Swimming: Tar Heels sweep Yellow Jackets

The North Carolina swimming and diving teams were a nightmare for Georgia Tech this weekend in the Koury Natatorium.

The men’s and women’s teams beat Georgia 166.5-119.5 and 165-128, respectively.

UNC hosted the N.C. Aquatics Club Mile Meet on Friday. Coach Rich DeSelm said he thought the quick turnaround would benefit his team in training for the NCAA championships at the end of the season.

“The goal for this year was to come together as a team, practice hard, race tough,” DeSelm said. “And we’re getting really good at that.”

Vinny Pryor contributed to the Tar Heel victory with individual wins in the 200- and 100-yard breaststroke. He was also a member of the winning 200-yard freestyle relay. Jim Flannery added two wins with first place finishes in both the 100- and 200-yard backstroke.

Despite the North Carolina men’s 400-yard freestyle relay team getting disqualified in the final event of the meet, the men still won 10 of the 16 events.

There was a noticeable absence in the distance freestyle events for North Carolina. Chip Peterson, who usually competes in both the 500 and 1000, took second place in the 200-yard freestyle.

“To stay fresh sometimes you have the opportunity to mix the lineup a little bit,” DeSelm said. “We had that opportunity today. It keeps people sharp and gets them excited about something different.”

For the women, Katura Harvey won both the 500- and 1000- yard freestyle events. In the same fashion, Katie Keel took first place in the 200- and 100-yard breaststroke.

“I think we’re all really excited about this year, and we have a great class of freshman,” Keel said. “We’d like to win ACCs. This year, especially since it’s here, it’s going to be a really big aspiration. We’ve got to represent our house.”

The men’s team, now a perfect 5-0 after last week’s win over powerhouse Georgia, has made vast improvements since last year. It is something many of the swimmers attribute to the experience and dedication of DeSelm, who came to UNC after six years as an assistant coach at Florida.

“He knows the best of the best,” Keel said. “His background and what he’s brought to the program is helping us shape into a really good team. I think his goals and what he’s bringing from Florida is getting us to a good start.”

UNC will be back in the pool Friday when it takes on ACC rival Maryland. For the men, a triumph against the Terrapins will give them six wins, the same amount earned by the Tar Heels in the entire 2008-2009 season.

“On paper, I’d be disappointed if we didn’t handle them, if we took them for granted or if we didn’t show up,” DeSelm said. “If you scored it on paper, we should win. But they swim it in the pool.”

 

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.