{"id":471215,"date":"2021-05-02T04:00:19","date_gmt":"2021-05-02T11:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=471215"},"modified":"2021-04-30T14:46:35","modified_gmt":"2021-04-30T21:46:35","slug":"swimming-world-presents-the-2021-womens-ncaa-championships-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/swimming-world-presents-the-2021-womens-ncaa-championships-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Swimming World Presents – The 2021 Women’s NCAA Championships Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

The latest issue of Swimming World Magazine<\/em><\/span>
\nis now available for download in the<\/span> Swimming World Vault<\/span><\/strong><\/a>!<\/p>\n

Non-Subscribers Can Download This Issue Here<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Women’s 2021 NCAA Championships Review<\/span><\/h3>\n

By Dan D’Addona and John Lohn
\nPhotos By NCAA Media<\/span><\/p>\n

A NEW NO. 1<\/span><\/strong>
\nFor the first time in the history of the NCAA Division I Women\u2019s Swimming and Diving Championships\u2014since 1982\u2014the University of Virginia finished first. It was also the first time it cracked the top 5 with its previous highest finish sixth in 2019.<\/p>\n

VIRGINIA’S ROAD TO HISTORY<\/span>
\nIt was a long time coming for both the University of Virginia and the ACC, leading to a first-time NCAA championship for the school and the conference.<\/p>\n

Virginia\u2019s youth movement tipped the balance of power in swimming to the ACC for the first time as the Cavaliers became the first NCAA champion ever from the conference.<\/p>\n

Coach Todd DeSorbo\u2019s team thought it was going to happen last year, but the pandemic forced a year\u2019s delay. \u201cHaving it taken away last year was pretty heartbreaking,\u201d said Virginia senior Paige Madden. \u201cAt the same time, it fueled a fire in all of us, and that is what led to our success this year. We had a point to prove, and I think we did that, which is exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Virginia led the NCAA Division I Women\u2019s Swimming and Diving Championships, March 17-20, at Greensboro, N.C. from start to finish. The Cavaliers scored 491 points, a 137-point margin of victory over runner-up North Carolina State (354). The goal was clear all season, and the Cavaliers did everything they could to make it happen. \u201cIt is just such a great feeling,\u201d said Virginia\u2019s Kate Douglass. \u201cI feel like we have all been waiting for this to happen for a long time.<\/p>\n

TOTAL DOMINANCE<\/span>
\nThe dominance started with the 800 yard freestyle relay win on opening night (6:52.56 with Kyla Valls, Madden, Ella Nelson and Alex Walsh). It was a promising start, but only the beginning.<\/p>\n

On Day 2, the Cavaliers made a statement as Madden won the 500 free (4:33.61), Walsh won the 200 IM (1:54.62) and Douglass won the 50 free (21.13). Madden won the 200 free (1:42.35) on Day 3 when the Cavaliers made their depth show, building a 103-point lead over NC State without winning any other event.<\/p>\n

On the final night, Madden won the 1650 (15:41.86), and the Cavaliers continued their high rankings in the relays. After their opening-night win in the 800 free relay, Virginia put together four straight second-place finishes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is so sweet. I am really excited,\u201d Madden said. \u201cI teared up on the last relay. It was just really special having the entire team here with us. It is incredible and hasn\u2019t hit me yet fully, but it is amazing. \u201cWe had to load the van, and a lot of girls had trouble loading the trophies in our suitcases, so we had to load them in Panera bags. I really just wanted to have fun, and this is the cherry on top.\u201d
\n(To read more about Virginia women’s win, and NC State’s and Maggie MacNeil’s amazing performances, click here to download the full May issue<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n


\nNC STATE ADDS TO ACC DOMINANCE<\/span><\/strong>
\nThe Atlantic Coast Conference never had a school win the women\u2019s NCAA Division I team title. But Virginia took care of that. So, it goes without saying that the ACC never had any of its member schools finish 1-2 at the meet. But that all changed in 2021 when North Carolina State placed runner-up to help supplant the Pac-12 Conference as the current women\u2019s swimming powerhouse.<\/p>\n

Prior to this season, teams from the Pac-12 (previously Pac-10 through 2011) had placed either first or second in 29 of the 38 meets since the NCAA first held its championships in 1982. And it boasted five 1-2 finishes, including the previous three years with Stanford and Cal.<\/p>\n

ALL IN THE FAMILY<\/span>
\nThis year\u2019s Wolfpack squad was led by some familiar names in the sport of swimming, as new contenders in extremely talented swimming families made their mark on the national stage\u2014specifically, Katharine Berkoff and Sophie Hansson.<\/p>\n

While being a part of elite families can cast a shadow and provide added stress, both Berkoff and Hansson said they don\u2019t feel any pressure from within the family. Instead, they use the support of their fast families to strive for bigger goals. Berkoff\u2019s father, David, was an NCAA champion in the 100 backstroke for Harvard in 1987 and 1989, sandwiched around a year in which he was a member of the U.S. Olympic team, while Hansson is the younger sister of former USC swimmer, Louise, a multi-NCAA champion who had previously set the NCAA record in the 100 butterfly in 2019. Both sisters competed for Sweden at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.<\/p>\n

Katherine, a sophomore in her first NCAA Championships, won the 100 yard backstroke in 49.74 to become the fourth-fastest performer in history, and Sophie won the 100 breaststroke in 57.23, tying for third fastest all-time with Breeja Larson, behind Lilly King and Molly Hannis. She also won the 200 breast (2:03.86).<\/p>\n


\nTHE TALK OF THE MEET<\/span>
\n<\/strong>Barrier-breaking performances are long remembered in the sport. Sure, some are recalled with greater prestige than others, notably Jim Montgomery cracking the 50-second mark in the 100 meter freestyle and Natalie Coughlin becoming the first woman to go sub-minute in the 100 meter backstroke.\u00a0 But anytime an athlete breaches a numerical threshold, the effort is special.
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

So, when Maggie MacNeil used her considerable talent to go where no woman had gone before in the 100 yard butterfly, there was plenty of appreciation for the achievement.<\/p>\n

Representing the University of Michigan at the women\u2019s NCAAs, MacNeil was the showstopper of the competition. She claimed individual titles in the 100 butterfly and 100 freestyle and was the runner-up in the 50 freestyle. Not surprising, she was named CSCAA Division I Swimmer of the Year.<\/p>\n

Yet, what she did in the 100 fly was the talk of the meet.<\/p>\n

A DELAYED OPPORTUNITY<\/span>
\nIn early 2020, hype was brewing about the impending NCAA showdown between MacNeil, USC\u2019s Louise Hansson and Tennessee\u2019s Erika Brown in the 100 fly. There was considerable speculation that one of those women\u2014and perhaps all\u2014would dip under 49 seconds. Of course, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, that much-anticipated clash was canceled.<\/p>\n

While Hansson and Brown moved on from the collegiate ranks, MacNeil took advantage of another opportunity. On the third night of this year\u2019s Championships, MacNeil blasted a time of 48.89 to etch herself as the inaugural female member of the sub-49 club. Coupled with her 49.76 clocking in the 100 backstroke as part of Michigan\u2019s 400 medley relay, MacNeil joined rising American star Regan Smith as the only women to own sub-50 performances in both the 100 fly and 100 back.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was definitely not (expecting to go that fast),\u201d MacNeil said. \u201cIt has been a goal of mine for a while, so it was amazing to achieve that, especially at NCAAs. Not having NCAAs (last year) kind of fueled the fire in me.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to her barrier-busting butterfly, MacNeil won the 100 freestyle in 46.02 to just miss becoming the third female in history to go 45-point. She added silver in the 50 free in 21.17, just 4-hundredths shy of the winning time produced by Kate Douglass of Virginia. Douglass was the runner-up to MacNeil in the 100 fly and 100 free, and their three-round tussle was a highlight of the meet.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

To read more about the Virginia women’s historic win, plus NC State’s and Maggie MacNeil’s amazing performances,<\/a>
\nClick here to download the full May 2021 issue of Swimming World Magazine, available now!<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

T\"Swimming<\/a>
\n[PHOTO CREDIT: ISHOF ARCHIVE]<\/p>\n


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<\/h1>\n

Swimming World May 2021 Issue<\/span><\/h1>\n

FEATURES<\/p>\n

014<\/span> WOMEN\u2019S NCAAs: A NEW NO. 1<\/strong>
\n<\/span>For the first time in the history of the NCAA Division I Women\u2019s Swimming and Diving Championships\u2014since 1982\u2014the University of Virginia finished first. It was also the first time it cracked the top 5 with its previous highest finish sixth in 2019.<\/p>\n

    \n
  • VIRGINIA\u2019S ROAD TO HISTORY<\/strong><\/span>
    \nby Dan D\u2019Addona<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • NC STATE ADDS TO ACC DOMINANCE<\/strong><\/span>
    \nby Dan D\u2019Addona<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • THE TALK OF THE MEET: MAGGIE MacNEIL<\/strong><\/span>
    \nby John Lohn<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    018 <\/span>MEN\u2019S NCAAs: THE PERFECT RETIREMENT GIFT<\/strong><\/span>
    \nDays before their coach, Eddie Reese, officially announced his retirement from coaching after 43 years, the Texas men\u2019s team won their 15th men\u2019s NCAA national team championship.<\/p>\n

      \n
    • THIS ONE\u2019S FOR EDDIE!<\/span><\/strong>
      \nby Andy Ross<\/strong><\/li>\n
    • SCINTILLATING PERFORMANCES: SHAINE CASAS & RYAN HOFFER<\/span><\/strong>
      \nby John Lohn<\/strong><\/li>\n
    • PATIENCE REWARDED: MAX McHUGH & NICK ALBIERO<\/span><\/strong>
      \nby Andy Ross<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      022<\/span> NCAA D-II CHAMPS: SOME THINGS NEVER SEEM TO CHANGE<\/strong><\/span>
      \nby Andy Ross<\/strong>
      \nA year into the pandemic that has completely changed our world, Queens University of Charlotte brought about some stability to the 2021 NCAA Division II Swimming and Diving Championships by sweeping their sixth straight women\u2019s and men\u2019s team titles.<\/p>\n

      023<\/span> NO LIMITS!<\/strong><\/span>
      \nby David Rieder<\/strong>
      \nClaire Curzan has been swimming fast since she was a young age grouper and has continued to do so in high school. Last March, she came within 13-hundredths of the American record in the short course 100 fly, and in April, she found herself within 22-hundredths of the long course U.S. best. She\u2019s versatile, she\u2019s coachable, she has international experience, and she\u2019s moved from a fringe Olympic contender to an Olympic favorite. Curzan is only 16, and her promising future couldn\u2019t be brighter.<\/p>\n

      026<\/span> TAKEOFF TO TOKYO: WHEN IRISH EYES WEREN\u2019T SMILING<\/strong><\/span>
      \nby John Lohn<\/strong>
      \nIreland\u2019s Michelle Smith\u2014a four-time Olympic medalist in 1996 who received a four-year ban from the sport in 1998 for tampering with a doping sample\u2014has been defined as being a poster girl for cheating, and by her willingness to cut corners and take advantage of performance-enhancing drug use to make the leap from an athlete of very-good skill to one of elite status.<\/p>\n

      029<\/span> 50 SWIMMERS, 6 MEDALS<\/strong><\/span>
      \nby Dan D\u2019Addona<\/strong>
      \nThe Tokyo Olympics will mark the fourth occasion that open water swimming will be contested on the Olympic level, and even a 10-kilometer marathon race can bring exciting moments and dramatic finishes.<\/p>\n

      030<\/span> JOSH MATHENY: RISING STAR<\/strong><\/span>
      \nby Matthew De George<\/strong>
      \nFrom a middle-schooler newly committed to swimming full-time in 2016, the future looks encouraging for 18-year-old Josh Matheny, who approaches the U.S. Olympic Trials for Tokyo in June as a dark horse to make the team in men\u2019s breaststroke.<\/p>\n

      032<\/span> ISHOF: THE ART OF SWIMMING<\/strong><\/span>
      \nby Bruce Wigo<\/strong>
      \nThis is the story of Hero and Leander, Lord Byron and the birth of open water swimming.<\/p>\n

      035<\/span> NUTRITION: HYDRATION\u2014BEYOND THIRST!<\/strong><\/span>
      \nby Dawn Weatherwax<\/strong>
      \nHydration truly has a daily importance for all kinds of swimmers from age groupers to Olympians to Masters swimmers, but it tends to get more notoriety when the weather gets warmer.<\/p>\n

      COACHING<\/p>\n

      012<\/span> THE POWER OF POSITIVE COACHING<\/strong><\/span>
      \nby Michael J. Stott<\/strong>
      \nRelationships built upon honesty, trust and communication go a long way toward cementing a bond between coach and athlete. Coupling that with knowledge of the individual first and athlete second produces a positive working relationship that can last for a lifetime.<\/p>\n

      038<\/span> SWIMMING TECHNIQUE CONCEPTS: MAXIMIZING SWIMMING VELOCITY (Part 1)\u2014STROKE RATE vs. STROKE LENGTH<\/strong><\/span>
      \nby Rod Havriluk<\/strong>
      \nSwimming velocity is the criterion measure for swimming performance and is the product of stroke length and stroke rate. This article explains how stroke length and stroke rate vary and how stroke time provides insight into maximizing swimming velocity.<\/p>\n

      042<\/span> Q&A WITH COACH STEVE HAUFLER<\/strong><\/span>
      \nby Michael J. Stott<\/strong><\/p>\n

      044<\/span> HOW THEY TRAIN CHARLOTTE SHAMIA<\/strong><\/span>
      \nby Michael J. Stott<\/strong><\/p>\n

      TRAINING<\/p>\n

      037<\/span> DRYSIDE TRAINING: THE IM DRYLAND CIRCUIT<\/strong><\/span>
      \nby J.R. Rosania<\/strong><\/p>\n

      JUNIOR SWIMMER<\/p>\n

      047<\/span> UP & COMERS: TEAGAN O\u2019DELL<\/strong><\/span>
      \nby Shoshanna Rutemiller<\/strong><\/p>\n

      COLUMNS<\/p>\n

      008<\/span> A VOICE FOR THE SPORT<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

      011<\/span> DID YOU KNOW: ABOUT THE MOREHOUSE TIGER SHARKS?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

      046<\/span> THE OFFICIAL WORD<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

      048<\/span> GUTTERTALK<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n