Virginia vs. North Carolina Men

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia, January 24. A Virginia victory in the 400 free relay, the final event of the afternoon, gave the Cavalier men a 156-144 win over No. 14 North Carolina Saturday at the Aquatic and Fitness Center. The meet was broadcasted and can be archived via on the Internet online at www.ACCSelect.com.

Virginia's team of John Azar, Peter Geissinger, Scot Robison and Matt McLean combined to finish in an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 2:58.33 to give the Cavaliers the win over their ACC foe.

"It went as we scripted," UVa head coach Mark Bernardino said. "Our goal was to put ourselves in a position to win in the final two events. I knew we were going to win heading into the last relay."
The men started on a good note, edging the Tar Heels in the 200 medley relay. Eric Olesen, who made his return to the pool for the first time since suffering an injury in the fall, along with teammates Ryan Hurley, Lee Robertson and Geissinger finished first in 1:30.43. The team of Tommy Inwood, Doug Eden, Ian Vogt and Alex Germain took second with a time of 1:30.83.

Hurley helped pace the Virginia men, taking first-place honors in the 100 breast (55.61) and the 200 breast (1:58.31).

McLean, meanwhile, went on to win the 200 and 500 freestyle events. He won the 200 free with an NCAA B time of 1:36.17 while clocking a mark of 4:19.84, another B time, in the 500 free. Teammate Taylor Smith earned a second-place finish in the 500 free with a time of 4:25.82.

Robison had a pair of individual wins in the 50 free (20.43) and the 100 free (44.23). Azar finished second in the 100 free with a time of 45.20. The Cavaliers also went 1-2 in the 100 fly, led by Robertson's winning time of 49.04. Robison took second in 49.40.

David Wren placed second in the 200 back with a time of 1:47.69 while Pat Mellors also took second in the 200 IM with a time of 1:51.99.

The Cavaliers are back in action at 1 p.m. Sunday against Duke. The meet will mark the final home event of the 2008-09 season for the Virginia swimming and diving teams.

Special thanks to Virginia for contributing this report.

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