Virginia Women's Swim & Dive Dominates Tennessee Invitational
Another meet, another big weekend for the Virginia women's swimming & diving team. The two-time defending national champions won 13 total events and set several records this weekend at the Tennessee Invitational in Knoxville.
The invitational featured swim teams from several schools. Virginia, Tennessee, Michigan, and North Carolina competed in a "quad dual meet", meaning each race was scored as if each team was competing against one another in a regular dual-format. The Virginia women's swim team went 3-0 in the dual scoring against Tennessee, Michigan, and North Carolina, while the UVA men's team went 2-1.
Virginia Women's Swim & Dive: 3-0, 13 event wins
Virginia defeats Tennessee 242-145
Virginia defeats Michigan 244-142
Virginia Defeats North Carolina 235-149
The Cavaliers won four events on the opening night of competition on Thursday. Alex Walsh recorded a blazing-fast time of 4:38.34 to win the 500-yard freestyle, the fifth-fastest time in UVA history and the best time in the country this season by four seconds. Gretchen Walsh won the 50-yard freestyle in 20.94, which is also the best time in the nation this season and just barely missed Kate Douglass' American record of 20.84. Douglass, Maxine Parker, Lexi Cuomo, and Kate Morris took first place in the 200-yard freestyle relay and Douglass also teamed up with Alex Walsh, Abby Harter, and Maxine Parker to win the 400-yard medley relay.
UVA won four more events on Friday night. Kate Douglass and Gretchen Walsh both recorded sub-50 second times in the prelims of the 100-yard butterfly as just the second and third women to accomplish that feat this season. Douglass went on to win the 100-yard butterfly in 49.84 seconds. Ella Nelson captured the 400-yard individual medley, while UVA teammate Sophia Nelson took third. Alex Walsh won the 100-yard breaststroke in 57.94, the second-fastest time in UVA history, while Kate Douglass swam the third-fastest time, 58.14, to take 2nd place. Gretchen Walsh finished first in the 100-yard backstroke with a meet and pool record time of 50.13.
On the final day of competition on Saturday, the Cavaliers took home five events to cap off the dominant weekend. Sophia Knapp took the 1650-yard freestyle in 16:12.11 to win her first collegiate event. In the highlight performance of the weekend, Kate Douglass shattered the Tennessee Invite, UVA program, ACC, NCAA, and U.S. Open record for the 200-yard breaststroke, swimming the final in 2:01.87 to best her own previous best of 2:02.19, which she swam to win the NCAA title last spring.
Virginia took each of the top four spots in the 200-yard breaststroke with Alex Walsh, Ella Nelson, and Anna Keating going 2-3-4 behind Douglass. Gretchen Walsh added a third event win for herself by taking first in the 100-yard freestyle, finishing in a season-best 46.89. Abby Harter won the 200-yard butterfly in 1:54.45. Finally, Douglass, Gretchen Walsh, Alex Walsh, and Maxine Parker won the 400-yard freestyle by over three seconds.
Virginia Men's Swim & Dive: 2-1, One event win
Virginia defeated Michigan 192.5-183.5
Virginia defeated North Carolina 208-168
Tennessee defeated Virginia 265-122
Virginia notched four podium finishes on opening night, including two second-place finishes in relays. Matt Brownstead, Matt King, Jack Aikins, and August Lamb took second in the 200-yard freestyle relay and Aikins, Noah Nichols, Josh Fong, and King took second in the 400-yard medley relay. Nichols placed second in the 200-yard individual medley relay and King took third in the 50-yard freestyle, swimming a season-best 19.15.
Noah Nichols captured the sole event win of the weekend for the Cavaliers on Friday night, placing first in the 100-yard breaststroke.
UVA concluded the weekend with several podium finishes to help seal the wins over North Carolina and Michigan. Aikins, Brownstead, Connery, and King finished second in the 400-yard freestyle relay. Aikins placed second in the 200-yard backstroke and King and Brownstead finished third and fourth, respectively, in the 100-yard freestyle. Nichols and Max Iida went 2-3 in the 200-yard breaststroke.
Virginia gets nearly two months off before its next dual meet, as ACC play begins after the New Year with a home meet against Virginia Tech on Saturday, January 14th.
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