3 for their home opener against Duke at the Aquatic and Fitness Center.