ACC Swimming and Diving Championships Start Tuesday
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams are set to compete in the 2024 ACC Championships Tuesday (Feb. 20) through Saturday (Feb. 24) in Greensboro, N.C., at the Greensboro Aquatic Center. Virginia women’s swimming & diving will challenge for its fifth-straight ACC Championship and 20th overall. The women’s championship dates back to 1979. The UVA men have won 16 titles during this history of the event that dates back to 1962.
The Cavalier women enter the meet ranked No. 1 in the CSCAA poll. while the UVA men are No. 20.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Prelims and finals will be streamed live on ACCNX. Links for the live streams and live results each day will be available on VirginiaSports.com. The evening sessions will air on the ACC Network the next morning. Craig Minervini, Amy Van Dyker and Jason Baumann will call the action.
SCHEDULE
Each day finals will begin at 5:30 p.m. Prelims on Tuesday start at 10 a.m., while Wednesday through Saturday prelims will begin at 9:30 a.m. Watch links are located at the bottom of this preview.
ORDER OF EVENTS
Tuesday: Men’s 1-meter, women’s 3-meter, 200 medley relay, 800 free relay
Wednesday: 200 free relay, 500 free, 200 IM, 50 free, women’s 1-meter
Thursday: 400 IM, 100 fly, 200 free, men’s 3-meter
Friday: 200 fly, 100 back, 100 breaststroke, women’s platform, 400 medley relay
Saturday: 1650 free, 200 back, 100 free, 200 breaststroke, men’s platform, 400 free relay
SCHEDULED TO COMPETE FOR THE HOOS
Men: Hayden Bellotti, Colin Bitz, Connor Boyle, Matt Brownstead, Will Cole, Tim Connery, Matthew Heilman, Tanner Hering, Max Iida, August Lamb, Simon Lins, Jack Madoch, Oliver Mills, Sam O’Brien, Nick Sanders, Sebastien Sergile, Matthew Styczen, Peter Thompson, Will Thompson and Dean Treanor.
Women: Ella Bathurst, Aimee Canny, Maddie Donohoe, Cavan Gormsen, Maddy Grosz, Abby Harter, Tess Howley, Lizzy Kaye, Anna Keating, Sophia Knapp, Amanda Leizman, Ella Nelson, Jasmine Nocentini, Carly Novelline, Maxine Parker, Maggie Schalow, Zoe Skirboll, Reilly Tiltmann, Alex Walsh and Gretchen Walsh.
LAST YEAR’S CHAMPIONSHIP
Last year the Cavalier women won 14 of 18 swimming events to total 1,536 points, the most ever for the Championship. UVA placed fourth on the men’s side with 946 points. Senior Kate Douglass and junior Alex Walsh both won all three individual events and were part of four of UVA’s five relay wins. Douglass was named the ACC Women’s Most Valuable Swimmer. Senior Ella Nelson won two individual events and sophomore Gretchen Walsh won an individual title in the 50 free and was part of four ACC Champion relays. Junior Noah Nichols highlighted the men’s meet with his win in the 100-yard breaststroke.
RETURNING CHAMPS
The following Cavaliers have won ACC titles during their UVA careers:
Men (7 total)
Connor Boyle (1): 200 free (2022)
Matt Brownstead (3): 200 free relay (2022), 50 free (2021), 100 free (2021)
August Lamb (1): 200 free relay (2022)
Noah Nichols (2): 100 breast (2023) 200 free relay (2022)
Women (42 total)
Ella Bathurst (1): 800 free relay (2022)
Aimee Canny (2): 800 free relay (2023), 400 medley relay (2023),
Ella Nelson (8): 500 free (2023), 400 IM (2023), 800 free relay (2023), 400 IM (2022), 800 free relay (2022), 400 IM (2021), 800 free relay (2021), 800 free relay (2020)
Reily Tiltmann (3): 800 free relay (2023), 200 back (2022), 800 free relay (2022)
Alex Walsh (19): 200 free (2023), 100 breast (2023), 200 breast (2023), 200 free relay (2023), 400 free relay (2023), 200 medley relay (2023), 400 medley relay (2023), 200 IM (2022), 200 free (2022), 200 breast (2022), 200 free relay (2022), 400 free relay (2022), 800 free relay (2022), 400 medley relay (2022), 200 IM (2021), 200 free relay (2021), 400 free relay (2021), 800 free relay (2021), 400 medley relay (2021)
Gretchen Walsh (9): 50 free (2023), 200 free relay (2023), 400 free relay (2023), 200 medley relay (2023), 400 medley relay (2023), 200 free relay (2022), 400 free relay (2022), 200 medley relay (2022), 400 medley relay (2022)
Note: Alex Walsh was the ACC Freshman of the Year in 2021, Gretchen Walsh in 2022 and Aimee Canny in 2023.
COMMONWEALTH CLASH
The ACC Championships serves as the Commonwealth Clash matchup for Virginia and Virginia Tech. The rivalry between Virginia Athletics and Virginia Tech Athletics has a long and storied history dating back more than 125 years within the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Cavaliers and Hokies first faced off on the gridiron in Charlottesville in 1895. First coined the Commonwealth Clash during the 2014-2015 season, the rivalry has expanded and intensified across the 22 sports the two institutions face off in head-to-head competition. The final ACC standings was worth a point in the Clash on the men’s and women’s sides. UVA’s women won a point and the Virginia Tech men’s team won a point. Heading into Monday’s night men’s basketball game between the Cavaliers and the Hokies, Virginia leads this year’s Clash 5.5 to 1.5. UVA captured the Clash in 2015, 2016 and 2019 and 2023 while Virginia Tech has won the Clash in 2017, 2018 and 2022. The 2020 and 2021 clashes were canceled due to the pandemic.
UP NEXT
The divers will compete at the NCAA Zone Championship March 11-13 in Princeton, N.J. before the women’s NCAA Championships March 20-23 in Athens, Ga., and men’s NCAA Championships March 27-30 in Indianapolis, Ind.
LOOKING BACK AT WORLDS
Two members from the current UVA rosters are not competing this year for the Cavaliers while focusing on the World Championships and U.S. Olympic trials. That includes junior Jack Aikins and sophomore Claire Curzan. They teamed up with former Wahoo Kate Douglass to compete for Team USA at the recently completed World Aquatic Championships in Doha, Qatar. That trio combined to earn 15 medals for the Team USA.
World Championship Cavalier Final Medal Tally: 15
Gold: 200 IM (Douglass), 50 Back (Curzan), 100 Back (Curzan), 200 Back (Curzan), Mixed 4×100 Medley (Curzan, Douglass, Aikins), Men’s 4×100 Medley Relay (Aikins)
Silver: 100 Fly (Curzan), 200 Breaststroke (Douglass), 50 Free (Douglass)
Bronze: 4×100 Free Relay (Aikins), Mixed 4×100 Free Relay (Aikins, Curzan, Douglass)
Other Worlds Highlights:
- Claire Curzan was named the Best Female Swimmer at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships. Over the course of the eight-day meet, Curzan won a total of six medals: four gold, one silver and one bronze.
- Kate Douglass set an American record (23.91) in the 50M Freestyle on the final day of competition
- Curzan became the third swimmer in World Championships history to sweep the 50, 100, and 200 distances of a single stroke (backstroke).
- All three members of the Virginia swimming contingent won gold in the Mixed 4x100M Medley Relay. Curzan and Douglass swam the final two legs in the final while Aikins swam the leadoff backstroke leg in the preliminaries.
Since taking over the UVA program in 2017, Cavaliers have won 25 gold medals at the competition.
ACC CHAMPIONSHIP WATCH LINKS: