The University of North Carolina men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams handed Louisville its first loss of the season Saturday at Koury Natatorium. The Tar Heel men won 221-130, while the women beat the Cardinals 230-123.
“We carried our energy and momentum pretty well from last night to today,” said UNC head coach Rich DeSelm. “We told them that Louisville would rebound and come [back] strong and they did, but we responded well. I thought overall the energy that we had and the team unity and spirit [we’re great]. For 9 a.m. it’s as good as we’ve ever been. I’m really proud of them.”
In the second half of the two-day meet against Louisville, the UNC women won six of 10 events, including the 400-yard freestyle relay. On the men’s side, the Tar Heels won five of eight individual events, in addition to both relays.
Saturday’s competition was highlighted by several record-breaking performances for the Tar Heels, as four swimmers posted season-best times. For the women, Abby Fisher had a season-best time in the 200-yard breaststroke at 2:16.22. Nic Graesser posted a season-best in the 100 back with a time of 47.90. Kurt Wohlrab had a season-best in the 200-yard breaststroke at 2:00.59, while Sam Lewis’ time of 47.08 in the 100 fly was his best for the season. Additionally, the men’s 400-yard freestyle relay, consisting of Logan Heck, Nic Graesser, Sam Lewis and Ben Colley, posted a season-best time of 2:56.58.
The men’s and women’s diving teams also performed well Saturday. For the women, Elissa Dawson placed first in the one-meter diving competition with a score of 308.55. Maria Lohman came in second at 272.48. Jack Nyquist won the event on the men’s side with a score of 421.13. Ozzie Moyer placed second with 341.85 points.
“[Jack] Nyquist and Ozzie Moyer went 1-2 after being a little disappointed yesterday,” said DeSelm. “They rebounded as well.”
With this weekend’s win, the UNC men and women are both 7-1 for the season. The Tar Heels return to Koury Natatorium next Friday, Nov. 13, at 4 p.m., as they host the Texas Longhorns. The Texas men are ranked first in the nation, and the women are ranked sixth.