University of Virginia Library

Meet In Raleigh

Tankmen Depart For ACC'S

By Jim Wilson
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

Photo By Howard Weinberg

Cavalier Swimming Team Leaves This Morning For ACC Get together At N.C. State In Raleigh

Coach Ron Good Expects An Inspired Effort From His Boys With State And Maryland Favored

The focal point of all of the
efforts that the Virginia swimming
team has exerted since the middle
of October will be brought to a
head this weekend when the
Cavalier mermen compete in the
ACC Championships at Raleigh.
The efforts of the Virginia team to
break into the top echelon of the
four Carolina teams looks better
than ever, but this feat has never
been accomplished by any of the
second division teams in the meet's
history.

Based on past performances and
not seeding lists, N.C. State has to
be favored to win the ACC's with
Maryland, the defending champ, in
second, and the slumping Tar Heels
appear destined for third. The big
question this year is how well will
South Carolina do? For the meet in
general and especially for rising
Virginia this is the whole meet.

Last year with a different coach
South Carolina was down for the
meet but Virginia was still too weak
to challenge her. This year the
Gamecocks are as strong as before
and have a new coach. South
Carolina still is very strong in the
dive and the sprints with probably
about six finalists in these two
events alone. Virginia has the
advantage in backstrokers and its
team's balance.

Virginia has good balance, but
the ACC meet is a test of a team's
quality not diversity, however. A
good dual meet team can do very
poorly in championship meets and
poor dual meet can do well in
championship meets if it has some
top-notch swimmers.

South Carolina has many more
horses than the monetarily starved
Cavaliers. It's the top-rung
performers who win these meets
but a balanced team is a good thing
to have if you have swimmers who
can get you points not just a lot of
places. One seventh place is much
more valuable than all of the meet's
seventh places.

The strenuous workouts that
Coach Good has been handing out
all season could very well make up
any disadvantages that the Virginia
swimmers are working under such
as talent, facilities, and returning
hoards of championship-level
swimmers. If there is a break to be
bad, that swimmer who is in the
best shape will get it. The Cavaliers
however will need several breaks
in outside events and meet seedings
to crack the Carolinas swimming
domination.

Things have not been going too
well for the Virginia swimming
team during this last and most
crucial week. The pool was frigid
on Sunday and very hot Tuesday so
the workouts for that day had to be
canceled or the swimmers did not
perform as well as they normally
are able to do. Also illness has
struck down or weakened several
members of the team. With
everything to gain and not much to
lose the Cavalier swimmers could
very well surprise everyone in
Raleigh. A few breaks and superior
conditioning will be on the
well-balanced Virginia team's side,
but the breaks are out of anyone's
hands.