Virginia Swimming & Diving Opens Season Saturday

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams host Navy on Saturday, Sept. 28 at the Aquatic & Fitness Center in Charlottesville, Va.

Diving begins at 8:40 a.m. Swimming begins at 11 a.m.

Admission is free.

HOW TO FOLLOW
Live results will be available through Meet Mobile (get the app here). Fans can follow @UVASwimDive on Twitter and Instagram for updates.

PARKING
Free parking will be available in the two surrounding lots of the AFC (along Alderman Road and Geldar Drive) as well as across the street at Scott Stadium

ORDER OF SWIM EVENTS

• 200 Mixed Medley Relay, 600 Freestyle, 150 Freestyle, 300 IM, 50 Backstroke, 50 Breaststroke, 150 Butterfly, 50 Freestyle, 150 Backstroke, 150 Breaststroke, 50 Butterfly, 300 Freestyle, 100 Individual Medley, 200 Mixed Freestyle Relay

MEET NOTES

• The meet are intrasquad competitions with no team scores
• The women enter the season ranked No. 1 in the preseason CSCAA poll with the men coming in at No. 14
• The women’s team has won the last four NCAA team titles, taking 25 individual titles and14 relays (including four of five last years and all five relays in 2023) in that span
• Team captains this year are Ella Bathurst, Emma Weber, Gretchen Walsh, Jack Aikins, Peter Thompson and Matthew Heilman. Aikins, Bathurst and Thompson are serving for the second consecutive season
• The women’s team returns 10 individual event All-Americans from last year’s NCAA Champion squad including three coming back as fifth-year graduate students: Anna Keating, Maxine Parker and Alex Walsh
• Of the six Cavaliers who competed at the Paris Olympics, four return to compete for UVA this season: Aimee Canny, Alex Walsh, Gretchen Walsh and Emma Weber. The returning Cavaliers collected five medals in Paris with Gretchen Walsh winning two golds and two silvers and Emma Weber taking home a gold
• Gretchen Walsh was the 2023-24 Mary Garber Award Winner by the Atlantic Coast Conference as the top female athlete across all sports. She was the 2024 Honda Sport Award winner for swimming & diving, the CSCAA Swimmer of the Year, the ACC Swimmer of the Year and ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year
• Jack Aikins returns to action after taking last year off to focus on international competition. Aikins collected four medals at the 2024 World Championships including two relay golds
• Claire Curzan will be making her Cavalier debut after also taking last season off to focus on international competition. The Stanford transfer was named the Best Female Swimmer at the 2024 World Championships, winning gold in three individual events (50, 100 & 200 back) and the mixed 4×100 medley relay while also winning a silver in the 100 fly. She was the 2023 NCAA Champion in the 200 back while with the Cardinal
• The men’s team returns two All-Americans, including grad student Noah Nichols who finished top-six in both the 100 and 200 breast at the NCAA Championships
• The Navy men posted an 8-3 record last season and won the Patriot League Championship for the 20th time in their 20 years of competing at the event. They return 12 swimmers and divers who have earned all-league honors in their careers
• Navy compiled a 6-3 record during the 2023-24 regular season and ended the year by winning the Patriot League Championship for the 12th year in a row. Back for the Mids are 10 swimmers and divers who have garnered All-Patriot League accolades, including five all-league honorees from a year ago

UP NEXT

• The Cavaliers host Florida (men ranked No. 2, women No. 3) on Friday, Oct. 18. Diving begins at 10 a.m. with swim events starting at 1 p.m.
• The 2024 NCAA Championship banner will be unveiled ahead of the swimming events. The meet will also include a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the women’s varsity program at UVA