Tuesday, the No. 25 Virginia men’s swimming team will kick off the postseason with the ACC Championship meet in Atlanta. The Cavaliers, who stand at 2-6 in dual action, have arguably not lived up to their preseason No. 14 ranking. However, it can all be forgotten if they make a splash in championship meets.
This year, expectations for the men’s program flourished with the addition of two of the top recruits in the high school class of 2025. Thomas Heilman, a 2024 Olympian, and Maximus Williamson — the consensus top two recruits in the nation — headlined the class of 10 newcomers to the Virginia men’s program — one that in recent years, has not enjoyed the same levels of historic success seen by the women’s team. Now, with a newly reloaded roster, the journey to those levels of national success has been laid forth.
Last year, the Cavalier men finished eighth in the ACC Championship meet behind usual conference heavyweights NC State and North Carolina, plus newcomers Cal and Stanford as the champions and vice champions. Other successful teams last season included Louisville and Commonwealth Clash rival Virginia Tech. This year, every team which beat out Virginia last season, is currently ranked above them in the year’s final CSCAA Top 25 Dual Meet poll…