Swimming: UVA closes out successful weekend at Tennessee Invite

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

Kate Douglass

Kate Douglass (Photo: UVA Athletics)

Senior Kate Douglass improved her own American record in the 200-yard breaststroke to lead five wins for the Virginia men’s and women’s swimming & diving teams on the final night at the Tennessee Invitational.

UVA’s women finished 4-0 on the weekend with wins over Tennessee (242-145), Michigan (244-142) and North Carolina (235-149). Virginia’s men finished 2-1 with wins over Michigan (192.5-183.5) and North Carolina (208-168), and a loss to Tennessee (122-265).

Freshman Sophia Knapp kicked off the final night with her first collegiate win, placing first in the 1650-yard freestyle. Douglass earned her second win of the weekend with her 200-yard breaststroke title and sophomore Gretchen Walsh won her third event with the 100-yard freestyle title. Junior Abby Harter took first in the 200-yard butterfly and the Cavalier women won the 400-yard freestyle relay to cap off the night.

WOMEN’S RESULTS

  • Knapp won the 1650 free with a time of 16:12.11, a time that qualified for last season’s NCAA Championships and is the third fastest-time in the country entering the weekend. Senior Maddie Donohoe finished fourth with a time of 16:21.18.
  • Gretchen Walsh improved on her season-best time with a 46.89 to win the 100-yard freestyle and score another NCAA “A” time. Junior Maxine Parker placed third with a time of 48.33 to give UVA two Hoos on the podium. Senior Lexi Cuomo added a sixth-place finish in 49.02.
  • The Cavaliers had four at the top of the 200-yard breaststroke. Behind Douglass’ record time, junior Alex Walsh finished second with an NCAA “A” time of 2:03.93, senior Ella Nelson was fourth (2:07.06) and junior Anna Keating was fourth (2:08.01).
  • Harter won her first event of the weekend, taking the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 1:54.45. Junior Sam Baron was fifth (1:59.72) and senior Caroilne Kulp was sixth (2:00.60).
  • Sophomore Ella Bathurst finished third in the 200-yard backstroke with an NCAA “B” time of 1:54.40.
  • UVA’s relay of Douglass, G. Walsh, A. Walsh and Parker, respectively, won the 400-yard freestyle relay with a time of 3:11.18.

MEN’S RESULTS

  • Sophomore Jack Aikins podiumed with a second-place finish in the 200-yard backstroke. Aikins clocked in with an NCAA “B” time of 1:42.37. Junior Will Cole finished sixth with a time of 1:45.14.
  • Juniors Matt King and Matt Brownstead finished third and fourth, respectively, in the 100-yard freestyle. King dropped under 42 seconds, finishing in 41.93. Brownstead clocked in with a 42.63.
  • Junior Noah Nichols finished as the runner-up and sophomore Max Iida placed third in the 200-yard breaststroke. Both recorded NCAA “B” times as Nichols finished in 1:53.57 and Iida in 1:53.81.
  • Senior Josh Fong, freshman Sebastien Sergile and freshman Kamal Muhammad finished fifth, sixth and eighth, respectively, in the 200-yard butterfly.
  • Sophomore Peter Thompson finished eighth in the 1650-yard freestyle with a time of 15:22.79.
  • UVA’s men closed out the meet with a second-place finish in the 400-yard freestyle relay. Aikins, Brownstead, sophomore Tim Connery and King, respectively, finished with an NCAA “A” time of 2:49.88.

DIVING

  • Sophomore Lizzy Kaye finished eighth on the platform with a score of 224.10. Kaye earned top-8 finishes in all three diving events.
  • Sophomore Nicholas Sanders scored a 267.70, the ninth-best score in UVA history, to finish eighth on the platform.

UP NEXT

Virginia will return to dual meet action in January when it hosts Virginia Tech on Jan. 14.