The Virginia Tech men’s swim team came out strong against the Virginia Cavaliers Saturday, defeating the Virginia men 187-113 at the Christiansburg Aquatics Center, the seventh time in program history the Hokies have beaten UVA and the second win under Coach Sergio Lopezx Miro.
The women, however, fell short, putting up a strong fight until the finish. Mid-season additions Luana Alonso, Nico Garcia Saiz, and Mario Molla Yanes experienced their first dual meet as Hokies, earning strong finishes.
HEAD COACH SERGIO LOPEZ MIRO
“We did awesome. Our women’s team did an amazing job competing and had some very good swims. Our men’s team did amazing, as well, to beat UVA. It’s a very positive thing to beat them. Today was a very good opportunity to see where we are after winter training. Our times were pretty good, so if we can keep up this pace, I think we will swim very well at the ACC’s this year.”
HEAD DIVING COACH RIO RAMIREZ
“Today was a very exciting competition. Our men and women looked very strong. We showcased some new dives, for the first time, during the meet and I, as well as the divers, were very happy with them. We still have a little more work to do, but the atmosphere, support, and enthusiasm of the team is very good. I’m looking forward to more.”
Youssef Ramadan was no stranger to first place in this competition. He swam a time of 47.58 in the 100 backstroke to begin his showcase, earning him a first-place finish. His next event was the 100 free, where he earned first place with a time of 43.23. In the 100 fly, Ramadan won again, with a time of 46.84. He was followed by teammates Blake Manoff (48.19) and Henry Claesson (48.51) to complete the second 1-2-3 sweep of the meet for the Hokie men. To finish the meet, Ramadan was the lead-off to the winning 400 free relay with Antani Ivanov, Luis Dominguez, and Thomas Hallock, earning a time of 2:54.94.
Antani Ivanov controlled the distance events and was also a 3-peat winner. He earned his first win of the day in the 1000 free, finishing with a time of 9:19.40. His next event was the 200 fly, where he placed first, finishing with a time of 1:45.12. Ivanov got his hand on the wall first in the 500 free, earning his third individual win of the day in a time of 4:25.97. Luiz Dominguez finished second with a 4:30.68 while Filippo Dal Maso touched third in 4:30.71 to complete the first 1-2-3 sweep for the Hokie men on the day. To wrap up the day, Ivanov was the second leg of the winning 400-free relay with Ramadan, Dominguez, and Hallock.
Carles Coll Marti brought his speed to the aquatic center Saturday. He was the second leg of the winning 200-medley relay with Sam Tornqvist, Blake Manoff, and Thomas Hallock, finishing with a time of 1:26.65. In the 100 breaststroke, he placed second, only three tenths of a second behind first place with a time of 54.12. He earned a first-place finish in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 1:56.80. In his last event of the day, he finished with a win, swimming to a first-place finish in the 200 IM with a time of 1:47.72.
Emma Atkinson proved, once again, to be a strong competitor throughout the day. She started the meet off as the first leg of the 200-medley relay with Anna Landon, Karisa Franz, and Sarah Shackelford that placed third with a time of 1:42.42, swimming a 50 back split of 25.75. She then raced in the 100 backstroke, finishing second with a time of 54.31. In the 200 back, she placed second with a time of 1:55.98. Her last event was the 400-free relay with Shackelford, Landon, and Caroline Bentz. They placed second with a time of 3:22.36 with Atkinson swimming a 51.54 100 free split.
Reka Gyorgy kicked off her debut with a first-place finish in the 200 fly, finishing with a time of 2:01.07. She continued to dominate in the 500 free, earning second with a time of 4:54.79. Her last event was the 200 IM where she placed second, only two tenths of a second behind first with a time of 2:01.47.
Sarah Shackelford was a powerful force in the pool. She began the day as the anchor of the 200-medley relay with Atkinson, Landon, and Franz. She then went on to earn second in the 50 freestyle with a time of 22.99. Immediately following the break, she earned second in the 100 free with a time of 50.17. To close out the meet, she was the second leg of the second-place 400 free relay with Atkinson, Landon, and Bentz.
Teagan Moravek left nothing up to chance on the boards. She won first place in both the 1-meter and 3-meter competitions, finishing at least 20 points ahead of the second-place diver.. She finished the 3-meter portion with 335.78 points and the 1-meter competition with 323.35.
Daniel Valmasse’s performance on the boards was so strong that it qualified him for the NCAA Zone A Championship in March. In the 1-meter portion, he earned second place with a final score of 204.20 behind teammate Noah Zawadzki, who finished with 374.48 points. In the 3-meter section, Valmassei finished fifth with a final score of 282.90.
