Swimming & Diving: Virginia’s women’s team claims fourth-straight ACC title

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Posted on Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023, 3:46 pm

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Courtesy UVA Media Relations

Photo: UVA Athletics

The No. 1 Virginia women’s swimming & diving won its fourth consecutive ACC Championship and 19th overall on Saturday night at the Greensboro Aquatic Center.

Virginia finished with 1536 points in the win. UVA’s women won 14 of the 18 swimming events en route to the title.

Senior Kate Douglass and junior Alex Walsh both won all three individual events and were part of four of UVA’s five relay wins. Douglass was named the ACC Women’s Most Valuable Swimmer.

Senior Ella Nelson won two individual events and sophomore Gretchen Walsh won an individual title in the 50 free and was part of four ACC Champion relays. Junior Noah Nichols highlighted the men’s meet with his win in the 100-yard breaststroke.

NIGHT FIVE HIGHLIGHTS

  • Douglass won her third individual championship of the meet with her win in the 100-yard freestyle. Douglass set a meet and ACC record with her time of 45.86 and became the third-fastest performer in the event.
  • Alex Walsh completed her sweep of individual events as well, winning the 200-yard breaststroke with a pool record time of 2:03.68.
  • The Cavaliers scored a trio of second place finishes. Senior Maddie Donohoe started the night off with her silver in the 1650-yard freestyle with a time of 15:59.54. G. Walsh finished second to Douglass for the second time of the meet with her 46.32 in the 100-yard freestyle. G. Walsh finished with an ACC title in the 50-yard freestyle and runner-up finishes in the 100 fly and 100 free. Junior Matt Brownstead took second in the men’s 100-yard freestyle with a time of 41.72.
  • Sophomores Reilly Tiltmann and Jack AIkins both picked up third place finishes in the 100-yard backstroke. Tiltmann finished third in the women’s event with a time of 1:51.05 and Aikins was third in the men’s in 1:40.11.
  • Junior Noah Nichols closed out the individual events with third in the men’s 200-yard breaststroke. Nichols finished with a time of 1:51.97.
  • Virginia’s relay team of G. Walsh, Douglass, Cuomo and A. Walsh, respectively, closed out the meet with another American, NCAA & US Open record relay with a 3:06.83 to win the 400-yard freestyle relay.

WOMEN’S NOTES

  • Freshmen Claire Tuggle and Sophia Knapp were seventh and eighth, respectively, in the women’s 1650-yard freestyle.
  • Sophomore Ella Bathurst finished seventh in the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 1:53.37. Junior Sophia Wilson was 14th with a 1:57.13.
  • Senior Lexi Cuomo and freshman Aimee Canny rounded out the four Hoos in the women’s 100-yard freestyle championship final. Cuomo finished sixth (47.72) and Canny was seventh (48.16). Junior Maxine Parker finished 12th with a time of 48.29.

MEN’S NOTES

  • Senior Sean Conway finished 11th in the 200-yard backstroke (1:43.36), senior Max Edw
  • Sophomore Tim Connery closed out his strong meet with an eighth-place finish in the men’s 100-yard freestyle with a time of 42.51.
  • Sophomore Max Iida finished fifth in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:53.26. Sophomore Daniel Worth was 24th in 1:59.93.