The defending ACC-champion Virginia swimming and diving teams squared off against Navy Friday and came away with mixed results. The women's squad defeated the Midshipmen 159-124, while the men fell 159-139.
The meet marked the second go-around of the year for the Cavalier women (1-1), the season opener for the men's team (0-1) and coach Mark Bernardino's first appearance with the team after returning from the Pan American Games where he was an assistant coach for the U.S. National Team.
The women swept the top three spots in six events. Sophomore Rachel Naurath led the Cavaliers with two first-place finishes, spearheading a pair of Cavalier sweeps by touching the wall in 8:38.57 in the 800-freestyle and 2:02.41 in the 200-freestyle. Naurath's time of 1:01.87 in a 100-butterfly exhibition also allowed her to best the competition in that event.
Sophomore Charlotte Clarke, meanwhile, contributed two individual wins in the 100- and 200-backstroke in addition to swimming on the victorious 200-medley relay team. Three Cavalier men tallied two top-two finishes. Junior Matt Murray placed first in the 100-backstroke and runner-up in the 200-backstroke. He also helped the Cavaliers win the 400-freestyle relay. Sophomores Jan Daniec and Brad Phillips, meanwhile, combined to take the top two spots in the 400 and 800 freestyle events.
The young Cavaliers will look to rebound against Penn State and Indiana later this month.
-compiled by Ian Rappaport