University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
NCSU/GAC Saturday Finals
Tar Heels Wrap Up Strong Effort At GAC Invitational
November 20, 2016 | Swimming & Diving
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Caroline Baldwin set a new school record in the 100-yard freestyle and Sarah Koucheki and Elissa Dawson won events on Saturday as the University of North Carolina men's and women's swimming and diving teams wrapped up competition at the 2016 NC State/Greensboro Aquatics Center Invitational. The UNC women finished second in the team standings while the Tar Heel men captured fourth place.
Junior co-captain Caroline Baldwin again led the way for the Tar Heels on Saturday as she set her second school record in a sprint freestyle event in the past three days. After setting Carolina's 50-yard freestyle mark on Thursday, she established the school mark in the 100-yard freestyle Saturday, going 48.60 in the preliminaries of the event. In the process she broke the previous school record of 48.66 set by Ally Hardesty in the 2015-16 season.
In the final of the event, Baldwin finished second in the 100 free with a time of 48.79 while senior Sarah Hitchens finished just behind Baldwin in third place in 48.82, significantly under her previous career best of 48.99. Hitchens moved up to fourth in the event all-time in Tar Heel history. Brooke Bauer took 13th in 49.81 and Katie McKay and Zhada Fields posted career best time, going 50.73 and 50.77.
Seniors Sarah Koucheki, Hellen Moffitt and Caty Hulsey led a tremendous finish for the Tar Heels in the women's 200-yard butterfly. Koucheki won the event with a time of 1:55.84 while Moffitt placed third in 1:56.84. Hulsey placed fourth in a time of 1:57.63. In the preliminaries of the event, she clocked a career best time of 1:57.52 (previous 1:58.17) and she is now the sixth-ranked Tar Heel performer ever in the 200 fly. In the men's 200-yard butterfly, senior Michael Meyer finished second with a time of 1:47.34 while freshman Collier Cobb notched 10th place with a time of 1:49.88.
Tar Heel junior Elissa Dawson won the women's 10-meter platform diving competition with a score of 261.55 points. Dawson was the outstanding women's diver of the meet as she took first in one-meter diving on Thursday and second in three-meter diving on Friday.
The Tar Heels started off the evening with four Top 10 finishes in the women's 1650-yard freestyle. Senior Liliana Casso took over 16 seconds off her previous career best time in the event to finish in fourth place with a time of 16:29.22. Her previous best time was 16:45.23. Freshman Natalie Ward took seventh place in a career best 16:34.99 (previous was 16:40.57), Macey Arnold was ninth in 16:41.92 and freshman Byranna Cameron was 10th in a personal best 16:42.34 (previous was 16:46.20). At the 1000-yard freestyle split in the race, both Casso (9:58.17) and Ward (9:56.53) earned career best times.
On both the women's and men's side, UNC swimmers earned a pair of Top 10 finishes in the 200-yard backstroke. Senior Hellen Moffitt took third in 1:54.89 while junior Emily Slabe was the seventh-place finisher in 1:57.41. Senior Jorden Merrilees sent a career best time at 1:43.08 in placing fourth in the men's 200-yard backstroke, eclipsing his previous career best of 1:43.15. With his time, Merrilees moved into fourth place all-time amongst performers in the event in Tar Heel history. Sophomore Heyward Harrison placed 10th in the event by clocking a 1:47.11.
The Tar Heels had three Top 10 finishers in the women's 200-yard breaststroke led by event runner-up Abby Fisher who went 2:14.07. Fellow senior Emily Pfeiffer finished sixth with a time of 2:15.02 and another senior, Katie Munch, was 10th in 2:17.53.
On the men's side in the event, junior Craig Emslie placed third with a time of 1:57.98, moving him into ninth place all-time in Carolina history in the event. Junior Michael McBryan was also in the championship final, going 1:59.54.
The Tar Heels took third in the women's 400-yard freestyle relay as Caroline Baldwin, Sarah Hitchens, Hellen Moffitt and Brooke Bauer touched in 3:16.81.
The Carolina men's 400-yard freestyle relay finished fifth in 2:56.52. Junior Craig Emslie led off the relay in 44.24 seconds, moving him into ninth place all-time in Tar Heel history in the event. The relay also included J.T. Casey, Lucas Popp and Jorden Merrilees.
FINAL TEAM SCORES:
WOMEN: NC State,1938; North Carolina, 1845.5; Duke, 1561.5; Notre Dame, 1213.5; Tennessee, 887.5; West Virginia – 553; Marshall – 508; Miami – 467; Virginia 45.
MEN: NC State 2133; Notre Dame, 1593; Duke, 1361; North Carolina, 1196; Air Force, 1042; Tennessee, 897; West Virginia, 530; Virginia, 47.
Players Mentioned
