July 26, 2004

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The women's swimming and diving team provided the next "Top Terp Moment" of 2004, swimming away with the ACC regular season crown for the first time in school history. The No. 19 Terps downed No. 18 Virginia on Feb. 7, 2004, 137-106, as Cynthia Weir had two individual victories and Megan Knepper set a new school record in the 200-yard backstroke. With the win, Maryland finished with a perfect 11-0 overall record and 6-0 in the ACC.

Below is a complete recap of the historic meet, and be sure to check out the complete results.

Feb. 7, 2004
No. 19 Maryland 137, No. 18 Virginia 106
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- The University of Maryland women's swimming and diving team is riding a strong wave into the ACC Championship meet after winning nine events to defeat the No. 18 Virginia Cavaliers (6-4, 4-2 ACC), 137-106. The No. 19 Maryland women (11-0, 6-0 ACC) finish the season undefeated for the first time under head coach Jim Wenhold. The win also locks up the women's ACC regular season championship. The Maryland men's team won two events, yet took the overall loss to the No. 9 Cavaliers (10-1, 6-0 ACC), 177-61.

Junior sprinter Cynthia Weir (Irwin, Pa.) led the Terps with top finishes in the 50-yard (23.27) and 100-yard freestyle events. Weir's 51.10 in the 100 free stands as her fastest time of the season, besting her 51.32 mark against North Carolina. Completing the sweep for the Terrapins, Junior Marina Mulyayeva (Almaty, Kazakhstan) and freshman Martha Whistler (Orchard Park, N.Y.) placed second and third respectively in the 100-yard sprint. Maryland also completed a sweep in the 50-yard free, with Whistler placing second at 23.49 and senior Jenny Brian (Cockeysville, Md.) taking third at 23.90.

The women made a strong showing in the relay events. The 400-yard medley relay team of Megan Knepper (Williamsport, Md.), Krisztina Kovacs (Budapest, Hungary), Gigi deToll (Culpeper, Va.) and Weir placed first with a season-best time of 3:41.63. The Terrapin women ended the meet by dominating the 400-yard freestyle relay, with the team of Knepper, Mulyayeva, Whistler and Chrissy Miller (South Seaside Park, N.J.) taking the event at 3:25.78.

Junior Elizabeth Lavell (Annapolis, Md.) took an individual victory in the 200-yard free (1:49.48). Mulyayeva won the 200-yard individual medley with a team-best 2:03.31 and Knepper broke a Maryland school record after taking the 200-yard backstroke in 1:58.02.

The women's divers swept their events, with junior Rebecca Rudolph taking the 1-meter and sophomore Stephanie Pyle capturing the 3-meter.