Strain differential within the pool: Virginia swimming stands at an inflection level – The Cavalier Daily

What occurs to a dynasty when it loses its monarchs?

Within the brick fortress that’s the Aquatic & Fitness Center, Coach Todd DeSorbo is grappling with that very query after each Gretchen and Alex Walsh, amongst others, graduated from the school roster this previous yr.

After these departures, the group will lean onerous into worldwide star energy, with senior Aimee Canny, a two-time South African Olympian, already on deck for her last yr. The freshman duo of Lana Pudar and Sara Curtis, of Bosnia & Herzegovina and Italy, respectively, have additionally arrived as additional Olympic-level additions.

Meanwhile, the lads are surging upward with the arrival of No. 1 and No. 2 freshmen Maximus Williamson and Thomas Heilman — two generational prospects anticipated to flip the lads’s program right into a dark-horse for nationwide championship competition.

“On the men’s side … the freshmen are arguably the best class in NCAA history,” DeSorbo stated in an interview with The Cavalier Daily. “And then on the women’s side, it’s a new identity, it’s different, because it’s the first time in six years we haven’t had a [Kate] Douglass or a Walsh.”

This creates a uncommon distinction throughout the identical program — the ladies making an attempt to uphold their hard-earned commonplace with a deeper and extra international roster whereas the lads attempt to leap up by the rankings on the backs of teenage phenoms. 

As a end result, DeSorbo could also be about to face essentially the most advanced balancing act of his profession — the protection of 1 dynasty whereas nurturing the rise of one other. 

The ladies — strain to defend

Even with out the Walsh sisters, the Cavalier ladies are something however depleted — in truth, a  group that when appeared to lean on a handful of stars now seems to be like a real top-to-bottom powerhouse, with skilled Olympians, NCAA Champions and worldwide podium regulars filling the lanes throughout each potential stroke and distance. 

This elevated roster depth is a promising room-read for the five-time NCAA champions, who’re undoubtedly eyeing up a history-making sixth. Only three different swimming and diving packages have ever achieved the coveted five-peat, and none have rings on a second hand. So this yr, extra is on the road than ever earlier than for essentially the most adorned group on Grounds.

“After five in a row, the seniors don’t want to be the class that loses it, and the freshmen don’t want to be the first class to not win it,” DeSorbo stated.

Part of continuous their report run might be filling gaps in relays — large footwear to fill, provided that Gretchen Walsh is extensively considered the quickest girl on the planet proper now and Alex Walsh ended her collegiate profession as essentially the most adorned ACC athlete of all time. 

Luckily, the Cavaliers haven’t any scarcity of selection in who to discipline on this sans-Walsh period. Junior and U.S. Olympian Claire Curzan appears poised to step into a number of key roles — her versatility throughout butterfly, again and free provides DeSorbo an abundance of flexibility. She is the lone returner from final yr’s 200 medley relay and, together with sophomore relay veteran Anna Moesch, one among solely two acquainted faces throughout the opposite relays, excluding solely the 800 free relay. 

“You want to be graduating people like [G. Walsh and A. Walsh], because it means you’ve been really successful,” DeSorbo stated. “When we graduated Kate [Douglass] a few years ago, people thought, ‘Oh, this is the end. You know, there’s a kink in the armor, right?’ And then we just continued [winning].”

Part of that profitable is returning nearly all of final yr’s NCAA roster.

One of these returners is senior captain Emma Weber, an Olympic gold medalist for Team USA, who has been at Virginia for three-straight nationwide championships. After years of profitable, Weber famous that the objective remains to be the identical.

“I think [newcomers] get this privilege of pressure,” Weber stated. “And I know [DeSorbo] talks about pressure as a privilege, and I think this season, if anything, there is a little bit more of that pressure from the swimming world and the NCAA to defend this title and make six.”

The males — strain to ascend

Virginia’s males haven’t shared the identical dynastic narrative as the ladies — by no means has a nationwide championship banner been hung for the Cavalier males, and their final convention championship title was in 2013, the sixth of a consecutive ACC run.

This previous spring, the Cavalier males completed eighth on the ACC Championships and thirty second at NCAAs, their lowest in a decade. They struggled to attain factors as a result of a slate of accidents and acquired a expensive relay disqualification. 

Now, with the arrivals of Williamson and Heilman, the Virginia males are out of the blue on the cusp of nationwide relevance as soon as extra.

Depth behind the massive names helps to solidify Virginia’s freshman class as the highest within the country. Thomas Mercer arrives with ACC-scoring vary throughout a number of occasions, the type of versatility coaches covet come February and March. Nathan Szobota and Blake Amlicke give Virginia choices on each freestyle and medley relays — Amlicke’s 50 again chops even make him a believable 200 medley leadoff. 

That is exactly why this recruiting class issues — it’s not simply expertise however timing. It has been an uphill climb in opposition to longtime ACC powerhouses NC State and Louisville, in addition to convention newcomers Stanford and California, however now Virginia appear like a real risk. 

“Last year at ACCs, it felt like I was at NCAAs… [and ACCs] is just going to prepare them.” DeSorbo stated. “They’re going to be able to walk into NCAAs and be like, ‘I’ve already raced the best.’ It’s not like they’re going to be deer caught in the headlights at NCAAs.” 

This is the place the expertise of senior Jack Aikins, senior Sebastien Sergile and the sophomore duo of David King and Spencer Nicholas are available in. The males’s facet are returning all 4 opponents from NCAAs this previous March, so the previous two could have excessive hopes for his or her last lap with the Cavaliers.

Aikins, particularly, is the backbone of this group — after back-to-back summers of heartbreak, he broke by on the U.S. trials to make the World Championships group. If he brings his summer time type and Heilman and Williamson ship A-finals of their predicted occasion lineup, the Cavaliers might contend for particular person, relay and group podiums within the spring. 

Still, the chance of banking an excessive amount of on prodigies is actual. The query will not be whether or not they have the expertise — that a lot is confirmed — however whether or not they can maintain the strain of being “program-flippers” of their first yr on Grounds. 

“There’s a lot behind the scenes that you have to take care of,” Nicholas stated. “You can work as hard as you can and not see the results you want to because you haven’t been doing every little detail right … that was something that I struggled with last year.” 

The women and men? 

The commonplace for each of those packages is dominance, however the routes there couldn’t look extra totally different. 

Virginia has not swept each the women and men’s ACC group titles since 2013 — although it has occurred a number of instances in program historical past. This units up actual stakes for the preservation of a dynasty and a breakthrough in a convention that simply obtained exponentially more durable. The ladies are nicely positioned to chase a historic title, whereas the lads out of the blue have the firepower to presumably clinch a primary. 

“There’s nothing that’s really out of our reach right now,” Aikins stated. “I think everyone coming in, we’re all on the same page right now with what we think is achievable. And we’re all excited about that possibility.”