By Chandler Brandes, ACC Beat Writer
Seven ACC teams are slated to compete this weekend. With just over one month from the start of the women’s ACC Championships, Virginia still leads the women’s team rankings at No. 1. The Louisville men are the highest-ranked ACC team, sitting at No. 5.
Top 5 Storylines:
1. ACC Takes on BIG 10
Georgia Tech hosts ACC rival Duke and BIG 10’s Michigan and Indiana in a quad-meet on January 16. On the men’s side, Indiana is ranked No. 9, with Michigan sitting at No. 23, Georgia Tech at No. 26, and Duke at No. 29. On the women’s side, Indiana is ranked No. 14, Michigan is at No. 21, Duke is No. 24, and Georgia Tech was not ranked in the most recent poll. Expect to see some fast swims from these well-ranked teams.
2. Virginia vs. Virginia Tech
Two ACC powerhouse schools from Virginia will meet for the first time this season in a two-day tri-meet with Towson. The Cavalier women finished first at last year’s ACC Championships as the men finished 8th, and the Hokie men and women both finished third. Yannick Kaeser, who was absent from Virginia’s meet against Notre Dame last weekend, leads the Cavalier men with their only NCAA A cut so far, and three Virginia women have achieved their A cuts.
3. Boston College Returns to Competition
As one of the only ACC teams who didn’t compete last weekend, the Eagles will finally begin their 2016 campaign. On January 14, the men host Tufts. The following day, both the men and women travel to New York to race Marist. Maureen Barron has been a key component for Boston College in both individual and relay events, and Dan Kelly has already swum to an NCAA B standard in the 50 freestyle.
4. Miami Back at Home Pool
Miami, for the second time since last season, will race in their newly renovated pool as they take on Florida Gulf Coast on January 15. The next day, they’ll travel an hour north to race Florida Atlantic. Last weekend, the Hurricanes collected two more wins as they topped both Kansas and Rutgers, and sophomore Julie Suarez and junior Angela Algee will look to continue their dual meet success.
5. Pitt Men Look for Redemption
The Pitt women defeated West Virginia last weekend, but the Panther men won only four events. Pitt diver Dominic Giordano has been dominating on both the 1m and 3m boards, and will look to continue his success. The Panthers take on Denison this weekend as they hope to bounce back from last week’s tough loss.