When the No. 5 Virginia women’s swimming and diving teams wrapped up the season last year after the NCAA Championships, they had a lot to hang their hats on. Under the leadership of Coach Augie Busch, the team finished the regular season ranked ninth, won their eighth straight ACC championship and placed fifth at the NCAA Championships — the best finish in the school’s history.
However, this tenacious group of swimmers and divers weren’t going to settle with their prior successes. This season, the teams went undefeated in head-to-head matchups, placed first in the one invitational they competed in and, for the first time in program history, were ranked as the top team in the nation by the CSCAA Top 25 Poll.
Just as with last season, though, the Cavaliers aren’t settling for their accomplishments from the regular season. With only two meets left, the women’s swimming and diving teams have some business to take care of this week — namely, defending a legacy.
“They have a streak going that they really want to protect,” Busch said.
The Virginia women (8-0, 4-0 ACC) are on the hunt to win their ninth consecutive ACC Championship — this year’s competition runs Wednesday-Saturday in Greensboro, N.C.
However, for Busch, this championship is not the end goal for the team.
“[The ACC Championship] is a huge meet, but I think we’ve graduated beyond making that the ultimate focus on our women’s side,” he said. “We have a shot to do some pretty historic stuff this year at the NCAA Championships.”
This mindset is demonstrated by how Busch has been practicing his team over the past week. With the NCAA Championships looming, not all swimmers — such as big-name swimmers senior Courtney Bartholomew and junior Leah Smith — have hit their taper. This means that for them and several others, intense workouts have been and will continue to be the status quo for a few more weeks.
However, this decision by Busch is completely justified. Now in his third season at Virginia, he led his squad to two ACC Championships and the best finish the program has ever seen at the NCAA Championships last season.
Last season’s ACC Championship did not come without a bit of drama, though.
Heading into the final day, Virginia was trailing rival North Carolina. Ultimately, it was the distance swimming events on the last day of competition that propelled Virginia to its eighth consecutive title as the Cavaliers defeated the Tar Heels by 53.5 points.
“We had five girls score in the top 16 of the mile last year [at the ACC Championships],” senior swimmer Haley Durmer said. “Most of the people are returning.”
That group includes Durmer, Smith and senior Hanne Borgersen. Dubbed “Distance Day,” that final day of the meet could be integral in Virginia claiming another ACC Championship. To continue the streak, Virginia will have to rise above some formidable foes.
Louisville, which is ranked ninth in the nation, is just behind Virginia in the polls. The Cardinals, in addition to the North Carolina powerhouses — No. 15 N.C. State and No. 16 North Carolina — will make it difficult for Virginia to obtain its goal. However, senior diver Becca Corbett sees the competition as a benefit to being in the ACC.
“I think if we were in a weaker conference, we wouldn’t be as prepared for [the NCAA Championships],” she said.
In addition to the women competing this week, the Virginia men’s diving team will also compete. Their score will be added to the Virginia men’s swimming team, which competes in the same venue Feb. 24-27.
This tournament is very important to the Virginia women. The squad wants to have momentum heading into the NCAA Championships to cap off what has been a historic season. However, Durmer has her eyes on the immediate prize.
“Our goal is to win and get the ninth consecutive title,” she said. “We’re all really excited and really focused.”
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