Baldwin Posts Nation’s Top 50 Time At UT Invitational

Thursday, November 30

Knoxville, Tenn.

6:00 p.m.

North Carolina

Tennessee Swimming Invitational Finals

Caroline Baldwin posted the top time in the nation Thursday in the 50-yard freestyle, breaking the ACC record.

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati

November 30, 2017 | Swimming & Diving

Thursday Preliminary Results Thursday Final Results

Action continues Friday at 10 a.m.

By: Dave Lohse

KNOXVILLE, TENN. – University of North Carolina senior Caroline Baldwin won the 50-yard freestyle Thursday night at the 2017 University of Tennessee Swimming & Diving Invitational, posting the top time in the nation so far this school year in the event and leading Tar Heel swimming accomplishments on the opening day of the meet.

Baldwin clocked a 21.48 in the "A" final of the event and in the process taking down the school record at that distance for the second time on Thursday. Baldwin held the school record at 21.78 seconds heading into Thursday and she broke that mark by going 21.68 in the preliminaries Thursday morning. She went even faster Thursday evening at the Allan Jones Aquatic Center on the University of Tennessee campus, clocking a 21.48. The top time in the nation this season coming into action Thursday was a 21.63 clocked on October 22 by University of California sophomore Abbey Weitzeil.

Baldwin's time also established a new Atlantic Coast Conference record in the event as she broke the mark of 21.57 seconds set by Kelsi Worrell of Louisville on March 17, 2016.

Baldwin led a strong effort by the entire UNC team in the 50-yard freestyle. Brooke Bauer placed fifth in a career best 22.33 (previous was 22.51), while Maddie Smith won the "B" final in a career best 22.42 (previous was 22.67), Emma Cole was 10^th in 22.78 and Katie Ford was 14^th in 23.25. Bauer's time moved her into fifth place in Tar Heel history in the event while Smith moved into the seventh spot all-time at Carolina in the 50-yard freestyle.

Baldwin also led the Tar Heel women to a victory Thursday night in the 200-yard freestyle relay and to a runner-up placing in the 400-yard medley relay.

Carolina triumphed in the 200 free relay by going 1:28.52 with Baldwin leading off relay in 21.77, a time which again was under Carolina's previous school mark. The relay also included Maddie Smith (22.06), Brooke Bauer (22.52) and Emma Cole (22.17). A second Tar Heel relay placed fourth in the 200 free relay, going 1:30.65. That unit included Zhada Fields (22.61), Katie Ford (22.80), Caroline Hauder (22.45) and Kate Boyer (22.79).

On the men's side, UNC's top finishing relay in the 200 free distance came in at 1:19.77. The foursome included Alvin Jiang (20.21), Valdas Abaliksta (19.84), J.T. Casey (19.53) and Jack Messenger (20.19).

In the women's 500-yard freestyle, Carolina had two swimmers in the "A" final with Robyn Dryer finishing fifth at 4:46.87, a career best time taking down her previous best clocking of 4:50.41, and Bryanna Cameron notching seventh place at 4:51.07. Zhada Fields won the "B" final in the event with a time of 4:48.35. That was a career best time for Fields whose previous top time was 4:48.82.

In the men's 500-yard freestyle, Carolina competitors took the top two places in the "B" final with senior Henry Campbell taking ninth in 4:25.74 and freshman Dimitrios Dimitriou placing 10^th just one one-hundredth of a second behind Campbell at 4:25.75.

UNC freshman Caroline Hauder led all Tar Heel swimmers in the women's 200-yard individual medley as she placed sixth in a time of 1:58.06 after going a career best 1:57.37 in the preliminaries. Hauder's previous career best was 1:58.41 in high school. Her preliminary time in the event Thursday moved her into second placed in school history in the 200 IM behind only Cari Blalock who has the school record of 1:55.86 set in 2013. Tar Heels Sydney Baker, Susanna LaRochelle, Reni Moshos and Emily Slabe finished 11^th, 12^th, 15^th and 16^th, respectively.

In the men's 50-yard freestyle, Carolina had four swimmers in the "B" and "C" finals with Alvin Jiang taking 12^th, Jack Messenger 16^th, J.T. Casey 18^th and Valdas Abaliksta 19^th. Jiang (leading off the 200 free relay) and Casey both went career best times of 20.21 on Thursday.

The Tar Heel women finished the evening strong in the 400-yard medley relay with a second-place finish as it clocked a time of 3:35.59. Baldwin, swimming her fourth race of the day, led off in 52.31 and the relay also included Caroline Hauder (1:01.06), Emma Cole (53.20) and Maddie Smith (49.02). The top finishing men's 400 medley relay for UNC included Jiang, Abaliksta, Nick Loomis and Casey as it placed seventh with a time of 3:13.45.

UNC's divers competed at the Purdue Invitational the weekend before Thanksgiving while the Tar Heel swimmers are in Knoxville this weekend for their fall invitational.

WOMEN'S TEAM SCORES: Tennessee 375, Duke 284, North Carolina 263, Denver 181, Pennsylvania 82, Carson Newman 20, Marshall 19
MEN'S TEAM SCORES: Tennessee 418.5, Pennyslvania 259, Denver 232.5, Duke 172, North Carolina 122, Carson Newman 32