North Carolina
As the sun sets on Koury Natatorium and Day 2 of competition at the 2013 Janis Hape Dowd Nike Cup, the UNC Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving Teams have a lot to celebrate. Highlighted by record-setting performances from the women’s and men’s 200-yard medley relay teams as well as Sam Lewis in the men’s 100-yard butterfly, the finals in today’s events left both the crowd and the competitors eager for a promising Day 3.
UNC has immensely strengthened its grip on both the women’s and men’s side of the competition. The Tar Heel women hold a commanding lead over the rest with 1099 points, followed by Duke with 466, ECU with 434, NC State with 431, Old Dominion with 165, Navy with 159, and Georgia Southern with 23. Carolina’s boys in blue head into the final day of the Nike Cup with an impressive tally of 992 points, followed by NC State with 530.5, Navy with 388.5, Duke with 339, ECU with 328, and Old Dominion with 181.
“There were a lot of strong performances for us today,” UNC Head Coach Rich DeSelm said. “It was a great day for us. We really started off with some nice medley relays.”
It didn’t take long for the Tar Heels to make some magic on the water, as the women’s 200-yard medley relay ‘A’ team took gold and a record along with it. The team of seniors Carly Smith and Katie Rechsteiner and sophomores Hannah Lincoln and Lauren Earp clocked in a Nike Cup record in the event with a winning time of 1:39.93. The ‘B’ and ‘C’ teams also gave it there all, taking fifth and sixth, respectively, and earning their team big points.
Not to be outdone, the men’s 200-yard medley relay ‘A’ team made up of sophomores Nic Graesser, Kurt Wolhrab, Sam Lewis, and Logan Heck set their own Nike Cup record with a first-place time of 1:26.66 in the event. There was no shortage of Carolina representation in the relay, as the UNC ‘B’ and ‘C’ teams finished third and fifth, respectively.
“I think Nic Graesser is doing a great job,” DeSelm said. “He leads off our ‘A’ medley relay in the backstroke and is swimming near lifetime best times.”
Three Tar Heels placed in the top 8 of the men’s 1-meter diving final. Finishing second to Duke University’s Nick McCrory (446.50) was freshman Jack Nyquist (394.45), who broke the same record that he set earlier today in the preliminaries. Nyquist’s huge day was complemented by fellow Carolina divers sophomore Ozzie Moyer (338.30) and junior Ryan Fox (301.80), whose performances earned them fourth and sixth-place scores, respectively.
Moving to the women’s 400-yard individual medley, odds were in UNC’s favor to take first place. With only one swimmer not competing for the Tar Heels in the final event, the swimmers rocked the medley by taking the first through seventh spots in the event. Sophomore Emma Nunn was the front-runner by a small margin, with a near-record time of 4:11.60.
Carolina had no plans of slowing down as it entered the men’s 400-yard individual medley. Freshman Eugene Tee made a name for himself with a first-place time of 3:49.97 in the event. The other Tar Heels in the pool followed Tee’s strong push, placing in second, third, fifth, sixth, and eighth.
“Eugene swam at his lifetime best time today,” DeSelm said. “And he kept his composure coming from behind at 200 yards. He’s very, very good in the second half of the 400 IM.”
Looking to retain her top spot in the event that she solidified in preliminaries, freshman Sarah Koucheki left her mark on her first Nike Cup with a first-place finish (53.94) in the women’s 100-yard butterfly. It was UNC’s show, as the Tar Heels placed first, second, fourth, and fifth in the event.
Just when you thought you hadn’t seen a record toppled in a little while (after all, it had been over an hour), Carolina sophomore Sam Lewis earned his spot in Nike Cup history with a record-setting first-place finishing time of 47.20 in the men’s 100-yard butterfly. Third, fourth, and seventh-place finishes by Lewis’s teammates combined with his own elite performance made it a happy event one for everyone in the Tar Heel family.
Carolina sent a fleet of swimmers into the top spots in the women’s 200-yard freestyle. Leading a quad of UNC competitors, Lauren Earp (1:46.40) and her teammates claimed the top 4 spots in the event, pushing the team’s score to new heights in a single event.
“Lauren Earp took it wire to wire,” DeSelm said. “She’s a phenomenal athlete, and it was great to see her go 1:46.”
In a nail-biter event with fewer Tar Heels than usual, the dynamic duo of seniors J.T. Stilley (1:37.35) and Brad Dillon (1:37.89) gave the competition fits with first and fourth-place finishes, respectively, in the men’s 200-yard freestyle.
“The men’s 200-free was really good,” DeSelm said. “We were up against an outstanding swimmer from NC State, and J.T. Stilley got his hand on the wall. It was a really great last lap.”
Heading back to the other end of Koury Natatorium, the women’s 3-meter diving competition saw a Tar Heel rise to the top. Sophomore Erin Purdy dove like she’d been there before, scoring a whopping 315.30 in the event. Fellow Carolina divers Emily Schmidt and Kelly Corish also competed in the championship. The junior pair placed fourth (274.75) and fifth (271.55), respectively.
Duke University claimed first in the women’s 100-yard breaststroke competition, as Christine Wixted took top honors with a Nike Cup record-breaking time of 1:00.27. A healthy dose of Tar Heels swam hard in the event, as Katie Rechsteiner took third with a time of 1:01.83. Sophomore Rachel Canty (1:03.25), freshman Emily Pfeiffer (1:03.57) and senior Danielle Jansen (1:03.63) claimed fifth, seventh, and eighth, respectively.
It was a battle to the end for NC State’s Ian Bishop and Duke’s Hunter Knight who ultimately tied for first (54.19) in the men’s 100-yard breaststroke. Following less than a second behind was Carolina junior David Speese (55.01). Also in the water were UNC sophomores Kurt Wolhrab (55.20) and Dominick Glavich (56.02), who claimed fifth and eighth, respectively.
I hope you didn’t blink. The women’s 100-yard backstroke was a hard-fought sprint that UNC’s Carly Smith claimed with a time of 53.89. Earlier in the day, Smith broke her own Nike Cup record in the event with a time of 53.65 in the preliminaries. It was a Tar Heel top-heavy outcome, as Carolina swimmers took first, second, fourth, and fifth.
NC State’s Andreas Schiellerup swam into first in the men’s 100-yard backstroke, setting a new Nike Cup record with a time of 46.61. UNC’s Nic Graesser took second in the event with a time of 47.02, followed by a wave of Carolina blue that rounded out the top 6 spots.
“I’m really pleased with our depth,” DeSelm said. “We gave the team a little bit of daylight to try to swim well here, and so far I think we’ve had four really good sessions.”
Excitement filled the building as the day’s final event on the women’s side played out. And of course, it wouldn’t be right if we didn’t see another Nike Cup record fall today. UNC’s ‘A’ team in the women’s 800-yard freestyle relay, comprised of sophomores Ally Hardesty and Lauren Earp, junior Danielle Siverling, and senior Stephanie Peacock, took down the former record of 7:17.21 that Peacock helped set back in 2010. The ‘A’ team flew into first with a time of 7:14.35. And it seems that Tar Heels don’t like to travel alone. Carolina’s ‘B’ team claimed second in the event with a time of 7:21.64.
The men’s unit in the 800-yard freestyle relay brought home the gold for the Tar Heels. In an exciting close to the night, UNC’s ‘A’ relay team solidified a first-place finish with a time of 6:33.80. North Carolina’s ‘B’ and ‘C’ teams took third (6:37.43) and seventh (6:46.87), respectively, in the event.
Be sure to join us tomorrow in the final day of the 2013 Janis Hape Dowd Nike Cup, as the UNC Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving Teams aim to wrap up a strong showing in the annual competition. Preliminaries start at 10 a.m. and finals at 6 p.m. at the Koury Natatorium.
“It’s time for us to come back, go faster, and move up! That’s the name of the game.”
Duke
Duke swimmers achieved three NCAA provisional qualifying standards and senior diver Nick McCrory won his second event in as many days as the second session of the 2013 Janis Hape Dowd Nike Cup came to a close Friday at North Carolina’s Koury Natatorium.
The Blue Devil women remain in second place in the seven-team field with a total of 466 points and the men’s team moved up a spot to fourth out of six squads with 339 points through two days of action. The Tar Heels lead the women’s and men’s competitions with one finals session remaining in the meet.
McCrory earned a season-best score en route to a first-place performance in the men’s 1-meter diving event during the afternoon. The Chapel Hill native totaled 446.50 points over his list of six dives to surpass the NCAA Zone Diving Championships qualifying mark while sophomore Deon Reid also notched a Zones qualifying score of 341.45 to come in third. Freshman Kirby Quinn was impressive in the women’s 3-meter competition, placing second and topping the Zones standard at 285.65.
The evening began with the 200 medley relay, which saw junior Megan McCarroll, senior Christine Wixted, freshman Maddie Rusch and senior Lauren Weaver take second with a time of 1:40.74. The men’s team of freshman Kaz Takabayashi, senior Hunter Knight, freshman Bradley Cline and freshman James Peek came in fourth at 1:30.45.
A pair of Blue Devils advanced to the ‘A’ final in the 400 IM with solid swims during the preliminaries. Freshman Michael Miller touched at 3:57.91 to place seventh Friday evening and sophomore Kiera Molloy was eighth on the women’s side in 4:21.56. In the next event, the 100 butterfly, Rusch posted an NCAA ‘B’ cut at 54.43 to come in third overall. Another rookie turned in a strong performance in the 200 freestyle as Brittany Friese clocked a time of 1:50.62 to finish fifth.
Wixted and Knight led the way for Duke in the 100 breaststroke, collecting a pair of NCAA ‘B’ cuts along the way. Wixted won the women’s ‘A’ final at 1:00.27 while Knight tied for first with NC State’s Ian Bishop after both tapped the wall at 54.19. Freshman Dylan Payne also earned a spot in the men’s 100 breaststroke ‘A’ final, placing sixth overall (55.26). McCarroll rounded out the individual events with an eighth-place showing in the 100 backstroke at 55.71.
In the final event of the evening, the women’s 800 freestyle relay team of Rusch, Molloy, freshman Lindsay Schlichte and Friese took fourth in 7:32.26 and the men’s squad of Miller, Peek, Takabayashi and Cline combined for a time of 6:50.38 to finish 10th.
Saturday’s events at the Nike Cup include the 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, 200 butterfly and 1,650 freestyle as well as the 400 freestyle relay and the men’s and women’s platform diving competitions. Preliminaries begin at 10 a.m. and finals are slated for 7 p.m. in Chapel Hill, while the diving will take place at Duke’s Taishoff Aquatic Pavilion beginning at 11 a.m.
N.C. State
Freshman Andreas Schiellerup of the NC State swimming & diving team established a new school record in the men’s 100 backstroke on Friday, as the Wolfpack concluded the second day of competition at the 2013 Jade Hape Dowd Nike Cup Invitational.
After two days of competition, the Wolfpack men’s squad sits in second position with 530.0 points, while the women’s team is in fourth place with a total score of 431.0. North Carolina leads in both competitions.
“Overall, we were good,” said associate head coach Todd Desorbo. “We came out and fought hard and overall did better than this morning. We were swimming a little more tired than other teams in the meet, but our kids are really stepping up. We’re swimming strong and fighting hard.”
A native of Birkerod, Denmark, Schiellerup captured the men’s 100 backstroke with a blazing quick time of 46.67. His time in the event is more than a second faster than the former school record of 47.75 set just last season by Michael Camper. In addition, Schiellerup broke the Nike Cup record of 46.72.
“Andreas setting the school record in the 100 backstroke with a good swim,” Desorbo said. “That time last year would have made NCAA’s, so we’re hoping it makes it this year as well.”
Schiellerup was also part of the men’s 200 medley relay that finished second along with Ian Bishop, Barrett Miesfeld and Jonathan Boffa with a time of 1:27.05. The time in the event meets the required time standard for an NCAA ‘B’ cut.
Miesfeld posted a second-place finish in the 100 butterfly for the Wolfpack with a time of 47.87. His time meets the required time standard required for a ‘B’ cut and is the squad’s top time for the season.
“Barrett Miesfield had a great swim in the 100 butterfly,” Desorbo said. “He was faster than he was at this meet last year.”
Meanwhile, Boffa finished third overall in the men’s 200 freestyle, tapping the wall in 1:37.84, while Bishop tied for first with Duke’s Hunter Knight in the men’s 100 breaststroke with a time of 54.19.
The women’s 200 medley relay quartet of Zina Grogg, Lauren Poli, Ashlyn Koletic and Riki Bonnema finished third overall with a time of 1:41.21.
Poli and Kayla Brumbaum posted a one-two finish in the ‘B’ final of the women’s 100 breaststroke. Poli finished first in the heat and ninth overall with a season-best time of 1:03.45, while Brumbaum finished second in the heat and 10th overall with a time of 1:03.56.
“Kayla Brumbaum and Lauren Poli swam neck and neck in the 100 breaststroke,” Desorbo said. “They both set season best swims with their times.”
The 800 free relay team consisting of Addisynn Bursch, Kristin Connors, Rachel Muller and Hannah Freyman concluded the evening with a third place finish in 7:24.54.
In diving, freshman Grant Saale finished in fifth in the ‘A’ final in the men’s one-meter competition with a total score of 327.15, while Madeline Keeley posted a sixth place finish in the women’s three-meter competition with a final score of 262.80.
“The divers have done a fantastic job this weekend,” said head diving coach Josh Karshen. “We’ve had people in the finals each night and they are really stepping up to the competition. We’ve had four personal best scores in two day. We’re looking to keep the momentum going tomorrow for platform. I’m very happy with how the divers are competing.”
East Carolina
Both the East Carolina men and women's swimming and diving teams stand in fourth-place after day one of competition at the 2013 Nike Cup with 184 and 152 points, respectively. The event is being held at Koury Natatorium on the campus of the University of North Carolina.
North Carolina has a substantial lead in both the men's and women's competition. UNC holds a 283-point lead over second-place Duke on the women's side and a 179-point advantage over N.C. State.
ECU's Megan Rossi and Anna Gibas both set varsity records, while Rokas Cepulis earned an NCAA `B' cut.
Rossi established a new school record in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:51.05, finishing seventh in the event.
As the leadoff swimmer in the women's 400 medley relay Gibas posted a time of 55.16 in the 100 backstroke. She was joined by Charlsie Lincoln, Bailie Monahan and Anna Maria Svanbergsson to earn a fifth-place finish.
Gibas and Svanbergsson teamed with Anastasia Amoiroglou and Tori Angermeier to take fourth-place in the 200 free relay with a time of 1:33.48.
On the men's side, Cepulis recorded an NCAA `B' cut time of 1:48.26 to capture second-place in the 200-yard IM, 0.06 behind event-winner Dominick Glavich of North Carolina. Michael Dugan took third-place in the 500 free with a time of 4:26.00.
The 400 medley relay team of Cepulis, Attila Kiraly, Adam Dear and Nikola Simic came in third-place with 3:18.50, while the 200 free relay unit of Simic, Shawn Hunter, Bailey Maloney and Trevor Irish placed seventh with a time of 1:22.82. The meet resumes Friday morning with the preliminaries at 10 a.m. followed by the finals at 6 p.m.
