From the first day he stepped foot in his office at the Aquatic and Fitness Center, coach Augie Busch emphasized that while dual-meet wins are great, his ultimate goal is to focus on championship competitions.
So after a break that included heavy lower-body workouts to improve his swimmers’ kicks followed by a week of training in Florida, Busch did not expect to see any personal bests in the upcoming conference meets. His staff was thinking long term.
Still, Busch demands his swimmers give their best race every time out, something that at this point in the season is much easier said than done.
“With this sport, you know the reality that hard training puts you in, and I’m seeing a lot of tired people,” Busch said. “The challenge is to detach that reality that is just a part of our sport and not let that become an excuse for not racing.”
The Virginia swimming and diving teams persevered through the pain in an impressive performance against Virginia Tech Friday and Saturday. While the No. 21 Virginia men (1-4, 0-1 ACC) dropped their meet against the No. 12 Hokies (7-1, 4-1 ACC) by a score of 218-135, the No. 5 women (3-1, 1-0 ACC) dominated their in-state rivals (7-3, 3-2 ACC) by claiming 16 of 19 events in a 243-110 victory.
After last weekend, no doubt exists that the Cavalier women have separated themselves from the rest of the ACC. Virginia Tech — one of the conference’s best teams — had no answer for the depth of Virginia’s roster.
“It was a good statement,” sophomore Laura Simon said.
In just the second event of the meet, junior Becca Corbett broke teammate junior Katie Warburg’s school record in the 3-meter diving competition with a score of 325.50, setting the tone for Virginia.
The Cavalier women also had help from the usual stars. Junior Courtney Bartholomew claimed three event wins, taking the 200-yard individual medley and the 100-yard backstroke in addition to breaking the pool record with a time of 1:54.30 in the 200-yard backstroke.
Sophomore Leah Smith took home the 500 and 1,000-yard freestyle, while Simon earned victories in the 100 and 200-yard breaststroke. Sophomore Kaitlyn Jones captured the 400-yard IM and sophomore Ellen Thomas impressed for the Virginia sprinters, winning the 50 and 100-yard freestyle.
But Busch was most pleased by the depth Virginia showcased. The Cavaliers won the 200-yard freestyle and the 200-yard medley relays, in addition to securing the top two spots in the 400-yard medley and 400-yard freestyle relays.
Even though Busch cautioned against comparing this women’s team with some of the best he coached while an assistant at Arizona, he said that with the number of swimmers returning next season, greatness is not far away.
“With the way we’re recruiting right now on the women’s side, the future is really bright,” Busch said.
And despite a paltry dual-meet record, Busch continues to rave about his men’s team, and deservedly so. With just three healthy senior swimmers, the underclassmen have had to grow up much faster than expected. The team showed significant signs of progress Friday and Saturday.
Four of the men’s six event wins came from junior Yannick Kaeser and senior JB Kolod in the 100 and 200-yard breaststroke and 1 and 3-meter diving, respectively.
Others shared the spotlight, though. Sophomore Matt Lockman won the 100-yard freestyle Friday night, placed third in the 50-yard freestyle Saturday and was also part of four separate second-place relay teams. Freshman Brendan Casey drew the loudest applause of the meet after nosing out Virginia Tech sophomore Zach Switzer in the 400-yard IM; Casey also placed second in the 1,000-yard freestyle.
Likewise, sophomore Austin Quinn — who finished second in the 200 and 500-yard freestyle — and freshman Henrik Pohlmann — who placed third in the 200-yard IM and 100-yard backstroke — provided inspiring performances for the young Cavaliers.
“Opportunities are opportunities, and they can come at any time,” Busch said. “It’s on the athletes to step up and to seize that, and obviously it’s on the younger people to step up and seize any sort of void left from the upperclassmen. They’re doing a great job of it.”
Next up for Virginia will be the program’s longtime rival, North Carolina.
Last season the meet provided late drama rarely found in the pool. Tied with just two events remaining, the Virginia women pushed past the Tar Heels, but the men — tied going into the final event — came up just short.
This time around, with a surge of momentum and the comfort of the home arena, Busch said he knows the Cavaliers will bring their best shots and that his athletes certainly will be ready.
“This is the most fun dual meet we’re going to have,” Simon said.
The North Carolina meet will begin Saturday at noon at the Aquatic and Fitness Center.
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