Breaking 10 pool records at an away meet is a rare and exceptional feat for most teams, but for the Virginia men's and women's swimming and diving teams, that feat - performed Oct. 21 at Virginia Tech's War Memorial Pool - is simply a starting point.
"It just means that in an early season meet, we were able to perform at a really good solid level," Virginia coach Mark Bernardino said. "If that's as fast as we get, we'll be in really big trouble at the end of the year so we're still looking to improve significantly."
The Cavaliers' first dual meet of the season against Virginia Tech ended in a 180-120 win for the women and a slightly closer 177-123 victory for the men. Among the 10 record-breaking performances by Virginia swimmers were those in the women's 200 free, 1650 free, 100 back, 200 fly, 400 IM and 800 freestyle relay team, and the men's 1650 free, 200 breast, 400 IM and 800 freestyle relay team.
Freshman Lauren Perdue's time of 1:47.98 earned her the 200 free record in Blacksburg, but her contribution to the team's win did not end there. In her first collegiate dual meet, she also won the 50 and 100 freestyle with times of 23.14 and 50.29, respectively.
The Virginia women commanded the 200 breast and the 200 fly with 1-2-3 finishes in both events. Freshman Christine Olson touched first in the 200 breast at 2:17.37, followed closely by senior Katherine McDonnell and junior Claire Crippen. Junior Elizabeth Shaw clocked a first-place 2:00.56 in the 200 fly, with teammates sophomore Joanna Thomas and Crippen grabbing second and third.
The men took the 1-2-3 position in the 400 IM, in which senior Darren Ankosko finished in 3:59.47. Teammates junior Tim Hayes and freshman Nick Montes de Oca followed consecutively behind.
Although the Cavaliers' triumphed this weekend, Bernardino reminded that it is still early in the season, and said the team will continue to train with intensity regardless of how well it starts.
"There's not a single event that we can't stand to get better in," Bernardino said. "You never, ever reach the ultimate in any sport, there's no such thing."
The men's and women's teams will endeavor to put that strategy of continual improvement to use in their meet against Kentucky tomorrow.
"They're a formidable foe," Bernardino said. "We have to be prepared to face an outstanding team ... We certainly can continue to get stronger in the weight room. We can continue to do a better job with our kicking skills, we can continue to do a lot of the technical things."
Senior John Azar is among the Virginia swimmers working to further develop these aspects of the sport. His efforts paid off two weeks ago at Virginia Tech, when he broke the men's 200 breaststroke pool record with a time of 2:01:83.
"I'm setting records and I want to get better," Azar said. "I want to get better at every meet we go to so that really sets a standard for me."
Azar and the rest of the Cavaliers will seek to employ their win at Virginia Tech as a springboard to constant growth and success throughout the rest of the season.
"Just make sure you're giving it your all," Azar said, "so that when that weekend comes and you're rested and hydrated, you know you can swim just a little bit faster than the meet before"
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