CSL Match 4: Virginia Holds Off Impressive Tennessee for First Place; Claire Curzan, Anastasia Gorbenko Win Three Individual Events Each
The Tennessee Volunteers made their College Swimming League debut Friday evening as the sport’s newest format arrived in Knoxville. Tennessee produced big swims throughout the contest, but it was not enough to track down Virginia, which remained undefeated and clinched a spot in the CSL Championship next month.
Virginia won thanks to another huge performance by Claire Curzan. The senior has gravitated toward backstroke in recent years, but she returned to her butterfly roots this week to win the 200 and 100-yard races plus butterfly skins. Notably, Curzan became the sixth-fastest woman ever in the 200 fly. Teammates Sara Curtis and Anna Moesch each secured two individual wins, as did Thomas Heilman in the men’s butterfly events, and Virginia finished with 567 points.
Tennessee relied on depth to produce 535 points, putting this team very much into the postseason mix. Freshman Charlotte Crush started things off with a bang in the 200 backstroke while Tennessee had wins in the men’s 200 freestyle relay plus women’s super skins.
Along with Curzan, the top performer of the match was Louisville’s Anastasia Gorbenko, who swept the breaststroke events plus the 100 IM. Gorbenko led Louisville to a third-place finish at 315.5, just 13 points clear of Michigan (302.5).
Women’s 200 Backstroke
Tennessee freshman Charlotte Crush fired off a huge swim to begin the session, clocking in at 1:48.87 in the 200 backstroke. That time was just 0.18 behind her personal-best mark of 1:48.69 from December 2024, and it would have been good enough for third place in the event at last year’s NCAA Championships. Furthermore, the Lady Vols staked their team to an early lead as fellow freshman Madison Kryger placed second, well ahead of the Virginia duo of Tess Howley (1:50.54) and Teagan O’Dell (1:50.82).
Men’s 200 Backstroke
In an unusual turn of events for a program best known for its success on the women’s side, the men provided the first win of the day for Virginia as David King dominated the 200 back. The U.S. Nationals winner in the long course version of the event this summer, King swam a time of 1:37.92 to comfortably beat out Louisville’s Filip Kosinski (1:40.25) and Tennessee’s Ben Bricca (1:42.05).
Women’s 200 Breaststroke
Anastasia Gorbenko began her strong day of breaststroke competition with a time of 2:04.53 in the 200-yard event. That knocked a half-second from her previous best time and made the Israeli swimmer the 16th-quickest performer in history. She finished almost two seconds ahead of Virginia’s Leah Hayes (2:06.39), with the Cavaliers’ Sophia Umstead third (2:09.06). Tennessee’s McKenzie Siroky, who emerged as the top sprint breaststroker in the country over the summer, came in fourth (2:10.14).
Men’s 200 Breaststroke
Gabe Nunziata returned to Tennessee following a summer season in which he was the third-fastest swimmer in the world in the 200-meter breast. Back in the yards pool, he won his main event in 1:53.07, a half second ahead of Louisville’s Finnley Conklin (1:53.56) while fellow Vol Andrew Eubanks placed third (1:53.97).
Women’s 500 Freestyle
Virginia went on the offensive in the women’s 500 free as a pair of veteran freestyle standouts produced fine performances. Katie Grimes claimed the win in 4:34.20, with Cavan Gormsen not far away in 4:35.06. The Cavaliers duo needed their best swims here as all four universities had swimmers go sub-4:30: Tennessee’s Ella Jansen (4:37.65), Michigan’s Hannah Bellard (4:38.43) and Louisville’s Thilda Haell (4:39.74).
Men’s 500 Freestyle
Michigan’s first win of the day came in the men’s 500, with Lorne Wigginton dominating with a time of 4:14.76. Tennessee’s Koby Bujak-Upton (4:17.31) and Louisville’s Oscar Isberg (4:18.38) placed second and third, respectively.
Women’s 200 Freestyle Relay
As expected, the Virginia women showed off their massive wealth of sprint firepower in the 200 free relay. Sara Curtis led off for Virginia’s top squad in 21.15 before Claire Curzan split 21.10. Newcomer Jessica Thompson followed up with a 21.55 third leg, and Anna Moesch handled anchor duties in 20.93. That resulted in a time of 1:24.73, just six tenths slower than Virginia swam to win last year’s national title in the event and quicker than any other team from the 2026 NCAA Championships.
Tennessee put forth a strong effort to take second, with Camille Spink blasting a 20.45 split on the second leg. Charlotte Crush, Jillian Crooks and Leah Tigret also swam for that squad, which finished in 1:25.60. Virginia’s B team took third in 1:27.02 with Melissa Nwakalor, Madi Mintenko, Molly Workman and Teagan O’Dell.
Men’s 200 Freestyle Relay
Tennessee’s men got a pair of 18-second splits to secure a win in the 200 free relay. After Miles Blackson-Dunbar and Pedro Sansome handled the first two legs, Julian Koch fired off an 18.59 split and Nikoli Blackman came home in 18.84 for a final time of 1:16.23.
That allowed the Volunteers to fend off Virginia’s team of Maximus Williamson, Thomas Heilman, Alexandre Chalendar and Spencer Nicholas, who went 1:16.56. Louisville, with Nikita Sheremet leading off in 18.79, came in third at 1:16.94. Aiden Musso, Aidan Kaplan and Rian Graham also swam for the Cardinals.
Women’s 200 Butterfly
Claire Curzan made a rare appearance in the 200 fly, helping Virginia pick up big points while reminding the world of her abilities in the stroke that made Curzan an Olympian five years ago. The Virginia senior swam a time of 1:50.10, making her the sixth-fastest swimmer in history. In the process, she eclipsed the 1:50.26 that Campbell Stoll swam to win the NCAA title in the event last year.
A strong heat saw Michigan’s Hannah Bellard place second in 1:51.39 while Tennessee’s Emily Brown came in third at 1:53.20. Katie Grimes, returning to the pool following her impressive swim in the 500 free, ended up fourth (1:53.95).
Men’s 200 Butterfly
Virginia’s Thomas Heilman came out on top of his signature event by more than a second, hitting the wall in 1:41.03. Lorne Wigginton, returning from his 500 free win, took second for Michigan in 1:42.24, with Tennessee’s Voya Gavrysh third (1:43.88).
Women’s 100 IM
Anastasia Gorbenko returned to the pool following her 200 breast victory and dominated the women’s 100 IM, touching more than eight tenths clear of the field in 51.43. No official records are recognized in the 100-yard IM, but that time is believed to be the fastest time in history. Michigan’s Bella Sims edged out Virginia’s Teagan O’Dell for second, 52.29 to 52.31.
Men’s 100 IM
There was a tie atop the men’s 100 IM as Virginia’s Spencer Nicholas and Michigan’s Colin Geer recorded identical times of 47.13, a whopping 1.34 seconds clear of anyone else. Louisville’s Rian Graham topped Virginia’s Davide Passafaro for second, 48.47 to 48.55.
Women’s 100 Backstroke
Sara Curtis followed up her relay speed with a sub-50 swim in the 100 back. Curtis dominated her competition with a time of 49.74, not far back of the 49.47 she swam at last season’s NCAA Championships to become the eighth-fastest woman in history. Following the Italian star to the wall were Michigan’s Lexi Greenhawt (51.36) and Tennessee’s Madison Kryger (51.65).
Men’s 100 Backstroke
Tennessee’s Ulises Savaria secured first-place points here in 45.34, one-third of a second clear of 200 back winner David King (45.67), with Louisville’s Filip Kosinski third (46.21).
Women’s 100 Freestyle
After her breakout second season of college swimming and a long course summer in which she became an American-record holder, expect more big things from Anna Moesch this year with Virginia. She secured an individual win in the 100 free in 46.39. The 20-year-old has a best time of 45.54, which ranks her third all-time in the event. Fellow Cavalier Madi Mintenko grabbed second (47.65) with Tennessee’s Leah Tigert third (48.17).
Men’s 100 Freestyle
Maximus Williamson came through in dominant fashion in the men’s 100 free. Williamson, whose debut season at UVA concluded with national titles in the 200 free and 200 IM, swam a time of 41.41 for first place here. Tennessee went 2-4 with Julian Koch (42.15) and Pedro Samsome (42.75), with Michigan’s Antoine Sauve in between (42.70).
Women’s Skins
Virginia selected butterfly for the women’s skins competition, and Claire Curzan took advantage, finishing first in each round while maintaining serious speed. Curzan went 23.11 in the first race, two tenths better than Charlotte Crush while Anastasia Gorbenko was third-best. Curzan then clocked 23.34 to advance to the semifinals along with Crush, Tennessee’s Emily Brown and Virginia’s Teagan O’Dell.
Next round, Curzan again, this time in 23.26, with Crush second in 23.49, leading into a final showdown where Curzan had her best swim of the four at 22.94 to claim top points.
Men’s Skins
In four rounds of the men’s 50 breaststroke, Tennessee’s Gabe Nunziata swam the quickest time overall with a 24.39 in the first round. After that, Virginia’s Danis Volontir went 24.51 in the second swim to advance to the semifinals along with Michigan’s Jaeddan Gamilla, Louisville’s Finnley Conklin and Nunziata. Conklin and Volontir would be the last two men standing, Conklin going 24.61 in the third round to lead the way, and he finished it off with a time of 24.66 in the finale, with Volontir less than two tenths back (24.84).
Women’s 200 IM
In a veteran showdown in the 200 IM, Michigan’s Bella Sims overcame Virginia’s Leah Hayes in a tight finish. Hayes split 32.87 on breaststroke, almost two seconds better than Sims, to move into the lead, but Sims responded with a 26.61 homecoming split. That brought the Michigan swimmer to the wall in 1:53.77, two tenths better than Hayes in 1:53.98. Well back in third was Michigan’s Ella Jansen (1:56.15).
Men’s 200 IM
Maximus Williamson picked up another top finish for Virginia, surpassing the field in the 200 IM by almost two-and-a-half seconds. Williamson won the race in 1:42.60 while teammate Sebastien Sergile went 1:45.02 for second, with Tennessee’s Vova Gavrysh third (1:45.93).
Women’s 100 Breaststroke
A high-profile showdown in the 100 breast largely fizzled out as Anastasia Gorbenko continued her incredible day. She topped the 100 breast in 57.35, almost two seconds ahead of McKenzie Siroky, with the Pan Pacs champion in the 100-meter race ending up touching in 59.20. Also under 1:00 were Virginia’s Smilte Plytnykaite (59.47) and Tennessee’s Simone Moll (59.82).
Men’s 100 Breaststroke
A big day for Tennessee in men’s breaststroke continued. After Gabe Nunziata and Andrew Eubanks finished 1-3 in the 200-yard event, Eubanks secured the win here in 52.40 while Nunziata went 52.84 for second. Michigan’s Jaeddan Gamilla came in third (53.24).
Women’s 50 Freestyle
Two accomplished sprinters faced off here, and the margin of victory was just three hundredths. Sara Curtis, who had already swum a 21.15 relay leadoff and a 49.74 in the 100 back, edged out Tennessee’s Camille Spink at the wall, Curtis going 21.06 and Spink 21.09. All-time, Curtis ranks third at 20.74 while Spink is seventh at 20.87. A second Tennessee swimmer, Jillian Crooks, came in third at 21.68.
Men’s 50 Freestyle
Nikita Sheremet was just a tick off his relay leadoff time from earlier in the evening, but a mark of 18.86 was sufficient to top the field here by three tenths. The Louisville sprinter denied Maximus Williamson a third victory on the day, with Williamson coming in second at 19.16. Tennessee’s Nikoli Blackman placed third (19.36).
Women’s 100 Butterfly
Claire Curzan finished her foray into butterfly with a strong one-second win in the 100. Curzan swam a time of 49.90, denying Charlotte Crush (50.97) another individual win. Michigan’s Bella Sims, a member of the Tokyo Olympic team for the United States alongside Curzan, placed third (51.46).
Men’s 100 Butterfly
Thomas Heilman made it a sweep of the men’s butterfly races, matching Curzan by doing so in dominant fashion. Heilman got under 45 seconds here, hitting the wall in 44.89, while Colin Geer was almost a second behind in his runnerup finish for Michigan (45.86). Third went to Tennessee’s Abdul Jabar Adama (46.06).
Women’s 200 Freestyle
Anna Moesch swam away with her second individual win in the 200 free. Moesch was nowhere close to her best time, the 1:39.23 she recorded at the 2026 NCAA Championships that is the second-quickest mark ever, but a time of 1:42.74 was plenty impressive at the end of a long day of racing. Moesch was followed by a string of 1:44s, including Tennessee’s Leah Tigert (1:44.07), Michigan’s Gilaine Ma (1:44.43), Louisville’s Daria Golovaty (1:44.44), Virginia’s Cavan Gormsen (1:44.50) and Tennessee’s Ella Jansen (1:44.55).
Men’s 200 Freestyle
The last individual race of the day brought a thrill for home fans in Knoxville as Koby Bujak-Upton won a tight contest in the 200 free. The native of Australia finished in 1:32.51 to edge out Virginia’s David King, the 200 back winner from earlier in the session going 1:32.69. Lorne Wigginton, the 500 free winner earlier for Michigan, placed third in 1:34.21.
Women’s Super Skins
Virginia’s top team of Sara Curtis, Smilte Plytnykaite, Claire Curzan and Anna Moesch swam the top time of the day for the 200 medley relay at 1:35.56, narrowly ahead of Louisville (1:35.68) and Tennessee (1:35.84) in round one. However, Virginia was DQ’ed in the second swim, allowing Tennessee to take control of the field with a mark of 1:36.12. The Lady Vols then topped round three in 1:35.74, and they beat Michigan in the final by a margin of 1:36.18 to 1:37.04. Madison Kryger, McKenzie Siroky, Charlotte Crush and Camille Spink handled the four legs for Tennessee in each round.
Men’s Super Skins
Following the disqualification of their women’s team, the Cavalier men responded by topping the field in all four rounds, beginning with a stellar mark of 1:24.79. The team of Spencer Nicholas, Maximus Williamson, Thomas Heilman and Alexandre Chalendar then checked in at 1:25.86 in round two, 1:26.14 in the semifinal and then 1:26.90 to easily defeat Tennessee for the overall title.