Swimming & Diving: Giller, Hill Set School Records At UGA Fall Invite

Posted on Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, 7:39 pm

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Courtesy UVA Sports Media Relations

Sophomore Robby Giller (Wilton, Conn.) and junior Morgan Hill (Olney, Md.) each set a school record to lead the Virginia men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams on the final day of competition Saturday at the Georgia Fall Invitational at the Gabrielsen Natatorium in Athens.

Giller captured a time of 1:40.21 in the 200-yard backstroke, finishing third overall at the meet with the school-record time, while Hill set a UVA record in the 100-yard freestyle, recording a time of 47.83 for fourth place in the event.

Both Cavalier teams finished fourth at the meet with the No. 4 women’s program recording a score of 631, while the No. 15 men’s team captured 515 points. No. 2 Michigan won the women’s competition with 944 points, while No. 15 Georgia placed second with 835 points and No. 5 California finished third with 827.5 points. On the men’s side, No. 1 California placed first with 1,163 points. No. 4 Michigan followed in second place with 1,027.5, while No. 14 Georgia placed third with 795.5 points.

“It was a good weekend in Athens,” head coach Todd DeSorbo said. “The team got stronger as we went through the weekend, which is always nice to see. We ended the meet with quite a few lifetime bests and a couple of school records in the last session tonight. I’m happy with where we are at the moment but we definitely have a lot of work left to do.”

Sophomore Emma Seiberlich (Audubon, Pa.) and sophomore Erin Earley (Orange, Conn.) tied for second place in the women’s 200-yard backstroke as both athletes touched the wall with a time of 1:54.32. In addition to Seiberlich and Earley, sophomore Abby Richter (Henderson, Nev.) and sophomore Paige Madden (Mobile, Ala.) advanced to the A-Finals in the event, finishing sixth and seventh, respectively. Richter recorded a time of 1:55.39, while Madden captured a time of 1:55.46.

Freshman Kaki Christensen (Darien, Conn.) posted the third-fastest time in school history in the women’s 200-yard breaststroke, recording a time of 2:10.38, which placed her third in the competition. Senior Vivian Tafuto (Hummelstown, Pa.) followed by recording the program’s fourth-fastest performance in the event, swimming a time of 2:10.67 and finishing fourth at the meet.

Additionally, juniors Madeleine Vonderhaar (Lakeside Park, Ky.) and Mary Claire Tansill (Bristow, Va.) placed seventh and eighth, respectively, in the women’s 200-yard breaststroke. Vonderhaar swam a time of 2:12.93, while Tansill swam a time of 2:14.76.

Senior Eryn Eddy (Loveland, Colo.) joined Hill in the A-Finals of the women’s 100-yard freestyle. Eddy recorded a time of 49.16 to finish eighth overall. Freshman Julia Menkhaus (Charlotte, N.C.) placed fifth in the women’s 200-yard butterfly, recording a time of 1:57.17.

Sophomore Cooper Wozencraft (Houston, Texas) and freshman Justin Grender (Cincinnati, Ohio) finished fifth and eighth, respectively, in the men’s 200-yard backstroke. Wozencraft captured a time of 1:41.62, third-best time in school history, as Grender swam a time of 1:44.24.

Junior Ryan Baker (Arlington, Va.) and senior Bryce Keblish (Fairfield, Conn.) captured a sixth and seventh-place finish, respectively, in the men’s 100-yard freestyle. Baker recorded a time of 43.46, while Keblish finished with a time of 43.57.

In the men’s 200-yard breaststroke, sophomore Keefer Barnum (Louisville, Ky.) placed seventh, recording a time of 1:57.95.

Senior Zach Fong (Moorestown, N.J.) placed fourth in the men’s 200-yard butterfly, capturing a time of 1:42.20, while junior Ted Schubert finished (Ashland, Va.) sixth in the event with a time of 1:43.08.

The Cavaliers closed the meet with a fourth-place finish from the women’s 400-yard freestyle relay team of Hill, Eddy, sophomore Kyla Valls (Miami, Fla.) and Madden. The team recorded a time of 3:16.90 for the finish. The men’s team of Wozencraft, Baker, senior Bryce Keblish (Fairfield, Conn.) and sophomore Samuel Schilling (Excelsior, Minn.) swam a time of 2:55.98, placing sixth overall.

Virginia will return to action after the winter break, competing at the UGA Diving Invite (Jan. 4-6) in Athens.