Fong Sets School Record in Virginia Win Against Virginia Tech
Results | Team Scores | Highlights
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.- Senior Zach Fong (Moorestown, N.J.) led the Virginia men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams on Saturday (Jan. 12) as both programs captured a win against Virginia Tech to cap the team’s last home meet of the season. The No. 11 Virginia women topped Virginia Tech 171-115, while the No. 16 Cavalier men defeated the Hokies 159-140.
Fong led the Cavaliers in the meet, capturing a school and pool record in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 45.53. Junior Sydney Dusel (Naperville, Ill.) and Kylie Towbin (New Canaan, Conn.) also had a record setting day, tying for the Aquatic and Fitness Center record on the 3m board. Both Dusel and Towbin finished with a score of 367.5.
Dusel went on to win the 1m dive with a score of 315.45.
“I’m proud of our teams today, backing up the energy, hype and performance from yesterday against Tennessee,” head coach Todd DeSorbo said. “It’s always tough to go back-to-back duals and match the emotion and performances, and our teams are doing well with that. We had a lot of emotions today as we celebrated the last home competition for 15 of our seniors. They’ve led this program all year and we are excited to have them push us through the championship season.
“We had some great performances today and a handful of pool records. We also had a wild diving tie that ended in a pool record.”
The women’s team won 14 events during the day in addition to the wins on the boards. Sophomore Paige Madden (Mobile, Ala.) captured a first-place finish in three events, topping the 1000-yard freestyle with a time of 9:59.58, 200-yard backstroke with a time of 1:57.62 and 200-yard butterfly with a time of 2:03.34. Junior Morgan Hill (Olney, Md.) won the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:46.98 and the 100-yard butterfly 53.18.
Additionally, senior Eryn Eddy (Loveland, Colo.) won the 100-yard freestyle (50.56), junior Mary Claire Tansill (Bristow, Va.) won the 200-yard breaststroke (2:14.79), sophomore Anna Pang (London) won the 50-yard freestyle (23.44), and freshmen Julia Menkhaus (Charlotte, N.C.) and Kaki Christensen (Darien, Conn.) won the 100-yard backstroke (55.10) and 100-yard breaststroke (1:02.05), respectively. Sophomores Emma Seiberlich (Audubon, Pa.) and Abby Richter (Henderson, Nev.) closed the individual events with a win in the 500-yard freestyle (4:51.27) and the 200-yard individual medley (2:00.14), respectively.
The women swept the relay events with sophomore Caroline Gmelich (Rumson, N.J.), freshman Alexis Wenger (Detroit, Mich.), Pang and Hill swimming a time of 1:38.83 in the 200-yard medley relay and redshirt junior Megan Moroney (Deerfield Beach, Fla.), Hill, Eddy and sophomore Kyla Valls (Miami, Fla.) recording a time of 3:21.38 in the 400-yard freestyle relay.
On the men’s side, Fong captured his second first-place finish of the meet in the 200-yard butterfly, recording a time of 1:45.55. Redshirt senior Brendan Casey (Santa Monica, Calif.) placed first in the 1000-yard freestyle with a time of 9:08.78 before racing to the wall for a win in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:24.27. Sophomore Keefer Barnum (Louisville, Ky.) recorded a pair of wins, capturing the top time in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 54.74 and the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:59.28.
Junior Joe Clark (Worcester Park, Great Britain) paced the 100-yard backstroke (48.41), while junior Ryan Baker (Arlington, Va.) won the 100-yard freestyle (44.49).
The men’s team of Clark, Barnum, Fong and Baker swam a time of 1:27.43 for first place in the 200-yard medley relay.
“Next, we head on the road in two weeks to face some rivals just to the south in North Carolina, which will be another tough back-to-back battle like this weekend” DeSorbo said. “It’ll be fun to make the trip back down Tobacco Road. But for now, we will enjoy these wins and then get back to work on Monday.”
Virginia will return to action on January 25 as the team competes against North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C.