With the regular season having recently come to a close, the Virginia swimming and diving teams now will focus their concentration on the upcoming 2004 ACC Swimming and Diving Championships.
The No. 9 men and the No. 18 women have enjoyed widespread success this season and some of it can be attributed to the accomplishments of senior divers Pete Amstutz and Katie Prior.
In "my 15 years here, they're probably two of the hardest working athletes I've ever had," Virginia diving coach Dave Fafara said. "They are both team captains. They are there for the team and not for themselves and I think that's why they were as successful as they were in their four years here."
The 5'11" Amstutz, who competes in both one-meter and three-meter diving, dominated the three-meter diving event last Saturday at Maryland with a score of 328.12.
"One of Pete's strengths is that Pete can jump through the ceiling and he can spin fast," Fafara said.
Jan. 17, on the way to a men's 155-83 thrashing of N.C. State, Amstutz set school records while winning the one-meter competition and finishing second on the three-meter board. He racked up 365.33 points while winning on the one-meter board, shattering his previous school record of 334.13. Additionally, he broke the Virginia school record, placing second on the three-meter board with a score of 336.83. He held the former mark with 329.10 points.
Similar to her teammate, Prior's season contains numerous recent victories as well. In the match against the Terps, she scored 215.85 points on the one-meter board and 211.35 points on the three-meter board to lead all Virginia competitors. The 5'7" diver from Dallas considers her best meet of the season to have been against North Carolina on Jan. 25. Although the Cavaliers lost to the No. 15 Tar Heels 171-129, Prior tallied 261.90 points on the one-meter board. It was the highest score of her collegiate career.
"I'm really motivated this year to do well for the team," Prior said. "It's my last year. I'm trying to pull everything [together]."
Sophomore Andrew Barber is one of the many younger divers who have been feeding offthe positive attitude and work ethic of the two senior role models. Most recently at Maryland, Barber won the one-meter event with a score of 279.45 points.
"Pete's the top scorer in the ACC on one-meter, but Andrew Barber, his teammate, is the second-highest scorer for one-meter," Fafara said. "They've done a good job of pushing each other this year."
The women's swimming and diving team returns to action Feb. 18 when it hosts the ACC Championships at the Aquatic & Fitness Center. The men will also host the ACC Championships, beginning competition Feb. 25. If Amstutz's and Prior's performances at the ACC Championships are consistent with the way they have been this season, and if Barber continues to dive efficiently, the rest of the swimming and diving team will have the confidence and motivation it needs to thrive. This enthusiasm will be crucial for success if the teams hope to repeat as ACC champions
Read More
West Coast woes strike again as men’s basketball gets hammered by Stanford
By Emory Huffman | 28 minutes agoVirginia, once again in a lost season, looked aimless on the floor.
ISTVAN: Tony Bennett left Virginia in a hole
By Ben Istvan | 8 hours agoHis decision to retire doomed this men's basketball season.
