Ivanov, Ramadan, and Gretchen Walsh Triple As UVA and Virginia Tech Split

by Robert Gibbs 9

January 16th, 2022 College, News, Previews & Recaps

Virginia Tech v. University of Virginia

  • Saturday, January 15, 2021
  • Christiansburg Aquatic Center, Christiansburg, VA
  • SCY
  • Dual meet format
  • Results available on Meet Mobile as “VT vs UVA 2022”
  • Scores
    • Women: UVA 193, Virginia Tech 107
    • Men: Virginia Tech 187, UVA 113

The Virginia Cavaliers traveled down I-81 to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies at Virginia Tech Friday in a battle of intrastate and ACC rivals. The #1 Cavalier women easily handled the Hokies , while the #17 Virginia Tech men defeated the #10 Virginia men by a 74-point margin.

Women’s Recap

The Cavalier women nearly swept the Hokies, winning by a 86-point margin as freshman Gretchen Walsh won three events.

That point was highlighted right off the bat, as UVA won the opening event, the 200 medley relay, with an atypical lineup consisting of Kate Douglass (24.30), Ella Nelson (28.45), Abby Harter (24.89), and Alex Walsh (21.82). That ‘A’ team won with a 1:39.46, while the ‘B’ team of Lexi Cuomo (26.01), Alexis Wenger (28.09), Gretchen Walsh (22.91) and Reilly Tiltmann (23.10) finished not too far behind at 1:40.10.

From there, UVA rattled off another four straight wins. Maddie Donohoe won the 1000 free with a 10:00.69; Donohoe would later win the 500 free in 4:52.54.

In the 200 free, Emma Weyant held off teammate Reilly Tiltmann, 1:48.87 to 1:48.93. Alex Walsh took the 100 back in a solid 52.68, then Kate Douglass won the 100 breast with a 1:00.01.

Reka Gyorgy snapped the Cavaliers’ win streak with a 2:01.07, but UVA freshman Gretchen Walsh countered with a 22.18 win in the 50 free heading into the break.

After the break, UVA’s Kate Douglass won the 100 free, an event in which she was last year’s NCAA runner-up, with a 48.11, over two seconds ahead of second place Sarah Shackelford of Virginia Tech (50.17). Next, Gretchen Walsh earned her second individual win with a 1:54.67 in the 200 back.

Alexis Wenger (2:14.08) and Anna Keating (2:14.65) went 1-2 in the 200 breast, then Alex Walsh won the 100 fly by nearly two seconds with a 52.74. In the last individual event of the day, the 200 IM, Gretchen Walsh completed the triple with a 2:01.24 win in the 200 IM.

UVA closed things out with a win in the 400 free relay. The ‘B’ relay of Ella Nelson (51.10), Ella Bathurst (50.35), Reilly Tiltmann (50.11), and Alex Walsh (48.54) went 3:20.10, good for a two second win. Teagan Moravek swept the diving events for the Hokies, helping to blunt the Cavaliers margin of victory.

Men’s Recap

The Hokie men beat the Cavaliers for only the seventh time in program history, and the second time under head coach Sergio Lopez, led by pair of triples from Antani Ivanov and Youssef Ramadan. Virginia Tech captured the momentum early with four-straight wins to open the meet.

Samuel Tornqvist (22.32), Carles Coll Marti (23.86), Blake Manoff (20.99), Tommy Hallock (19.48) combined for a 1:26.65 victory in the 200 medley relay. UVA’s team of Matt Brownstead (22.27), Noah Nichols (24.12), Max Edwards (21.19) and Matt King (19.37) touched 2nd in 1:26.95.

Hokie Antani Ivanov, who’s primarily a butterflier, but has scored in the 500 free at ACCs, extended his distance range a bit today with a win in the 1000 free. His time of 9:19.40 earned him the win by over 13 seconds.

Blake Manoff followed with a 1:37.55 win in the 200 free, then Youssef Ramadan, like Ivanov primarily a fly guy, won the 100 back with a 47.56.

UVA breaststroker Noah Nichols snapped the Hokies’ win streak with a 53.92 victory in the 100 breast, beating VT’s Coll Marti by exactly .20s. Ivanov responded with his second win of the morning, a 3.5s victory in the 200 fly (1:45.12).

UVA then went 1-2 in the 50 free, as sprinters Matt King and Matt Brownstead touched nearly simultaneously, with King getting the edge, 20.05 to 20.06. Heading into the break, VT led 71-60. After the break, Ramadan picked up his second win of the day, winning the 100 free with a 43.23, fairly well ahead of King’s 43.98.

The 200 back turned into one of the closer races of the day. UVA’s Justin Grender held off Virginia Tech’s Samuel Tornqvist down the final lap, winning 1:44.71 to 1:45.08. VT came right back, though, as Carles Coll Marti (1:56.80) and AJ Pouch (1:57.44) went 1-2 in the 200 breast.

Next, Ivanov led a Hokie 1-3 sweep of the 500 free, winning his third individual event with a 4:25.97, nearly five seconds ahead of the rest of the field. His teammate Ramadan then also tripled, taking the 100 fly in 46.84.

The Hokie men put a bow on their day with a 2:54.94 win in the 400 free relay. Ramadan led off in 43.41, followed by Ivanov (43.60), Luis Dominguez (44.11), and Tommy Hallock (43.82). UVA took 2nd in 2:55.74, despite a 42.65 anchor leg by Matt King. Virginia Tech also got a pair of diving wins from Noah Zawadzki.

University of Virginia Release

CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. – The Virginia swimming & diving teams split in its dual at Virginia Tech on Saturday morning at the Christiansburg Aquatic Center.

The UVA women won 193-107, while the men fell 113-187. The Cavaliers won 16 events overall in the meet.

“It’s always a tough trip heading down to Virginia Tech coming off our block of winter training and we like to use this as a gauge and steppingstone for the back half of the season,” head coach Todd DeSorbo said. “The men and women executed races really well, which is what is most important in mid-January. I expect both the men and women to continue to improve as the winter progresses towards championship season. Our divers, especially the women, had a great day on the boards. Quite a few season and personal bests, so I’m excited to see them improving significantly. Overall, a quick day trip for some good racing to kick off the semester. Hats off to VT for some great competition as always. Looking forward to next weekend to compete at home and honor our fourth years in their last home dual meets.”

No. 1 Virginia women at Virginia Tech

  • UVA won all but three events in the dual and swept the top three finishes in two events.
  • Freshman Gretchen Walsh led the Cavaliers with three individual wins. She placed first in the 50-yard freestyle (22.18), 200-yard backstroke (1:54.67) and 200-yard IM (2:01.24).
  • Junior Kate Douglass won two events, taking the 100-yard breaststroke (1:00.01) and 100-yard freestyle (48.11).
  • Junior Maddie Donohoe swept the distance free events with wins in the 500-yard freestyle (4:52.54) and 1000-yard (10.00.69) freestyle.
  • Sophomore Alex Walsh picked up wins in the 100-yard backstroke (52.68) and 100-yard butterfly (52.74).
  • Freshman Emma Weyant won the 200-yard freestyle (1:48.87) and senior Alexis Wenger finished first in the 200-yard breaststroke (2:14.08).
  • UVA took the top two spots in the 200-yard medley relay. Kate Douglass, Ella Nelson, Abby Harter and Alex Walsh, respectively, took first in 1:39.46.
  • The Cavaliers won the 400-yard freestyle relay to close out the meet. Ella Nelson, Ella Bathurst, Reilly Tiltmann and Alex Walsh, respectively, finished first in 3:20.10.
  • In diving, Lizzy Kaye finished second on both the 1-meter (305.10) and 3-meter (305.63) boards, scoring career-highs in both events. Junior Charlotte Bowen was fourth on the 1-meter and junior Jennifer Bell was fourth on the 3-meter.

No. 17 Virginia men at No. 16 Virginia Tech

  • The Cavalier men picked up three event wins against the Hokies.
  • Sophomore Noah Nichols won the 100-yard breaststroke (53.92), sophomore Matt King was first in the 50-yard freestyle (20.05) and senior Justin Grender won the 200-yard backstroke (1:44.71).
  • UVA took the top two spots in the 50-yard freestyle, with sophomore Matt Brownstead finishing second in 20.06, just behind King.
  • Grender also finished second in the 100-yard backstroke (48.47).
  • King added a second-place finish in the 100-yard freestyle (43.98).
  • Sophomore Tanner Hering (9:33.05) and freshman Peter Thompson (9:40.67) were two-three in the 1000-yard freestyle.
  • Sophomore Jack Wright finished second in the 200-yard freestyle (1:38.61).
  • Junior Josh Fong (1:48.64) and senior Casey Storch (1:48.84) finished second and third, respectively, in the 200-yard butterfly.
  • Storch was second in the 200-yard IM (1:49.19).
  • In diving, senior Walker Creedon finished third on both the 1-meter and 3-meter and freshman Nicholas Sanders took fourth in both events.

UP NEXT

Virginia closes the dual meet season next weekend at home, hosting North Carolina on Friday, January 21 and NC State on Saturday, January 22. Saturday’s meet will be Senior Day.

Virginia Tech Release

BLACKSBURG, VA – The Hokies came out strong against the Cavaliers on Saturday, as the Virginia Tech men topped Virginia, 187-113. This marks the seventh time in program history the Virginia Tech men’s team has beaten UVA and the second win under Coach Sergio. The women fell just short, 107-193, putting up a strong fight until the finish. Mid-season additions Luana Alonso, Nico Garcia Saiz, and Mario Molla Yanes experienced their first dual meet as Hokies, earning strong finishes.

HEAD COACH SERGIO LOPEZ MIRO
“We did awesome. Our women’s team did an amazing job competing, and had some very good swims. Our men’s team did amazing, as well, to beat UVA. It’s a very positive thing to beat them. Today was a very good opportunity to see where we are, after winter training. Our times were pretty good, so if we can keep up this pace, I think we will swim very well at the ACC’s this year.”

HEAD DIVING COACH RIO RAMIREZ
“Today was a very exciting competition. Our men and women looked very strong. We showcased some new dives, for the first time, during the meet and I, as well as the divers, were very happy with them. We still have a little more work to do, but the atmosphere, support, and enthusiasm of the team is very good. I’m looking forward to more.”

TECH MEN
Youssef Ramadan was no stranger to first place in this competition. He swam a time of 47.58 in the 100 backstroke to begin his showcase, earning him first. His next event was the 100 free, where he earned first place with a time of 43.23. In the 100 fly, Ramadan won, again, with a time of 46.84. He was followed by teammates Blake Manoff (48.19) and Henry Claesson (48.51) to complete the second 1-2-3 sweep of the meet for the Hokie men. To finish the meet, Ramadan was the lead-off to the winning 400 free relay with Antani Ivanov, Luis Dominguez, and Thomas Hallock, earning a time of 2:54.94.

Antani Ivanov controlled the distance events, and was also a 3-peat winner. He earned his first win of the day in the 1000 free, finishing with a time of 9:19.40. His next event was the 200 fly, where he placed first, finishing with a time of 1:45.12. Ivanov got his hand one the wall first in the 500 free. Earning his third individual win of the day in a time of 4:25.97.  Luiz Dominguez finished second with a 4:30.68, while Filippo Dal Maso touched third in 4:30.71 to complete the first 1-2-3 sweep for the Hokie men on the day.  To wrap up the day, Ivanov was the second leg of the winning 400 free relay with Ramadan, Dominguez, and Hallock.

Carles Coll Marti brought his speed to the CAC on Saturday. He was the second leg of the winning 200 medley relay with Sam Tornqvist, Blake Manoff, and Thomas Hallock, finishing with a time of 1:26.65. In the 100 breaststroke, he placed second, only three tenths of a second behind first place with a time of 54.12. He earned a first place finish in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 1:56.80. In his last event of the day, he finished with a win. He earned first place in the 200 IM with a time of 1:47.72.

TECH WOMEN
Emma Atkinson proved, once again, to be a strong competitor throughout the day. She started the meet off as the first leg of the 200 medley relay with Anna Landon, Karisa Franz, and Sarah Shackelford that placed third with a time of 1:42.42, swimming a 50 back split of 25.75. She then raced in the 100 backstroke, finishing second with a time of 54.31. In the 200 back, she placed second with a time of 1:55.98. Her last event was the 400 free relay with Shackelford, Landon, and Caroline Bentz. They placed second with a time of 3:22.36, with Atkinson swimming a 51.54 100 free split.

Reka Gyorgy kicked off her debut with a first place finish in the 200 fly, finishing with a time of 2:01.07. She continued to dominate in the 500 free, earning second with a time of 4:54.79. Her last event was the 200 IM. Gyorgy placed second, only two tenths of a second behind first with a time of 2:01.47.

Sarah Shackelford was a powerful force in the pool. She began the day as the anchor of the 200 medley relay with Atkinson, Landon, and Franz. She then went on to earn second in the 50 freestyle with a time of 22.99. Immediately following the break, she earned second in the 100 free, with a time of 50.17. To close out the meet, she was the second leg of the second place 400 free relay with Atkinson, Landon, and Bentz.

Teagan Moravek left nothing up to chance on the boards. She won first place in both the 1 Meter and 3 Meter competitions, putting at least 20 points in between her and second place. She finished the 3 Meter portion with 335.78 points and the 1 Meter competition with 323.35.

Daniel Valmassei gave a strong performance on the boards. So strong that it qualified him for the NCAA Zone A Championship in March. In the 1 Meter portion, he earned second place with a final score of 204.20, behind teammate Noah Zawadzki who finished with 374.48. In the 3 Meter section, Valmassei finished in fifth with a final score of 282.90.

RESULTS – SWIMMING
200 Medley Relay
W: 3rd – Emma Atkinson (25.75), Anna Landon (29.73), Karisa Franz (24.57), and Sarah Shackelford(22.37) – 1:42.42
5th – Alex Slayton (26.75), Charlotte Rigg (29.96), Luana Alonso (24.81), and Abby Larson (23.66) – 1:45.18

M: 1st – Sam Tornqvist (22.32), Carles Coll Marti (23.86), Blake Manoff (20.99), and Thomas Hallock (19.48) – 1:26.65
4th – Forest Webb (22.32) Cobi Lopez Miro (24.97), Henry Claesson (21.33), and Noah Desman (20.14)  – 1:28.76

1000 Freestyle
W: 2nd – Chase Travis – 10:08.24
3rd – Morgan Miller – 10:25.67
5th – Sophia Ryan – 10:32.28

M: 1st – Antani Ivanov – 9:19.40
5th – Nikolas Lee-Bishop – 9:59.52

200 Freestyle 
W: 4th – Rose Pouch – 1:52.71
6th – Loulou Vos – 1:53.70
7th – Megan Judge – 1:54.02

M: 1st – Blake Manoff – 1:37.55
3rd – Noah Desman – 1:39.33
4th – Luis Dominguez – 1:39.41

100 Backstroke
W: 2nd – Emma Atkinson – 54.31
4th – Caroline Bentz – 55.34
6th – Alex Slayton – 57.39

M: 1st – Youssef Ramadan – 47.56
3rd – Sam Tornqvist – 48.58
5th – Forest Webb – 48.91

100 Breaststroke
W: 4th – Charlotte Rigg – 1:05.14
5th – Jenna Thompson – 1:06.04
6th – Allison Henry – 1:07.02

M: 2nd – Carles Coll Marti – 54.12
3rd AJ Pouch – 54.40
5th – Cobi Lopez Miro – 55.80

200 Butterfly
W: 1st – Reka Gyorgy – 2:01.07
4th – Karisa Franz – 2:04.38
5th – Luana Alonso – 2:04.53

M: 1st – Antani Ivanov – 1:45.12
4th – Filippo Dal Maso – 1:51.30
6th – Luan Grobbelaar – 1:53.41

50 Freestyle
W: 2nd – Sarah Shackelford – 22.99
3rd – Anna Landon – 23.09
6th – Abby Larson – 24.24

M: 3rd – Thomas Hallock – 20.22
6th – Henry Claesson – 20.73
8th – Ben Eckerson – 21.25
9th – Maria Molla Yanes – 21.50

100 Freestyle
W: 2nd – Sarah Shackelford – 50.17
5th – Anna Landon – 51.43
6th – Rose Pouch – 52.86

M: 1st – Youssef Ramadan – 43.23
3rd – Blake Manoff – 44.26
5th – Thomas Hallock – 44.87

200 Backstroke
W: 2nd – Emma Atkinson – 1:55.98
5th – Caroline Bentz – 2:02.61
6th – Janika Perezous – 2:04.74

M: 2nd – Sam Tornqvist – 1:45.08
3rd – Nico Garcia Saiz – 1:47.33
6th – Forest Webb – 1:48.44

200 Breaststroke
W: 3rd – Charlotte Rigg – 2:18.48
4th – Allison Henry – 2:23.69
5th – Jenna Thompson – 2:29.65

M: 1st – Carles Coll Marti – 1:56.80
2nd – AJ Pouch – 1:57.44
6th – Keith Myburgh – 2:01.86

500 Freestyle
W: 2nd – Reka Gyorgy – 4:54.79
4th – Chase Travis – 5:00.91
5th – Loulou Vos – 5:00.97

M: 1st – Antani Ivanov – 4:25.97
2nd – Luis Dominguez – 4:30.68
3rd – Filippo Dal Maso – 4:30.71

100 Butterfly
W: 2nd – Luana Alonso – 54.73
3rd – Karisa Franz – 54.80
7th – Morgan Miller – 58.84

M: 1st – Youssef Ramadan – 46.84
2nd – Blake Manoff – 48.19
3rd – Henry Claesson – 48.51

200 IM
W: 2nd – Reka Gyorgy – 2:01.47
4th – Allison Henry – 2:08.79
5th – Charlotte Rigg – 2:08.81

M: 1st – Carles Coll Marti – 1:47.72
4th – Sam Tornqvist – 1:51.12
5th – Keith Myburgh – 1:51.25

400 Freestyle Relay
W: 2nd – Emma Atkinson (51.54), Sarah Shackelford (50.03), Anna Landon (50.03), and Caroline Bentz (50.76) – 3:22.36
4th – Rose Pouch (53.73), Megan Judge (52.70), Abby Larson (52.55), and Karisa Franz (51.59) – 3:30.57

M: 1st – Youssef Ramadan (43.41), Antani Ivanov (43.60), Luis Dominguez (44.11), and Thomas Hallock (43.82) – 2:54.94
4th – Henry Claesson (45.28), Mario Molla Yanes (46.17), Noah Desman (44.59), and Forest Webb (46.06) – 3:02.10

RESULTS – DIVING
Women – 
3M
1st – Teagan Moravek – 335.78
3rd – Izzi Mroz – 294.45
8th – Miah Fisher – 248.03

1M
1st – Teagan Moravek – 323.35
3rd Izzi Mroz – 277.65
7th – Miah Fisher – 253.58

Men – 
3M
1st – Noah Zawadzki – 404.55
2nd – Taj Cole – 358.43
5th – Daniel Valmassei – 282.90
1M
1st – Noah Zawadzki – 374.48
2nd Daniel Valmassei – 204.20
5th – Taj Cole – 281.63

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anon
2 years ago

Douglass 47.2 anchor

samulih
2 years ago

So it not that easy to turn around a program as Virginia men show…. You need those recruits, however good coach you seem to be.

College swimmer
Reply to  samulih
2 years ago

UVA gets fantastic recruits on the men’s side year in and out… they should be much better than they are

Joel Lin
2 years ago

Mid January teams & individuals are all over the place. Some really nice times from the VT men. Matt King had a nice meet for UVa, especially that 42 point anchor in the relay.

Got to imagine both teams pretty broken down from heavy training over break…*swimming through the suck* as we used to say.

Swimfan
Reply to  Joel Lin
2 years ago

They dont train that way anymore. These kids train to go fast all the time.

jeff
2 years ago

nice to see g walsh back in action

Lisa
2 years ago

The VT release “the women fell just short 107-193” made me lol. That’s one way to spin it.

Jim
Reply to  Lisa
2 years ago

But the men, who won by a smaller margin, had a decisive victory. I mean who cares but it’s kinda funny especially considering UVA women swam off events.

Swimfan
Reply to  Jim
2 years ago

Uva women don’t have off events

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