Tyler Harris

Position:
IM,Butterfly,Breast stroke,Freestyle
Class:
Junior
Hometown:
Richmond, Va.
High School:
The Steward School

Career Best Times: 1:38.56 in 200 free; 4:26.57 in 500 free; 9:14.36 in 1000 free; 15:28.68 in 1650 free; 1:50.43 in 200 back; 57.43 in 100 breast; 1:56.45 in 200 breast (2nd in school history); 51.03 in 100 fly; 1:47.06 in 200 fly (7th in school history); 1:44.86 in 200 IM (school record); 3:43.52 in 400 IM (school record).
General: Carolina's most versatile swimmer...holds school records in the 200 IM (1:44.86) and 400 IM (3:43.52)... a member of 400 medley and 800 free relays which established school records... a three-year returning letter...a three-year NCAA qualifier.
Long Course Highlights: Continued his brilliant long course swimming in 2010...at U.S. Nationals he set two school records...swam the 200-meter IM in 2:02.40, taking 14th place...went 4:17.63 to claim sixth place in the 400-meter IM...the previous summer he broke his own University records in the 200-meter IM (2:03.13) and 400-meter IM (4:19.21) at the 2009 U.S. Open...at that meet he finished 16th in the 200-meter butterfly, sixth in the 400-meter IM and 15th in the 200-meter IM...set a pair of University long course and Virginia state U.S.S. long course records in the summer of 2008 in both IM events...he went 2:04.39 in the 200-meter IM and 4:21.94 in the 400-meter IM at the 2008 U.S. Open to establish those marks, finishing ninth in the 400-meter IM and 13th in the 200 fly and 200 breaststroke...qualified for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials in three events -- the 200-meter fly, the 200-meter IM and the 400-meter IM...at the Trials, he set what were then school records in the 200 IM and in the 400 IM where he placed 12th...was a finalist in the 400 IM at 2007 summer senior nationals, taking 15th place.
2009-10 (Junior): Earned first-team All-America honors in the 400 IM, taking eighth place at NCAAs in 3:46.16...also swam the 200 IM and 200 breast at NCAAs...was a member of two relays which garnered honorable mention All-America status...swam the third leg on the 800 free relay which placed 12th...swam the breaststroke leg of the 400 medley relay which placed 14th...an All-ACC selection in 2010...finished second in three events at the 2010 ACC Championships...was the runner-up in the 200 IM (1:45.58), the 400 IM (3:43.61) and the 200 breast (1:56.96)...named to the All-ACC Academic Team for men's swimming...2010 ACC Academic Honor Roll selection.
2008-09 (Sophomore): Capped off an excellent sophomore season with a trio of swims at the NCAA Championships, finishing 26th in the 200 IM in a school record 1:44.86 and taking 12th in the 400 IM at 3:44.93...named an honorable mention All-America in the 400 IM for the second straight year...at the ACC Championships he placed ninth in the 200 IM, second in the 400 IM with a school record time of 3:43.52 and fourth in the 200 breaststroke in a career best time of 1:56.45...was a member of the 800 freestyle relay team which set a school record...All-ACC selection...won the team's most valuable swimmer award...named to the 2008-09 All-ACC Academic Swimming Team for the second straight year...a member of the ACC Academic Honor Roll...was twice named the ACC Men's Swimming Performer of the Week on November 4, 2008 and November 25, 2008.
2007-08 (Freshman): Earned honorable mention All-America honors with a 14th-place finish in the 400 IM at the NCAA Championships...set a career best in the 200 IM with a time of 1:48.76 at the NCAA Championships...was the ACC champion in the 400 IM...at the ACC Championships, he set career best times in the 400 IM at 3:47.04 and in the 200 fly at 1:47.35...his performance in the 400 IM made him the first Tar Heel to take the title in that event since 1986...placed sixth in the 200 IM with a time of 1:49.65...copped seventh place in the 200 fly...earned All-ACC honors... also set a career best time in the 1000 free at 9:14.36 in the dual meet against Minnesota...named ACC Men's Swimmer of the Week on November 13, 2007 after winning a trio of individual events in the Tar Heels' dual meet win against Duke...won the team's most valuable swimmer award... named to the 2008 All-ACC Academic Swimming Team.
Prep: A June 2007 graduate of The Steward School...a four-year letterman there...competed in club swimming for Poseidon Swimming...attained U.S. Swimming senior national qualifying times in the 200 breast, 200 fly, 200 IM, 800 free, 400 free and 400 IM...entered college having already qualified for the 2008 Olympic Trials in the 200 IM, 400 IM and 200 fly...Richmond Times-Dispatch 2007 Scholar-Athlete of the Year finalist...was named by the newspaper as its 2007 high school male swimmer of the year...broke Virginia's 17-18 age group records in both the 200-yard fly at 1:47.75 and 200-meter fly at 2:02.52...a Scholastic All-America selection...qualifier for U.S. Junior Nationals in 11 events, including at least one event each in the free, back, fly and breast...attended 2006 U.S. Swimming National Select Camp...March 2007 Richmond Times-Dispatch athlete of the month...honor roll student...member of FCA and treasurer of National Honor Society.
Personal: Given name is William Tyler Harris...is the son of Chip and Bev Harris...was born September 23, 1988 in Los Angeles, Calif. ...has one sister, Sommer, age 15...journalism and mass communication major.

20 Questions With Senior Tyler Harris
Section #1: Swimming & Diving
1. The best thing about being a Tar Heel swimmer is the opportunity to compete for a program with such a rich tradition.
2. My favorite thing about competing for Coach DeSelm is contributing to a program that is on the rise to national prominence.
3. Since my last competitive season, the aspect of my training I've worked on the most is strengthening my legs to push off further on my walls.
4. My best friend on another college swimming team is Patrick Veltman at Navy.
5. My greatest strength as a swimmer is my competitive attitude.
Section #2: Hobbies & Interests
1. Away from the pool and academics, I like to spend time fishing, hanging out with friends and eating on Franklin Street.
2. On a long bus trip, I'd like to watch Animal House.
3. If I could compete in another sport at UNC it would be basketball.
4. If I received free concert tickets via a radio or internet promotion I would love to see the Dave Matthews Band.
Section #3: Food
1. After a big meet I'd love to see a buffet spread that included BBQ sandwiches, onion rings, fried shrimp and king crab.
2. My favorite beverage is orange cream soda.
3. I'm allowed to enter a room with unlimited snacks, one room has the salty stuff, the other sweet stuff? Which room do I enter and why? I would enter the sweet room because it would probably be a room filled with candy.
4. My favorite food made by a relative is stuffing, made by my grandmother, Edna Chewning.
5. On my birthday, I'd love to be treated by my friends to dinner at Kanki Japanese Steakhouse
Section #4: Personality
1. If I possessed the gift of time travel I would go to the 90s since most of my favorite music comes from that time period.
2. My most prized personal possession is my grandfather's Navy hat from WWII.
3. My iTunes library includes 1,264 songs, mostly grunge music, alternative and hip-hop.
4. In a perfect world where making money was not a consideration my dream job would be a professional surfer.
5. The most interesting person I've met in my time at UNC is Dave Lohse due to his charming personality and graceful attitude.