CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - The University of Virginia men's swimming and diving team increased its lead at the 2001 ACC Swimming and Diving Championships Friday (Feb. 23). The Cavaliers won four of seven events on the second night of the ACC Championships at the Aquatic and Fitness Center.

The Cavaliers won both relay events on the night and are now undefeated in relay events at the meet. UVa has 551.5 points and holds a 149.5-point lead over second place North Carolina (402). Georgia Tech (274.5) and Florida State (268.5) are in a dogfight for third place, while Clemson ( 237) and North Carolina State (233) are in fifth and sixth, respectively. Maryland ( 224.5), and Duke (102) represent the final two squads in the overall team standings.

Virginia captured the first event of the night, the 200-yard medley relay, by virtue of a pair of disqualifications. North Carolina and Florida State appeared to finish 1-2 in the race, but both teams were disqualified. Cavaliers Luke Wagner, Jonathan Baird, Brian Best and Jonathan Haag won the event in 1:29.64, giving Virginia its third relay victory of the meet. North Carolina State and Maryland rounded out the medalists with time of 1:30.63 and 1:30.65, respectively.

Clemson's Matt Wilson won the night's second event, the 400-yard individual medley, in a time of 3:51.68. It was Wilson's second ACC title this meet after he captured the 200 IM on Thursday evening. North Carolina State's Tim Haley finished second (3:52.25) and North Carolina's Stephen Mohr touched third (3:52.56).

In the third event of the night, the 100-yard butterfly, Florida State's Devin Crock out-swam his competitors by almost 0.6 second, winning an ACC title in 48.09. Virginia's Brian Best finished second (48.68), with Georgia Tech's David Laitala just behind him in third (48.85).

Virginia increased its lead in the team standings by finishing 1-2-3 in the night's fourth event, the 200 freestyle. Virginia's Luke Anderson won the event in a UVa pool record time of 1:36.54. Cavalier Ian Prichard, who won last night's 500 freestyle in ACC-record time, finished second just 17 hundredths of a second behind Anderson in 1:36.71, while Virginia's Troy Johnson placed third with a time of 1:37.75.

In the breaststroke, Friday's fifth event, UVa's Gary Marshall touched first in a time of 55.01. Marshall narrowly defeated Georgia Tech's Tomonori Tsuji by three hundredths of a second (55.04) in one of the closest finishes of the night. Florida State's Wickus Nienaber finished third.

In the final individual event of Friday night, the 100 backstroke, North Carolina State's Braden Holloway won in 48.45. It was Holloway's second consecutive ACC title in the 100 back. Virginia swimmers Luke Wagner and Chris Mousetis captured the second and third spots with times of 48.66 and 49.34, respectively.

Virginia won the seventh and final event of the night, the 800 free relay, in an ACC meet record time of 6:29.13. Cavaliers Luke Wagner, Luke Anderson, Troy Johnson and Ian Prichard also broke a UVa pool record. North Carolina finished second in the relay in 6:36.25 and Georgia Tech finished third in 6:38.98.