Men's, Women's Swimmers Take Nike Cup

Saturday, when UNC defeated the Volunteers, the earlier thought was a distant memory.

While last year both the men's and women's team easily won the Nike Cup, this year the No. 15 men had to overcome Tennessee en route to a 757-713 victory during the weekend meet at Koury Natatorium. The women, ranked 11th, had an easier time, dominating the competition and defeating second-place Virginia Tech 979-573.5.

"It's just a wonderful way to (end the semester)," said UNC coach Frank Comfort.

The Tar Heels competed against Virginia Tech, Louisiana State, N.C. State, Kenyon, Syracuse, East Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee (men only), Michigan (women) and Kansas (women).

The men (3-2, 1-0 in the ACC) led the Volunteers after all three days of the event. Tennessee sent its diving team to a different competition; had they been in Chapel Hill, the scores would have likely added up differently.

Nevertheless, the Tar Heels swam their best meet of the young season. They were led by captain Sean Quinn, who set a Nike Cup record in the 200 -yard breaststroke with a time of one minute, 58.65 seconds. "Personally, I swam very well," Quinn said. "But mainly I'm just really excited about how the team stepped up."

The men's diving team provided valuable points as well, winning both the one- and three-meter dives. Eric Poitras won the one-meter, while Stephen Krebs was victorious in the three-meter.

Freshman Casey Dauw, of Tennessee, was the most outstanding individual performer of the meet. Dauw won three individual events, the 500 freestyle, the 400 individual medley and the 1650 freestyle.

"That's why Tennessee's one of the best teams in the country," said Comfort.

The women's team (4-1, 1-0 in the ACC) was equally impressive, though none of its opponents were ranked in the top 25.

Jessi Perruquet won the 100 and 200 freestyles, and she also swam on UNC's winning 200 and 800 freestyle relays. Perruquet's time of 49.56 in the 100 free automatically qualified her for the 2003 NCAA championships.

UNC senior Laura Collier set an ACC record in the 200-yard backstroke. Her time of 1:57.83 was almost five seconds better than her preliminary time.

"That was just one of the most stunning performances," Comfort said. "To break an ACC record at a competition like this is almost unheard of."

The teams don't swim again until Jan. 11 against Florida State and Rutgers, but will intensely train until that meet.

"I think we have to raise the bar a little more now," Perruquet said. "We made goals, and so many people have (already) achieved them."

The Sports Editor can be reached at sports@unc.edu.