CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia first-year Liz Shaw broke the Atlantic Coast Conference record in the 200 butterfly Sunday against North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C. Shaw finished the race in 1:57.04, clocking a NCAA ‘A’ qualifying standard.
Virginia split the meet with North Carolina. The women put up a dominant performance to knock off the defending conference champion and 10th-ranked Tar Heels, 191-109. The Cavalier men, who had won the last nine meetings against UNC in dual meet competition, were edged by UNC, 151-149.
Shaw added to her already outstanding performance with two more wins in the 100 fly (54.74, ‘B’) and 200 IM (2:02.38, ‘B’).
“As great as Liz was today, she was just one of many outstanding women who swam above and beyond the call of duty today,” Virginia head coach Mark Bernardino said. “I knew we would swim well but our women took it to an entirely different level mentally and emotionally. They have had a burning desire all season and we really saw it today.”
The Cavalier women finished 1-2-3 in the 200 free, with fourth-year Stephanie Glover leading the way in 1:49.85. Jenna Harris (1:49.95) placed second and Megan Evo (1:49.98) was third. All three of them clocked ‘B’ times.
Virginia was also 1-2-3 in the 200 fly, with Shaw pacing UVa with her record-setting swim. Claire Crippen was second (1:59.52, ‘B’) and Katya Bachrouche was third (2:01.78, ‘B’).
Fourth-year Jessica Lewis posted two wins on the afternoon, winning the 50 free (23.24, ‘B’) in addition to the 100 free (50.34, ‘B’). Second-year Mei Christensen tallied two ‘B’ standards in both the 100 back (54.76) and the 200 back (1:58.25) en route to two victories. Christensen also moved up to eighth place on the ACC’s all-time top times list in the 100 back.
Katherine McDonnell claimed the 100 breast in 1:03.61, another ‘B’ time. Ellie Freeman collected a ‘B’ mark of her own with a second-place finish in the event (1:03.67). Jen Narum also won the 500 free (4:49.21, ‘B’).
The 200 free relay team of Christensen, McDonnell, Glover and Lewis clocked a ‘B’ time of 1:42.11 to earn first-place honors. The 400 relay team concluded the meet with another Cavalier win, posting a ‘B’ mark of 3:23.28. Glover, Evo, Kristen Moores and Lewis swam for UVa.
Eric Olesen led the men, posting a NCAA ‘B’ qualifying standard in the 100 back with a mark of 48.69. That time also was the fastest of the year for the Cavaliers. Olesen went on to win his second event of the afternoon in the 100 fly with a time of 49.52.
“It was a disappointing loss,” Bernardino said. “We swam against a very fine team and they were the ones who caught fire and won all the close races. It was an outstanding college dual meet and they were a little bit better today.”
Rookie Matt McLean won the 200 free, posting another ‘B’ standard and a season-best time of 1:37.73. First-year Scot Robison won the 50 free in 23.83, the fastest time to date for UVa this season. John Azar collected first-place honors in the 200 IM with a time of 1:50.54. PJ Sullivan won the 100 breast in 56.76.
The 400 free relay team posted another also picked up a ‘B’ standard, winning the event in 3:01.76. Swimming for UVa was Olesen, Robertson, Robison and McLean.
Diver Alex D’Ambrosio finished second on both the one and three-meter boards to lead Virginia. D’Ambrosio’s mark of qualified for the NCAA Zone Championships with his career-high performance on the three-meter.
UNC’s Josef Kinderwater set a school record in the 1000 free, winning the event in 8:58.09. Kinderwater also went on to win the 500 free.
Virginia will swim its final home meet of the season next Sunday against Pittsburgh. Diving will begin at 11 a.m. with the swimming events set to start at noon from the Aquatic and Fitness Center.
Full Scoreboard
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
