Time is running out on Jack Wright’s tenure with the University of Virginia men’s swimming team.
For Zoe Skirboll, the fun has only just begun in her time as a member of the Cavaliers women’s squad.
Wright, a senior at Virginia and a 2019 North Allegheny High School graduate, and Skirboll, a Cavaliers freshman and 2022 Fox Chapel alumna, each will be vying to leave an indelible mark on their program at the ACC men’s and women’s swimming championships beginning Tuesday in Greensboro, N.C.
“What [Virginia men’s and women’s swimming head coach Todd DeSorbo] likes to say is, ‘We don’t rebuild at Virginia, we reload,’ and Zoe is a big part of that,” said Cavaliers associate head coach Tyler Fenwick. “She’s an extremely versatile swimmer. She’s an extremely tough competitor. She’s really come into Virginia, and really for lack of a better term, she’s been a fish in water.
“Jack, this is his fourth year at UVA, and he’s part of what really was our first full recruiting class,” Fenwick added. “So we had a full recruiting cycle to recruit Jack’s class and Jack’s been a lynchpin of his class at Virginia. You could say that his class — and he’s helped, and is helping — has helped bring Virginia back.”
Skirboll will swim the 200-yard individual medley and the 200 and 100 breaststroke events for the No. 1-ranked Virginia women’s team at the ACC championships.
“I’d say the jump just from high school to the University of Virginia is a pretty big one,” Skirboll said. “Coming here I had to prepare myself that I’d be swimming with the fastest girls in the country, and the world, and that was a big leap. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
“There’s nothing like it honestly. It was very intimidating coming here, but after my first semester [I saw] this is like family and I feel like I’m at home.”
In her short time at Virginia, Skirboll already has found some success. She was a part of the winning 200 medley relay against Florida and placed fifth in the 200 individual medley against Texas.
“It also seems from the first week like a seamless adjustment to UVA for her,” Fenwick said. “She’s loved on our team, and she just seems to have fit in so well. She always has a smile on her face.”
Fenwick said he expects Skirboll to compete in the finals in the ACC and NCAA championship meets and finish the season as an All-American. He added that Skirboll’s ability to compete in a diverse set of events has been critical for her this season.
“It’s challenging as a coach to figure out what you want her to swim, and that fits the theme of our women’s team,” Fenwick said. “You look at the girls who have really risen to super stardom in our program … and they’re all extremely versatile, just like Zoe, and we love that.
“We love kids that kind of act like Swiss Army knifes and you can put them anywhere you want and Zoe’s that type of swimmer. I think that Zoe is someone that can help contribute and lead us to our third straight national championship. I think she’ll be a major player at ACCs.”
Virginia’s coaching staff is expecting the same of Wright. He swam the 100, 200 and 500 freestyle at championship events over the past four years in addition to the 800 freestyle relay.
“Me and my class, we’ve been through these four years together and it’s kind of special to see the fourth year finally at the point you get to now,” Wright said. “It’s pretty special to go through all this with them and then see it all come to an end for all of us this year. I’ve switched up some training things this year with some different groups. Everything is going really well. I’m looking forward to seeing how things end up this year.”
Wright placed sixth in the 100 freestyle against Texas and seventh in the 500 freestyle at the Tennessee Invitational earlier this season. He was an All-American in the 800 freestyle relay in 2022, and the 400 and 800 freestyle relay events in 2021.
“Jack also loves to race, particularly on relays,” said Fenwick of Wright, who holds the ninth-best time all time in the 200 freestyle and the seventh-best time in Virginia history in the 500 freestyle. “You put Jack on a relay, he will fly. A lot of people, they get under the lights in that situation and they may tense up.
“Jack performs at a very, very high level no matter what relay we put him on. He loves relays and he always has. He certainly is someone I expect to see on relays this February and March for us.”
Fenwick said Wright’s “unique range” makes him a contender to set some Virginia records and finish his career as a first-team All-American this season.
“The highest place Virginia has ever had at the NCAAs in the history of the program is eighth place,” Fenwick said. “So I would argue to say that Jack’s class has brought Virginia back and now we’re moving forward and shooting for national championships and building for national championships.”
The goal is the same for Skirboll.
“I really just want to do whatever I can to help the team and to lead us to our highest potential,” she said. “Whether that may be winning the national championship again I want to do everything in my power to help us get there.
“It’s crazy because obviously I watched college swimming growing up and always dreamed about being in the big spotlight of it. I think definitely being here now, it’s a dream coming to a reality.”
As Wright nears the end of his collegiate career, he said he now is focusing on cementing his legacy upon the program he has come to cherish.
“There’s a really strong alumni presence with everyone who’s graduated and they really support everyone on the team,” Wright said. “Really just the team itself is a really valuable thing to be a part of and to be able to call yourself a UVA swimmer is a really powerful thing in life. I’ll be able to take that everywhere I’ll go.”
That Wright and Skirboll will have the chance to represent the WPIAL on collegiate swimming’s grandest stage, is pretty powerful, too.
“I think there’s definitely a little connection there,” said Wright of the bond he and Skirboll share as Western Pennsylvania natives. “It’s special to see Western Pa. is such a hotbed of swimming. It’s special to see some of this talent going through UVA and the ACC in general. It’s special to continue that excellence.”
John is a copy editor and page designer at the Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at jsanta@unionprogress.com.