Virginia vs. Texas
- Friday, November 5th-Saturday, November 6th, 2021
- Aquatic and Fitness Center, Charlottesville, VA
- Dual Meet Format
- SCY
- Live Results
- Results on Meet Mobile: “Virginia vs Texas”
- Live Stream (ACCN)
No, we don’t normally live recap dual meets. But….
- There’s a a livestream on the ACC Network
- The host team is using live results and published the link in advance…instead of just Meet Mobile and/or waiting to publish full results the next day
- Each of the 2021 Division I Swimming & Diving champs are represented
- I clearly have no social life…
…so things just kind of lined up.
The Texas Longhorns men won their 15th NCAA title last season, while their women finished a program-high 3rd the week before. UVA hosts coming off a banner season themselves, literally. The Cavalier women won their first-ever NCAA title, and in fact, are raising the championship banner in the AFC pool today shortly before the swimming portion gets underway. The UVA men finished 9th last season, tying the best finish in program history.
It’s hard to know exactly what to expect as far as times go today. The UVA women tend to swim pretty fast in-season. The Texas men historically have been slow in the fall, but that seemed to change in the last season or two. Swimmers on both teams haven’t necessarily been swimming their strongest events in dual meets so far this season, and if that changes, the electric atmosphere that comes with these two high-energy teams could produce some swift times, even in practice suits. Or…it may not, and this live recap could end up pretty dull. We’ll find out soon enough.
This is the first time these two schools have squared off in a dual meet since the fall of 2013, when Texas, Penn State, and West Virginia all came to Charlottesville for a two day quad-dual meet. UVA lost to Texas on both sides that year, with the Longhorn women winning 196-157, and the Texas men winning 225-128, in a meet that was interrupted by a fire alarm that Friday night.
To answer everyone’s first question..it doesn’t look like anyone is wearing a tech suit.
Women’s 200 Medley Relay
UVA women – Gretchen Walsh (23.33), Alexis Wenger (26.51), Alex Walsh (23.04), and Kate Douglass (21.37) came out swinging with a 1:34.25. That’s the fastest time in the country by 0.40s, besting the same quartet’s time from three weeks ago against Cal. That time also shattered the pool record of 1:35.40 from 2020. Wenger and Douglass were part of the previous record-setting relay team, with Douglass swimming fly then.
Men’s 200 Medley Relay
It was a much closer race on the men’s side, as UVA kept it close to Texas the whole way, but the Longhorns won with a 1:25.92, with UVA a bit behind at 1:26.32. Only Michigan (1:24.91) and NC State (1:24.92) have been faster than the Longhorns so far this season.
Women’s 400 IM
No surprise here, as Olympic medalist Emma Weyant led from start to finish. Her time of 4:05.68 set a new pool record, breaking the mark of 4:11.20 than Claire Crippen set back in 2009. That’s the 3rd-fastest time in the country so far this season. Teammate Ella Nelson took 2nd in 4:08.10, also under the old pool record.
Men’s 400 IM
Again, no surprise in the winner, this time Texas’ Carson Foster. What is a bit surprising? Swimming a 3:40.48 400 IM in a brief. In November. That shatters the pool record of 3:45.99, set by UVA’s Ted Schubert in 2020. There’s no official record of this sort of thing, but that has to be one of the fastest times ever — probably the fastest time ever — done without a tech suit, and/or during a dual meet. That’s also the fastest time the country this season by over four seconds.
Women’s 200 Free
The Texas women finally got into the win column courtesy of a 1:45.88 by Kelly Pash. That moves her to #4 in the nation so far this season.
Men’s 200 Free
The times cooled off just a bit here, as Texas had the four fastest times, but no one under got under 1:36. Drew Kibler took the win with a 1:36.19, followed by Coby Carrozza at 1:36.41 and Luke Hobson (exhibition heat) at 1:36.61
Women’s 50 Free
And we’re back to breaking pool records. Kate Douglass‘s 22.07 downs Caitlin Cooper’s mark 22.13 from 2018. Douglass has already been a tad faster this season; her 21.96 from the Cal dual meet puts her at #3 in the NCAA, behind Maggie MacNeil (21.78) and teammate Gretchen Walsh (21.88).
Men’s 50 Free
The Texas men remain undefeated, as sprint star Daniel Krueger takes this one in 19.69. UVA’s Matt Brownstead was just behind Krueger at 19.77
TV intermission: the broadcasters have been interviewing the coaches during the break. Eddie Reese mentioned how much he respects Todd and said that he expects that the UVA women’ championship banner will be the first of many.
UVA dive coach Drew Livingston and Texas dive coach Matt Scoggin are getting interviewed together, and are effusive in praise for each other. Livingston dove for Scoggin as a member of the Longhorns, and Scoggin actually officiated the Livingstons’ wedding recently.
Women’s 200 Fly
Aaaand we’re back to close races and fast times. Texas’ Emma Sticklen got her hand on the wall first, touching in 1:54.56. Teammate Kelly Pash was right behind her at 1:54.57, then UVA’s Alex Walsh at 1:54.79.
Those are now the three fastest times in the country this season. All three of those women had previously in the top four in the nation, with Walsh previously having the top time at 1:55.07. Sticklen just missed Jennifer Markkand’s 2018 pool record of 1:54.43.
Men’s 200 Fly
Carson Foster picked up his second win of the day, this time coming in an event he doesn’t race quite as often. Still, he won by nearly two seconds with a 1:44.29; that appears to be the 3rd-fastest time of his career. It’s worth noting that the UVA men have yet to win a race at this point in the meet.
Women’s 100 Back
Gretchen Walsh shaved 0.03s off of her time from the Cal dual. Her time of 51.12 downs the pool the record of 51.56, set by Courtney Batholomew in 2015. Walsh remains #2 in the nation this season. Texas’ Olivia Bray took 2nd in 52.36, putting her at #6 in the nation.
Men’s 100 Back
The Texas men keep rolling in another close race. Alvin Jiang got his hand on the wall first with a 47.93, followed closely by teammate Anthony Grimm (48.13) and UVA’s Sean Conway (48.23).
Women’s 100 Breast
Alexis Wenger took down her own pool record, popping a 58.88 that improves on the previous mark of 59.58. Texas’ Anna Eldendt kept it fairly close, touching 2nd at 59.33.
Men’s 100 Breast
Another close race, but the Longhorns’ remain unbeaten. Caspar Corbeau held off Noah Nichols to win 52.82 to 53.13. That pair finished well ahead of the rest of the field, with the Longhorns’ Charlie Scheinfeld taking 3rd in 55.42.
Score update: assuming Meet Mobile is correct, it’s a tight race on the women’ side, where Texas leads 90-79. Meanwhile, the Longhorn men are running away with this meet, leading 127 to 42 with the 1000 and and the 400 medley relay to go.
Women’s 1000 Free
Fans were treated to a dual between freshmen Olympic medalists, but today, the one who won an IM medal finished ahead of the one who won a distance free medal. UVA’s Emma Weyant beat Texas’ Erica Sullivan, 9:42.71 to 9:47.39. That appears to be the 2nd-fastest time of Weyant’s career, and she’s now the fastest swimmer in the nation so far this season.
Men’s 1000 Free
David Johnston won the final individual event of the afternoon with a time of 9:01.85. That’s just a few seconds slower than his time of 8:57.37 against Texas A&M a few weeks ago. The Longhorns swept the top three spots, with Luke Hobson (9:08.62) and Alex Zettle (9:11.01) touching after Johnston.