The Week That Was: Virginia Wins First Ever NCAA Title

Photo Courtesy: NCAA Media

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The NCAA Division I women’s swimming and diving championships concluded on Saturday from Greensboro, North Carolina as the Virginia Cavaliers won their first national title in school history. The FFN Golden Tour also concluded from Marseille with many of Europe’s best in attendance.

Read below the five biggest stories in The Week That Was sponsored by Suitmate.

The Week That Was #1: Virginia Wins 2021 NCAA Title

Photo Courtesy: Mike Comer/NCAA Photos via Getty Images

By Andy Ross

The Virginia Cavaliers finished the 2021 NCAA Division I Swimming & Diving Championships in Greensboro as national champions, celebrating their first title in school history, a year overdue from being seeded to win the meet last year before the meet was cancelled. It was a historic year all around, as NC State finished in its highest place ever in second, as this is the first time the Atlantic Coast Conference has had a team in the top two.

Texas was third for its first top four finish since 2001. Cal was fourth overall for its 12th straight top four finish. Alabama was fifth for its highest finish since 1983.

#2: Swimming Australia Withdraws From World Juniors & World University Games

Photo Courtesy: FINA / Budapest 2019

By Ian Hanson

Australia has today announced its withdrawal from this year’s FINA World Junior Swimming Championships, scheduled for Kazan (RUS) and the World Universiade Games in Chengdu (CHN) – siting “health and safety concerns…. based on the effects of COVID-19 and the ongoing concerns regarding international travel.”

Swimming Australia Chief Strategist Alex Baumann made the announcement today saying a thorough process had been undertaken to consider all associated risks with travelling to the events.

“We worked very closely with our Chief Medical Officer Dr Peter Fricker to consider all risks, including the health and wellbeing of our athletes, coaches and staff, current government advice on international travel and parental concerns given the age of the athletes involved,” Baumann said.

“Given all those factors it was decided it was neither viable nor safe to travel overseas to compete with these teams.”

The Week That Was #3: Torri Huske Continues Torrid Stretch With 49.7 100 Butterfly

Photo Courtesy: Connor Trimble

By Swimming World

It’s been quite a run for Torri Huske over the past few weeks. First, the Stanford recruit and Olympic hopeful took down the national high school record in the 100-yard butterfly. On Thursday night, while racing at the Potomac Valley Championship Series, Huske lowered her own National Age Group record in the 100 fly when she touched the wall in 49.70. That effort bettered the 49.75 Huske posted for her scholastic mark.

Huske was out in 22.80 and came home in 26.90 for her record performance, which gave Huske a win of more than three seconds. She also checked in with a winning time of 21.39 in the 50 freestyle. That effort would have placed third at Thursday night’s NCAA Championships, where Virginia’s Kate Douglass won in 21.13, followed by Michigan’s Maggie MacNeil in 21.17.

#4: Rome Slated to Host European Juniors

The Stadio del Nuoto, Rome – Photo Courtesy: Craig Lord

By Liz Byrnes

The 47th European Junior Championships will be held at the Foro Italico in Rome from 6-11 July, governing body LEN has announced.

The European Junior Diving Championships will be staged in Rijeka, Croatia, from 22 to 27 June.

Last year’s European junior swimming competition was due to be held in Aberdeen, Scotland, with the Royal Commonwealth Pool in Edinburgh staging the diving but they were postponed in April in the light of Covid-19.

In May LEN announced it had cancelled all junior events in 2020.

British Swimming welcomed the news while adding: “We will be considering our plans for this meet in due course, in conjunction with Government guidance, but for swimming we will not be using the British Swimming Selection Trials to select a team.”

The Week That Was #5: FFN Golden Tour in Marseille Comes to Close

Leon Marchand: Photo Courtesy: KMSP/Stéphane Kempinaire

By Liz Byrnes

Pernille Blume sped to a 24.28 victory in the 50 free, Leon Marchand finished a fine meet that indicates exciting times to come in 2021 and beyond and Yohann Ndoye Brouard sealed the backstroke hat-trick as the FFN Golden Tour concluded in Marseille.

Link to results

Olympic champion Blume went second in the early-season rankings behind Sarah Sjostrom and her 24.07 blast in February.

A battle unfolded behind the Dane with Femke Heemskerk edging Melanie Henique by 0.01, touching in 24.72 to 24.73 with the Frenchwoman on her way to Tokyo.

Marie Wattel, who had won the 100fr in a speedy 53.32, was fourth in 24.93 before going on to win the 100 fly.

Marchand To Continue Fine Family Tradition

His father, Xavier Marchand, represented France at the 1996 Games in Atlanta and four years later in Sydney in a career that brought world and European 200IM medals and mother, Celine Bonnet, competed at Barcelona in 1992.

The 18-year-old booked his place for Tokyo in the 200IM on Friday before lowering his own national 400IM record to 4:14.97 although his focus was on how he could eradicate “a few small mistakes” in order to further reduce his time.

A 1:57.66 blast in the 200 fly prelims on Sunday hinted at more to come and he lowered that to 1:56.33 – good enough for fifth in the rankings, between seasoned international competitors Daiya Seto and James Guy.

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