Virginia head swimming and diving coach Augie Busch announced the Cavaliers 2014-15 schedule Wednesday (Sept. 17). The campaign will feature three meets against ACC opposition at the Aquatic and Fitness Center.
The Cavalier men will open the season Oct. 24th at home against Navy at 4 p.m., before both the men and women travel to University Park, Pennsylvania, Nov. 7-8 for a tri-meet with Michigan and Penn State. The UVa men won 14 of 16 events against Navy last season, while the women defeated PSU, 226-127, in last year’s matchup.
Virginia hosts its first ACC opponent of the season, NC State, on Nov. 15 at 3 p.m., which will also serve as the women’s first home meet of the season. Last year in Raleigh, North Carolina, UVa’s women were victorious, 178.5-115.5, while the men captured five events in a close 157-141 loss. Michigan’s men placed fourth at the 2014 NCAA Championships after capturing the 2013 national title.
The Cavalier divers will travel to Columbus, Ohio, Nov. 21-23 for the Ohio State Invitational, while the entire team will compete in the Georgia Fall Invitational in Athens, Georgia, Dec. 5-7. The host Bulldogs won the 2014 Women’s NCAA title, while the men placed fifth.
“This is a very well-balanced schedule,” Busch said. “The Georgia Fall Invite is of the utmost importance to our overall season goals and to have such high-quality competition leading up to that meet will be extremely beneficial.
Virginia opens 2015 with a two-day dual meet against in-state foe Virginia Tech Jan. 16-17 in Charlottesville. The Hokie men captured their first ACC Championship in 2014. The following week, the Cavaliers will host North Carolina Jan. 24 on Senior Day at noon. Both the men’s and women’s meets came down to the final race, with the UVa women and Tar Heel men prevailing.
UVa will host two invitational meets the first two weekends as a lead-up to the championship season. The Cavalier Diving Invitational will be held on Feb. 7, while the Cavalier Invite is slated for Feb. 13-14 for swimming only.
Georgia Tech hosts the ACC Championships this year in Atlanta, with the women’s swimming and diving and men’s diving meet Feb. 18-21 and the men’s swimming meet Feb. 25-28. Virginia’s women’s captured their seventh consecutive ACC Championship in 2014, while the men placed fourth.
The UVa divers will compete for spots at the national meet at the NCAA Zone A Diving Championships March 12-14 in Piscataway, New Jersey. Senior JB Kolod (Pittsburgh, Pa.) won the 3-meter event at the 2013 zone meet to qualify for NCAAs.
The Women’s NCAA Championships will be held March 19-21 in Greensboro, North Carolina, while the men’s national meet will be contested in Iowa City, Iowa, March 26-28. Junior Courtney Bartholomew (Holland, Mich.) and sophomore Leah Smith (Pittsburgh, Pa.) earned third-place finishes in the 200 back and 1,650 free, respectively, as the women placed 11th overall. Kolod posted UVa’s highest-ever NCAA finish for a diver, finishing seventh on the 3-meter springboards. The Cavalier men placed 26th overall.
“Moving into the spring, less competition and travel in January will ensure that the idea of racing will stay fresh and exciting to our student-athletes as we hit the most important time of the competition season, ACCs and NCAAs,” Busch said.
All Virginia meets at the Aquatic and Fitness Center are free to the public.
College Swimming News courtesy of UVA Swimming and Diving.
Can’t wait to watch that UNC meet. Should be quite exciting!