Valdas Abaliksta

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati

Photo by: Barron Northrup

Photo by: Baird Photography

Photo by: Jake Pierce

Position:
Breaststroke
Height:
6-8
Weight:
null
Class:
Junior
Hometown:
Siauliai, Lithuania
High School:
Juliaus Janonio Gymnasium

Career Best Times
Short Course
50-yard Free — 20.18 • 100-yard Free — 44.94 • 100-yard Breast — 52.00 • 200-yard Breast — 1:55.15 •
100-meter Breast — 1:00.66 • 200-meter Breast — 2:10.01

Long Course
100-meter Breast — 1:02.41 • 200-meter Breast — 2:16.18

2020-21

Earned honorable mention All-America honors in the 100-yard breaststroke • Competed in the 100 and 200 breaststroke at the NCAA Championships as well as the 400 medley relay • Helped set a new record in the 400 medley relay at the national championship meet • Placed fourth in in the 100-yard breaststroke at the ACC Championships and finished eighth in the 200 • Helped set the school record in the 200 medley relay • Swept the breaststroke events in dual meets against Duke, NC State, South Carolina and Virginia • Touched first in the 100 and 200 breaststroke at the Janis Hape Dowd Invitational • Named to the All-ACC Academic Team and the ACC Academic Honor Roll.

2019-20
Earned All-America honors in the 100-yard breaststroke event • Qualified the NCAA Championships in the 100 and 200 breaststroke events • Finished second in the 100 breast (52.00) and seventh in the 200 breast (1:55.15) at the ACC Championships • Won 11 dual meet individual races • CSCAA Scholar All-American • All-ACC Academic Team • ACC Academic Honor Roll • Participated in the ACC’s Professional Development Academy during the 2020 summer.

2018-19
Finished seventh in the 100 breast and 15th in the 200 breast at the ACC Championships • Represented UNC at the ACC/BIG TEN Swimming & Diving Challenge • ACC Academic Honor Roll • Received the Most Valuable UNC Men’s Swimmer award • Competed at the 2019 Summer Universiade in Naples, Italy.

2017-18
Took seventh in the 100-yard breaststroke at the ACC Championships as well as 15th in the 200-yard breaststroke and T-31st in the 50-yard freestyle • Also swam a leg of the eighth-place-finishing 200-yard freestyle relay at ACC title chase • Won the 100-yard breaststroke in the South Carolina dual meet after swimming a then-personal-best time of 54.34, the seventh-fastest time in school history • Bested that 100-yard breaststroke mark in three races before finishing the event in a time of 53.12 in the ACC Championship preliminaries, moving into third all-time at UNC • Swam the 200-yard breast in the ACC prelims for a new personal record of 1:57.38, the tenth-fastest time in school history • Won the 100-yard breaststroke six times and the 200-yard breaststroke three times over the course of the season • Swam a leg of the 400-yard free relay A seven times and captured three event titles • Also helped the 200-yard medley relay A capture first two times • Named to the ACC Academic Honor Roll.

PREP/CLUB
Attended Juliaus Janonio Gymnasium from 2012-17 • Swam for coach Ema Vielaviciute at the Siauliu Delfinas swimming club • Was named best swimmer on club team in 2015-16 • Multiple Lithuanian swimming championships winner and champion.

PERSONAL
Son of Martynas Abaliksta and Sandra Abalikstiene • Birthday is November 25.