Virginia Defeats North Carolina
Jan. 20, 2018
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.- The Virginia men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams swept North Carolina in a dual competition on Saturday (Jan. 20) at the Aquatic and Fitness Center in Charlottesville, Va. The No. 8 Virginia women (10-0) ended the year undefeated in dual competition with a, 196-104, win over No. 21 North Carolina (4-3). The No. 23 Cavalier men (6-4) defeated the Tar Heels (3-4) 192.5-101.5.
“We had another great competition today, backing up the good racing that we had yesterday against NC State, with a competitive battle with UNC,” head coach Todd DeSorbo said. “Both teams coming out victorious was a good result for us. I think that there is an interesting rivalry between these two programs that stems back 20 or 30 years, when both programs were at the top of the conference. That provided an opportunity for our men and women to rise to the occasion, and both did. As we have been throughout the season, we are really proud of the team’s energy and their ability to race hard all the way to the end. We had a lot of great wins today. A lot of different people stepped up and won today, starting off with the first relay. The women made a big comeback on the last two legs and out-touched UNC, while the men went first and second in that event giving us a huge momentum swing. I have to give a shout out to Kylie Towbin on the 3-meter, she set the school record, and Caitlin Cooper set the pool record in 50 freestyle. She (Cooper) continues to impress and improve throughout the season. The women had a goal at the beginning of the year that they wanted to win every single dual meet and we were able to accomplish that. We were 10-0. In the end, it was not necessarily about dual meets. We just use those to race hard, get experience and challenge ourselves. The real goal is results in February and March. Overall, I feel like we positioned ourselves pretty well heading into next month with ACCs coming up. Excited to see how the teams finish out the season.”
The Cavaliers captured 21 first-place finishes in the meet with Junior Kylie Towbin (New Canaan, Conn.) and senior Caitlin Cooper (Atlanta, Ga.) highlighting the day. Towbin set a Virginia record in the 3-meter dive, recording a score of 355.05, while Cooper set an Aquatic and Fitness Center record in the women’s 50-yard freestyle with a time of 22.13.
Additionally, five Cavaliers recorded two individual first-place finishes. Freshman Anna Pang (SINGAPORE) placed first in the women’s 100-yard backstroke with a time of 53.57 and the women’s 100-yard butterfly with a time of 54.11, while sophomore Mary Claire Tansill (Bristow, Va.) finished first in the women’s 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:02.74 and the women’s 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:14.05. Senior Jennifer Marrkand (Westford, Mass.) captured the top swim in the women’s 200-yard butterfly with a time of 1:57.07 and the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:49.01.
Redshirt junior Brendan Casey (Santa Monica, Calif.) and junior Zach Fong (Moorestown, N.J.) led the men’s team with a pair of individual first-place finishes. Casey won the men’s 1000-yard freestyle with a time of 9:09.90 and the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 1:46.28. Fong won the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 1:46.53 and the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 1:49.69.
The women’s team rounded out the meet with senior Cece Williams (Tallahassee, Fla.) finishing first in the 1000-yard freestyle with a time of 9:57.82, as sophomore Morgan Hill (Olney, Md.) placed first in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:47.07 and junior Megan Moroney (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) placed first in the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 1:56.72.
The men’s team concluded the day with freshman Sam Schilling (Excelsior, Minn.) topping the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:38.36. Sophomores Joe Clark (Worcester Park, Great Britain) and Ryan Baker (Arlington, Va.) led the 100-yard backstroke and the 100-yard freestyle, respectively. Clark recorded a time of 48.21, while Baker recorded a time of 44.63. Freshman Matthew Otto (Newark, Del.) paced the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:58.60, while junior Sam Magnan (Bethlehem, Pa.) finished first in the 500-yard freestyle and junior Bryce Keblish (Fairfield, Conn.) finished first in the 100-yard butterfly. Magnan recorded a time of 4:27.49 and Keblish touched the wall with a time of 47.51.
The Cavaliers captured three relay wins, including a sweep of the 200-yard medley relay. The women’s 200-yard medley relay team freshman Abby Richter (Henderson, Ne.), junior Vivian Tafuto (Hummelstown, Pa.), Pang and Cooper, respectively, recorded a time of 1:39.74, while the men’s team of Clark, freshman Keefer Barnum (Louisville, Ky.), Keblish and senior Luke Georgiadis (Jacksonville, Fla.), respectively, recorded a time of 1:28.02. The men’s 400-yard freestyle relay team of Keblish, Clark, Baker and Georgiadis, respectively, concluded the night recording a time of 2:58.44 for first place.
The Cavaliers will return to action on February 14 for the women’s ACC Championships in Greensboro, N.C.