Virginia Women Defend Title, Breaks Tie with 17th ACC Title

2021 ACC WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIPS

• When: Wednesday, February 17th – Saturday, February 20th | Prelims: 11:00 am | Finals: 7:00 pm (EST) (Except Wednesday’s timed finals, which begin at 5:15 EST)
• Where: Greensboro Aquatic Center, Greensboro, NC
• Defending Champion: University of Virginia (x1) (results)
• Format: 25 Yards/Short Course Yards (SCY)
• Championship Central: Here
• Championship Manual
• Psych Sheets (uncut)
• Live Results
• Day 1 Recap
• Day 2 Recap
• Day 3 Recap
• Day 4 Recap
• Complete Results

On Saturday, the Virginia Cavalier women successfully defended their 2020 ACC team title, earning their 17th ACC Women’s Swimming & Diving Championship title in program history. This is now the most in conference history. The UVA women previously won titles in 1990, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2020.

All-Time ACC Conference Women’s Swimming & Diving Team Championships, By Team:

• Virginia – 17
• North Carolina – 16
• Clemson – 4
• NC State – 4
• Florida State – 1
• Maryland -1

This is also UVA’s 3rd ACC title under head coach Todd DeSorbo, following 2018 and 2020. DeSorbo now is the ACC coach with the 3rd-most titles, tying with UVA’s Augie Busch and Clemson’s Bob Boettner. Last year, DeSorbo became the 7th coach in the 42-years of ACC women’s swimming & diving history to win multiple titles.

All-Time ACC Conference Women’s Swimming & Diving Team Championships, By Coach:

• Frank Comfort, UNC – 16
• Mark Bernardino, UVA – 11
• Todd DeSorbo, UVA – 3
• Augie Busch, UVA – 3
• Bob Boettner, Clemson – 3
• Don Easterling, NC State – 2
• Braden Holloway, NC State – 2
• Bruce Marichonda, Clemson – 1
• Jim Wenhold, Maryland – 1

The UVA women had a lights out performance at the Greensboro Aquatic Center. First, the Cavalier women swept all five relays, a very difficult feat to achieve. The last time UVA accomplished that feat was back-t0-back in 2009 and 2010. Then, UVA rallied up 8 individual ACC titles over the course of the meet. This year’s meet MVP, senior Paige Madden, was the only swimmer in the pool to go 3-for-3 in her events, sweeping the 200/500/1650 free events. This is Madden’s 2nd-consecutive year going 3-for-3 at ACCs in the distance free events.

2021 ACC Meet MVPs

• ACC Men’s Diver: Anton Down-Jenkins (UNC)
• ACC Women’s Diver: Aranza Vazquez (UNC)
• ACC Women’s Swimmer: Paige Madden (UVA)

Behind Madden’s 96-point event sweep was sophomore Kate Douglass, who racked in 92 points with her 200 IM runner-up finish and 100 fly/100 free ACC titles. Freshman Alex Walsh and sophomore Ella Nelson had the third-most individual points overall for the Cavaliers. Walsh first won the 200 IM, then placed 4th in the 100 breast and 3rd in the 200 back. Nelson first picked up 4th place in the 200 IM, then won the 400 IM title, followed by a 3rd-place podium finish in the 200 breast. UVA’s 8th individual title came from junior Jessica Nava in the 200 fly. Nava scored 57 points over the weekend.

Douglass, Walsh, and Nelson led a strong underclassmen pack at this meet. Sophomore Lexi Cuomo picked up two runner-up finishes in the 50 free and 100 fly and 4th place in the 100 free, totaling 82 points. Freshmen Reilly Tiltmann (73) and Abby Harter (72) had strong showings as well alongside sophomore Maddie Donohoe (69) and freshman Anna Keating (63).

After placing 9th in the 100 fly, Tiltmann turned around and was runner-up in the 100 back followed by a 5th-place finish in the 200 back. Harter pulled out two 8th-place finishes in the 200 IM and 100 fly before hitting a second-place finish in the 200 fly behind Nava. Donohoe had placed 4th in the 500 free and followed up with a 3rd-place finish in the 1650 free. Keating was also a strong breaststroke presence, placing 6th in the 100 breast and 4th in the 200 breast.

Final Team Scores

1. UVA, 1486
2. NC State, 1317
3. Louisville, 1,006.50
4. Virginia Tech, 832
5. Notre Dame, 716
6. Duke, 647
7. Florida State, 551
8. UNC, 516.50
9. Georgia Tech, 498
10. Miami, 375
11. Pittsburgh, 360
12. Boston College, 177

All 2021 UVA Scorers

Stats complied by Andrew Mering.

Celebrating the 🏆 with a little 🏊 #GoHoos pic.twitter.com/c5BqkLCyTO

— Virginia Swimming and Dive (@UVASwimDive) February 21, 2021