University of North Carolina Athletics
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Virginia (M)
Tar Heel Men Edged By No. 14 Virginia In Men's Swimming & Diving
January 21, 2006 | Swimming & Diving
Jan. 21, 2006
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The unranked University of North Carolina men's swimming and diving team received the benefit of three winning performances by junior Casey Kott and two by sophomore Ryan Funderburk but fell a few points short in its effort to upset the No. 14 Virginia Cavaliers in men's swimming and diving Saturday at the Maurice J. Koury Natatorium. Virginia, which has won seven Atlantic Coast Conference championships in a row, prevailed 130-113.
Senior Fran Crippen led the Wahoos' efforts as he won both distance freestyle events. Four other Virginia swimmers won one event each and Virginia captured the 400-yard medley relay. Overall Virginia won seven of the 13 events giving the Cavaliers the edge they needed to accumulate at least 122 points, the number necessary for victory.
Carolina won six events overall led by Casey Kott and Ryan Funderburk with two individual wins each, another victory by freshman Harrison Browning and a meet-ending first place in the 400-yard freestyle relay.
Virginia, which has lost this season only to the No. 1, No. 6 and No. 11 teams in the nation, improved to 7-3 this season and a perfect 4-0 in ACC competition. North Carolina, whose three losses are to the No. 8, No. 12 and No. 14 squads in the country, now stands at 4-3. The Tar Heels dropped their first ACC matchup and are now 2-1.
Carolina has not beaten Virginia in dual meet competition since 1998 but Saturday's meet was the closest between the two teams over the past eight meetings. Carolina bounced back from a showing in 2005 which saw Virginia win 172-71 and Carolina able to win only one of 13 events.
Eventually the depth of Virginia decided the meet. The Wahoos dominated the 400-yard medley relay where this season they have the league best time and in the second event Crippen took the 1000-yard freestyle in 9:04.28, faster than any time in the league this season.
UNC then rallied as Harrison Browning captured the 200-yard freestyle in 1:38.78, just .58 of a second off his career best. Kott then moved the Tar Heels into a brief lead as he won the first of his three events. Kott went 20.84 to win the 50-yard freestyle. It was a career best time in dual-meet competition during th junior's career at North Carolina.
Kott had never been involved with three event wins in a single dual meet in his UNC career prior to Saturday's performance.
Virginia took the top two places in the 200-yard individual medley to retake the lead in the meet for good. Pat Mellors touched first in 1:50.67.
The Tar Heels tightened the meet as Ryan Funderburk won the one-meter diving with a score of 320.70 but UVa came right back with a win by Stefan Hirniak in the 200-yard butterfly at 1:49.15.
In a tight race in the 100-yard freestyle Casey Kott of UNC got his second win of the meet as he edged Ethan McCoy 45.78 seconds to 45.86 seconds. Kott's time was again a career best for a regular season dual meet since he became a Tar Heel.
The next two events proved the key to the meet as Virginia took back-to-back 1-2 finishes in the 200-yard backstroke and 500-yard freestyle, building a lead UNC would not be able to overcome. Bjorn Falk of the Cavaliers captured the 200 back in 1:49.08 while Crippen took the 500 free in 4:26.82.
Carolina bounced back again in three-meter diving as Funderburk won his second event with 322.20 points. The Tar Heels also took third and fifth in the event as they kept trying to inject theirselves back into a competitive position in the team score.
Virginia clinched the event by going 1-2-3 in the 200-yard breaststroke led by the winning swim of Vanja Rogulj who went 1:58.82, just a half second off his season best time. The Cavaliers have the best lineup of anyone in the league in the event making the task a difficult one for UNC.
Carolina finished the meet on a strong note with a win in the 400-yard freestyle relay as the UNC unit went 3:03.17, touching .72 of a second ahead of the Virginia's best relay. The Carolina rlay included Harrison Browning, sophomore Zach Swartz, senior Jon Albrecht and Casey Kott. Kott entered the water just ahead of his Virginia competitor on the final leg of the relay but he split a solid 45.40 to allow the Tar Heels to pull away at the end in the race. Carolina's next meet is at Maryland on January 28 at 11 a.m. Virginia hosts Pittsburgh on January 29 at 12 noon.
TEAM SCORES--MEN: No. 14 Ranked Virginia Cavaliers 130, North Carolina Tar Heels 113
INDIVIDUAL AND RELAY WINNERS--MEN
400-Yard Medley Relay: Virginia (Bryan Stahl, Vanja Rogulj, Lee Robertson, Ethan McCoy), 3:18.35; 1000-Yard Freestyle: Fran Crippen (UVA), 9:04.28; 200-Yard Freestyle: Harrison Browning (UNC), 1:38.78; 50-Yard Freestyle: Casey Kott (UNC), 20.84; 200-Yard Individual Medley: Pat Mellors (UVA), 1:50.67; One-Meter Diving: Ryan Funderburk (UNC), 3:20.70; 200-Yard Butterfly: Stefan Hirniak (UVA), 1:49.15; 100-Yard Freestyle: Casey Kott (UNC), 45.78; 200-Yard Backstroke: Bjorn Falk (UVA), 1:49.08; 500-Yard Freestyle: Fran Crippen (UVA), 4:26.82; Three-Meter Diving: Ryan Funderburk (UNC), 322.20; 200-Yard Breaststroke: Vanja Rogulj (UVA), 1:58.82; 400-Yard Freestyle Relay: North Carolina (Harrison Browning, Zach Swartz, Jon Albrecht, Casey Kott), 3:03.17.
Records: Virginia 7-3 overall, ACC 4-0; North Carolina 4-3 overall, ACC 2-1
Players Mentioned
