University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Finals
Carolina Pushes The Pace To Close Out Nike Cup Day 2
November 23, 2013 | Swimming & Diving
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - 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."
Players Mentioned
