In an ACC rivalry showdown Friday at NC State’s Willis R. Casey Aquatic Center, the Cavalier squads each faced a formidable opponent in the No. 7 Wolfpack women and the No. 6 NC State men. The dual was Virginia’s last of the season, and the women took advantage, delivering a deluge of season best times, pool records and nationally-ranked performances. The Cavalier women remained unbeaten with a decisive 181-113 victory, while the men fell 172.5-89.5 against a powerhouse NC State lineup.
The No. 1 Virginia women, as usual, began their drubbing from the opening relay. The Cavalier “A” squad of freshman Sara Curtis, senior Emma Weber, junior Claire Curzan and sophomore Anna Moesch dominated the 200-yard medley relay in a time of 1:32.67. In fact, Virginia’s “B” team also managed to outtouch the Wolfpack “A,” in 1:34.47 to 1:34.61, a notable feat considering the talent on the NC State women’s roster.
On the men’s side, the Wolfpack responded by taking the 200-yard medley relay in a swift 1:23.22. No. 25 Virginia’s “B” squad of sophomore Spencer Nicholas, freshman Davin Lindholm, freshman Thomas Heilman and senior Jack Aikins grabbed second in a 1:24.45, just about half a second off the relay’s seed time.
The 1000-yard freestyle highlighted Virginia’s dominance in women’s distance events. Sophomore Katie Grimes led a 1-2 Cavalier finish, clocking a 9:28.49 — the fourth-fastest time in the NCAA this season — with junior Cavan Gormsen touching second in 9:34.03, good for No. 7 in the nation this season. On the men’s side, however, NC State showed its own distance prowess by sweeping the top three spots in the 1000-yard free, as the Cavaliers’ top finisher, sophomore Dillon Wright, came in fourth in 9:11.84.
Senior Aimee Canny grabbed Virginia’s first individual win on the women’s side in the 200 freestyle, with a 1:42.81 victory to lead a Cavalier sweep of the top three. Freshman Madi Mintenko and sophomore Bailey Hartman took second and third behind Canny, firmly shutting out the Wolfpack.
In the men’s 200 free, Virginia’s heralded freshman Maximus Williamson provided a highlight by touching first in 1:32.18. Williamson edged out NC State sophomore star Kaii Winkler in that race, while Cavalier sophomore David King took third in 1:33.09, giving Virginia a strong 1-3 finish against one of the Wolfpack’s stronger events.
NC State’s vaunted backstroke group made its presence known in the 100- and 200-yard backstrokes. Wolfpack freshman Leah Shackley won the women’s 100 back in 50.56, just eight-hundredths ahead of Virginia’s Curtis in a nail-biting finish. Shackley, one of NC State’s talented newcomers, later completed a sweep of the backstroke events by also taking the 200-yard backstroke in 1:49.95. Wolfpack freshman Erika Pelaez touched just behind her teammate, and sophomore Charlotte Wilson nabbed third for the Cavaliers in 1:52.53.
NC State’s dominance in the backstroke is no surprise — producing stars like Olympian alumna Katharine Berkoff and training U.S. national teamers such as Rhyan White, alongside current freshmen phenoms like Shackley, Pelaez and senior Kennedy Noble.
In the men’s backstroke events, NC State swept the 100-yard, with Aikins the top Cavalier in fourth with a 46.52. But Virginia answered in the 200-yard, where King broke through for a Cavalier win in 1:40.09, handing the Wolfpack a rare backstroke defeat and earning one of Virginia’s five men’s victories.
The breaststroke events saw a similar split between the two programs’ strengths. In the women’s 100-yard breaststroke, NC State’s freshman Olympian Eneli Jefimova touched first in 58.10, with Weber close behind in second at 58.67. Senior Zoe Skirboll and freshman Sophia Umstead followed in third and fourth, showing the Cavalier’s depth despite missing the event win.
The men’s 100-yard breaststroke had a similar result — Wolfpack sophomore Arsen Kozhakhmetov won the event in 53.28, but Virginia filled out the podium thanks to senior Matthew Heilman in second with 53.74 and junior Jay Gerloff tying for third.
The Cavaliers delivered some standout performances in the butterfly events, particularly on the women’s side. Curzan dominated the 200-yard butterfly in a stunning 1:51.35 to win, a time that has vaulted her to No. 2 in the NCAA this season, just behind Michigan’s Hannah Bellard. Curzan led a Virginia podium sweep in the 200 fly, with senior Carly Novelline touching second in 1:54.36 and freshman Olympian Lana Pudar taking third in 1:56.16. On the men’s side, freshman Thomas Heilman continued his breakout year by claiming the men’s 200 fly in 1:41.00, securing another event win for the Cavaliers.
Later in the 100-yard butterfly, Curzan completed her sweep of the butterfly events by touching first in 49.13 — a new pool record and the second-fastest 100 fly in the NCAA this year, just two-tenths behind Stanford senior star Torri Huske’s top time of 48.90. Heilman also notched a butterfly double for the men, blazing a 45.22 to win the shorter event.
In the sprint freestyle events, Virginia’s women once again asserted their supremacy. In the 50-yard freestyle, Curtis and Moesch blasted to a 1-2 finish with electrifying times of 21.37 and 21.44, respectively. Moesch’s performance was a personal best and now ranks No. 6 in the NCAA this season, while Curtis remains in the No. 2 spot off of the back of her 21.18, swam in October against UNC.
The 100-yard freestyle brought more Cavalier dominance, as Moesch returned to win going away in 46.40, nearly two seconds ahead of Mintenko, completing a 1-2 for Virginia. Moesch’s 46.40 broke the Willis Casey pool record and demonstrated why the sophomore is a key piece of Virginia’s sprint arsenal.
NC State’s sprinters, however, had the upper hand on the men’s side. The Wolfpack swept the top three in both the men’s 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard freestyle. In the 50-yard, a trio of NC State sprinters topped the field, while Virginia’s fastest was freshman Noah Powers, who touched fourth in 19.88. Similarly, in the 100-yard freestyle, Winkler took first in 42.21, leading a Wolfpack 1-2-3 finish, as Powers again was the top Cavalier in fourth at 43.99.
To close out the individual events, Canny once again stepped up — the senior standout completed a gruelling triple by winning the 200-yard individual medley. She posted a time of 1:54.77 to comfortably take the event, finishing over a second ahead of Virginia sophomore Leah Hayes. In fact, the Cavaliers swept the top four spots, with Hayes, Umstead and Skirboll filling out.
On the men’s side, Williamson picked up his second win of the afternoon clocking 1:42.75 to beat out the Wolfpack who went 2-3-4. Williamson’s wins in both the 200-yard individual medley and freestyle further underlines the impact of underclassmen on the Virginia men.
The meet concluded with the 400-yard freestyle relays, and both races provided emphatic final statements. The Cavalier women’s “A” relay of Curtis, Curzan, Mintenko and Moesch were victorious in a time of 3:07.62, setting yet another pool record. With Curzan and Moesch throwing down blistering sub-46.5 splits — their cumulative time was just 0.03 seconds shy of Stanford’s nation-leading 3:07.59 this season.
On the men’s side, the Wolfpack “A” once again nabbed the top relay spot, blasting a 2:46.90 to dominate the men’s 400-yard freestyle relay, one of the fastest times in the country this season. Despite fielding all of their star swimmers, the Cavaliers’ top relay of Heilman, Williamson, King and Aikins finished second in just 2:53.42, well behind an NC State squad that featured their star sprinters firing on all cylinders.
The meet in Raleigh, N.C., marked the end of Virginia’s 2025-26 dual meet season. The Cavalier women finish with a perfect 8-0 dual record and, once again, look every bit the nation’s top team as championship season approaches. The men’s team wraps up at 2-6, but the influx of young talent and the experience gained against powerhouses like NC State could pay dividends in the postseason. Up next, Virginia will host the Cavalier Invitational Feb. 5-7 as a final tune-up meet before the ACC Championships at the end of the month.
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