Virginia Men’s Swimming & Diving finishes ninth at 2021 NCAA Championships

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

The Virginia men’s swimming & diving team finished ninth overall at the 2021 NCAA Championships after four individuals and a relay competed in the finals Saturday night at the Greensboro Aquatic Center.

The Cavaliers amassed 152 points in its ninth-place finish, their best finish since eighth in 2011. Texas won the team title with a score of 595.

After a swim-off from prelims, Justin Grender (Cincinnati, Ohio) competed in the consolation finals of the 200-yard backstroke. Grender finished 14th overall with a time of 1:41.12. His time of 1:40.20 in the prelims was a career best.

Matt Brownstead (Port Matilda, Pa.) won the consolation final to finish ninth in the 100-yard freestyle with a new UVA school record time of 42.12.

Keefer Barnum (Louisville, Ky.) competed in his second consecutive championship final, finishing seventh in the 200-yard breaststroke. Barnum improved on his own school record with a time of 1:52.23. Matt Otto (Newark, Del.) made the consolation final, finishing 13th with a time of 1:53.31 after swimming a career-best time of 1:53.11 in prelims.

Virginia concluded the night with an eighth-place finish in the 400-yard freestyle relay. Brownstead, August Lamb (Charlottesville, Va.), Will Cole (Prospect, Ky.) and Jack Wright (Wexford, Pa.), respectively, finished in a school record