By Andy Ross
Every team has one. Every school has that one other school that they refuse to cheer for. The one school that they cannot stand to watch win. The one school that they bust their butt every single day to beat. The one school that is circled on the schedule from the first day of practice. The one school where everyone brings their A-game. The one school where season records are thrown out the door, reputations are on the line, and bragging rights are at stake.
6. North Carolina-Virginia
Since 1998, only two schools other than North Carolina and Virginia have won an ACC championship in women's swimming (Maryland and Florida State, winning back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2006, respectively). On the men's side, only two schools other than UNC and UVA have won an ACC championship since 1987 (NC State in 1992 and Virginia Tech in 2014; Florida State's win in 2007 was vacated by the NCAA).
Virginia has the most ACC individual champions with 241 on the women's side with UNC in second with 174. On the men's side, UNC leads Virginia 203-196 while Florida State is way back in third with 98. Since 2008 however, Virginia has lost only one ACC team title and that was Virginia Tech on the men's side this past year. At ACCs, it is usually a dominating performance turned in by Virginia on both sides.
One highlight from the past few years was Peter Geissinger of UVA upsetting ACC record-holder Tommy Wyher of UNC in the 100 fly in 2011, beating him by .01 seconds after being tied at the 50 mark.
The Tar Heel men finally got by the Cavaliers at ACC's in 2014 but got beat by Virginia Tech and NC State in the process.
One of the closer dual meets came between these two teams in Chapel Hill in 2014. The Tar Heel women had come out swinging, winning four of the first seven events and led 74-58 at the first break. Diving kept the Cavaliers in the meet with Rebecca Corbett and Katherine Warburg claiming first and second on both boards. With two events left, UNC led 132-131. The 200 IM was a huge event for the Cavaliers with Ellen Williamson, Kaitlyn Jones, and Shaun Casey going 1-2-4 to take a 10-point lead, and a virtual win for UVA. UNC ended up winning the 400 free relay but it did not matter as Virginia pulled off the impressive comeback and escaped Chapel Hill with a 152-146 win.
On the men's side however, it was Virginia that started off strong. North Carolina earned one-two finishes in the 200 fly and 50 free to rally past Virginia to lead 70-61 at the first break. The Heels had built on their lead but the Cavaliers garnered one-two finishes in the 200 back and 200 breast and a 1-2-3 finish in the 500 to make the score 120-105 in favor of the Cavs. North Carolina took the first three spots in the 100 fly and won the three-meter to make the score 133-131 UVA with two events left. With a rocking Koury Natatorium, Alex Gianino of UNC split a back half two seconds faster than anyone else in the field and out-touched Luke Papendick at the wall for a win by 0.15 seconds in the IM. After Virginia finished second, third, and fourth, the score was 142-141 in favor of the Cavs.
In the 400 free relay, it was winner take all. It was dead even between the two teams after three legs, but it Logan Heck of North Carolina buried Parker Camp of Virginia on the final leg to clinch the win for the Tar Heels, 154-146.
For the past 20 years, these two teams have been the cream of the crop in the Atlantic Coast Conference and, historically, the other teams in the ACC have had more han their share of problems trying to keep up with them. When these two teams face each other in the pool, the winner is almost always in the driver's to capture an ACC title.
