UNC Dominates Duke On Senior Night

Friday, January 29

Chapel Hill

5:00 PM

North Carolina

Duke

Photo by: UNC Athletic Communications

January 29, 2021 | Swimming & Diving

Final Results

By: Mark Kimmel

CHAPEL HILL - North Carolina hosted long-time rivals Duke at Koury Natatorium on Friday for Senior Night. The 24th ranked Tar Heel women's squad won 190-110, while the No. 20 Carolina men's team was even more dominant with a 219.5-80.5 victory.

"I couldn't be more proud of the team and how they stepped up tonight," said UNC Head Coach, Mark Gangloff. "I challenged them at the beginning of the meet to come together as a group, unify their forces, and never let up throughout the meet, and that's exactly what they did."

The women dominated the meet from the first race with the team of Grace Countie, Sophie Lindner, Lilly Higgs and Heidi Lowe finishing first in the 200-yard medley relay (1:37.99).

Addison Smith placed first in the 500-yard freestyle (4:51.57) and set a personal record with her first-place finish in the 1000-yard freestyle (9:56.67).

Countie finished first in the 100-yard freestyle (49.30) and 100-yard backstroke (51.89), with her backstroke performance the fourth fastest in the ACC this season.

Other first-place finishes included Lindner in the 200-yard freestyle (1:46.59) and 200-yard backstroke (1:54.24), Lowe in the 50-yard freestyle (22.70), and Ellie VanNote in the 100-yard butterfly (53.56).

In the last race of the meet, Lindner, Countie, Lowe and Emma Cole won the 400-yard freestyle relay (3:18.53).

The men also began the meet with a win in the 200-yard medley relay as Tucker Burhans, Valdas Abaliksta, Boyd Poelke and Jack Messenger finishing in 1:26.07.

The Tar Heel men swept the podium in both the 100-yard freestyle (Tomas Sungaila (43.89), Messenger (44.87), Daniel Koenigsberger (45.02)) and the 500-yard freestyle (Dimitrios Dimitriou (4:23.37), Thomas Bretzman (4:29.98), Patrick Hussey (4:30.14)).

Poelke had an outstanding night, placing first in the 100- and 200-yard butterfly (47.00, 1:45.29), with his time in the 200 fly landing him top 10 in the ACC.

In addition, Abaliksta took first in the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke (52.66, 1:55.47), and Sungaila won the 200-yard freestyle (1:35.29). Hussey placed first in the 1000-yard freestyle (9:12.40), Burhans finished first in the 100-yard backstroke, and Eli Coan won the 50-yard freestyle (20.09).

To wrap up the night, Messenger, Koenigsperger, Coan and Dimitriou placed first in the 400-yard freestyle relay (2:56.87).

The Tar Heel divers continued its dominating form this season. The women swept the podium in the 1-meter (Aranza Vazquez-Montano (315.45), Emily Grund (282.15), Taylor Hockenberry (271.20)), and the men swept the podium in the 3-meter (Anton Down-Jenkins (431.03), Alex Hart (379.05), Fabian Stepinski (377.85)).

Vazquez-Montano and Grund took first and second in the women's 3-meter (393.08, 358.43), and Down-Jenkins and Hart placed first and second in the men's 1-meter (370.13, 334.95).

Carolina returns to training until ACC Championships begin next month in Greensboro, N.C.