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.
It was a big month for the University of Virginia swimming programs, led by head coach Todd DeSorbo.
In what has become an annual tradition, the Cavalier women were crowned national champions on March 21, roaring to their sixth straight title with 589 points, the biggest total during their current run, to top runner-up Stanford (380.5) by 208.5.
However, things haven’t been as smooth for the men’s program in recent years, including a 32nd-place finish at the 2025 NCAA Championships, scoring just 14 points for their worst finish in a decade.
But this season, led by the dynamic freshmen duo of Maximus Williamson and Thomas Heilman, the Virginia men had a dramatic turnaround, placing 9th at NCAAs with 192 points—nearly 14 times as many as they scored the year prior—for their best finish since 2021.
At the women’s meet, DeSorbo’s team showed off its incredible depth by winning all five relays and having 12 different swimmers score double-digit points individually.
The Cavs were led by Claire Curzan, who defended her national titles in the 100 back (48.24) and 200 back (1:46.10), resetting her NCAA, U.S. Open and American Record in the former and producing the second-fastest swim in history in the latter (after breaking the record at ACCs). She also placed 2nd in the 100 fly, giving her 57 individual points to tie for 2nd in the entire meet.
Freestyle specialist Anna Moesch wrapped up her standout sophomore campaign by winning the NCAA title in the 200 free in a time of 1:39.23, just 13 one-hundredths shy of Missy Franklin‘s longstanding American Record of 1:39.10, while also placing 2nd in the 100 free (45.54) and contributing blistering legs on four of UVA’s winning relays.
After winning the 200 free, 800 free, 200 medley and 400 medley relay over the first three days of the meet, the Cavaliers closed things out by setting a new NCAA and U.S. Open Record in the 400 free relay, as the squad of Curzan (46.62), Madi Mintenko (46.73), Moesch (45.61) and Sara Curtis (46.30) combined for a time of 3:05.26 to break their previous mark of 3:05.30 set at the ACC Championships in February.
Curtis and Mintenko, both freshmen, played pivotal roles for the team, combining for 64.5 individual points, in its first following the graduation of the Walsh sisters.
DeSorbo was named the CSCAA Women’s Coach of the Year for the sixth straight time. With six national titles, he now holds sole possession of #3 all-time in women’s titles, trailing Richard Quick (12) and Jack Bauerle (7).
On the men’s side, Williamson impressed by sweeping his individual events and contributing on four scoring relays. After tying with UVA teammate David King for 8th in the prelims of the 200 free, King opted not to contest the swim-off and gave Williamson the spot in the ‘A’ final, and that paid off in a big way as the freshman stormed his way to the title in a lifetime best of 1:30.03 from Lane 8.
Two nights later, Williamson won the 200 IM title in another lifetime best of 1:38.48, more than two seconds quicker than the PB he set en route to placing 2nd at the ACC Championships in February (1:40.78).
Heilman, meanwhile, also set new best times to place 2nd in the 200 fly (1:38.16) and 4th in the 100 fly (43.58), and he added a third PB in the 100 free, leading off the Cavaliers’ 400 free relay in 41.74.
King registered a top-three finish of his own in the 200 back, breaing 1:38 for the first time in the prelims (1:37.69) and then following up by placing 3rd in the final in 1:37.43. His prelim swim in the 200 free that ultimately earned him 9th was also a new best time (1:31.17), and he added a third PB in the 100 back (45.05) leading off the 400 medley relay.
The Virginia men ended up scoring 84 relay points, 40 more than they were seeded for (44), highlighted by a 4th-place finish in the 800 free relay on the opening night.
Individually, Williamson (40), Heilman (32), King (25) and Jack Aikins (11) combined to score 108 points, 42.5 more than they were seeded for (65.5).
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LETS GO TODD! WAY TO SHUT ALL THE HATERS UP!