The Virginia women's swim team won its third consecutive ACC Championship title this past weekend in Chapel Hill, N.C., marking the eighth time it has earned the crown.
"The ACC is stepping up in the world of swimming, and this is as good of a meet as we have had for a long time for the women," coach Mark Bernardino said. "We have been there three times - this is the fourth time we have tried to win three in a row, and we have succeeded."
The championship meet consisted of 18 events, 14 of which were captured by the Cavaliers for a total of 877.5 points. The team won all five relays, which are double-valued, and took first place in the 200-meter back and 100 free. In addition, Virginia tied for the 200 breast title and went 1-2 in the 200 fly during the last day of competition. The team then finished on a high note, winning the 400 freestyle relay.
This season marks the third year in a row the women have recorded a final score of more than 800 points in the championship. Virginia's most daunting conference rival and host North Carolina followed in second place with 642.5 points. Florida State finished third with 545 points.
A significant portion of Virginia's 877.5 points came from standout freshman Lauren Perdue, who became the fifth swimmer in Virginia history to touch first in all three of her individual events.\nPerdue came out on top in the 50, 100 and 200 freestyle, and won four relays, as well. For her performance, Perdue earned Most Valuable Swimmer honors.
"Lauren is amazing," senior Mei Christensen said. "She works so hard and swims as many races as she can and is still able to give her best effort. She anchored three relays, swam on four of them, and that is a huge testament to what a team player she is."
Christensen, who earned the same award as a junior last year, contributed significantly to the final result this weekend. Christensen defended her title in the 200 back event, where she set a pool record, clocking in with an NCAA 'A' time of 1:52.98. She also won the 100 back at the start of the meet for the second year in a row.
"These seniors have just been so loyal," Bernardino said. "They are rock solid every day in the pool, in the classroom, in their personal lives. They are incredibly talented - there are four All-Americans in that group. We are not finished yet. The exciting part is we have the opportunity to go to NCAAs and hopefully do a really good job there."
At the close of the regular season, the senior class - composed of Christensen, Jenna Harris, Colleen Law, Katherine McDonnell, Jen Narum and Leslie Swinley - is noted as the most successful in Virginia history, becoming the first class ever to three-peat as conference champions.
"To do something that has never been done before is truly amazing to be a part of," McDonnell said. "We have worked so hard, and to see that pay off - it's really only the beginning for what the program is capable of doing."
The Virginia women next head to the NCAA Championships March 18, while the men will begin their ACC Championship run tomorrow in Chapel Hill.
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