NCAA Swimming: Virginia Cruises Past Villanova

Charlottesville, VA – The top-10 ranked University of Virginia women’s and men’s swimming and diving teams continued their winning ways as both teams defeated Villanova handily this afternoon at the UVa Aquatic and Fitness Center. The seventh-ranked Virginia women beat the 25th-ranked Wildcats 123-90 to improve to 7-0 on the season. UVa has now won 19 consecutive dual meets. The ninth-ranked Cavalier men triumphed 132-87 and now stand at 6-1 on the season. The Villanova men are now 0-6 and the women are 1-5.

The Virginia women won the first eight events of the meet and nine overall in its 123-90 win. Second-year Kate Slonaker (Summit, N.J./Oak Knoll) was the only double winner for the Cavaliers. Slonaker helped the Cavaliers get off to a quick start by swimming a leg on UVa’s winning 200 medley relay team (1:45.11). She also won the 50 freestyle with a time of 24.25. Third-year Megan Iffland (Wilmington, Del./St. Mark’s) and fourth-years Kori Forster (New Orleans, La./Benjamin Franklin) and Julie Gehm (Richmond, Va./Mills Godwin) joined Slonaker on the winning medley relay.

The ‘Hoos also won three other freestyle events in the meet. Fourth-year Emily Carrig (Richmond, Va./Douglas Freeman) won the 1000 free in a time of 10:07.07, while first-year Cara Lane (Charlotte, N.C./Providence) was victorious in the 200 free as she touched in a time of 1:53.32. Fourth-year Rebecca Cronk (Charlottesville, Va./Albemarle) turned in a time of 51.65 to win the 100 free.

Rounding out Virginia’s individual swimming event winners was first-year Mirjana Bosevska (Skopje, Macedonia/Trinity Prep) in the 400 individual medley (4:20.13) and fourth-year Laura Sullivan (Sarasota, Fla./Peddie School) in the 200 butterfly (2:05.40). The Cavaliers also swept the diving competition. Third-year Courtney Colbert (Brown Deer, Wisc./Rufus King) won the one-meter board with 261.3 points. Second-year Nicole Triden (Deephaven, Minn./Minnetonka) garnered her first career victory as she took the three-meter diving competition with 212.42 points.

The Cavalier men won the first five swimming events of the meet and nine of 13 events overall en route to a 132-87 victory over Villanova. First-year Brian Best (Columbia, Md./Wilde Lake) was UVa’s only double winner. He swam the third leg of Virginia’s winning 200 medley relay (1:35.75) and also won the 200 backstroke with a time of 1:56.08. Second-year Matt Lee (Munster, Ind./Munster) and first-years Jonathan Baird (Nashville, Tenn./Montgomery Bell Academy) and Guy Yimsomruay (Bangkok, Thailand/Germantown Academy) also swam legs on the first place 200 medley relay.

Virginia won all four individual freestyle events in the meet. First-year Tommy Whanger (Newport, News, Va./Menchville) won the 1000 free (10:09.41), while fourth-year Ryan McGeary (Chester Springs, Pa./Owen J. Roberts) touched in 1:43.40 to win the 200 free. In the 50 free, third-year Troy Johnson (St. George, Utah/Dixie) took first place with a time of 21.11 seconds. First-year Gary Sharpe (Virginia Beach, Va./Norfolk Academy) posted a winning time of 46.42 seconds in the 100 free, while first-year Joe Shrum (Charlottesville, Va./Charlottesville) won the 500 free in 4:59.26.

Rounding out the event winners for the Cavaliers were first-year Mike Wheeler (Lisbon, Md./McDonough) and second-year Joe Piorkowski (Easton, Pa./Easton). Wheeler won the 400 IM with a personal-best time of 4:04.30, while Piorkowski won the three-meter diving with 267.075 points.

The Cavalier men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams returns to action on Saturday, February 5 when they host Maryland in the final dual meet of the season at 1:00 p.m. at the UVa Aquatic and Fitness Center.

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