When the Virginia swimming and diving team heads north for a showdown against Penn State and Indiana this weekend, there will be no championships or major prizes on the line. The season is just underway, and the biggest meets remain well in the future. Nevertheless, a victory against the pair of Big Ten squads would be a welcome indicator of progress toward matching the program's recent history of dominance.
The two-day meet, set to take place Friday and Saturday at Penn State, pits the No. 18 Cavalier women (1-0) against the No. 14 Hoosiers (2-2) and the Nittany Lions (3-0), who also received votes in the most recent coaches' poll. The No. 21 Cavalier men (0-1), meanwhile, will square off against the same two teams, which are also slotted at No. 14 and just outside of the top 25, respectively.
In 2010, the men's and women's teams each won their fourth consecutive titles at the ACC Championship to continue a tradition of success fostered under coach Mark Bernardino, who is now in his 34th season leading the Cavaliers. During that time, the men have put forth a 230-98 record, while the women have posted an even more impressive mark of 268-88-1. Since 1999, the men have captured 12 out of a possible 13 conference championships, while the women have won eight during the last 14 years.
"My expectations never really vary," Bernardino said. "My expectations are to compete for the ACC Championship and compete to be one of the top teams in the country, so I'll never lower my expectations. This year it's going to take us a little longer to find ourselves because we're very young."
For the 2011 teams to approach similar excellence, several new faces must fill large roles almost immediately. Against Navy last month, some of those newcomers emerged as early candidates to fill the void left by a standout graduating class. Freshman Kelly Offutt made her mark with a first-place finish in the 400 freestyle and a third-place performance in the 800 freestyle.
In addition, freshmen Alison Haulsee, Sarah White and Shaun Casey powered to a 1-2-3 sweep in the 200 butterfly race and gave teammates reason to believe in the team's prospects for the season.\n"We're not replacing anyone because we're just a different team," junior Christine Olson said. "Hopefully, [the freshmen] hold their own and do awesome."
The men especially have their share of rebuilding to do following the graduation of Scot Robison and Matt McLean. McLean became a national champion in the 500 freestyle last spring, and Robison went on to capture three medals at the Pan-American Games this fall while competing for the U.S. national team.
Like their female counterparts, the Cavalier men also expect the freshmen members of the team to contribute immediately. Freshman J.B. Kolod lived up to his standing as a high school All-American during the meet against Navy, winning the 1-meter diving competition handily. His score of 345.75 outpaced the next closest diver by 31 points in the Virginia men's loss.
"I know the team was a little bit disappointed we didn't come off with a win, but I think it's just firing us up even more for the upcoming meets," junior Tom Barrett said. "Especially this weekend is a big one, and we want to get a win under our belt."
As for the veterans, the women will lean on seniors Kelly Flynn, Jenny Lewis, Meredith Perdue and Erika Stewart for guidance. Seniors Peter Geissinger, Briggy Imbriglia, David Karasek and David Wren, meanwhile, share leadership responsibilities on the men's side. A strong junior class which includes Olson has also been instrumental in easing the transition for the new swimmers.
"We just try to be there for them no matter what they need," Olson said. "We're all a family."
This weekend will offer a glimpse of where the Cavaliers stand currently and how far they'll need to climb as the season rolls along.
"In all candor, we're a little bit behind where I hoped we would be," Bernardino said. "From a performance perspective [and] from a speed perspective we're not there yet. Sometimes with a large group of new athletes it takes a little more time to find a way to make them fast at the next level"
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