H2Okie men are set for 2017 ACC Championship

Tech nearly reached the team podium at the conference championship last season

February 26, 2017

BLACKSBURG - The Virginia Tech swimming and diving team’s men’s swimmers are set to compete this week in Atlanta for the 2017 ACC Swimming and Diving Championships. The H₂Okies received votes in the latest CSCAA coaches poll and finished fourth at the conference championship last season.

Action kicks off on Monday, Feb. 27, at 4 p.m. with the 200 medley relay. The evening sessions on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday will be streamed on WatchESPN via the ACC Digital Network.

Tech will enter the week in first place in the team standings after the men’s divers scored 194 points in the first week of the ACC Championship from Feb. 13-16. Sophomore Ben Schiesl was a finalist on one meter and juniors Thomas Shinholser and Mauro Castro-Silva were finalists on platform. Those performers, along with sophomore Eduardo Castro-Silva and junior Jack Gigliotti, also finished with key high B Final results that added up to the Virginia Tech men being the highest scoring diving program for the seventh year in a row.

Two of the top performers for the H₂Okies heading into the weekend are seniors Brandon Fiala and Robert Owen. Fiala was the ACC Championship’s Most Valuable Swimmer last season after setting two meet records and winning gold in the 200 breast and 200 IM to go along with a silver medal in the 100 breast. Owen, a member of the USA Swimming National Team, won gold at last year’s conference championship in the 400 IM and also reached the A final of the 200 back.

Key returners include sophomores Norbert Szabo and Michael Craddock along with senior Zach Switzer, who provided big points in the A final of last year’s 400 IM. Freshman Hassler Carroll and sophomore Jake Lamparella will both be competing in their first ACC Championships while junior Ian Ho looks to make a jump in the freestyle events.

Live results and psych sheets can be found on the ACC Tournament central page found under Extras. Follow @VT_SwimDive on Twitter for live updates all week long.

For updates on Virginia Tech swimming & diving, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @VT_SwimDive