Cari Blalock

Position:
IM/Fly
Height:
5-5
Class:
Senior
Hometown:
Wilmington, N.C.
High School:
New Hanover

Career Best Times: 53.77 in 100-yard butterfly; 1:56.06 in 200-yard butterfly; 1:57.87 in 200-yard individual medley; 4:09.01 in 400-yard individual medley.

2011-12: Had a spectacular season...named to 2012 All-ACC Team...2012 NCAA honorable mention All-America in the 400 IM (15th place) and as a member of Carolina's 800-yard freestyle relay team...at the ACC Championships she was third in the 200 IM in 1:57.87...also notched a third place finish in the 400 IM with a clocking of 4:11.40...grabbed a runner-up finish as she went 1:56.36 to claim second in the 200 butterfly...she had gone a University record time of 1:56.06 in the preliminaries of the event...swam on a fast 800 free relay team which captured second place in the league meet with a time of 7:08.41... captured 14th place in the 400-meter individual medley at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials in a personal best time of 4:48.10, taking more than seven seconds over her previous career best clocking… placed 24th in the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials in the 200-meter individual medley with a time of 2:16.96...won a pair of events in the dual meet win over Duke and won the 400 IM as Carolina downed NC State...excelled at the 2011 Nike Cup...placed second in three individual events - 200 IM (2:00.42), 400 IM (4:12.40) and 100 butterfly (54.37)...also took third place in the 200 fly at Nike Cup with a 1:58.28 and swam on 400 medley relay team which took runner-up honors.

2010-11 (at LSU): An All-SEC Freshman Team performer who proved to be one of the top newcomers in the league... LSU record holder in 400 individual medley and as member of 800 freestyle relay team...2011 NCAA qualifier and 2011 All-SEC Freshman Team honoree...one of two LSU freshmen to qualify for the NCAA Championships and break program records at SEC Championships ... held the team's fastest time in the 400 IM and ranked second in the 200 fly and 200 IM ... tied for 24th in the 200 butterfly at NCAA meet (1:57.64), placed 30th in the 200 IM (1:59.42) and finished 31st in the 400 IM (4:15.62) ... emerged as the top freshman finisher in the SEC in the 200 fly, registering fourth place with the second-fastest mark all-time at LSU, a clocking of 1:57.30 ... qualified for the 'A' final of the 200 IM with a 1:58.79 clocking, second best time in program history ... also shattered a 14-year-old school record in the 400 IM to take 13th spot (4:12.46)...swam the third leg on the program record-breaking 800 free relay (7:12.73) ... won the 400 IM at the Cougar Classic Invitational (4:17.19) and claimed runner-up honors in the 200 fly (1:59.44) ... also recorded sixth in the 100 fly and ninth in the 200 IM at the Cougar Classic ... captured first-place in the 100 fly at the Florida International Invite ... raced to runner-up honors in the 400 IM in wins over Florida State, Houston, Rice and Tulane ... delivered second place in the 100 back in a victory over Tulane and second in the 200 IM at the Florida Atlantic Invite ... also took second in the 200 fly against Incarnate Word...won LSU's top newcomer award.

Prep: A two-time North Carolina state champion... a member of the CollegeSwimming.com Top 100 recruits of 2010 ... won state titles in the 100 butterfly in both 2008 and 2010 ... a 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials and 2009 World Championships Trials qualifier ... served as captain of her swim team two years and was part of four conference runner-up squads ...a U.S. Swimming Scholastic All-America every year from 2007-10 ... coached by Brian Benfer...attended National Select Camp in 2006...Southeastern Senior Sectional 100-yard butterfly champion in 2009...four-time all-conference selection at NHHS...All-Area Wilmington Star-News swimmer of the year from 2007-10...North Carolina state high school record holder in 100 fly at 53.79...member of Beta Club...National Honor Society selection...participated in First Friday Dinners program providing meals for the homeless through the Church of the Servant...North Carolina Swimming junior and senior representative.

Personal: Full name is Carolyn Ruth Blalock ... goes by Cari ... born June 4, 1992, in Wilmington, N.C. ... parents are Chip and LeeAnn Blalock ... has one older sister... exercise and sports science major...stands 5-5 tall.

20 Questions With Junior Cari Blalock

Section #1: Swimming & Diving

1. The best thing about being a Tar Heel swimmer is being a part of this amazing university and constantly being surrounded by people who will support you through anything and that all want an ACC ring!

2. My favorite thing about competing for Coach DeSelm is getting to see his personality shine at swim meets and being able to perform well under any circumstances with him as our leader.

3. Since last year the aspect of my training I've worked on the most is my stroke endurance. It got much better with my increase in yardage this year.

4. My best friend on another college swimming team is Rachel Naurath at UVA.

5. My greatest strength as a swimmer is being able to push myself to my max mentally and physically in practice and motivating my teammates.

Section #2: Hobbies & Interests

1. Away from the pool and academic pursuits I like to sit on the beach, read some, and hang out with my friends.

2. The best movies I've seen recently are still Harry Potter 7(both parts) and maybe 21 Jump Street.

3. If I could compete in another sport at UNC it would be beach volleyball...if that existed.

4. The music acts I'd most like to see in person are Mumford & Sons or Jimmy Buffet.

5. The personal interest I have that might surprise my teammates is I love veggies and experimenting with cooking with my mom.

Section #3: Food & Beverage

1. After a big meet, I'd like to eat at a buffet spread that included seafood, chicken, mashed potatoes, chicken, pasta...and ice cream.

2. My favorite beverages is Bojangles sweet tea.

3. My favorite food made by a relative is Daddy's and Poppa's Ribs.

4. My favorite places to eat in Chapel Hill is Yopo and Mediterranean Deli.

5. My favorite guilty pleasure food wise is movie popcorn and chocolate.

Section #4: Personality

1. If I possessed the gift of time travel I'd like to go to the 60s and see a Beatles concert.

2. My most prized personal possession is my polar bear Fuzzy I got from my aunt when I was four and a gold chain cross necklace that was my grandma's.

3. If I could go to dinner with a famous person it would be Liza Minnelli.

4. My dream job is an elementary school teacher.

5. The most interesting person I've met at UNC is Kelsey Cummings (Chelsea).