The Virginia women’s swimming and diving team entered the season with the ambitious goal of taking the title as the storied program’s best squad. No doubt ever existed that the milestone was within reach. But to outsiders, the Cavaliers probably did not seem on the right trajectory about a month ago.
Hosting the rival Tar Heels, the Lady Cavaliers appeared tired and out of sorts. Virginia only fell by a narrow margin, 156.5-143.5, but the women’s performance was certainly not up to their usual standards.
However, while it may have appeared as if the Cavaliers were reeling, coach Augie Busch never batted an eye. It was all part of the plan.
Virginia — who had run the 61,500-capacity Scott Stadium stairs just days before — was in no shape for personal bests. But that was because the Cavaliers had their sights focused on a bigger goal.
“If we thought it was really important to win that meet, we would have rested for it,” freshman Jennifer Marrkand said. “But we didn’t. We only think of the championships — ACC’s and NCAA’s.”
And this Wednesday through Saturday, the No. 9 Virginia women (3-2, 1-1 ACC) will take to the pool in search of the first of their two objectives – the ACC Championship.
But while the Cavaliers have taken the past seven consecutive conference crowns, the eighth is far from guaranteed. Virginia is one of four ranked ACC teams that have their eyes on the prize.
Perhaps the biggest challenger will be No. 5 North Carolina, although No. 12 North Carolina State has steadily improved over the past few seasons. And with the addition of No. 18 Louisville to the conference, Busch — who had spent most of his career in the illustrious Pac-12 before last season — knows he will get a taste of the nation’s best.
“It’s going to be a faster meet when you add Louisville to the mix, and the other teams have gotten better,” Busch said.
But the biggest roadblock to another conference championship might be Busch’s own philosophy. While he prepares his swimmers for the championship meets, the NCAA championships — which he views as most important — still lie ahead, just over a month away.
Those competing at the NCAA meet have yet to hit their taper, and they will continue strenuous workouts for another few weeks. Still, Virginia will have multiple athletes rested and ready to go come Wednesday.
Freshman Marrkand, freshman Caitlin Cooper, sophomore Shannon Rauth, junior Hanne Borgersen, seniors Emily Dicus and Kelly Offutt are just a few of the names for whom Busch has cut down yardage, intensity and dry-land training.
Still, several other Virginia stars — such as junior Courtney Bartholomew and sophomores Leah Smith and Laura Simon — will certainly contribute to the final outcome, Busch said, even at a limited capacity.
“I expect to see lifetime bests out of those who are shaved and tapered,” Busch said. “And the goal is to get close to those lifetime bests with the unshaved people.”
Past evidence suggests that Busch’s expectations are more than reasonable. A season ago, Busch followed the same strategy of not resting his athletes with great success in the conference meet.
Virginia tallied 1,433 points in last season’s victory — over 200 more than second place North Carolina. Individual, program and conference records alike fell in dramatic fashion as the Cavaliers cruised.
But the results from earlier this season at the Georgia Fall Invitational likely will prove more indicative of Virginia’s performance.
The Lady Cavaliers rested for the meet and placed third, only behind No. 1 Georgia and No. 3 California. However, that rest was not equivalent to the complete taper of which many of Virginia’s athletes will take full advantage this weekend.
“We still did a lot of hard practices [in the fall],” Marrkand said.
Those brutal stretches contributed to a regular season that was not quite up to par with the preseason goals, one of which was to go undefeated in dual meets. In addition to the North Carolina defeat, Virginia also fell to Penn State, 183-170, in November.
To Busch, though, the real season is just getting started. And with an improved crew — most of whom are holdovers from a year ago — both the coaches and athletes know the odds are in their favor for an eighth straight conference championship.
“We’re just going to fly,” Marrkand said.
The ACC Championship Meet will run from Wednesday to Saturday in Atlanta, Ga.
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