The defending NCAA Champions on the women’s side and the #33 men’s team from 2025 NCAAs of Virginia have announced their schedule for the upcoming 2025-2026 season. The team will only host two meets in Charlottesville with a dual meet against UNC in the fall and the Cavalier Invite at the start of February.
Virginia 2025-2026 Schedule
- September 27: at Navy (11 am, exhibition)
- October 10: at Florida (11 am)
- October 17-19: World Cup Stop (Westmont, Ill.)
- October 24: vs UNC (4 pm)
- November 21-23: Power 4 Dual Meet Challenge: at Tennessee, Arizona State, Michigan (in Knoxville)
- December 3-6: US Open (Austin, Texas)
- January 17: at Virginia Tech
- February 5-7: Cavalier Invite
- February 17-21: ACC Championships (at Georgia Tech)
- March 18-21: Women’s NCAAs (at Georgia Tech)
- March 25-28: Men’s NCAAs (at Georgia Tech)
The team will kick off their season with the same three meets they started this past season with. Rather than hosting Navy and Florida, the team will travel to Annapolis, MD and Gainesville, FL. They will host UNC in their only home dual meet on October 24. The UNC meet will feature the National Championship banner drop.
Last season, the team traveled to Knoxville for midseason. They will return to Knoxville for midseason weekend, but this time the meet will be a dual meet challenge with Tennessee, Arizona State, and Michigan the other three teams in attendance. The challenge will be bracket style. Read more about it here.
The fall semester also features the World Cup stop in Westmont, Illinois. That is one of the three stop series as the other two stops are in Carmel, Indiana and Toronto, Canada. All three stops of the World Cup are short course meters (SCM). The Cavaliers will conclude their fall semester at the US Open in Austin, Texas from December 3-6. The US Open will be in long course meters (LCM).
The spring semester features only one dual meet, with the team traveling to Virginia Tech on January 17. Then, Virginia will host the Cavalier Invite from February 5-7. Georgia Tech is home to ACCs as well as both NCAA Championships this upcoming season.
The Virginia women are coming off of their fifth straight NCAA title. Gretchen Walsh led the way this past season winning three individual NCAA titles, scoring 60 individual points, but has since graduated. Sister Alex Walsh scored 54 individual points and has also graduated.
The team’s highest returning scorer is Claire Curzan who scored 57 individual points and was highlighted by NCAA titles in the 100 and 200 backstrokes. Katie Grimes is the 2nd highest returner as she scored 34 individual points at 2025 NCAAs. The team welcomes the #3 girls recruiting class this fall.
The men’s team finished 33rd at 2025 NCAAs as they scored 14 points, all which came from relays. Although they finished 33rd, the team brings in a powerful recruiting class that includes #1 ranked Thomas Heilman, #2 ranked Maximus Williamson, and #12 Thomas Mercer.
Weak schedule wow
and Cavalier Invite is more of a last chance meet
mostly smaller area teams, and many of the better UVA swimmers don’t compete.
UVA – NCState dual would be Great!
No Eddie Reese invite. Wasn’t on ASU’s schedule either. Wonder who’s going to Austin for it, or did Texas cancel it. Thought they said it was an annual thing.
Bowman was scared to lose and cancelled it this season
Bummer if they canceled it. They did say they’d try to make it an annual thing
South Africans usually join in January. Their school year ends in December.
often South Africa recruits don’t finish high school until December and join college program for spring semester
I understand that McKeown will be spending time there this month, when will they announce it?
???
When are they announcing Summer? Word is she can’t train there without being in college
Nichols graduated last December and was retired from the team before spring semester. Not sure about Chris Smith
Noah Nicholas was a graduate student last year, so he has no more eligibility left. Not sure about Chris Smith, maybe 2026 now.
If you’re building a fan base, one home dual meet and one invite meet, makes it tough.
That pool wasn’t designed with hosting a large fan base in mind anyway.
Based on visual estimate, the pool at George Mason University has more seating and better sight lines than the UVA pool.
I think they had another spring meet scheduled, but the other school backed out.