Virginia Men’s Swimming & Diving Finishes Ninth at 2021 NCAA Championships

GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Virginia men’s swimming & diving team finished ninth overall at the 2021 NCAA Championships after four individuals and a relay competed in the finals Saturday night at the Greensboro Aquatic Center.

The Cavaliers amassed 152 points in its ninth-place finish, their best finish since eighth in 2011.

After a swim-off from prelims, Justin Grender (Cincinnati, Ohio) competed in the consolation finals of the 200-yard backstroke. Grender finished 14th overall with a time of 1:41.12. His time of 1:40.20 in the prelims was a career best.

Matt Brownstead (Port Matilda, Pa.) won the consolation final to finish ninth in the 100-yard freestyle with a new UVA school record time of 42.12.

Keefer Barnum (Louisville, Ky.) competed in his second consecutive championship final, finishing seventh in the 200-yard breaststroke. Barnum improved on his own school record with a time of 1:52.23. Matt Otto (Newark, Del.) made the consolation final, finishing 13th with a time of 1:53.31 after swimming a career-best time of 1:53.11 in prelims.

Virginia concluded the night with an eighth-place finish in the 400-yard freestyle relay. Brownstead, August Lamb (Charlottesville, Va.), Will Cole (Prospect, Ky.) and Jack Wright (Wexford, Pa.), respectively, finished in a school record time of 2:49.71.

PRELIMS

Jack Walker (Charlotte, N.C.) finished 19th in the 1,650-yard freestyle with a time of 14:56.43.

Sean Conway (Round Hill, Va.) finished 18th, just missing the finals in the 200-yard backstroke. Conway posted a career-best time of 1:41.43.