PRESS RELEASE: VIRGINIA WOMEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING TEAM ROLLS TO 167-133 WIN OVER NORTH CAROLINA

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. January 21. THE 19th-ranked Virginia women's swimming and diving team won five of the first six events and 11 of 16 in all to cruise to a 167-133 victory over 21st-ranked North Carolina Saturday (Jan. 21) at Koury Natatorium. Cavalier fourth-years Rachael Burke (Bethesda Md./ Good Counsel) and Brielle White (Philadelphia, Pa./Springside School) and second-year Anna Steenrod (Charlotte, N.C/Charlotte Latin) each won a pair of events to lead UVa to the victory. Virginia now stands at 4-3 overall and 4-0 in the ACC, while the Tar Heels fall to 7-2 overall and 3-1 in the ACC.

The Cavaliers got off to a great start by winning the 200 medley relay with a season-best time of 1:43.46. White, Steenrod, and second-years Stephanie Glover (Raleigh, N.C./Athens Drive) and Jess Lewis (Allentown, Pa./ Parkland) swam legs on the winning relay. Burke followed with a victory in the 1000 freestyle with a personal season-best time of 9:54.38. After North Carolina won the 200 freestyle, White led a one-two UVa finish in the 100 backstroke with a time of 56.17. Fourth-year Katie Gordon (Winter Park, Fla./Trinity Prep) was second in the 100 back with a season-best time of 57.48. Steenrod picked up Virginia's fourth event win of the meet with a time of 1:04.06 in the 100 breaststroke. Fourth-year Elaine Bennett (Richmond, Va./Douglas Freeman) followed by touching first in the 200 butterfly with a season-best and NCAA "B" qualifying time of 2:01.60. Bennett was also second in the 200 breast in a NCAA "B" time of 2:17.41, which beat her season-best time by three hundredths of a second.

Lewis earned the Cavaliers' next win when she touched first in the 100 freestyle with a time of 51.20. Lewis was also runner-up in the 50 free in 23.83, just three hundredths of a second shy of the winning time. White then earned her second backstroke victory of the meet by clocking a time of 2:01.40 in the 200 back. White was followed to the finish by three teammates – Gordon in second (2:01.56), fourth-year Corey Berg (Hyde Park, N.Y./F.D. Roosevelt) in third (2:04.15), and third-year Erin Corgan (Marietta, Ga./Marist) in fourth (2:04.82). Burke picked up her second win of the day by taking the 500 free by two seconds with a time of 4:51.84.

Steenrod earned her second individual event win of the meet and third overall by taking first place in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:04.02. Gordon grabbed second place in the 200 I.M. with a time of 2:04.68. First-year Jackie Apple (New Albany, Ohio/ New Albany) tallied 298.80 points while winning the three-meter diving competition. She was third on the one-meter board with 247.88 points. UVa wrapped up the victory by winning the 400 freestyle relay with a 3:25.98. Third-year Katy Bland (Raleigh, N.C./Leesville), Glover, second-year Amber Bialas (Virginia Beach, Va./Tallwood) and Lewis teamed to win the final event of the evening.

The Cavaliers return to action on Sunday (Jan. 29) when they host Pittsburgh at noon at the UVa Aquatic and Fitness Center. One-meter diving will begin at 11:00 a.m. It marks the final home meet of the season for UVa.

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