Three in a row and history. That's what the Virginia women's swim and dive team is going for with this week's ACC Championships, as the squad attempts to win its school-record third straight title. To say the least, the team - especially the seniors - is excited about the prospect.
"Winning three in a row is something that our team has been working toward for the past couple of years, and I think now that it's time for the meet, we just really want to go out on a good note," senior Jenna Harris said.
The No. 11 Cavaliers have towered over the rest of the ACC this season and are undefeated in the conference.
But the meet will take place at the home pool of North Carolina - Virginia's biggest swimming rival and the team with the best chance of challenging the Cavaliers for the ACC title.
"The bottom line is the pool is 25 yards long, and we're all swimming in the same water, so we just have to go to what we do and what we've trained to do all year long," coach Mark Bernardino said.\nSporting strong teams for each event will not be an issue going into this week's meets. All season, Virginia has gotten contributions from everyone on its roster, and Bernardino does not expect that to change.
"This is the deepest team we've ever had, and I say that with a high level of certainty," Bernardino said. "I don't think we've ever brought a team that possesses this much depth to a championship meet."
But as they enter this week's tournament, the Cavaliers are stressing the importance of the team as a whole.
"Whenever we get in the pool for a race, we're always racing for every person on the team," senior Katherine McDonnell said. "We're never racing for ourselves. It's always the team that we have in mind when we step up on the blocks."
Virginia's swimmers also aim to improve their individual times and qualify for the NCAA Swim and Dive Championships. Bernardino stressed, however, that swimmers must strike a balance between their own goals and those of the team.
"Every one of them has individual goals, but they have to understand that it's not about their individual goals," Bernardido said. "If they achieve their individual goals and that helps the team? Awesome. That's how we look at it. It's much easier to swim for the team than it is to swim for yourself"
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