Big Ten Leads ACC After First Day of Conference Face-Off

Saturday, November 10

West Lafayette, Ind.

All Day

North Carolina

ACC/Big Ten Challenge

Valdas Abaliksta

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati

November 10, 2018 | Swimming & Diving

ACC/B1G Day 1 Results

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Heading into day two of the weekend-long ACC/Big Ten Challenge, the Big Ten leads the ACC in both the men's and women's competitions with the Big Ten men holding a narrow 85-82 lead and the Big Ten women ahead 123 to 44.

Four Tar Heels competed across four events, clocking two season bests and three NCAA 'B' cut times on the first day of the invitational.

Sophomores Alvin Jiang and Valdas Abaliksta both made appearances in the men's 400 medley relay competition. Abaliksta's relay clocked an NCAA 'A' qualifying time of 3:06.10 to claim first place in the event with NC State's Coleman Stewart and Justin Ress bookending the relay squad and Florida State's Kanoa Kaleoaloha swimming the third leg. Abaliksta also swam the 200 breaststroke in a season best time of 1:58.00, besting the NCAA 'B' cutoff. Jiang competed in just one event during the Saturday evening session, but his leadoff backstroke time of 47.43 also cleared the NCAA 'B' qualification standards and helped his ACC relay finish fourth with a time of 3:08.56.

Junior Bryanna Cameron was Carolina's only female athlete to compete Saturday. Earning Carolina's third 'B' cut time of the day, Cameron swam a personal best 400-yard IM time of 4:13.87 which ranks ninth all-time at UNC.

Wrapping up day one, sophomore Chris Thames swam in the final event as the third leg of the ACC's 800 freestyle D relay that placed seventh place with 6:47.41 on the clock.

UP NEXT: SESSION 2, SUNDAY NOV. 11, 10 A.M.
All six Tar Heels representing the ACC will compete on the second day of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Valdas Abaliksta will swim in two more events — the men's 200 medley relay and the men's 100 breaststroke. Chris Thames will leadoff another 200 medley relay for the ACC while Alvin Jiang looks to backup his prowess in the 100 backstroke and Bryanna Cameron will swim in the 200-yard butterfly.

Two more Tar Heels — freshman Grace Countie and senior co-captain Maria Lohman — will make their first and only appearances of the weekend. Countie will compete in the women's 50 free and Lohman will represent Carolina and the ACC on the diving board in the women's three-meter springboard competition.