In Saturday’s NCAA swimming and diving championship, Joe Kinderwater had a chance to realize a four-year long dream.

But for a moment, the senior almost saw it float away.

Kinderwater went into Saturday’s championship a three-time first-team All-America and with a top eight finish in the 1,650-yard freestyle, the senior had a chance to make it four-for-four.

The freestyler was used to swimming in the final heat in the event, but a ninth-place finish in Saturday’s preliminaries put him just outside of earning a spot.

Kinderwater refused to let it set him back.

From a less-than-ideal afternoon heat, the senior cruised to a fifth-place overall finish in the event and helped the men grab 14th place in the championship meet, its best finish since 1993.

“He was just determined to do well and score in the top eight,” coach Rich DeSelm said. “And he did better than that ­— he crushed his best time. His splits were within one-hundredths of each other for 14 minutes.”

Kinderwater’s finish made him the third four-time first-team All-American in UNC men’s swimming history, and the first in more than 25 years.

The co-captain will leave big shoes to fill. And no one knows that more than his teammates.

Senior Tyler Harris was at a loss for words when describing Kinderwater’s value to the team.

“He means a heck of a lot to this program, both as a leader and as a swimmer,” Harris said. “It was kind of his goal coming into the meet (to become a four-time All-American) and when he says that, there’s nothing that’s going to get in front of him and meeting his goals.”

Harris was also a standout for the Tar Heels during the championship weekend, and his third-place swim in the 400-yard IM was the highest individual finish by a Tar Heel since 1965.

“I started out a little slower than I usually do … but the back half of my race was probably the strongest it’s ever been,” Harris said. “I was able to pick some people off coming home on the breaststroke and freestyle.”

All eight UNC men that qualified for NCAAs earned first-team or honorable mention All-American honors, and the five first-team members were the most for a North Carolina squad since 1968.

UNC’s 14th-place finish marked a huge improvement for the senior class, who witnessed UNC tie for 29th place just four years ago.

But for DeSelm, there’s still room to grow.

“Our goal is to be an annual top-10 team in both programs,” he said. “We’re not there yet, but we’re working hard to get there.”

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@dailytarheel.com.