The Virginia swim and dive teams will head to Happy Valley, Pa. this weekend to face off against Penn State in a two-day dual meet, hoping to improve on their performances against Kentucky on Nov. 7.
The Cavalier men and women's squads, both of which hold 2-1 records, appear to have the advantage, as the 2-1 Nittany Lions are coming off a defeat at the hands of Virginia Tech, which the Cavaliers easily defeated Oct. 21.
That is not to say, however, that Virginia does not expect to be challenged this week, especially given its mediocre effort against Kentucky. Although the Cavaliers won against the Wildcats, coach Mark Bernardino said his team could have shown more enthusiasm during the lopsided matchups.
"I think that we showed a lack of explosive speed at Kentucky," he said. "We haven't done enough explosive-type training to carry it over well enough into the dual meets."
The Cavaliers used their week off to focus on sprint training to ensure that they race with the tenacity and determination Bernadino desires.
"We're just trying to get a little bit of that feeling of explosiveness during the course of the weeks preceding the meet now, so that it's not foreign to them during the meet," he said.
Sprint training can have far-reaching effects, especially on "turns, coming off the wall [and] breakouts," which can make a significant difference in a sport that is often decided by fractions of a second, junior Matt McLean said.
The speed work "was a nice change of pace because we've been doing some longer aerobic stuff," added McLean, who was named ACC Performer and Men's Division I Swimmer of the Week after the Kentucky meet. "I'm not explosive or naturally quick at all. A lot of the guys joke around with me because I'm not so explosive, so that's something I have to work on."
Bernardino also has focused on improving the performances of Virginia's distance swimmers, as well.
"By and large, I don't think our distance group has gotten out to the kind of start we had envisioned for them," Bernardino said. "They're still a little bit behind where we wanted them to be."
The additional practice should benefit the Cavaliers during the two-day meet's 19 events - three more than in a standard one-day dual meet. Among other events, the teams will compete in the 200-meter and 400 individual medleys; the 200 and 400 freestyle relays; and the 200 and 400 medley relay.
Despite the weekend's extra events, Bernardino said his swimmers are prepared for the difficult task ahead, which will help demonstrate the teams' ability to perform under pressure.
"I don't worry about it - dual meets are dual meets," Bernardino said. "We don't rest, taper - we don't worry about dual meets. We swim through them and see how well we can perform when physically tired. It's the mark of a good team"
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