![<p>“[That whole class] is everything they have been hyped up to be,” DeSorbo said. “Heilman and Williamson in particular are the real deal and other guys are elevating because of them.</p>](https://snworksceo.imgix.net/cav/4f32b0b3-555e-43cd-9d36-27de7adbaef0.sized-1000x1000.png?w=1000)
For the first time, the No. 12 Virginia men’s swimming team entered a postseason-caliber bracket challenge of the regular season this weekend in Knoxville, Tenn. In an opportunity to measure itself against three of the nation’s premier men’s programs, the Cavaliers fell short and finished fourth after dropping all three of their matches, including a 37-19 loss to Michigan in Sunday morning’s meet for third place.
The four invited teams competed in a seeded bracket, with Arizona State earning the No. 1 seed out of the Big 12, No. 2 Tennessee representing the SEC, No. 3 Michigan from the Big Ten and, lastly, No. 4 Virginia serving as the ACC representative.
The Cavaliers opened the weekend against the Sun Devils Friday, where they failed to capitalize on point-scoring opportunities and ultimately fell decisively, 38-3. Freshman Grant Murphy scored Virginia’s lone individual point by winning his head-to-head match-up in the 400 IM in a time of 3:46.04. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers picked up their other two points in the 400 medley relay as they strategically ranked their top relay second in order to beat Arizona State’s second-best relay under the meet’s unique scoring format.
Perhaps the most consequential decision of the weekend came in that Friday defeat, when Coach Todd DeSorbo chose not to field freshman standouts Thomas Heilman and Maximus Williamson — instead appearing to rest them for the weekend sessions. The pair of dynamic recruits have been a spark plug for the Cavaliers early this season, and the gamble sharply limited Virginia’s scoring potential against a loaded Sun Devil roster.
With Heilman and Williamson reintroduced to the lineup Saturday, Virginia looked far more competitive against No. 11 Michigan. After falling behind 6-0 in early relay competition, the Cavaliers rallied back through a series of tightly contested head-to-head matchups, trading momentum with the Wolverines all afternoon. Michigan swept the final individual event, the 200-yard breaststroke to take a 20-18 lead heading into the final relay, where the Wolverines edged the Cavaliers by just 0.09 seconds in the 200 freestyle relay to secure a 24-20 victory.
Despite the loss, the Cavalier men performed much stronger Saturday, in large part to the efforts of the two star freshman. Heilman broke the Virginia program record in the 200-yard butterfly at 1:39:09, while Williamson followed with a program record 1:41.61 in the 200-yard IM. In total, the Cavaliers won six of the eight individual matches and put together a strong bounce-back showing after Friday’s lopsided result.
“[That whole class] is everything they have been hyped up to be,” DeSorbo said. “Heilman and Williamson in particular are the real deal and other guys are elevating because of them.”
Sunday’s meet for third place marked Virginia’s second battle with Michigan in as many days, although the rematch lacked the same fire and competitiveness of Saturday’s contest. The Wolverines controlled early events, and the Cavaliers were unable to climb their way back into contention despite another phenomenal showing from Heilman, who won both of his individual events for the second consecutive day.
While the tournament format and scoring system created an unusual competitive environment, the weekend provided clarity about Virginia’s progress and standing at the midway point of the season.
The Cavaliers’ top-end talent is there. Heilman, Williamson and returners such as sophomore backstroker David King are producing nationally competitive results across multiple events and disciplines. However, this weekend was a reminder that Virginia is far away from having the depth and consistency up and down the roster to match the likes of top programs like Arizona State and Michigan in championship-style scoring formats.
The unique bracket structure offered valuable postseason simulation — with an emphasis on relays and high-stakes head-to-head matchups. While the results in Knoxville were disappointing and certainly far off from DeSorbo’s vision for this team, the Cavaliers undoubtedly learned lessons and gained valuable exposure in a competitive setting emulating the postseason environment they are aiming to reach.
Virginia now heads into a break from collegiate competition until the new year. The Cavaliers will return to action on Jan. 10, when they host Penn State for Senior Day at the Aquatic & Fitness Center. The Cavaliers have the opportunity to draw from their experience this weekend and continue to build an identity consistent with their championship aspirations.
Read More
Anna Moesch spearheads Virginia women to a knockout in Knoxville
By Aimee Crosbie | 1 hours agoIn a weekend designed to test depth and nerves, the Virginia women mostly made the CSCAA Dual Meet Challenge look like business as usual.
No. 1 seed women’s soccer falls to No. 4 Washington in Sweet 16 on penalties
By Sam Chun | 11 hours ago“It's one of those things about our sport you really love, and it's hard to accept at times,” Swanson said.
Bizjack, Bulldogs hand Virginia first loss of Odom era in whistle-filled Greenbrier finale
By Aimee Crosbie | 17 hours ago“We kind of dug ourselves a hole, and we had to fight back," Thomas said.
