Courtesy: University of Mayland
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The ninth-ranked Virginia men's swimming and diving team turned in four record-setting performances in taking an early lead in the 2000 Men's ACC Swimming and Diving Championship Thursday night at Maurice J. Koury Natatorium on the campus of the University of North Carolina. The Cavaliers set new school, conference and ACC Meet records in winning the 400 medley relay, while fourth-year Austin Ramirez (Brookfield, Wisc./Brookfield) set a new ACC Meet record in winning his fourth consecutive 500 freestyle title.

The Cavaliers scored 242 points to take an early lead in the 47th annual ACC Championships after the first day of competition. Host North Carolina is second with 201.50 points, while Florida State and N.C. State are third and fourth with 162 and 151 points, respectively. Maryland (118), Clemson (84.50), Georgia Tech (65) and Duke (46) round out the field.

The Virginia foursome of first-year Chris Mousetis (Newport News, Va./Woodside), second-year Ed Moses (Burke, Va./Burke), fourth-year Doak Finch (Southern Pines, N.C./O'Neal) and third-year Troy Johnson (St. George, Utah/Dixie) shattered the conference and ACC Meet records by 1.2 seconds in winning the 400 medley relay with a time of 3:11.60. The foursome also demolished the UVa school record of 3:14.42 by 2.82 seconds. In addition to leading off the 400 medley by swimming a 48.93 leg in the 100 backstroke, Mousetis also dethroned teammate and two-time defending champion Finch in the 200 IM by a mere one one-hundredth of a second. Mousetis swam a personal-best and school record time of 1:47.68 to edge Finch. Finch, who finished in 1:47.69, had broken his own school record with a time of 1:47.90 in the prelims earlier in the day. Moses placed fourth in the same event with a personal-best time of 1:48.23.

Ramirez broke the former ACC Meet record of 4:19.53 by turning in an NCAA automatic qualifying time of 4:18.61 in the 500 free. In winning the event, he became just the 13th swimmer to win four ACC titles in the same event. Ramirez led four top-five UVa finishers in the 500. Third-year Jamie Grimes (Olney, Md./Sherwood) placed third with a time of 4:24.84, while third-year Michael Fuller (Richmond, Va./Mills Godwin) was fourth (4:25.46) and first-year Mike Wheeler (Lisbon, Md./McDonogh) came in fifth (4:25.95). The latter three swimmers met the NCAA "B" qualifying standard.

Virginia set its fourth record on the night in the 200 freestyle as it finished sixth with a school record time of 1:21.52. The relay was composed of Johnson, second-year Matt Lee (Munster, Ind./Munster), fourth-year Jimmy Blitzer (Springfield, Va./Bishop Ireton) and fourth-year Jared Felker (Yarmouth, Maine/Mercersburg Academy).

In the 50 free, Johnson placed eighth with a time of 20.80, while second-year diver Joe Piorkowski (Easton, Pa./Easton Area) was seventh in the one-meter diving with a score of 413.80 points.