Competitor Coach of the Month is a recurring SwimSwam feature shedding light on a U.S.-based coach who has risen above the competition. As with any item of recognition, Competitor Coach of the Month is a subjective exercise meant to highlight one coach whose work holds noteworthy context – perhaps a coach who was clearly in the limelight, or one whose work fell through the cracks a bit more among other stories. If your favorite coach wasn’t selected, feel free to respectfully recognize them in our comment section.
University of Virginia head coach Todd DeSorbo led the Cavalier women to a sensational performance at the ACC Championships earlier this month, earning him Competitor Coach of the Month honors.
DeSorbo also saw plenty of success with the UVA men’s team, ultimately placing fourth after a tight battle with in-state rival VA Tech.
On the women’s side, the Cavs won their third straight conference championship title with 1,418.5 points, fending off the NC State Wolfpack (1,347) on the final day by winning four of the five swimming events to close things out.
In addition to it being the team’s third win in a row, it’s also the UVA women’s fourth under DeSorbo, having also claimed the title in 2018.
Knowing that the team still needs to perform at its best in the upcoming NCAA Championships, DeSorbo led the UVA women to new American and U.S. Open Records in the 200 free, 200 medley and 400 medley relays, while setting a new conference record in the 400 free relay and a new meet record in the 800 free relay.
Along with a relay sweep, the Cavs had five different women win an individual event, including junior Kate Douglass (50/100 free, 100 fly) and sophomore Alex Walsh (200 free, 200 breast, 200 IM) going three-for-three.
Overall, UVA won 14 of 18 swimming events on the women’s side at the meet.
The Virginia men broke an American Record of their own in the 200 free relay, with the team made up of Matt Brownstead (18.87), Matt King (18.49), Connor Boyle (18.63) and August Lamb (18.48) combining for a time of 1:14.47 to lower the previous national record of 1:14.50 set by NC State in 2018. The time marked the sixth-fastest performance in history, with the five faster squads all featuring at least one international swimmer (the all-time record is Auburn’s 1:14.08 from 2009).
In just over two weeks, DeSorbo will lead his Cavalier women into battle as they defend their NCAA title, and given how they performed at ACCs, it appears as though they’ve got a great chance to do so.
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I guess the coach who had a men’s team finish first in a dominant fashion and his women’s team finish a close 2nd gets no votes.
Well deserved.