Tuesday, the No. 25 Virginia men’s swimming team will kick off the postseason with the ACC Championship meet in Atlanta. The Cavaliers, who stand at 2-6 in dual action, have arguably not lived up to their preseason No. 14 ranking. However, it can all be forgotten if they make a splash in championship meets.
This year, expectations for the men’s program flourished with the addition of two of the top recruits in the high school class of 2025. Thomas Heilman, a 2024 Olympian, and Maximus Williamson — the consensus top two recruits in the nation — headlined the class of 10 newcomers to the Virginia men’s program — one that in recent years, has not enjoyed the same levels of historic success seen by the women’s team. Now, with a newly reloaded roster, the journey to those levels of national success has been laid forth.
Last year, the Cavalier men finished eighth in the ACC Championship meet behind usual conference heavyweights NC State and North Carolina, plus newcomers Cal and Stanford as the champions and vice champions. Other successful teams last season included Louisville and Commonwealth Clash rival Virginia Tech. This year, every team which beat out Virginia last season, is currently ranked above them in the year’s final CSCAA Top 25 Dual Meet poll.
Coach Todd DeSorbo has expressed that he is not overtly concerned with how the Cavaliers place at the ACC Championships. Rather, he is focused on netting the highest placement possible at the NCAA Championship meet. However, improving on their previous marks signals that their goal of reaching the upper echelon of college swimming is on track to be achieved.
While placing as high as possible on the biggest stage may be the ultimate goal, the ACC Championships is an excellent litmus test against many of the best teams in the nation who will feature at the NCAA Championships. Additionally, the ACC Championships is the last opportunity to record NCAA qualifying times.
“It's just going to prepare them, you know, they're going to be able to walk into NCAAs and be like, ‘I've already raced the best,’” DeSorbo said. “It's not like they're going to be deer caught in headlights at NCAAs.”
Virginia is hot off the Cavalier Invitational, the final home meet of the 2025-26 season calendar. The Cavaliers’ freshman firepower was on full display, setting new pool records. The relay of Heilman, Williamson, senior veteran Jack Aikins and freshman sprinter Noah Powers set a new AFC pool record in the 200-yard freestyle relay, clocking a 1:16.16.
That time broke the record of 1:16.37 from 2024 — featuring the likes of All-American Matthew Brownstead — and also moved the Cavalier men up to 10th in the NCAA this season. Breaking an already fast pool record, with three freshmen featuring, is a promising indicator heading into stiff conference competition.
The ACC Championship meet will be a week-long endeavor, with both prelims and finals races occurring everyday, Sunday through Saturday. The competition can be streamed through ESPN on ACCNX.
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