The Virginia men's swimming and diving team tackles two major challenges this Thursday at the Aquatics & Fitness Center. Not only are the Cavaliers defending their home pool against the onslaught of the rest of the ACC, but Virginia must also try to win its third consecutive title. The meet runs from Thursday through Saturday, with preliminaries beginning at 11 a.m. and finals starting at 7 p.m. each day.
"I don't think they feel any pressure whatsoever," Virginia coach Mark Bernardino said. "I think they feel confident. They are excited and ready to go. They know to win a conference title everything has to come together for 18 people at the exact same time, over the course of six sessions of swimming in three days. I don't think anyone on this team approaches it as we are the odds-on favorite."
|
The 11th-ranked Cavaliers (8-1, 5-0 ACC) come into this match with a trio of stars. Senior Jamie Grimes and freshman Luke Anderson both won ACC Swimmers of the Week awards over the course of the season, and junior Chris Mousetis returns to the ACC Championships after winning individual titles in the 200-yard backstroke and 200 individual medley last year. No. 15 North Carolina (6-2, 4-1) and 24th-ranked Georgia Tech (11-3, 1-2) pose the biggest threat to the Cavaliers.
"We feel respect for North Carolina as a team," Bernardino said. "We respect them as extremely talented athletes. We respect them as a group of men that are going to come in here and do everything that they can possibly do to win. Georgia Tech is also very good as well."
Sophomore Sean Quinn leads the Tar Heels. The 2000 ACC Rookie of the Year won the 200 breaststroke last year. Carolina junior Chris Helin, who won ACC Swimmer of the Week this season, will also look to make an impact in the pool.
N.C. State (3-8, 0-6) is the only team returning two ACC champions. Last year, seniors Greg Solt and Braden Holloway won the 50 freestyle and 100 backstroke, respectively.
"We want to focus on ourselves and to not worry what the competition is doing," Wolfpack coach Brooks Teal. "We want to come in here and be relaxed. I think we are ready to swim fast, the guys are looking great. They have had a really good year. We have a small team with only a few individuals returning, but where we can come out in the scoring race is how fast we can swim in comparison to our competitors, and this is something that we can't control."
Other exceptional swimmers include Florida State senior Greg Main-Baillie, Maryland's Drew Childs, Georgia Tech's David Laitala and Clemson's Mark Henly.
"I am concerned about everybody," Bernardino said. "There is not a swimmer in the water that I am not concerned about ... I have respect for every athlete of every team. This promises to be a very good championship for men."
This season has been incredible for the Cavalier men. With their only loss coming against No. 2 Tennessee on Nov. 17, they have often been compared to the championship Virginia teams of the previous two seasons.
"I think each of those teams [of the past two years] possesses their own identity," Bernardino said. "This is a very capable and talented team. I think this team has approached this season all year long as if they were the hunted. Hopefully we will show up as if they were the hunters."
Other teams seem to already think the Cavaliers posses this mentality.
"The Virginia men's team is awesome," Teal said. "They have had a good year. Coach Bernardino does a super job with them. They have a very strong freshman class, to add to the talent that they already had here. I expect them to swim well in the ACC Championships."
Read More
Virginia softball closes out regular season with series victory over Georgia Tech
By Eleanor Lynch | 36 minutes agoThe team’s overall 65.3 percent win record this year is the highest it’s been since the 2003-04 season, and there is still time for it to continue to rise from there.
In an arduous series, Virginia baseball triumphs in Boston
By Katie Costin | 41 minutes agoThe Cavaliers picked up another series win, but will need to find consistency as they approach postseason play.
Virginia Athletics wins second straight Commonwealth Clash over Virginia Tech
By Eleanor Lynch | YesterdayThe Cavaliers’ fifth Commonwealth Clash victory over the last eight contests proves the athletic department’s overall success in recent years.
