Courtesy: University of Virginia
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The ninth-ranked Virginia men's swimming and diving team won its second consecutive ACC Championship and fourth overall Saturday evening at Maurice J. Koury Natatorium on the campus of the University of North Carolina. The Cavaliers scored 801points to outdistance North Carolina (662.50) by 138.5 points for the title. Fourth-year Austin Ramirez (Brookfield, Wisc./Brookfield Central) was named the ACC Meet's Most Valuable Swimmer after winning three individual events and capturing one relay title.

After Virginia (801) and North Carolina (662.50), N.C. State was third with 507.5 points, followed by Florida State (488.5), Maryland (384.5), Georgia Tech (289), Clemson (274) and Duke 116). The Cavaliers won 11 of the 20 events during the three-day meet.

Ramirez capped off a terrific meet by winning the 1650 freestyle in an ACC Meet record time of 15:00.98. It marked the fourth consecutive year that Ramirez has won the 1650 free title at the ACC Championship and with it he became just the second swimmer to win four consecutive ACC titles in two different events. On Thursday he won his fourth consecutive 500 freestyle title. The only other ACC swimmer to accomplish the feat is UVa's Andy Wren, who won the 100 and 200 butterfly events from 1980 through 1983. Ramirez won his other individual title in the 200 free on Friday and also he swam a leg on UVa's winning 800 free relay team Friday.

Fourth-year Doak Finch (Southern Pines, N.C./O'Neal) captured his second individual ACC title of the meet by winning the 200 butterfly with an ACC Meet record time of 1:43.54. With his time, Finch automatically qualified for the NCAAs and fell just five hundredths of a second shy of breaking the Virginia school record. Finch won the 400 individual medley title on Friday and was also a part of two winning Cavalier relay teams at the ACC Championship.

First-year Chris Mousetis (Newport News, Va./Woodside) capped off an outstanding ACC Championship by winning the 200 backstroke title with a personal best time of 1:45.65. Mousetis also won the 200 IM on Thursday and finished second in the 100 back on Friday. He was also a member of two winning UVa relay teams.

In addition to Ramirez winning the 1650 free, UVa took the second and third spots in the event. Third-year Jamie Grimes (Olney, Md./Sherwood) finished second with an NCAA automatic qualifying time of 15:01.63, while first-year Dan DeMarco (Great Neck, N.Y./Great Neck South) was third (15:11.48). Virginia had a total of four swimmers in the finals of the 200 butterfly. First-year Evan Taylor (Issaquah, Wash./Issaquah) earned runnerup honors to Finch as he posted a time of 1:46.57, while third-year Michael Fuller (Richmond, Va./Mills Godwin) was fifth (1:48.33) and first-year Daniel Zurowski (Woodbridge, Va./Bishop Ireton) was seventh (1:48.66). The Cavaliers' also had two other finalists in the 200 backstroke. First-year Guy Yimsomruay (Bangkok, Thailand/Germantown) finished third (1:47.63) and classmate Mike Wheeler (Lisbon, Md./McDonogh) was sixth (1:49.13). In the 100 freestyle, third-year Troy Johnson (St. George, Utah/Dixie) placed third with a time of 44.87.

In the 200 breaststroke, first-year Jonathan Baird (Nashville, Tenn./Montgomery Bell Academy) finished third, while third-year Justin Capuco (Burtonsville, Md./Good Counsel) was fifth. Baird clocked a time of 2:00.68 and Capuco finished in 2:01.33. After being disqualified in the prelims, second-year Ed Moses (Burke, Va./Burke) swam a time trial and posted a school record time of 1:53.99. That time is the second fastest time ever in a short course yards pool.

Virginia's 400 free relay team of second-year Matt Lee (Munster, Ind./Munster), fourth-year Jared Felker (Yarmouth, Maine/Mercersburg Academy), Finch and Johnson finished sixth in a time of 2:59.19. It is the second-fastest 400 free relay in school history. In the three-meter diving competition, UVa first-year Matt LaConte (Chesire, Conn./Chesire) placed seventh with 429 points.