Hokie ClubGREENSBORO, N.C. – The Virginia Tech swimming and diving program closed the 2013 ACC Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships with the highest program finish at the Greensboro Aquatic Center. Every H2Okie female collectively earned a point for Tech as it tallied 536 to finish in second place. Sophomore Kaylea Arnett was named the ACC Female Diver MVP for the second-straight year.
The University of Virginia was named the 2013 Champions for the sixth year straight, with a score of 832. North Carolina took third, Florida State took fourth and NC State took fifth, who all defeated Tech in the dual meet season this year.
Weronika Paluszek was the only gold medalist tonight. The freshman won the 200 breaststroke and broke a four-year old school record with a time of 2:10.12. In addition to the freshman's 20 points, the Tech recorded 25 more as Alyssa Bodin placed fifth with a B cut time of 2:14.22 and Blaire Kinsey and Keri Sink scored in the consolation, placing 10th and 13th, respectively.
Throughout the whole championships, those four breaststrokers collected an overall 87 points for the H2Okies.
Heather Savage continued to dominate in her final conference championships. She broke her own record twice today in the 200 butterfly as she took the bronze medal with a time of 1:56.54.
Meaghan Holloway and Katie Rogers scored in the consolation heat of the 200 butterfly. Holloway took a B cut time of 1:59.46 to place 12th and Rogers came in at the 2:07.92 mark to place 16th.
The H2Okies racked in 14 points in the 1650 freestyle. Laura Simon placed ninth with a time of 16:35.59, while Becky Flora and Rachel Sepanski took 16th and 13th, respectively.
Katarina Filova was the lone Tech female to advance to the Championship Heat of the 100 freestyle. The junior took a time of 49.13, just .03 seconds shy of third place, to tally 15 points for the H2Okies. Emily Ryczek followed in 10th place with a time of 50.02.
The women's platform event was a battle. The H2Okies advanced three to the finals and sophomore Kaylea Arnett was their top finisher. She tallied a score of 268.55 to place fifth. Kelli Stockton and Sara Mokhtari took sixth (257.85) and eighth (244.50), respectively. This was Mokhtari's first year in the finals and her score of 244.50 was a career high.
Senior Logan Kline just missed the finals by under four points, but still scored for Tech bringing in nine points with her 240.1 score to finish ninth. Overall the H2Okie female diver tallied 47 points today and 124 overall.
The 400 freestyle relay team of Filova, Ryczek, Margarett Parcell and Savage secured the second-place finish with a time of 3:18.74 to take fifth place to end the night.
In men's diving, Tech continued to dominate and closed the meet with 45 points to bring its overall total to 138 to start the men off next week. Logan Shinholser won the silver medal with a score of 464.35, while Ryan Hawkins took the bronze medal, hitting a 415.65 mark.
John Trope and Kyle Butts also scored for Tech, placing 10th and 12th, respectively.
The H2Okies will return to Greensboro, N.C., next week on Wednesday, Feb. 27 for the 2013 ACC Men's Swimming and Diving Championships starting at 6 p.m. Tech will look for its first conference title as it's coming off a program's best second-place finish a year ago.