Virginia Breaks Eight School Records, Finishes 10th at NCAA Men's Swimming Championships
Virginia set eight new school records and finished 10th at the 2022 NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships this week at the McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta. Importantly, UVA's 10th place finish in the final team standings edged Virginia Tech's 11th-place finish to earn the Cavaliers a point in the Commonwealth Clash.
Here's a day-by-day recap of Virginia's best performances at the 2022 NCAA Championships:
Wednesday
On the first night of competition, UVA's team of Matt Brownstead, Noah Nichols, Matt King, and August Lamb set a UVA record in the 200-yard medley, finishing 11th in a time of 1:22.97. In the 800-yard freestyle relay, Virginia's team of Jack Aikins, Connor Boyle, Justin Grender, and Jack Wright swam the third-fastest time in program history, finishing 12th in 6:14.32.
Thursday
In the 50-yard freestyle, Matt Brownstead broke the UVA record in the prelims with a time of 18.85. Brownstead then broke that record again in the finals, finishing third and earning All-American honors with a time of 18.60. Matt King swam a 19.02 in the same event, finishing 12th and recording the second-fastest time in UVA history.
Matt Brownstead, Matt King, Connor Boyle, and August Lamb swam a 1:14.70 in the 200-yard freestyle relay, the second-fastest time in school history and good for a fifth-place finish.
READ MORE: Back-to-Back: Virginia Wins 2022 NCAA Women's Swim & Dive Championship
Friday
UVA's team of Jack Aikins, Noah Nichols, Josh Fong, and Matt King finished 14th in the 400-yard medley relay. Their time of 3:04.39 set a new UVA record in the event.
Senior Casey Storch swam the third-fastest time in UVA history in the prelims of the 400-yard individual medley. In the consolation final, Storch swam a 3:41.34 to finish 16th and earn an All-American honorable mention.
Saturday
On the final night of competition, senior Justin Grender swam a 1:39.49 in the prelims of the 200-yard backstroke, breaking a school record. Grender finished eighth in the finals with a time of 1:40.72. Freshman Jack Aikins broke Grender's new UVA record in the event with a 1:39.26 to win the consolation final of the 200-yard backstroke.
Matt King swam a 41.48 in the prelims of the 100-yard freestyle to set a new UVA record. Then, Matt Brownstead broke that record again in the finals with a time of 41.22. Matt King Swam a 41.34 in the finals to finish seventh in the 100-yard freestyle.
Finally, Virginia's team of Matt Brownstead, Matt King, Jack Aikins, and Connor Boyle finished fourth in the 400-yard freestyle with a time of 2:46.80, the second-fastest time in program history. The fourth place finish was also the best relay finish for UVA since 2012.
Virginia finished 10th at the NCAA Championships with 154.5 points.
Final 2022 Men's Swimming & Diving Championships Standings
1. California - 487.5 points
2. Texas - 436.5 points
3. Florida - 374 points
4. NC State - 291 points
5. Indiana - 265 points
6. Arizona State - 236 points
7. Stanford - 231 points
8. Georgia - 194 points
9. Ohio State - 165 points
10. Virginia - 154.5 points
11. Virginia Tech - 143 points
12. Louisville - 132 points
13. Harvard - 103 points
14. Alabama - 91 points
15. LSU/Purdue - 85 points
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